Bad Copy

This week, Andy is joined by Ray Drunktank, the drummer of Dutch Skatepunk outfit Drunktank, and also the co-founder of Epic Merch Store.

Drunktank have been bringing their melodic Metal/Punk hybrid sounds to audiences all across Europe, Canada and the U.S since 2003.  The band has several releases under their belts, the most recent being The Return of the Infamous Four. Citing bands like No Fun At All, Lagwagon, Iron Maiden and 3 Inches of Blood as major influences, they are technical, tight, and really fun to listen to. They have new music in the works and are hoping to release it when the pandemic is over.

On top of being a musician, Ray is also a shrewd businessman, having cofounded the print-on-demand company Epic Merch Store. Building off of an already existing model where instead of keeping a large inventory on hand, you instead literally print new merch as orders come in, which can be a huge win for bands that don’t have the capital to pay for merch up front or have a good means to store or distribute it. We talk at length about the band and their history, as well as what they are hoping to do in the future.

In this episode, we go over what some of the inspiration for starting Epic Merch Store was and where that company is headed, and the importance of paying attention to the business side of the music world. Ray shares with me some of his favorite bands as well as his 5 desert island albums.

To hear music from some of the bands mentioned on this episode, as well as our other episodes, checkout our official Spotify Playlist (and be sure to click that ‘Follow’ button).

Question The Answers Podcast is hosted by Andy Pohl, who is the founder of Sell The Heart Records and the guitar player for Tsunami Bomb. Every week we will be presenting a brand new episode featuring an individual that has made a contribution to the independent music scene in some way. Check back here on Wednesdays for a premiere of each episode, and you’ll also be able to find us on Spotify, Apple Music, Stitcher and other audio podcast streaming services in the days following the initial premiere.