"Rocking to Resist"

Micheala Muscat

Dripht guitarist Daniel Cassar is a fixture in the local alternative party scene. Known for his love of beer and bad puns, El Flambo as he is known to his friends and adoring groupies, describes himself as being a "tad moody and narcissistic" Either way it is definitely his endearing side that i get a glimpse of throughout the duration of this interview.

Dripht's EP "Global Warning" has been recently released and can be bought from www.di-ve.com. Reciprocal Records Staff, the DMM Music Stall at local gigs or from the band members themselves. For more information about Dripht, visit www.dripht.com.

Do you feel comfortable with your status as Rock's Pin-Up Boy?
I was declared "Punk rock's pin-up boy of choice" by Guze Stagno – the writer who's probably more rock'n'roll than the scores of so called "rock stars" that litter magazine covers all around the world. To be honest, it's quite a compliment, especially seeing who it's coming from. Comfortable? Only if I start actually seeing posters of me being pinned up, and in that unlikely event, I'll happily oblige to act according to what the title implies. Who wouldn't?

How do you write your music and lyrics?
We grab our instruments, we play, we stop for beer and pastizzi, and then we write. We're not complicated men.

Why did you choose Music for the 80's depression? Do you think that it resonates with the times?
Apart from the fact that the original is an amazing track, the fact that it resonates with the situations we are facing at this point in time, 25 years on, is nearly the whole point why we chose to cover it – the line "No Jobs, No money, No future today" says it all.

With song titles such as "Ecoloclast" wouldn't it be apt to describe your music as rebel music for affluent students?
Haha, well, we don't aim for our music to be for anyone really, we just write what we feel, whoever wants to listen, listens. I'm not under the impression that our following is a student following either – apparently, (it may just be wishful thinking after all) we have quite a diverse audience.

Isn't the politics a bit overdone? What about creating art just for art's sake?
Put it this way, what we write about isn't any call to arms, we love playing music and expressing what we feel about things around us, and nine times out of ten it concerns certain social, environmental and political issues. It is art for art's sake - politics is art and art is politics, and art is art like politics is politics. Confusing? Not really. Whenever you choose to express yourself through something, it doesn't really matter what you're expressing at the end of the day. If you think it's overdone, just ignore what Nick is singing and enjoy the music, to us it's more about the music – after all we're not a political party or an NGO that happens to burst into song, but a rock'n'roll band.

Your album cover is a painting by Maltese artist Lisa falzon rather than a photo of the band. Are you inspired by any other artforms?
Correct me where I'm wrong, but I think when you get to write music, or anything for that matter, most of the time you draw your inspiration from all the things around you and that could be literature, film, painting. So yeah, I guess we are influenced by that most other artforms somehow. Don't get me wrong, a lot of times we draw inspiration from drinking too many beers too, like any rock'n'roll band.

Any sex drugs and rock n' roll stories that you would like to share?
Nothing your editor wouldn't censor haha. Ok fine, let's just say I wouldn't be surprised if I'd be banned from Award Ceremonies' Press Rooms.

Say the truth- Does being in a band help you pull girls?
It might, but then again I would kind of throw myself away if I say my only redeeming quality is playing in a band, right?

What with Maltese people flocking to the Pink Floyd Cover band gig, Malta's musical tastes aren't exactly the epitome of cool. Do you feel that you have to compromise to please Maltese tastes?
Come on let's all admit it, Pink Floyd are cool (even though I personally wouldn't pay to go watch a Pink Floyd tribute band). Up until now, and almost surely our blueprint to future songwriting, we never felt we had to compromise – we just sat down and wrote songs that we liked. Our songs have been met with a lot of enthusiasm and to us it was more than we expected, we feel very flattered.

Do you consider bands such as Winter Moods who make an appearance in McDonalds adverts to be sell outs?
Well, to begin with, I don't think that Winter Moods had anything to sell out to in the first place – it's not like they play music with any political statement. Good luck to them for that – I'd never even think to judge other musicians on that, after all, many of the artists I listen to and love have no political agenda whatsoever – so it wouldn't be fair to fall to double standards. The only thing I could comment about is that they seem to have jumped to the opportunity for the advert appearance as quickly as they jumped on the 'Support Animal Rights' bandwagon – which, according to my personal reasoning does not make too much sense. I see it as the equivalent of attending a PETA demonstration and waving placards while sporting a fully blown fur coat. Very contradictory in my humble opinion.

Did winning the Best Single award at the BMA's change anything?
It did change our Press kit, that's for sure, and it did give me the reputation of being a tad destructive after being force-fed free beer (who am I kidding? Force-fed?? Haha). To be completely honest, since I had no part in writing the song that won the Best Single Award, I felt a little pressure when we were entering the studio this time round. However, when we started recording the material we had been working on over the course of a year, I quickly ditched that pressure, as I felt that our new material is as strong as it was in the first EP – and by no means are we a one-song band. It did change one fundamental thing, however. It solidified our intent on working even harder than we did before – writing new material and hopefully taking Dripht abroad.

We've all heard of bands breaking up after they make it big (e.g. Libertines) because of underlying tensions. Do you fear this problem?
Being in a band is like being in a family – we are all good friends, but when it comes to writing music together, it runs much deeper than that. Now as in all families, there are times when there lies a lot of tension, yet up until now we have survived everything, and every time we become even stronger and even more united as a band. I guess, a little fear is always there in the midst of tension, but looking back, I don't think we have much to fear.

Where do you see yourself in ten years time?
I don't see myself past the next few days, let alone in ten years time. If I had to, I'd wish I was living comfortably, writing music and traveling at will. If I could combine both, the better. As in physical location, wherever I can get these opportunities. Hell it can be in some desolate jungle somewhere for all I care – as long as I'm doing what I love I'll be happy.

What is the next step for the band?
A spanking brand new live set-list with new songs and naturally, plans to take Dripht off the sunny local shores.