Catch Continental at The Middle East

Catch Boston's Continental at Middle East Upstairs 3/4/14.

The blue collar Boston rock and rollers of Continental will be hitting the stage at The Middle East Upstairs this Tuesday (March 4th) along with The Tossers (IL), The Gobshites and BarRoom Heroes. We were able to chat with frontman Rick Barton for a few minutes about his take on the Boston music scene and future endeavors with Continental.

Formed in 2009 by songwriter Rick Barton (Dropkick Murphys), Continental has shared the stage with the Street Dogs, Flatfoot 56, Dropkick Muprhys, Mighty Mighty Bostones and have toured extensively, making appearances at festivals like the Vans Warped Tour, playing tracks that embody the everyman, speaking to common experiences of love, loss, wandering, and resurrection.

The band released their debut full-length All A Man Can Do in 2012, which is available on limited edition colored vinyl over at Bandcamp. Continental's new single, "1000 Miles / Fun Fun Fun" (East Grand Record Company) will be available as a 7" March 11th. Pre-order your copy today for immediate download.

Start your St. Patrick's Day celebrations early this year during this wall-to-wall Celtic punk-rooted showcase. This event is 18+ with valid ID and $12. Full details can be found on the official Facebook event page. Follow Continental on Facebook for additional show dates.

Talking Music with Rick Barton of Continental

Bishop And Rook

You were in The Outlets with your brother and now you're in Continental with your son. Do you find a significant family bond through music?

Rick Barton

I've never really thought about it like that! I've always thought it was more a matter of convenience.

B&R

As a veteran of the Boston music scene, what changes have you seen or experienced (for better or for worse)?

RB

I'm really not in the Boston scene anymore. I'm more or less a traveler of the world. I make up songs and paint houses. It's really hard for some of us that tour quite often to get very excited about going out to see shows. However, I think the enthusiasm that younger people have for underground music is as vital today as it was in the late 70's & early 80's.

B&R

During your 2013 Scrapes/Duck and Cover show, you offered a free T-shirt or CD with advanced ticket purchases. Was this a thinking-outside-the-box marketing tactic or were you just giving back to the fans?

RB

I think it's both of those things. First of all let me say that playing music is a losing proposition for me financially! Always has been! Just the amount of money I've put into rehearsal spaces over the last 35 years could never be recouped! I've always invested the money I make from painting right back into the music. I once almost made a lot of money playing music but I quit on that band and sold all my royalties & publishing for a paltry sum! Which may have been a good thing for a lot of people because that probably helped them with their finances and enabled them to turn the corner and become a huge band! I've always sucked with money anyway! Okay back to the original question; I just want to do my part to help out the scene in some small way. Getting people out to our show helps keep the soundmen, bartenders, barbacks, waitresses, promoters in work and able to keep the thing rolling. For my own personal satisfaction I don't care if anyone shows up! I primarily get off sitting on a couch with a nice cup of tea and feeling new songs flow through me.

B&R

During the 2013 Hometown Throwdown you played "The Torch" which is a DKM song from the days when you were in the band. Do you foresee some Everybody Out tracks influencing future Continental songs?

RB

Wow!! You saw that performance? That was the most courageous thing I ever did and for the first time ever I experienced that out of body feeling that I've heard performers talk about. Anyway, I was the primary writer in EBO so I suppose that could be a possibility. It's very interesting that you ask that question because we toured Europe for two months at the end of 2013 and when we were in England we played a few shows with this amazing band called Roughneck Riot! A couple of the guys in that band were going on about how much they loved Everybody Out. They wanted me to play a song called Avenue from one of our records. I was totally blown away! Actually rather shocked!