UN: Seeing as though all of the members have been involved in some big name bands, an ideal question would be to ask how the project came into fruition? Were you guys friends from meeting one another while in the previous bands?

Mitts: We've all been friends for years from touring together with our individual bands. I started the band in the summer of 2002. At the time I was playing for Skarhead (along with Rigg), and I had a lot of material that didn't fit into what we were doing there. I had talked to Jorge about doing a project, so the three of us were the first pieces of the puzzle. Then we got Bulldog, and we had the lineup.

UN: This goes along with the last question. A lot of "super groups" form and release an album and then call it a day. Is Rag Men officially a full time band? I'd hate to hear that you guys were just a side project band.

Mitts: Rag Men is definitely more than a side project. We've already done a pretty good amount of shows, and we plan on doing more touring in the future. For Rigg and me, Madball will always be the #1 priority, but with that, you have Freddy and Hoya doing Hazen St. right now, so it gives us time to hit the road with Rag Men.

UN: Do you think that things came together for the band pretty quickly? After all you guys are seasoned veterans of the scene and must have learned what to do and what not to do quite awhile ago.

Mitts: Things didn't come together too quickly. We recorded a 3 song sampler in the summer of 2002, and we didn't get any serious label interest for over a year. I don't wanna sound disrespectful to band who wait years to sign a deal, but it's not like we got signed overnight. The past bands we've been in helped that process I think.

UN: There must have been a ton of labels interested in the band. What made you guys decide to sign on with Eulogy Recordings? Did you guys avoid the bigger hardcore labels on purpose?

Mitts: Well as I said, it wasn't as easy as it might have sounded. I think a lot of labels were unsure about whether we'd be a working band, or if it'd just be a side project. Eulogy came into the mix over last summer, and we're really happy things worked out with them. They really believe in the band, and so far, they've done a great job promoting the record.

UN: Was the band formed out of you guys seeing a lack of straight ahead hardcore bands these days? Every one seems to be about combining genres these days, you don't have many bands playing straight ahead hardcore.

Mitts: As I said before, at first the band was basically an outlet for songs I had that weren't right for Skarhead. I think we combine genres too though. We're gonna be hardcore, no matter what, because it's who we are. We're all hardcore musicians, so no matter what style we try to play, it's gonna have that certain sound. But I think because we're all a little older now, the hardcore influences we draw from are from a time when the music was more straight ahead, as you say.

UN: That said however, you guys do add a bit to the standard hardcore formula. For instance Obstacles manages to be melodic, but still stays in the hardcore genre. Was it important to write an album that was interesting musically? It totally has the old school heaviness, but there are unique ideas being thrown around as well.

Mitts: Yeah, we really try to add a little melody into the mix. To me, "Obstacles" is more metal than hardcore. Today's hardcore has so much metal in it, that it's hard to single it out. But the formula is the same. We have a lot of freedom musically with this band, because our sound is gonna be heavy no matter what.

UN: I read that the band name came from a documentary on World War 2. Can you expand on the meaning behind it? Was it important for you guys to come up with a name that wasn't typical or predictable?

Mitts: Yeah, I really wanted a name that wasn't your standard hardcore name. Something not too "tough guy", but definitely not something that sounded too thought out, or too intellectual. Here's the quote from that documentary:

Quote from BEN KIMMELMAN: "Men who were wounded and were redeemable were in a very bad position. There was a kind of a merciless rule about sending them back in if they're able to go. And as far as they could tell, it would be repeatedly if they weren't killed or so badly wounded that they were destroyed. It's very hard to forget the expressions on their faces. They have a kind of a hollow-eyed, lifeless, slack-jawed expression, and they almost don't see you as you go by. And you don't-- after a while, you learn not to greet them because their minds are elsewhere. It's almost as though they're going to a hopeless doom and there's a phrase for these men. They were called ''rag men.'' These were infantrymen or infantry medics or such, going back up to a hopeless future or no future, and having no choice in the matter, determined, and their practice march and their practice step is, as always, back up where they must go."

UN: One line really stood out for me, "All because they brought their images and got hardcore online." I think the internet has helped the scene, yet at the same time it's pretty much a breeding ground for ignorant people. Would you agree that there is no room in the scene for the shit talking and scenester attitudes?

Mitts: The internet is a huge positive for the scene. It's made hardcore accessible to so many people around the world who wouldn't have been able to find bands and music otherwise. However, it has negative aspects too. It's really easy for people to talk shit with no consequences. That lyric is a reflection of the fact that we're all older than the kids today. The scene we all grew up in is long gone, for better or for worse. I'm certainly not one of those people who brags about being "old school" or whatever. That shit is ridiculous. We're just pointing out the differences of today compared to yesterday.

UN: How was the recording process for the new album? I've been a big fan of the albums produced in Atomic Studios, but I think that this is probably the best sounding album to come out of the studio yet. I love the guitar sound. It's heavy and powerful, yet is still very clear.

Mitts: Thanks very much. We worked with Dean Baltulonis, who is a tremendously talented engineer. We spent a lot of time on the guitars........there's like 4 tracks of them on there, sometimes 5 and 6. We really wanted a good sounding record, and we're really happy with the way it came out.

UN: I was curious to ask if there was a reason behind the album being self-titled. Was it to serve as an introduction? Basically saying we're Rag Men, this is what we're all about?

Mitts: Yeah. Being it's our first record, I didn't want it to be about anything other than the band and the music. Themes can get really corny. We'll see what happens for the next record.

UN: I read that you guys recently went on a short tour in Europe. How was the reception over there? I'm sure with the album being released on Gangstyle, word about the band must be spreading pretty quickly. They seem to be one of the best hardcore labels around in Europe right now!

Mitts: The Europe shows were a big success. Hardcore is so huge over there, and people have been really receptive to this band since we started it. Gangstyle has been great for us over there. They've put a lot of work into the record, and they helped us in getting over there for those shows. Once again, it's great to have a label who believes in your band, and it's future.

UN: This one is just out of plain old curiosity. Do you think we could ever expect the album to be released on vinyl? I'd love to pick up a copy if it ever was.

Mitts: Yes, the record is available on vinyl from Malfunction Records (www.malfunctionrecords.com). We also sell copies at our shows.

UN: What can we expect next from Rag Men? I'm assuming that you guys will want to get some touring done. Are you guys excited about the upcoming tour with The Judas Cradle?

Mitts: Well I'm answering this a little late, so the tour is over now. It went really well. Judas Cradle were great guys, and we had a good time. They draw a little different crowd than we do, so it was good to get some new faces in the mix.