The National Trust and the Ataris/Squirtgun Connection
Wow. My last post brought me more e-mail than I could possibly respond to on an individual level. Therefore, I will do my best to answer many of the questions in this post.
First off, The National Trust have not yet recorded, which logically means that there exist no MP3s of their upcoming album. Yes, they are at essence a re-incarnation and extension of a band called F.O.N., but it is not the same F.O.N. that has released several CDs in the punk scene of the last five years.
Yes, The National Trust did perform the song "Social" live on the night I saw them. The song was written by Matt Hart, and originally performed by F.O.N. in the early 1990's, not long before the band dissolved. The band never actually released the song, however, so Matt brought it to Squirtgun when we first formed the band in 1993. It went on to become the opening song to the 1995 Kevin Smith film Mallrats, which also featured early performances by actors including Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Claire Forlani. "Social" was also featured on our debut CD on Lookout Records, Squirtgun. However, because Matt Hart sung the Squirtgun version of the song, while Giles Davies sings the National Trust version, I believe that an immediate and obvious difference in the versions is notable. I do not know whether or not the National Trust intends to record a version,or simply to play it live.
Yes, Kris Roe did appear on the most recent Squirtgun CD, Fade to Bright, as a guest vocalist, singing along with Squirtgun singer Matt Hart. He appeared on the song "Burn for You," for which we also made a video that included an appearance by Kris Roe (this video was getting heavy rotation on the 120 Minutes program of MTV Latino America last month). However, I do not feel that this song is representative of the National Trust in sound or in songwriting (maybe partly because I wrote "Burn for You," and I am not a member of the National Trust?).
Finally, I received a number of e-mails either stating that I was lying about Kris Roe's involvement in the National Trust, or asking if he was a member. As one can clearly see in the photographs that accompany the previous post, he did perform as a member on their debut night. Further, he has co-written a few new songs with the band, and is planning to both continue to perform with them live, as well as to play on their upcoming album.