Bothering the Band - Broken Witt Rebels
by RYAN BUYNAK
Broken Witt Rebels are set for fire and great things; adversity is a challenge that they meet as one, so the pandemic lockdown is something that they used to churn out songs and creativity with verve and levity. In short, they are the band you’d want to be in, and we got to bother Danny Core, whose powerful soul-influenced vocals preside over the songs and lyrics like a smiling tiger that may or may not attack you depending on the vibe of the night. The Midlands rockers whose latest album ‘OK Hotel’ was released earlier this year, have been using this time off from the road to concentrate on studio activity – recording fresh material and re-working tracks close to their collective soul, like “Birmingham”, a heartfelt tribute to their hometown. Their music will be prominently featured on two key video games (NHL21 and DIRT5) both out in the next couple of months. Broken Witt Rebels are ready for stadiums, but first their lead singer has to deal with us bothering him about Britain, bullshit, a broken blue nose that is poetry in motion, and of course football.
Who is your favorite historical “rebel”?
Phil Lynott was the lead singer of Thin Lizzy; he was born in the West Midlands where I come from and grew up in Dublin, Ireland where they even have a statue of him. One of the greatest frontmen of all time and he did it his way!
Are you any good at video games?
Think I’m gonna have to learn to get better. We’ve got a track (Rich Get Richer) on NHL 21 and we wrote a brand new song for Dirt 5 which is out at the end of the month. I play a bit of FIFA, but have been rubbish at the driving games up till now. I’ll get some practice when I can blaze the new game. JT, our guitarist, is the real gamer. He rigged up a monitor in the back of our van so he could play while we were on the road.
Would you rather eat one apple core while listening to the album Core by Stone Temple Pilots or eat eight and a half cans of Albacore Tuna while listening to an hour of random hardcore music?
(Laughs) Albacore Tuna, that's a new one on me. Just read on it. Sounds like it's better for you than the tuna we get here. Reckon I could eat eight and half cans as long as there is some Jack D to wash it down. I'm gonna offer this up as a challenge to the rest of the band when we get back to touring so I’ll let you know how we get on.
Daniel Craig or James Bond?
James Bond, he's a cool mutha. DC has done a great job but I'd always go for a James Bond film over other things that Craig has been in...unless you're talking Layer Cake. Brilliant movie. Love Sienna Miller!
What is your favorite band based solely on name?
Rival Sons. It’s biblical, dark and I’d like to think we'd get on as bands.
If you could turn one power tool into an instrument, which would you use?
It’d be the Palm Sander! Compact and easy to handle on stage, it would work away on timber attached to my guitar. The show concludes with the entire front row covered in my dust . Anyone who didn’t like the show would have their fuckin’ nose sanded off.
Do you own any Fred Perry shirts?
Yes, I do and have always worn Fred Perry since I was young. It's an iconic British look. I read about the way the symbol and shirt has been appropriated in the US. Coventry, near Birmingham is where the 2-Tone [ska] movement originated with The Specials, The Beat and more. Fred Perry was a big part of that massive multi-cultural movement and the youth in the UK will never allow that symbol to become a uniform of negativity. They can keep keep their fucking Chinos though.
What’s the biggest difference between Birmingham, England and Birmingham, Alabama?
Probably the weather. You get great summers there and a lot more sunlight all year round than we do. I’ve never been but I'm a massive fan of Alabahma Shakes who come from Athens I think(?). If that's the sound of Alabama then I’m sure you must be able to see incredible artists in Birmingham. My Birmingham is the greatest city in the world, the people are amazing and all cultures are here. Birmingham will educate you in life. We wrote a song in tribute to the city on our album “Ok Hotel’ which is about that and how we miss the city when we are away. The city has a musical heritage to rival any city...Zeppelin, Sabbath...Birmingham is a big football city, too. The two clubs in the city, Birmingham City and Aston Villa, have a massive rivalry which dominates the city especially if they find themselves playing each other. Chaos!
Do you have a go-to witty response for when someone is rude to you?
Don’t know where it came from but “Take yer face for a shit” has come out once or twice.
What’s the last thing you broke?
I was helping with the laundry and volunteered to hang the clothes out, but every peg I tried to use fell to bits in my hand. I went through about half a dozen.