Joining us for today’s Roll of the Dice interview, we have Jo, from UK punks Raisin Awareness. The trio is preparing for the release of Currant Times, and have just released the second single off the upcoming record, “No More.” Head to their Bandcamp to check out all previous singles from the record and give the interview a read below.
Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview. Congrats on the upcoming release of Currant Times. What should TGEFM readers know about Raisin Awareness and the new record?
We formed in 2020 during lockdown, as Rob and I lived together and had access to a studio. We’d been talking about being in a band together for at least a decade, and the lockdown gave us that opportunity. For me it was also an opportunity to have a creative outlet and a purpose outside of day-to-day life. About a year later, Daggi joined us on bass, and we started taking it all more seriously. We’ve been working on songs together for a while which will make up the new record. The songs range somewhat in style and also lyrically but do focus on the human experience from many angles, such as mental health, relationships, and our impact on the environment.
The world has been multiple versions of fucked up for the last few years. What impact, if any, does the current cultural and political landscape have on the band?
I’m quite influenced by yogic and Buddhist philosophy. I’ve been teaching Yoga since 2015 and engaged in both yogic and Buddhist practices for over a decade. So while there is not necessarily any specific cultural or political influence, I do naturally come from a place of compassion when hearing about or reading about the various problems that are occurring in the world and then incorporating them lyrically into our songs. I suppose we have a more generalist view of what is going on, in that when it boils down to it; we should really be coming together to help one another and the planet we live on. However, the way in which society is structured can often make it difficult.
One of our obligatory questions in these interviews also tends to be the one I have found most important on a personal level. Who are some bands on your radar that TGEFM readers may not know about, but you think they should know about?
For me, I’ve just started getting into Like Roses and TsuShiMaMiRe
What’s next for Raisin Awareness?
Upon the release of Currant Times, we’re planning to tour UK and Europe in 2024.
Thank you again for your time. Before we say our goodbyes, was there anything I missed that you’d like to share or dive deeper into with our readers?
Roll of the Dice is a short interview format with a variable amount of questions. A pair of dice is rolled and the total, between 2 and 12, is the amount of questions we can ask. All questions are given to the interviewee(s) at once, and no follow-ups are allowed. The interview may be lightly edited for content and clarity.
Bad Dad (occasionally called Ed) has been on the periphery of the punk and punk-adjacent scene for over twenty years. While many contributors to this site have musical experience and talent, Ed’s musical claim to fame comes from his time in arguably the most punk rock Blockbuster Video district in NJ where he worked alongside members of Blanks 77, Best Hit TV and Brian Fallon. He is more than just an awful father to his 2 daughters, he is also a dreadful husband, a subpar writer, a terrible dresser and has a severe deficiency in all things talent… but hey, at least he’s self-aware, amirite?
Check out the pathetic attempts at photography on his insta at https://www.instagram.com/bad_dad_photography/
