Paul: “Can you tell us just who and what Route 215 are please?”
Route 215: “Route 215 are a Rock and Roll band from East London and we currently consist of Peter Destiny on Bass and Vocals and Tommy 215 on Drums. We sadly lost our guitarist recently so we have Dow Feelgood from Skirtbox standing in.”
Paul: “Getting the obvious pleasantries out of the way, who came up with the name of the band and does it have any specific relevance to anything?”
Route 215: “Peter can take full credit for that. In terms of specific relevance it gets about as relevant as sitting on your bus ride home day in day out and deciding that the Route 215 was an integral part of your life and not to be lived without.”
Paul: “Well going way back, why make the changes from the earlier bands ‘Eat Your Greens’ and ‘Puppies in The Oven’? How did these bands sound in comparison with Route 215?”
Route 215: “Haha, well the change to Route 215 was made largely because we finally wanted to play what we thought was good music and we never had the chance to write what we really wanted in the other bands. Oh and we finally grew up and realised that those bands really sucked!”
Paul: “What do you think of your first release as Route 215 “She Fell In Love With A Juvenile Delinquent” and do you think that it is a fair representation of the band in 2002?”
Route 215: “OK, firstly we are honestly really proud of what we recorded when I (Tommy) was 17 years old and after a couple of recording sessions in really sketchy studios it was really cool to actually be in a genuine studio with a producer who was into what we were playing. Having said that, it is probably the worst record to listen to if you want to get an idea of what Route 215 are about these days, but still worth checking out if you ask me!”
Paul: “How did you come to be signed up to 20 Deck, and what is it like being part of that particular label?”
Route 215: “We can’t give enough praise to Sean and the 20 Deck team. It is such a dedicated label and really shows with the full on stable that has been signed up over the last few months, and through the releases that are coming out of it. For a label that hasn’t been established very long I think they are doing better than a lot of people could and have. It shows from the fact that they have bands from not only all over the UK but also South Africa and America involved and when you see that the website has had almost a million hits already, its all very cool to be a part of really. We were very lucky to be approached by Sean himself when Captain Everything and ourselves were looking around for someone to put out our split – he was so excited and keen about it that we couldn’t say no!”
Paul: “Speaking of which, how did the split EP with Captain Everything come about? Any funny stories during the recording that you wish to share?”
Route 215: “The split with Captain Everything was sort of stumbled upon really after various different combinations of bands that we could do a split with. At one time there was going to be a Route 215, Captain Everything, Skirtbox and The BombJacks split, but sadly that wasn’t an option as it was only us and C*E that had recordings complete. Just when both us and Captain Everything had decided that we would just release EPs individually we decided well, why dont we do it together as we are good mates and it would be a blast, the rest is history and we’re really happy with that record.”
Paul: “Route 215 have played with the likes of The Dickies, Consumed, Spunge and Uncle Brian – which tour or gig stands out as being the best and which was the worst, and for what reason?”
Route 215: “To be honest the best tour that we have experienced was with the Captain Everything boys. I think it was a combination of the fact that the EP was brand new, we were all sharing the same tour van and I dont think you can meet a nicer bunch of guys than them, we all really get on outside of music as well so it was very cool. We have played a couple of festivals also which were amazing fun and we definitely want to do more of that!”
Paul: “You’re currently on this tour (Punktastic) as we speak with Fletcher and Jerry-Built, how have you all been getting on?”
Route 215: “Well us and Fletcher had been hanging out at shows round the country and we thought that it would be cool to hang out some more on a tour together, Jerry Built said it sounded cool so we all asked them to join in – pretty simple really. Its been really cool so far and we’re looking forward to the rest of it, they’re all really cool guys and play some amazing music! Look out for Jerry Built‘s debut album – definitely worth getting hold of!”
Paul: “What can we expect from the Route 215 show on the tour, and what will the set comprise of?”
Route 215: “Rock and Roll and pure energy!”
Paul: “I’ve heard that the band are set to enter the studio after the tour to record a full-length album for 20 Deck Records, are there any details you can divulge about it?”
Route 215: “Well we can say that the title of the album is “Steal Your Soul With Rock and Roll” and we are going to be locked in the studio for the duration of November with everyone’s favourite producer Iain Wetherell. It’s not finalised yet, but the album should be consisiting of all new un-recorded songs and a handful of songs that haven’t been played live, so worth checking if you’re into Rock or Roll! Theres gonna be a few guest apperances from our friends as well!”
Paul: “If you could tour with any band, who would it be and where would you tour?”
Route 215: “Wow! I think it would be a weird line up of a tour. Actually there’s a couple bands. It would have to be Weezer or MxPx on a world tour, it would have been amazing to tour with Motley Crue in their prime days though!”
Paul: “Which bands would Route 215 recommend to all of the Punktastic readers out there?”
Route 215: “Look to the English scene is what we say. The whole Punk Rock world in England is amazing right now, there are so many bands that are amazing who are putting in hard work touring and recording for everyones entertainment, where do we start – Captain Everything, Skirtbox, The BombJacks, Jerry Built, Fletcher, No Comply are amazing, Mybe, Fastlane, My Dad Joe, Fire Apple Red. Uncle Brian are working really hard and getting some appreciation which is cool because they are a very cool band and really nice guys. I heard their new EP the other day which is coming out on 20 Deck soon – very cool! The list is endless though!”
Paul: “Finally, what can we expect from Route 215 in the future?”
Route 215: “Same as always – Rock and Roll! We’re going out on tour again in January with The Travoltas and The BombJacks round the UK, then in February we’re out again round the UK with 20 Deck’s American connection Brodie and Uncle Brian – so make sure to check out some shows!”
Paul: “Thanks very much guys.”
Route 215: “Just got to say that we love playing Rock and Roll music and we want to thank everyone who has enabled and helps us to do it all over the country and reach so many people. Most of all of course a huge thanks to everyone who comes to our shows, buys our records and supports us however they can. Word to Lightbulb our merch man and roadie!”