Page 4 - FMH9

1. Please introduce yourselves!
Serwah: I’m Serwah, I play guitar in Dispos- sessed. I paint a lot.
Jarrod: Hi I’m Jarrod and I play drums in Dispos- sessed.
2. Where and how did you grow up?
Serwah: I grew up in western Sydney and on Vancouver Island. My father (Ghanian) was a tra- ditional storyteller who performed with drumming and dance. My mother (Italian, Dutch) is an artist. Jarrod: I grew up in southwest Sydney, but I was born in Ipswich (QLD), Australia.
3. How were y’all inspired to start the band?
similar in the message they bring > being poli- tics and the oppression of indigenous culture. Serwah: These days we come up with lyrics on the fly. Its more meaningful and from the heart that way. Our bandcamp has all our lyrics from the album. But all our songs change and can have infinite meanings which is something I re- ally enjoy.
6. Any touring plans? Next releases?
Serwah: We will have put out at least 1 or 2 new releases by the end of 2016.
Jarrod: We hope to! We have interstate shows booked in the near and far future, hopefully we’ll be booking international shows very soon.
7. Are you involved in activism or other ways of dismantling oppression? Are your existences inherently politicized?
Serwah: It’s not something I can quantify or even declare I guess. I could never label myself an activist because it is definitely intrinsic to daily life in this western society, in most all my actions I feel have a deeper and political mean- ing. Its pretty hard to survive if you don’t have that mindset.
Jarrod: I myself am not as active as Birrugan or Serwah, but I share articles and talk to people individually about pressing issues, both indige- nous and non indigenous. It’s just not in my na- ture to be out there, but I feel that being indig- enous my existence is inherently politicised due to the past and current political state of things.
8. Any comments on being Aboriginal or punk or metal in Australia? Have y’all expe- rienced people fetishizing or tokenizing you much at all? Hope not!
Jarrod: Oh all the time sadly, tokenizing is a thing that is prevalent in the scene(s) through- out Sydney. People are slowly changing but change is only as fast as the slowest person. I feel its disgusting you can’t go out to a show without someone commenting on the fact you are indigenous and having to say something.
9. Reading recommendations, rad websites or things you want people to look up or be aware of?
Serwah: warriorpublications.wordpress.com/
Serwah: Being fed up with this mostly white mu- sic scene in Sydney. Its a ‘fuck-you’ to the people who say and act like black/women/disenfran- chised people can’t make metal.
Jarrod: I’ve only been in the band since April, but I was inspired to join the band with the message they brought, and being mob too I felt compelled it was the right thing to do.
4. Can you tell us a bit about who Baabaga is, on the track ‘Wayfarer’?
Ciaron Dunn (Baabaga) is Birrugan’s father.
5. What are your lyrics and songs about?
Jarrod: Each song is different but they all are
dispossessedpeople.bandcamp.com