INTERVIEW: IGNITE (Punk Rock Holiday 2.5)

 IGNITE is a big love of mine and one of those bands that gets under your skin and stays with you for the rest of your life. They played PRH many times, and this year I got a chance to chat a bit with Brett Rasmussen, bassist and founder of Ignite.

Hi, my name is Irina and I am from Punkette webzine.

Brett: Hi, this is Brett from Ignite. We are here at Punk Rock Holiday, doing some interviews, so let's do this!

Okay, so can you remember how many times you've played PRH so far?

Brett: Four or five, yeah, maybe, I can't remember. It's second one with Eli and I think we did it at least three times before that, so, yeah, 5 maybe...

You are playing tonight, so are you staying after the show?

Brett: I think we are going to watch the whole show, Millencolin and everything, but we have a show in Germany tomorrow so we're leaving early in the morning.

So no after party for you?

Brett: No, we're staying here tonight, but no after parties. Not anymore. (laughter)

How did Eli became the new singer for Ignite after Zoli left?

Brett: I mean, actually, the whole thing for me started in 2012., when we did a tour in Europe without Zoli, and that summer we had to use a substitute singer for that whole European tour. It was Jon Bunch from the band Sense Field, and I realized at that point, when we played these shows and people were singing these songs, that it was the same and it was really cool that, like, the songs were the most important thing. You're always going to have people that are like "I like this guitar player" or "I like that one", there's always going to be people who have their opinions about other bands, but once that tour was finished in 2012., I knew that at some point, if Zoli ever left the band, that we would continue.

That the band will be ok?

Brett: Yeah, that we would continue, find someone that we, you know, liked and was cool and that we wanted to work with. So, then in 2020., when during COVID everything was shut down, our drummer reached out to Eli. So Craig was the connection, the metal guys (laughter). So Craig reached to Eli, but not to ask him to sing, just to ask him if he knew somebody who's okay, and he said "well, let me try", and we said "okay, can you sing" and he said "just let me try". So then he came down and hung out and it was pretty easy for us to make the decision, because we just got along on a personal level and the musical level, so it was a really easy process for us.

I think he brought you that new and huge energy, you know.

Brett: His energy on stage is incredible, and even more than the energy for me is that we are touring so much more now because we have four guys that want to tour all the time. Ignite was only playing, like, 30 shows a year, and now we're doing like 130! It's a big shift for us. It's something that the other guys in the band always wanted and now we're touring full time! It's amazing for us!

And for the fans! They connected with Eli so well. And consequently with the band. There wasn't that kind of connection with Zoli.

Brett: Well, it was definitely time for a change!

Your last album is self titled. It's usually the first one that is self titled. Why this one?

Brett: It is the first one!!!

Like the first one in the "new era"?

Brett: We were coming up with a few names and then we also had the idea to make it self titled, because we thought that was a pretty cool statement, that it's the first album, new beginning. So yeah, it made sense for us to do it like that. It felt like the right decision!

And what was the process of making the album? Was Eli involved in the process or did you make new stuff before...?

Brett: We did most of it before, because we didn't know how long it was going to take, and we knew that we needed to do something fast. So we had most of the songs written when he joined and then he brought in some music and some vocals when he joined, but this album, the one we're writing right now, is definitely a better experience, collaboration, everything. And that's just because everybody is working together.

And when will this new album see the light of the day?

Brett: Next year. We're recording next month (September).

So you are recording more and touring more.

Brett: YES! Yes!

Seams like you are always on the road. Is it difficult?

Brett: It can be at times, especially with families at home and things like that, but at the end of the day it's like what we're doing for our jobs. So that's the lucky part. I mean, how many people do something for work that they really really really love, you know. So we feel really blessed and lucky that we have this opportunity and we don't want to lose any of the momentum. So, let's go make a new album. Let's go record it. Let's release it! Let's make videos. Let's go on tour!

What can we expect tonight? Anything new?

Brett: No, no new songs. We've been trying to change up the set a little bit each time. We've been doing it like in the wintertime, with a tour we did with Slapshot and The Drowns. We played three or four older songs that people have been asking us to play. So we always listen to people and what they want to hear and try and make it work for us. I think it'll be a cool set, you know, we play a lot of popular songs like Bleeding, Veteran and these things that people really want to hear, so, yeah, we call it a festival set. Because I think also at festivals, you play to a lot of new people too, so it's like play your best songs!

Okay, now something completely different. If you could bring back to life one musician - who would it be?

Brett: Well, I mean, I was 9 years old when John Lennon died. And I started getting into The Beatles when I was about 7 or 8 years old, because my parents had the vinyl collection and on my own adventures I went and found all these albums in the living room and put the big headphones on with the big coily chord and listened to these incredible bands. So it was so sad when John Lennon was killed. I don't know if they would have gotten back together, but I think he was such an important part of the music, in general, it was just such a bummer. I was hugely influenced by The Beatles. Initially, that was the first band that I listened to on my own, that I discovered through my parents' vinyl collection and that I felt really connected to. And it's too bad that George is also gone. I'm sure they would have reconnected at some point and done a few special shows.

If you were to do a cover of a pop song, what song would it be?

Brett: Oh, that's a good question! I mean, maybe figure out one of the old Beatles songs that would work. Yeah! I don't know which one, but this is a tough question! Pop song? Huh... Just, I mean, I really like Madonna. I was a big Madonna fan because I was 13 years, 14 years old when she was getting popular, "Like a Virgin" and stuff like that. So some of those songs probably. 

Country or disco?

Brett: Oh, between the 2? Okay. I mean, I like Johnny Cash type of country. I'm not really big on the country pop stuff, but I think there's some great song writing in some of the old, like classic country stuff.

80s or 90s?

Brett: I guess 80s for me, because I was really big into Cure and Joy Division, so that's where my roots are from. The UK Gothic scene, where I really started listening to The Chameleons, Cure, Joy Division, Bauhaus.

That was going to be my next question: What were your influences?

Brett: So I think, you know, in high school me and my friends, we were listening to a lot of this style and stuff, the British stuff. I didn't like any American bands. None! I thought they sounded like Huey Lewis and the News and Billy Joel, and all this stuff was just cheesy to me. Now I appreciate it more 'cuz it's such great song writing, but at the time I only wanted to listen to like dark Gothic stuff.

How did you get in to punk and hardcore?

Brett: I was exposed a little bit to Minor Threat. I did really like The Ramones and the Pistols. I thought they were really cool, but I didn't really get into the hardcore music at all until I hooked up with Joe Foster, who I started Ignite with. And he kind of showed me the good stuff, Dag Nasty and you know, stuff like that. But my style of playing and my influence mixed with his is what created the Ignite music sound, so I think it was like a perfect mix of styles. We took a lot of influence from, like, Bad Religion and that stuff too.

What are your plans for the rest of the summer and plans for the rest of the tour?

Brett: We have four more shows after today, for Europe, and then we go home and spend a month finishing writing the new music and then we start recording it in September.

Great. And when will you be back?

Brett: In the winter time. I think we have a show in Germany in November with Donots, a big show in their hometown. And we'll probably play some other stuff around that.

Thank you very much for your time and for doing this interview with me. This was fun. Have fun the rest of the tour and have fun tonight!

Brett: Thanks! You too. See you around!

Written by I.