1. Kevin Flowerdew - Do The Dog maestro explain to us why the label was set up and what struggles you have had to overcome to get to the stage you are at so far?

The Do The Dog Music label was originally set up in 1996 just for a one off release, an international ska compilation called “Rude Vibes”. I had been putting out a zine called Rude Skazine since 1989 & to celebrate the 50th issue of the zine I decided to put together a CD featuring some of my favourite bands that had featured in the zine over the years. The “Rude Vibes” comp featured tracks by the likes of Skankin Pickle, MU330, The Peacocks, The Porkers, Ruder Than You & many more. Doing the “Rude Vibes” comp was something that I really enjoyed though, so I decided to carry on with the label & release more CD’s to try & bring more attention to the UK ska scene.

The main struggle that I have always had to overcome is a lack of money. I’m just a tiny one man DIY operation & I never have enough cash in the bank to push through my ideas for the label or release my Do The Dog releases as quickly as I would like to.

2. Give us an insight into your own personal musical background please giving influences and other such trivia.

Well I first got into music when I was starting secondary school way back in 1979! My discovery of music coincided with the explosion of 2 Tone Records & the chart success of bands like The Specials, Madness, The Beat, The Selecter & Bad Manners & I was instantly hooked with everything to do with the 2 Tone ska movement. I loved the striking black & white imagery of all the 2 tone record sleeves & posters & I loved the uniform that this new 2 tone army was wearing. But most of all I loved the fiercely infectious & highly danceable music that the 2 tone bands were playing. I’ve pretty much been hooked on ska music ever since but only started actually going to gigs during the mid to late 1980’s when bands like The Loafers, The Hotknives, Potato 5 & Maroon Town were the driving forces of the early 3rd wave of UK ska. Over the years I’ve also been into a number of other classic UK bands like The Jam, The Police, The Clash, The Stone Roses & The Smiths, but ska has always remained my number one musical passion!

3. What bands are exciting you 'big-time' at the moment and what is the one CD that is DTD's best release to date?

I think there is a lot to be excited about on the UK ska scene at the moment. It is really pleasing to see the progress & success that the likes of Sonic Boom Six & The King Blues are achieving at the moment. Both bands are putting out amazing music & bringing lots of new blood to the UK scene. And its also cool to see following in these 2 bands footsteps a group of equally talented & exciting young bands that will hopefully be making as big waves soon. The likes of The JB Conspiracy, Mouthwash & Do The Dog’s own Jimmy The Squirrel, Dirty Revolution, The Skints, Cartoon Violence, New Town Kings, John Player Specials & Rasta4Eyes all make me feel very excited about the future of UK ska!

I don’t really have any one particular CD that I view as DTD’s best release to date – I love all the releases!

4. Seeing you are so heavily into your music would you ever have a sexual affair with a musical instrument or for that matter have an orgy with a drum-kit. I was once lewdly assualted by a couple of sex-cymbals and so have leanings that way? Explian all and give the thinking behind your decision?

No sexual affairs of any nature for me, I’m a very happily married man I’ll have you know!!!

5. Ska vs punk - start the debate man and tell us your opinions on both?

To be honest I’ve never really explored the punk genre that thoroughly, so its ska all the way for me – I just love the highly danceable & infectious nature of well played ska music! I do love the whole DIY ethos of punk, especially the idea that anyone can get involved in the scene by starting their own band or their own label or their own zine, etc but I’ve never really been grabbed that much by punk music itself. The punk bands that I do love like The Clash & Rancid I got into very much due to the fact that they mixed in ska & reggae into their sound.

6. What are the long term ambitions for the label and what are the plans on the bigger stage?

The long term aim for the label is pretty much to keep plugging away as I am, discovering great new UK ska bands & helping them to get their music heard by more people across the UK & international scenes. I don’t have any plans on the bigger stage, obviously it would be nice to sell more CD’s & for the bands to play to bigger audiences, but overall I’m pretty happy keeping the label operating on a DIY underground level.

7. Pimley Plannish the human waterbed is inviting people to spend the night asleep on his aquabody for the fee of 15 rupees. The only catch is that Mr Plannish will be sporting an erection throughout the entire evening from which the occupier must carefully remove strategically inserted onion seeds at hourly intervals. Would you take the celebrated deviant up on his offer and would you swap your entire family for a free Onion Porn DVD?

Unfortunately I have no rupees so I won’t be able to attend Pimley Plannish’s evening extravaganza!

And if the onion porn DVD is free surely I don’t have to swap anything for it?

8. For me ska has always been a safe middle ground that can bring together opposing genres into one arena where all can enjoy. What makes ska so appealing and do you think there is some kind of mini-revival going on at the moment. In fact do sales reflect this or is it backs to the wall and push like mad to break even?

As I said above, I think it’s the highly catchy & dance inducing nature of good quality ska music that makes it so appealing. Yeah there does seem to be a resurgence in ska’s popularity at the moment thanks to the success of new bands like The King Blues & Sonic Boom Six & also of course the reformation of 2 tone era bands The Specials & Madness. Unfortunately this interest is pretty slow to trickle down to grass roots labels like me & sales are pretty much the same as ever! So as you say its definitely “backs to the wall & push like mad to break even”!

9. How do the bands on the label do in the 'live' arena with regards to pulling crowds and selling merch. I know the punk scene is very hit and miss with emphasis very much on the former especially when not using big names. Is the ska scene more supportive of the underdog band compared to the general punk populace?

Most of the Do The Dog bands generally play to crowds of between 50 to 200 people, sometimes a bit more sometimes a bit less. The bigger crowds generally turn up when there is a ska festival of 4 or 5 bands happening or if the Do The Dog bands are supporting a more well known ska band. I would say the ska scene is pretty supportive of underdog bands as most of the DTD bands do seem to sell quite a few CD’s & t-shirts at their gigs.

10. Best band you have ever seen please, plus fave CD in your collection and heroes and zeroes in life and music too?

I’m afraid I can’t pinpoint just one best live band or favourite CD in my collection, so I’ll give you my top 5 of each in no particular order:

Top 5 live bands

The Chinkees, Skylar, Smoke Like A Fish, Rebelation, Chris Murray

Top 5 CD’s in my collection

Siren Six – The Voice With A Built In Promise, Smoke Like A Fish – self titled, The Honeyshop Screamers – Going Out Dancing, Skylar – self titled. Chris Murray – 4 Track Adventures

My heroes all come from my other obsession in life outside ska music – Liverpool Football Club – Kevin Keegan, Kenny Dalglish, Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres, Robbie Fowler, Bruce Grobelaar, Terry Mcdermott, Jamie Carragher, the list goes on & on!

11. Johnny Talents of The Distraked has recently started having holes dug out of his body and using them to create mini-rockpools. Shrimps, starfish and blennies are now all in residence in the young mans devastated frame but I feel this is all a cover up for his obvious tendancies towards blancmange filth. Maybe I am wrong but the question is - would you let barnacles live beneath your eyelids to promote equality for golf balls - if so elaborate.

Ummm, no I certainly wouldn’t! Golf balls have life easy enough as it is!

12.   Push the Do The dog cause - how do we get your latest merch, what are your web addresses etc. etc.

 

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