Tell me a litte about The Pinstripes:

!upstarter: Where are you from?

The Pinstripes: We are all originally from Cincinnati, Ohio. Most of us are now in college, which complicates things a little bit, but Cincinnati is still our base of operations.

!upstarter: What influenced you to play ska in an era where ska is kind of passé?

The Pinstripes: I think for all of us it's just the unconditional love of ska music. Although the ska scene may not be as lucrative as it once was, this band never intended to hop on a trend simply because it is hip or because it will make us money. We play ska because we can't get enough of it and because we feel there is still many things that can be done in the genre that at least some people will appreciate.

!upstarter: Who are some of your biggest incluences?

The Pinstripes: Every person in the band discovered ska in a somewhat different manner so we all have bands that we personally like more than others. But some of the biggest influences for the entire band have to be The Toasters, The Skatalites, Streetlight Manifesto, The Slackers, Toots & The Maytals, and The Specials.

!upstarter: Since I've been listening to The Pinstripes, I've certainly heard a greater level of maturity. Please tell me about that.

The Pinstripes: Yeah, I think we all feel that we've come a long way. Every time we listen back to our old recordings we almost laugh at ourselves, but at the same time we appreciate all of it because all of our music is really a testament to how much we have grown, not only at our respective instruments but as a group as well. When we first started as a band, we did little more than learn our favorite songs from other bands, but we've really expanded our ability in terms of songwriting and as a result we feel we can write much more diverse music than say, 3 years ago.

!upstarter: I've noticed a lot of the midwest ska bands of the 3rd wave era are making music again. Do you feel this will help provided new opportunites for younger bands, or do you think they are just trying to make a couple bucks?

The Pinstripes: I have to say, if some of the bands from the 3rd wave were in it to make a quick buck, they probably would have quit a long time ago. I think these bands really deserve more credit than they get because while there were thousands of bands that popped up when ska became popular, most of them have either broken up or drastically changed their sounds. To me, bands like Mustard Plug and The Toasters are really incredible. They've both been playing for an incredibly long time and have stayed completely true to the ska scene and all their fans. We've played shows with both those bands and I was so impressed with how they refuse to compromise their sound just because ska isn't as popular as it once was. I think what they are doing is great and it definitely provides younger bands with opportunities, because we personally have been given the honor of sharing the stage with these bands. In addition, these bands have become staples of the entire ska movement; people look to bands like these for direction. Without things like the Ska is Dead tour, there would be nothing behind the genre keeping it going.

!upstarter: Ska seems to run in waves about about 15 years or so. Do you think you are part of an oncoming wave or just playing music that moves you?

The Pinstripes: You know I'd really like to say that we are part of the next wave of ska and that the entire genre will suddenly have a huge resurgence, but truthfully, I have no idea. Right now I think we're just playing the music we love and just going wherever it takes us. Although in our experiences, we have met and played with a surprising number of amazing young ska bands. So, who knows, maybe the fourth wave is coming on....

!upstarter: Tell me about the current midwest ska scene

The Pinstripes: To its credit the midwest ska scene has a lot more going on than people think. We here in Cincinnati have built up a respectable scene and it really has come a long way. When I was first going to ska shows, there weren't really any local ska bands that had a presence in Cincinnati and it was tough to get any of the more underground ska bands to come through on their tours. Since we've been on the scene, we've put together three "Ska Fests", centered in CIncinnati, and this past summer we had a three day festival of music with over fifty bands called Ska-Stock. So in terms of the Cincinnati scene, I am very proud of how far it has come. Outside of Cincinnati, there are many other places in the midwest doing good things for ska. We've played in the Cleveland area a few times and they have a great scene, as does Akron and some other parts of northern Ohio. However, I feel as though the king of midwest ska has to be Chuck Wren, the owner of JumpUp Records, based in Chicago. He has done and continues to do more for the genre than i can say in one article. Best of all, he always represents the midwest to the fullest, which is great, because people seem to always look to the East and West Coasts for direction. Places like St. Louis and Grand Rapids also have good ska scenes. So overall, I feel like the midwest ska scene, although maybe not as vibrant as places like New York or California, is still very much alive.

!upstarter: What is in the future for the pinstripes

The Pinstripes: I believe the future is very bright for the pinstripes. We've been together for over three years now and I know that every one of us has had a blast doing it and we've made huge strides from when we first started. We all talk about what our future is all the time and its still somewhat unclear at this point. However, we have made many great connections and met so many wonderful people on tour that I think there are many great things in store for us. My guarantee to you and to all our fans is that we will continue to write music that we love and tour as much as we can. That's all I can say for right now, but thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview.

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