INTERVIEW WITH ROB / RASARAJA DAS (SINGER OF 108)

By Jabba the Hut, from Static-Void/108 message-board

I interviewd Rasaraja Dasa two weeks after the break up of 108. 108 was probably the first band that really informed me about vegetarinism and spirituality, so they¹ve always meant something special to me – plus the music kicked ass, especially 'Songs of Seperation' and 'Threefold Misery'. This was also the first interview i ever did. you may notice it is a really long interview and some of the questions are cheesy.

What bands did you grow up listening to?

The first record that I ever bought was by Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five. I think it was the first record that ever hit me as honest and expressive. That was around 1982. Then twelve years ago I heard Damaged by Black Flag and I fell in love with punk music. Basically I started buying anything from the SST catalog that sounded interesting. Soon I was listening to Black Flag, Bad Brains, and blast. From there I got into Dischord and then the whole straight edge scene.

Have you ever done drugs or eaten meat?

I became a vegetarian 9 years ago. I never took any form of intoxication.

What was your first band like?

My first band was when I was 15 and it was a straight edge band called Release. We ended up putting out a bunch of 7" records and did a tour of the east coast before breaking up in 1990. During my time in Release I started reading Srila Prabhupada's books and visiting the temple. When I graduated High School (1990) I moved into a temple in Philadelphia. Then in 1991 I moved back to NJ and started a band called Ressurection. We put out 2 7" records and 1 lp on New Age Records (CA). We toured on the US with Lifetime and then did an east coast tour with Shelter. Then in 1994 I joined 108 (Ressurection stilled played until December 31, 1994).   How did 108 form? After I had been living in the Philly temple for about three months Vraja Kishor prabhu had quit Inside Out and joined Shelter. The Shelter decided to move to the Philly temple. Me and Vraja became friends. Eventually he wanted to do something different then Shelter and he wrote some songs and made a demo. 108 actually played a few songs at a show with Ressurection (1993). The day after the show Vraja called and asked me to sing for 108. The band was Vraja, me, Zack Eller (Worlds Collide) and Ekendra dasa (the drummer of Shelter). We recorded Holyname a few months later.

Was everyone a devotee in the band?

Yes, everyone in the band was a devotee. I got my first book in 1988 from a guy named Cainewho played bass in Four Walls Falling. At that point I just starting reading Srila Prabhupadaís books and eventually got more serious.

Did 108 have a demo tape?

The demo was in 1993 some time but it never came out. The songs were rerecorded as the Holyname record.   How was 108¹s first show? The first real show (when 108 became an actual band) was May 15, 1994 in Reading PA. It was with Shelter. That was the first show of US tour that lasted until September of that year.  

How did 108 come into contact with Equal Vision Records?

Well, EVR was Raghunatha's (Ray Cappo's) label. So it was natural that he put out the record. We never even practiced before doing the record. Vraja sent me a tape and I came down to the studio and sang on a few songs. I think it could have been a great record had we practiced and worked more on the material.

Why is holyname all on only one track?

That was a screw up on the part of the pressing company. EVR didn¹t realized the problem when they first heard the cd and they told the pressing plant that the cd was good to go.

Are you still friends with Shelter?

Our first tour was with Shelter and it lasted 3 months. It was a great tour and we are all still friends.

What about Prema?

We also played a few shows with Prema. I met the guys from Prema in 1993. Ressurection played with a straight edge band by the name of Concerned. They were all like 14 and their instruments were bigger then their bodies. We became friends and eventually they became devotees and changed their name to Prema.   Songs of Separation is so awsome. tell me about that record Songs of Separation was recorded a week after our tour with Shelter ended. I am proud of it and it did extremely well. It took us by suprise. We played well over 300 shows.

Who wrote the lyrics? What is death bed about?

Vraja did most of the writing. Deathbed was written about an experience Vraja had with the death of his Grandfather.

Did 108 tour Europe much?

108 did three European tours. Our support bands were Refused, Abhinanda and Veil. We played at clubs 99% of the time. When we recorded our last record (Threefold Misery and Curse of Instinct) we realized that in the 3 years the band put out 5 records, did 8 tours, and had 11 member changes but only practiced 38 times!

Do you live at a temple?

My wife and I just bought a home in NY city. We run a temple in the city (with another couple). We are starting a family as we speak.

Why did 108 go from EVR to Lost and Found records?

We decided to go with Lost and Found because we wanted our last record out before we toured. We had already decided to break up the band after the tours.

Tell me about Threefold Misery and Curse of Instinct lp's?

These records are my favorite. The band was Vraja, Trivikrama dasa (bass) and myself. A friend from Orange 9mm named Matt Cross played drums on both recordings. We recorded it in January of 1996. We did the covers for fun. Originally we were only intending to record the songs that appeared on Threefold Misery. We finished the music way ahead of schedule and decided to record some inprove songs (curse of instinct and pyro stoke (which was an improve recorded while making a demo of the lp) and some cover songs.

What are Mantra Six and arctic about?

Mantra Six was written by Vraja about our dependence and even addiction to technology. Arctic was also written by Vraja and it is about the struggle to develop a relationship and dedicate oneself to Krishna.

What about Curse of Instinct, thats songs rad?

Curse of Instinct was written by myself. I didnít write it about a subject rather about something I was feeling at the time.

Who chose to cover Black Flag¹s 'Bars' and the Bad Brains 'Coptic Times'?

Vraja was not going to ever do another band so he wanted to do a bad brains cover because they were his biggest influence.I wanted to do Black Flag because I love the band and that song. I was a fan of the earlier Black Flag records (before Rollins).

Yeah It was better before Rollins. Do you like all the old dc hardcore like Teen Idles, Goverment Issue, Minor Threat?

Yes, I liked DC hardcore. Mostly Minor Threat, Void, and Three.

Why did Lost and Found release 'Serve and Defy'?

All that stuff is on Threefold Misery. Between recording Songs of Seperation and Threefold Misery we had spoken with many different labels about puting out the new 108 records. Things werent working out well with EVR and when we were approached by different labels (roadrunner , Lost and Found, etc...) we wanted to hear what they had to say. Then we came to the conclusion that 108 should break up in the next few months which cancelled out many of the other offers (multi record offers). So we spoke with EVR and L&F. We wanted the record out right away for the upcoming US and European tour and we felt that L&F would get the job done which they did. As far as their reputation goes they have yet to rip us off and they have done everything asked of them. Every other label I have been on (excpet EVR and L&F) has ripped me and my bands off. So we are more then satisfied with how they treat us.

Why did 108 break up?

It was just the right time for us. We had accomplished a lot and we were happy with what we had done. At the same time we were all moving into different points in our lives so it was what we needed to do. We put out 5 records (Holyname (EVR), Songs of Separation (EVR), Threefold Misery (L&F), Curse of Instinct (L&F), and Invocation (L&F) had done 8 tours (over 300 shows) and we felt it was time to put it to rest.

Would you ever reform with 108?

I¹ll never reform

Are you still friends with everyone from 108?

Yes we are all still friends. I really appreciate them and they hold a special place in my heart.

Are you in any other band currently?

Right now I am not playing music. I am working as a Computer Technician for a publishing company and running a temple. I dont plan on touring again but I will do some musical projects eventually. In the summer I will probably do a record with some friends from Threadbare.

Do you chant your rounds?

Yes I chant at least 16 rounds a day.

Who was your guru? and what is the meaning behind the name Rasaraja dasa? I was initiated by H.H. Satsvarupa dasa Goswami in Ireland on August 28 1995. Rasa can be defined as sweetness or relationship. Raja means king. So Rasaraja is the king of relationships. And dasa means servant (or servant of the king of relationships).

Do you fast for ekadasi?

Yes.

Can a devotee go to college or after graduating high school should they move straight into the temple?

As far as going to college: Yes, you should go to college. In Krsna consciousness we dont reject the world. We reject only what is harmful to our devotional life. Rather a devotee does what he or she does for Krsna. This is called yukta vairagya. Srila Prabhupada wanted us to be "American Vaisnavas". It is not that we need to move into a temple. Just make your home a temple with pictures of Krsna and Krsna consciouss books and tapes. A Krsna conscious person is not lazy and is a gentleman. So work hard in school or work, chant Hare Krsna, follow the principles, and give Krsna consciousness to others. This is the perfection of life.

How did you meet Satsvarupa dasa Goswami?

His art on curse of instinct is beautiful. I began reading his books when I first got involved with Krsna consciousness. I began writing to him about 6 years ago.

Why did Jack from Slapshot say "Krishnas can¹t be a part of the straight edge movement" and he even wrote a song bashing 108?

Honestly I dont know. Slapshot is useless.

Did 108 play many shows out on the west coast?

We played a lot on the west coast. I think we did about 14 shows in California. We also played in Seattle, Nevada, Arizona, Oregon, Utah, North/South Dakota, etc.

Wasn¹t 108¹s last show in New York?

108 played it¹s last show at CBGB¹s in New York on June 16, 1996.

Hmm anything else you would like to say?

Look for the final 108 album called Invocation. It is a live record recorded on our last tour and it has songs from every album. Thanks.

Official website of art and writings by Satsvarupa das Goswami