Iain Kilgallon was out jogging when the idea for The Ramstampits first came to him.
Having played in punk bands like Dropkick Murphys all across the world from Australia to the USA, he wanted to create a sound like no other.
During his time touring the world, Kilgallon was always told he should try and blend Celtic music with that of the punk sound he held so dear.
Out of this came The Ramstampits, a band he formed at the start of the year which combines traditional Celtic music with that of punk.
Speaking to The National, Kilgallon said: “I’ve been lucky enough to be in punk rock all my life. My father was actually a jazz musician and played about eight or nine instruments.
“People thought I was a good songwriter and being a Celt they said why don’t you try putting some folk instruments into your songs.
“I have to do something that’s in my heart, I’ve never been driven by money, rightly or wrongly.”
The band, which is based in Dunoon, is made up of musicians from Perthshire, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Paisley and Greenock.
Kilgallon himself originally comes from Gourock. His music has featured on movies such as Green Street and the TV show Gotham.
The band released their first official video in late October, which was a cover of the classic track I Fought The Law, infused with folk instruments.
The video itself was filmed in Inveraray Jail. The band’s set list is genuinely unique, from acoustic tracks such as My Country to sea shanties.
The band has released a six-track mini album with almost two-thirds of the original press of 300 having being sold already.
The term ‘ramstampit’, Kilgallon explains, comes from an old Scots word “meaning mischievous rascals”.
He added: “I was reading a book one night and seen the word ‘ramstampit’ and just fell in love with it.
“The hardest thing about getting a band together, honestly it’s like trying to name a child, is getting a half-decent name that hasn’t been used before.
“Sometimes the name is the twentieth or thirtieth down the line from where you started.”
Although Kilgallon is keen not to have his music put in a box in terms of genre, he says that people do tend to associate it with Scotland.
“The funny thing is, I don’t think we actually ever mention Scotland in any of our songs but people associate our sound with it”, he explained.
Kilgallon continued: “We should shout about how good Scotland is and sing it from the rooftops.”
In the first three weeks, the CD has been played on radio stations in Scotland, England, Germany, Canada and the US.
Kilgallon couldn’t be happier, particularly given when it started he said: “I honestly thought I’d just be happy if we could get a gig in Glasgow.”
Since then though, the group have played Rebellion Festival – the world’s biggest punk and alternative music festival.
Kilgallon added: “Whatever it is, it works. The response to it has been absolutely amazing, I’ve always been one for trying to make something that sounds completely unique.
“If people hear a song, I want them to know it’s us. To me there’s a lot of bands where there’s not a lot of difference and I don’t mean that in a bad way, it’s just that I was keen to do my own thing and see if people liked it.”
