Флипер18
18-07-08, 23:46
Interview with Scott Stedeford of "Day of the Sword" conducted by Blood & honour USA
1. Your debut album is entitled Ear to Ear. What is the meaning of this title?
1: It goes with the name of the band. The name Day Of The Sword is taken from Psalm 139 in the Bible, which refers to a time of reckoning. When those who have "eyes to see and ears to hear" will don their swords, so to speak, and cut the existing social order, judaism, ear to ear.
2. You make many references to the Bible in your songs, are you a Christian rock band?
2: Yes we are.
3. Most people, myself included, have a preconceived image of Christian rock bands having preachy lyrics, over weak music. Your album is quite different, of course. Can you explain the concept of your album and what sets you apart from most Christian bands?
3: Well, of course, the kinds of groups you're describing are mostly born again Christian bands. We have nothing in common with them, what so ever. If anyone thinks that we're your typical, run of the mill, Christian band, then you're in for a bit of a shock. The music is certainly not weak and we are not out to "recruit for any church". In fact, we believe that organized religion is evil and is the poison that is destroying our people. Our beliefes about Christ and the Bible, are based upon race and reality, not any kind of ritualistic, religious beliefs. We wanted to expose the Bible as being consistent in those areas, throughout it's content. That it is not a collection of pleasant poetry and fictional stories. That it is not the book of the history of the jews, but of the Caucasian race. Further more, that Christ was consistent in these areas, as well. Facts that organized "churchianity" either covers up or explains away as being a 'mystery'. Our goal was to present these ideas in a musical format, via this album.
4. The cover is particularly stricking. How did you arrive at the idea for it?
4: We wanted something that would grab you, right when you looked at it. I'd say we got that. Also, something that was symbolic, that went with the whole theme of the album. It's basically computer clip art images, super imposed over one another. We had an artist paint the picture on the inside cover.
5. Is it true that you played all of the instruments on the album?
5: Yes, except for vocals on two tracks. I had a lot of help with the overall production, though.
6. Was this a personal ambition of yours?
6: No, not really, but it was very gratifying. You see the band was originally named " Break The Sword ". There where three of us, including myself. We recorded an album, but unfortunately split up before we had a chance to release it. I was preparing music for a second release when that happened. I became frustrated and determined to get something out. So, I decided, rather than look for a new band, I'd change the name and record all of the new material myself. I have been playing drums and guitar for many years, so it wasn't a difficult process for me. It was the first time I'd ever seriously written lyrics or sang lead vocal. We are a three members band again now, though. So, this first Day Of The Sword release, is actually what would have been the second Break The Sword. We will, byt the way, be releasing some of the original Break The Sword music, soon on White Terror. However, it will be under the name Day Of The Sword. Confusing, isn't it?!
7. So, you wrote all of the music as well.
7: The majority of it. Some of the ideas were from Break The Sword.
8. The diversity of the music is very broad. What influenced you at the time of the recording?
8: About two thirds of the album was written during my lenghty journeys in the wonderful world of public transportation. I rode forty minutes home, so I'd get some music going in my head when I got on the bus and have a whole song arranged by the time I walked in the door. I did a song a day for a week. There are a couple of other tracks that were just drum patterns that happened to make it to tape and I fit the guitar around the drums. Overall I tried to let the songs arrange themselves and I think that accounts for a lot of the diversity. As far as overall musical influences, I suppose I'm more influenced by bands that I grew up listening to.
9. Who are some of those bands?
9: Deep Purple, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, The Doors, Van Halen and groups along those lines. I like some hardcore and punk bands and I was into thrash metal when it first came out. I have a pretty broad range of taste these days. I'll go from Black Sabbath, to say The Cranberries, to a Strauss waltz, to a traditional Irish folk album.
10. How about any modern bands?
10: As far as newer bands, not one band has really left an impression on me. I hear a lot of songs I like melodically, but are lacking, lyrically.
11. I found the remake of "Whole Lotta Love", as "Whole Lotta' Nothin" on your album interesting. Are you a fan of Led Zeppelin?
11: Yeah. Mostly of the latter albums. "Whole Lotta Nothin" was a last minute idea. It was done as a lark. I couldn't get that song out of my head one day, but I kept singing "you got a whole lotta nothin", instead of "whole lotta love." I shared the ideas with my room-mate, he came up with all the verses to it, so we used it. It's a good song and everyone knows it. It deserves to have some meaningul lyrics to it.
12. Do you listen to many racialist bands?
12: Some. I don't own a whole lot of albums. I like Skrewdriver. I particually like the two acoustic albums that Ian put as Patriotic Ballads. I think that's some of the best music I've heard. Older Brutal Attack, Nordic Thunder, some of the Fortress stuff, Das Reich, Bound For Glory, have really impressed me.
13. How would you describe your music?
13: Energetic, hard edged rock.
14. To give the readers an idea of what they can expect to hear on the album, let's go through some of the songs and give a brief description of them. Let's start with the opener, Big Brother.
14: OK. Big Brother is a "1984" style account, of the different ways that the present government intrudes in our lives. It's a short, hard hitting song. Lyrically it is very descriptive, Orwell would be proud. Next, is Feel The Flames, which relies heavily on Biblical refrences. It is very energetic musically. That follows with White Supremacy, which is a more "in your face" kind of song. It has a hard core edge to it. It highlights examples of great events in our history, when we conquered and rose above poverty, tyranny etc...and here we are again. I'll Stay True is next. That has more of a modern pop edge to it. The album gets pretty diverse from there. There's No Crime (in being White) I'd say, has an alternative type sound to it, Race: Against Time is a heavy song, Draw The Line is punky. The last one, Day Of The Sword, is more or less a thrash. They are all basically straight forward and to the point. There's very little in the way of guitar solos. The album closes with a few Skrewdriver covers. Sort of a tribute to Ian. There's something for everyone on it.
15. Besides the Bible, what inspires you to write lyrics?
15: History. Current events. We try not to approach topics from too much of a negative angle.
16. You mentioned earlier that you are a three piece now. Tell us a little about the new band.
16: Well, we have a singer/lyricist, Luke, who sang on There's No Crime (in being White) and No Hope for the 90's, from Ear to Ear. A fellow named Paul has filled the bass position. I'm on guitar and drums, not at the same time of course, and a host of other musicians that will be lending their talent. The sound has changed quite a bit, but it's still energetic and hard edged.
17. Are any of the members skinheads?
17. No.
18. How would you classigy yourselves? National Socialist, Christian Identity, what?
18: Rather than cram us into a box, the term racial identity would be appropriate.
19. Do you plan on releasing an album soon, with the new band?
19: Yes, it's in the works now. We have about 7 or 8 songs prepared. We're looking to have about a dozen before we take it into the studio. The arrangements are much more complex and it's going to take a few months to record and produce the material. Hopefully it will be out by the summer.
20. Have you played any shows?
20. No.
21. Will you be playing any soon?
21: Nothing that's planned. We probably won't be able to put anything together until late summer, early fall. That would be the soonest.
22. You mentioned earlier that you will be releasing an album of material from your old band, Break The Sword. What can you tell us about it?
22: Well, it's very similiar to Ear To Ear. Some of the songs are heavy, some are commercial, some have a punk edge to them. It was more of a band effort musically. A lot different people were with the band before me, whom either wrote or had input into the music. All of the lyrics were written by the singer. They have more of a street style to them. Most of the songs are newly recorded versions of originals. There will be 9 tracks total on the CD and it should be out by April.
23. You being a Christian band, I'd like to get your opinion on Odinism.
23: I think both are parallel to each other. Which, for those not aware, is recognized in the Bible, the New Testament, to be exact. Both beliefs are based upon racial purity. A conflict does seem to exist, between the two and I feel is a result of the acceptance of the modern versions of both beliefs. The predominant teaching is that Jesus was a jew and that he came to save everybody in the whole world. Which is far from the truth, but it's understandable why an Odinist or anyone for that matter, would oppose such a belief. Most Christiands view Odinists as pagans, by the modern interpretation of the word, which is associated with satanism. To me it all amounts to the fact that judaism prevails today, and the powers that be are responsible for making false images of Christianity and paganism. Look at how Hitler is portrayed.
24. What do you believe is the answer to unifying our people?
24: If you believe that we are living by a system that is unGodly, i,e, is contrary to natural order and believe that it threatens our future as a race, then we are united. We can argue over the other issues after we've destroyed the existing order.
25. I agree with you. What do you feel is the bst approach in spreading this kind of message?
25: Lead by example. All of us who feel deeply about these kind of issues, have taken the time to research and study this area, must act responsibly. Reject the current system wholeheartedly and live according to your beliefes. I feel that is the only way that you can grow as a person and eventually, collectively as a race. Research, study and constantly reassess and reaffirm your beliefs.
26. Well, thank you for taking the time to be interviewed and good luck with album and the band. We hope to be seeing more from you in the future. Is there anything that you'd like to mention before we close?
26: I would like to thank Rich, Ed, Ryan, Jason and Wolf Pack, who have been a tremendous help in spreading our name and our music around. Thanks fellas and thanks for the interview. God Bless.
And just when you think it was all over...there's more than the musical side too
From January 1994 to December 1995 the Aryan Republican Army committed a string of 22 bank robberies across the Midwestern United States (nearly matching Jesse James' string of bank, stage coach and train heists) in order to fund acts against the government. It is said that they netted somewhere in the neighborhood of $250,000, although that figure might well be an underestimation, as others have estimated the figure to be closer to $500,000, nevertheless, not one penny was ever returned to ZOG. ARA (NOT to be confused with Anti Racist Action) was made out of 4 members, including Scott Stedeford from Day Of The Sword .
Scott Stedeford's roots lie in a largely Italian-American neighborhood of modest, gray-stone-and-brick twins in Ardmore. His father, a retired quality control engineer, and mother, who stayed home to rear four children, still live there. Acquaintances describe them as kind and generous. As a teen, Stedeford immersed himself in drawing and music, friends said. He played drums in a rock band, took commercial art classes, and delighted in airbrushing images of his favorite band, Van Halen, on friend's jackets.
By the early 1990s, Stedeford had latched onto the trappings of the skinhead world. Scott's friend Pat Clinton described running into his old friend in early 1994 at the Cellblock, a Bensalem club. Stedeford was passing out leaflets from a white supremacist group, he said. "He came up and said, 'Oi!' and I didn't even recognize him," Clinton recalled. "He had his head shaved, with the combat boots and flight jacket and camouflage pants. I said, 'What? Are you into this stuff?' He said, 'I think you'd really like it. You ought to check it out.'"
In march 1995 a young man stepped in Mr. Lee's Autoland carsales place. He was checking out white 1979 Buick LeSabre. He did not testdrive it but asked the salesman Jay Helton if the car was in good condition. He paid the car in cash, 750 dollars. Something made the salesman suspicious and therefore he copied this young mans driving license. A year after this the salesman still had the copy of the driving license left when FBI paid him a visit. The driving license was a fake but the photo on it belonged to one Scott Stedeford. This was one of the reasons that finally led the FBI after this group who had been taking federal police for a ride for nearly two years. They were engaging in bank robberies for the sole purpose of financing an overthrow of the American government.
Professionally carried out robberies were committed averagly once in a month, in Iowa, Missouri, Ohio, Nebraska, Kansas and Kentucky. At times they dressed like construction workers, zipped in and out of the banks within five minutes. They sometimes yelled Spanish words.They'd snatch the cash themselves (so tellers couldn't rig the bags with dye bombs), then dash off in junk cars they had purchased with bogus IDs in the previous week or so. They'd also leave smoke grenades and pipe bombs, usually inert, in lunch boxes or other containers in the bank and in getaway cars to slow their pursuers.
These men mastered the art of disguise dressing as former presidents, FBI and ATF agents, Middle-Easterners, etc. In a December heist, one ARA member wore a Santa Claus suit, shouted "Ho! Ho! Ho!" to customers and left a bomb tucked in a Santa hat. No one was injured in the holdups. They took the piss out of FBI by renting cars with fake ID's which had names of retired FBI agents names. FBI didnt have a clue who they were, but they knew who was in FBI. At one point, they purchased a getaway car in the name of an FBI agent who had been hot on their trail.
Stedeford was finally arrested in suburban Philadelphia in 1996. Kevin McCarthy, a former gang member, pleaded guilty to three robbery related charges and agreed to testify against Stedeford and therefore Scott is now serving some 30 years sentence ... the end or rather the beginning?!?
1. Your debut album is entitled Ear to Ear. What is the meaning of this title?
1: It goes with the name of the band. The name Day Of The Sword is taken from Psalm 139 in the Bible, which refers to a time of reckoning. When those who have "eyes to see and ears to hear" will don their swords, so to speak, and cut the existing social order, judaism, ear to ear.
2. You make many references to the Bible in your songs, are you a Christian rock band?
2: Yes we are.
3. Most people, myself included, have a preconceived image of Christian rock bands having preachy lyrics, over weak music. Your album is quite different, of course. Can you explain the concept of your album and what sets you apart from most Christian bands?
3: Well, of course, the kinds of groups you're describing are mostly born again Christian bands. We have nothing in common with them, what so ever. If anyone thinks that we're your typical, run of the mill, Christian band, then you're in for a bit of a shock. The music is certainly not weak and we are not out to "recruit for any church". In fact, we believe that organized religion is evil and is the poison that is destroying our people. Our beliefes about Christ and the Bible, are based upon race and reality, not any kind of ritualistic, religious beliefs. We wanted to expose the Bible as being consistent in those areas, throughout it's content. That it is not a collection of pleasant poetry and fictional stories. That it is not the book of the history of the jews, but of the Caucasian race. Further more, that Christ was consistent in these areas, as well. Facts that organized "churchianity" either covers up or explains away as being a 'mystery'. Our goal was to present these ideas in a musical format, via this album.
4. The cover is particularly stricking. How did you arrive at the idea for it?
4: We wanted something that would grab you, right when you looked at it. I'd say we got that. Also, something that was symbolic, that went with the whole theme of the album. It's basically computer clip art images, super imposed over one another. We had an artist paint the picture on the inside cover.
5. Is it true that you played all of the instruments on the album?
5: Yes, except for vocals on two tracks. I had a lot of help with the overall production, though.
6. Was this a personal ambition of yours?
6: No, not really, but it was very gratifying. You see the band was originally named " Break The Sword ". There where three of us, including myself. We recorded an album, but unfortunately split up before we had a chance to release it. I was preparing music for a second release when that happened. I became frustrated and determined to get something out. So, I decided, rather than look for a new band, I'd change the name and record all of the new material myself. I have been playing drums and guitar for many years, so it wasn't a difficult process for me. It was the first time I'd ever seriously written lyrics or sang lead vocal. We are a three members band again now, though. So, this first Day Of The Sword release, is actually what would have been the second Break The Sword. We will, byt the way, be releasing some of the original Break The Sword music, soon on White Terror. However, it will be under the name Day Of The Sword. Confusing, isn't it?!
7. So, you wrote all of the music as well.
7: The majority of it. Some of the ideas were from Break The Sword.
8. The diversity of the music is very broad. What influenced you at the time of the recording?
8: About two thirds of the album was written during my lenghty journeys in the wonderful world of public transportation. I rode forty minutes home, so I'd get some music going in my head when I got on the bus and have a whole song arranged by the time I walked in the door. I did a song a day for a week. There are a couple of other tracks that were just drum patterns that happened to make it to tape and I fit the guitar around the drums. Overall I tried to let the songs arrange themselves and I think that accounts for a lot of the diversity. As far as overall musical influences, I suppose I'm more influenced by bands that I grew up listening to.
9. Who are some of those bands?
9: Deep Purple, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, The Doors, Van Halen and groups along those lines. I like some hardcore and punk bands and I was into thrash metal when it first came out. I have a pretty broad range of taste these days. I'll go from Black Sabbath, to say The Cranberries, to a Strauss waltz, to a traditional Irish folk album.
10. How about any modern bands?
10: As far as newer bands, not one band has really left an impression on me. I hear a lot of songs I like melodically, but are lacking, lyrically.
11. I found the remake of "Whole Lotta Love", as "Whole Lotta' Nothin" on your album interesting. Are you a fan of Led Zeppelin?
11: Yeah. Mostly of the latter albums. "Whole Lotta Nothin" was a last minute idea. It was done as a lark. I couldn't get that song out of my head one day, but I kept singing "you got a whole lotta nothin", instead of "whole lotta love." I shared the ideas with my room-mate, he came up with all the verses to it, so we used it. It's a good song and everyone knows it. It deserves to have some meaningul lyrics to it.
12. Do you listen to many racialist bands?
12: Some. I don't own a whole lot of albums. I like Skrewdriver. I particually like the two acoustic albums that Ian put as Patriotic Ballads. I think that's some of the best music I've heard. Older Brutal Attack, Nordic Thunder, some of the Fortress stuff, Das Reich, Bound For Glory, have really impressed me.
13. How would you describe your music?
13: Energetic, hard edged rock.
14. To give the readers an idea of what they can expect to hear on the album, let's go through some of the songs and give a brief description of them. Let's start with the opener, Big Brother.
14: OK. Big Brother is a "1984" style account, of the different ways that the present government intrudes in our lives. It's a short, hard hitting song. Lyrically it is very descriptive, Orwell would be proud. Next, is Feel The Flames, which relies heavily on Biblical refrences. It is very energetic musically. That follows with White Supremacy, which is a more "in your face" kind of song. It has a hard core edge to it. It highlights examples of great events in our history, when we conquered and rose above poverty, tyranny etc...and here we are again. I'll Stay True is next. That has more of a modern pop edge to it. The album gets pretty diverse from there. There's No Crime (in being White) I'd say, has an alternative type sound to it, Race: Against Time is a heavy song, Draw The Line is punky. The last one, Day Of The Sword, is more or less a thrash. They are all basically straight forward and to the point. There's very little in the way of guitar solos. The album closes with a few Skrewdriver covers. Sort of a tribute to Ian. There's something for everyone on it.
15. Besides the Bible, what inspires you to write lyrics?
15: History. Current events. We try not to approach topics from too much of a negative angle.
16. You mentioned earlier that you are a three piece now. Tell us a little about the new band.
16: Well, we have a singer/lyricist, Luke, who sang on There's No Crime (in being White) and No Hope for the 90's, from Ear to Ear. A fellow named Paul has filled the bass position. I'm on guitar and drums, not at the same time of course, and a host of other musicians that will be lending their talent. The sound has changed quite a bit, but it's still energetic and hard edged.
17. Are any of the members skinheads?
17. No.
18. How would you classigy yourselves? National Socialist, Christian Identity, what?
18: Rather than cram us into a box, the term racial identity would be appropriate.
19. Do you plan on releasing an album soon, with the new band?
19: Yes, it's in the works now. We have about 7 or 8 songs prepared. We're looking to have about a dozen before we take it into the studio. The arrangements are much more complex and it's going to take a few months to record and produce the material. Hopefully it will be out by the summer.
20. Have you played any shows?
20. No.
21. Will you be playing any soon?
21: Nothing that's planned. We probably won't be able to put anything together until late summer, early fall. That would be the soonest.
22. You mentioned earlier that you will be releasing an album of material from your old band, Break The Sword. What can you tell us about it?
22: Well, it's very similiar to Ear To Ear. Some of the songs are heavy, some are commercial, some have a punk edge to them. It was more of a band effort musically. A lot different people were with the band before me, whom either wrote or had input into the music. All of the lyrics were written by the singer. They have more of a street style to them. Most of the songs are newly recorded versions of originals. There will be 9 tracks total on the CD and it should be out by April.
23. You being a Christian band, I'd like to get your opinion on Odinism.
23: I think both are parallel to each other. Which, for those not aware, is recognized in the Bible, the New Testament, to be exact. Both beliefs are based upon racial purity. A conflict does seem to exist, between the two and I feel is a result of the acceptance of the modern versions of both beliefs. The predominant teaching is that Jesus was a jew and that he came to save everybody in the whole world. Which is far from the truth, but it's understandable why an Odinist or anyone for that matter, would oppose such a belief. Most Christiands view Odinists as pagans, by the modern interpretation of the word, which is associated with satanism. To me it all amounts to the fact that judaism prevails today, and the powers that be are responsible for making false images of Christianity and paganism. Look at how Hitler is portrayed.
24. What do you believe is the answer to unifying our people?
24: If you believe that we are living by a system that is unGodly, i,e, is contrary to natural order and believe that it threatens our future as a race, then we are united. We can argue over the other issues after we've destroyed the existing order.
25. I agree with you. What do you feel is the bst approach in spreading this kind of message?
25: Lead by example. All of us who feel deeply about these kind of issues, have taken the time to research and study this area, must act responsibly. Reject the current system wholeheartedly and live according to your beliefes. I feel that is the only way that you can grow as a person and eventually, collectively as a race. Research, study and constantly reassess and reaffirm your beliefs.
26. Well, thank you for taking the time to be interviewed and good luck with album and the band. We hope to be seeing more from you in the future. Is there anything that you'd like to mention before we close?
26: I would like to thank Rich, Ed, Ryan, Jason and Wolf Pack, who have been a tremendous help in spreading our name and our music around. Thanks fellas and thanks for the interview. God Bless.
And just when you think it was all over...there's more than the musical side too
From January 1994 to December 1995 the Aryan Republican Army committed a string of 22 bank robberies across the Midwestern United States (nearly matching Jesse James' string of bank, stage coach and train heists) in order to fund acts against the government. It is said that they netted somewhere in the neighborhood of $250,000, although that figure might well be an underestimation, as others have estimated the figure to be closer to $500,000, nevertheless, not one penny was ever returned to ZOG. ARA (NOT to be confused with Anti Racist Action) was made out of 4 members, including Scott Stedeford from Day Of The Sword .
Scott Stedeford's roots lie in a largely Italian-American neighborhood of modest, gray-stone-and-brick twins in Ardmore. His father, a retired quality control engineer, and mother, who stayed home to rear four children, still live there. Acquaintances describe them as kind and generous. As a teen, Stedeford immersed himself in drawing and music, friends said. He played drums in a rock band, took commercial art classes, and delighted in airbrushing images of his favorite band, Van Halen, on friend's jackets.
By the early 1990s, Stedeford had latched onto the trappings of the skinhead world. Scott's friend Pat Clinton described running into his old friend in early 1994 at the Cellblock, a Bensalem club. Stedeford was passing out leaflets from a white supremacist group, he said. "He came up and said, 'Oi!' and I didn't even recognize him," Clinton recalled. "He had his head shaved, with the combat boots and flight jacket and camouflage pants. I said, 'What? Are you into this stuff?' He said, 'I think you'd really like it. You ought to check it out.'"
In march 1995 a young man stepped in Mr. Lee's Autoland carsales place. He was checking out white 1979 Buick LeSabre. He did not testdrive it but asked the salesman Jay Helton if the car was in good condition. He paid the car in cash, 750 dollars. Something made the salesman suspicious and therefore he copied this young mans driving license. A year after this the salesman still had the copy of the driving license left when FBI paid him a visit. The driving license was a fake but the photo on it belonged to one Scott Stedeford. This was one of the reasons that finally led the FBI after this group who had been taking federal police for a ride for nearly two years. They were engaging in bank robberies for the sole purpose of financing an overthrow of the American government.
Professionally carried out robberies were committed averagly once in a month, in Iowa, Missouri, Ohio, Nebraska, Kansas and Kentucky. At times they dressed like construction workers, zipped in and out of the banks within five minutes. They sometimes yelled Spanish words.They'd snatch the cash themselves (so tellers couldn't rig the bags with dye bombs), then dash off in junk cars they had purchased with bogus IDs in the previous week or so. They'd also leave smoke grenades and pipe bombs, usually inert, in lunch boxes or other containers in the bank and in getaway cars to slow their pursuers.
These men mastered the art of disguise dressing as former presidents, FBI and ATF agents, Middle-Easterners, etc. In a December heist, one ARA member wore a Santa Claus suit, shouted "Ho! Ho! Ho!" to customers and left a bomb tucked in a Santa hat. No one was injured in the holdups. They took the piss out of FBI by renting cars with fake ID's which had names of retired FBI agents names. FBI didnt have a clue who they were, but they knew who was in FBI. At one point, they purchased a getaway car in the name of an FBI agent who had been hot on their trail.
Stedeford was finally arrested in suburban Philadelphia in 1996. Kevin McCarthy, a former gang member, pleaded guilty to three robbery related charges and agreed to testify against Stedeford and therefore Scott is now serving some 30 years sentence ... the end or rather the beginning?!?