EA Trax - Artist Profile #7: Bang Camaro
Written by Arend Hart
April 14, 2009
For those uninitiated listeners out there – Boston's Bang Camaro is one hell of a rock spectacle. Maybe it's the over-the-top 80's flavored solo-laden metal, maybe it's the the 10 to 20 singers that at any given time belt out the band's trademark anthems – whatever it is, these guys are not your typical rock act.
Formed by two indie guitarists Bryn Bennett and Alex Necochea – Bang Camaro was devised as an outlet for the two to showcase the sounds and styles of the music that influenced their youth. The result is a decidedly 80's metal soundscape that gives equal homage to any and all all variants of 70's and 80's hard rock genres – from the pop-metal of Kiss and Skid Row, to the Prog Metal of Dream Theater and Rush, to the Speed Metal of Anthrax and Slayer, hell, even the acoustic ballads of Extreme and Tesla weasel their way into the band's sound.
The band has released two albums, fittingly titled Bang Camaro (2007), and Bang Camaro II (2008). But the band has found a lot of exposure gaming industry, where their songs have been featured as background tracks in games like Titan Quest and The Sims 3. More importantly however, has been Bang Camaro's inclusion as interactive tracks in music titles Guitar Hero II, Rock Band, Rock Band 2, and Phase. This should come as no surprise, as Bryn also happens to be a software engineer for Harmonix.
The band is currently on US tour, and we thought it would be great to catch them en route and see how things are stacking up for Bang Camaro.
In the case of Bang Camaro's however, I have spent nearly 30 years of my life doing everything I could to avoid 70's and 80's hard rock and metal. Now you guys come along and start rubbing my face in it as if I were a puppy that just crapped on your floor. Worst part is, somehow you've got me enjoying the whole experience. All jokes aside, I'll admit that Bang Camaro took a couple of listens to get me going, but now I'm hooked. What's the secret ingredient that you guys use to draw in nonbelievers like me?
Alex: HA. You’re not alone. Our secret ingredient is love. Not that hippie BS rather a real love for the music we have listened to as kids. A lot of times people will write us and ask if we’re joking having so many people in the band, ripping guitar solos, and huge vocals. The answer is no. We take what we do seriously and work hard to make our rock’n roll circus look fun and easy. A BANG CAMARO show is a difficult spectacle to ignore. There are so many people on stage, all with different personalities and deep knee bend, it’s hard not to get swept up in the excitement.
Bryn: To be honest, we thought everyone was going to hate what we were doing. Most of our indie-rock minded friends thought we had gone crazy when we formed Bang Camaro.
GCM: I see Alex studied Geology at Bucknell. I guess you can say you officially have a degree in rock! I'm a degreed Metallurgist, so we have a little in common. We know what Bryn does for a day job, but what about Alex – have you been working in the field of Geology? And if so, how has your employer supported touring, etc?
Alex: I never got into the field of Geology after I graduated from Bucknell. While I was there I had interests in science and math but I knew that making music would always be my focus. When I moved to Boston I got a regular office job mainly working in IT and accounting – a rather broad range of responsibilities. I left that job about 14 months ago to pursue the band full time. I never would have imagined that BANG CAMARO would become my full time job, but playing guitar and making music is only a fraction of what’s required to keep this band going. If I knew then what I know now I would’ve studied business in school.
GCM: I would be remiss as a game writer to not ask Bryn about his work at Harmonix. I read that Bang Camaro landed the Guitar Hero II slot before you were hired to work for the developers. Do you think that your music helped you land the job?
Bryn: Being part of the Boston music scene probably helped a little bit. Harmonix is made up of a ton of musicians who I already knew from playing in different bands around Boston. I had known Helen from Vagiant, Naoko from That Handsome Devil, and Acrobrat Daniel Sussman from quite a while before joining the company. That being said, I had to use my mad coding skills to get the job. I should probably mention that Harmonix rules for letting me take months at a time off to drive around the country and rock faces. It’s really a special company.
GCM: I know that Freezepop's Kasson Crooker is the Audio Director at Harmonix, and Lightning Bolt's Brian Gibson is a Lead Artist. It must be cool to work somewhere where the corporate culture revolves around music and art.
Bryn: Totally! Kasson is actually a project lead at the company. He handled Rock Band 2 and Phase, which I worked on. The Audio Director is Eric Brosius who played in a band called Tribe in the ‘90’s. I also worked with him at 2K Boston before when they were called Irrational Games. And yeah, Lightning Bolt rules. It’s amazing to be part of a company that was literally founded to fuse music and technology. All I wanted to do since I was 12 was to make video games and play in a rock band. I’m really lucky.
GCM: You guys are just kicking off a tour of the US, starting with SxSW and then onto an extended Midwest trek with one of Michigan's hometown favorites, the Electric Six, and onto the Jimmy Kimmel Show. Then two words: Monster Magnet. I can imagine you guys are pretty excited about the tour. Any special plans while you are on the road?
Alex: Yeah, I’m excited for all of the opportunities we have coming up. We made our first appearance at SxSW just last weekend. It’s like a hipster-Disneyland and probably one of the few events on earth when EVERYBODY plays in a band. Me and my buddy, Jason, from the band LESLIE tried to sneak in and see Metallica at Stubb’s BBQ but we got there late. Instead, we weaseled our way to the front row at a Primal Scream show. Aside from that I’m looking forward to returning to a lot of places we’ve played on past tours and meeting and seeing fans, new and old.
Bryn: I was able to see a Japanese metal band film a video on sixth street in Austin. That was a ridiculous sight… a bunch of guys that looked like Anime heroes rocking out while people in cowboy hats stared at them. We also played a party for the drink called Sparks… my heart is still racing from all the caffeine. And yeah… Monster Magnet… that was a surprise.
GCM: OK guys; is life really all that hard on the road?
Alex: Have you ever had to share a hotel room with 7 other guys every night for 2 months? Eat at gas stations? Wear the same pants for 10 days straight? Ride in a 15 passenger van for extended periods with 16 people? OK, I’m exaggerating. I don’t eat at the gas stations all that often. But, yeah, life on the road is a great time but weird things always happen. I guess that’s the appeal. That and I get to play my guitar every night of the week.
Bryn: Everything from our song “Life is Hard on the Road” actually happened, and it’s just the tip of the iceberg. It is a draining experience. I tend to get home and sleep for about 24 hours straight, but it’s totally worth it. Did I mention that we went to a strip club with the wife of one of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s guitar players 2 days ago? Ha.
GCM: Aside from the obvious influences that come through in Bang Camaro's music, I have read that the band listens to quite an eclectic array of music ranging from rap to rock, to the more experimental sounds of TV on the Radio and Sparklehorse. Are there any other bands that have gotten your attention lately? Might I suggest Bon Iver or Black Mountain?
Bryn: I only listen to Motley Crue.
GCM: Here’s a little philosophy homework for the band to mull over while on the road: Name 5 items in which “Quality” is more important than “Quantity”
Alex: 1) BANG CAMARO vocalists, 2) iPod playlists in the van, 3) strip clubs, 4) green rooms with private bathrooms, and 5) bowel movements
Bryn: 1) Guitar Solos 2) Whiskey 3) Food 4) Last night club dancing 5) the sun on my face
GCM: Conversely, Name 5 items in which “Quantity” is more important than “Quality”
Alex: I was told there would be no philosophic queries in this interview.
Bryn: 1) Girls for Morgan 2) Beer 3) Fans at shows 4) gas station stops 5) the sun on my face
GCM: I take it you guys are gamers to some degree. What games have you guys been playing in 2009?
Bryn: To be completely honest, I’ve been a little too busy to get deeply into games this year. The band spans a pretty large genre though. We’ve been playing everything from Warhammer on-line to van Mario-Kart. Fallout is pretty awesome. I wish I had more time to play it. Morgan has been heavily into “Battle of Olympus”, “Tecmo Bowl”, “Ogre Battle”, and “Blades of Steel” on his emulator this trip. Those 8-bit songs are getting really annoying.
Glen just yelled “Left for Dead!” so I’ll include that. We also made ourselves in “Fight Night 2009” which was pretty awesome. We all beat the crap out of Glen.
GCM: Do you guys get to game much on the road?
Bryn: Mario Kart battles break out on our DS’s pretty often. Other people will be trying to sleep and we all start yelling at each other. It’s probably really frustrating for the non-gamers in the band. But, yeah, I guarantee that there is always some form of video gaming going on in the van at any given time. I just ordered a new Alienware laptop that I’ll hopefully be getting in the next few days. That’s going to be so sweet..
GCM: OK, I opened my Facebook feed for readers and friends to post any questions, and I had some interesting responses. Feel free to answer any/all/none of the questions below, and we’ll sort them out for the posting. Have a great tour, and hope to see you guys on the flipside.
2. Who do you root for in the Beanpot tourney
3. Best/worst place to get smashed on landsdowne?
BRYN: Cask & Flagon?! Dear god, I’ve never been in there. I’ll say Bill’s Bar because sometimes they have sweet metal bands. I haven’t checked out the new House of Blues yet, but Pete said it was cool
4. Best place to pick up BU ladies?
BRYN: I picked up a BU girl at the Model in Allston once. I think she thought there would be male models inside or something because she was definitely not a dive bar type. Totally out of my league.
Amy Thornton Meade
Favorite books! They never ask musicians that question. :)
You can also get more info about Bang Camaro, find tour dates, and purchase music and T-Shirts at their official website or get more info about the band on Bang Camaro's MySpace page.
GCM: Hey guys, I first want to thank you for taking time out of the tour to speak with GCM. Your band has been one of the hardest for me to put my head around with our Artwerk interview series. You see, many of the bands I have interviewed were likewise not shy about wearing their influences on their sleeves. But most of their influences happened to be the same influences I experienced in my own youth; bands like Talking Heads, Gang of Four, Sonic Youth and Suicide. For those interivews, it was relatively easy for me to devise a string of questions based on our shared inspiration.
Alex: Oh definitely. Between all the guys in the band we listen to a lot of different music. Before BANG CAMARO started up I was writing my own brand of electronic rock with a beat up Harmony guitar and a drum machine. Just because BANG CAMARO happens to write guitar oriented songs doesn’t mean we sit around and listen to Motley Crue all day. We’ve always felt more like an indie rock band than a metal band. On this tour we’ve been listening to Sam and Dave, Queens of The Stone Age, Edgar Winter Group, Funkadelic, and Metallica. I just saw a documentary on STAX so we’ve been singing a lot of Otis Redding. Lately, I’ve been getting into the 2 bands who are touring with us, LESLIE and The Everyday Visuals. Great stuff. Check them out. Also, Dude. Black Mountain is pretty awesome. I’m going to put them on right now. 
Patrick Neil Bryant
They’re from Boston, where I live, so you could ask them a bunch of annoying, irrelevant Boston-oriented Qs:
1. Should Mayor Menino get re-elected?
BRYN: I live in Somerville! I just want someone to get elected who will keep me from getting $50 parking tickets when I forget to move the van for street cleaning.
BRYN: I’m going with BU. Mainly it’s because I’ve never made it to the BC campus.
ALEX: Best place is Cask & Flagon. Worst? Same place.
ALEX: BU ladies probably think I’m a creepy old man. I stay at home.
What's in your pockets?
ALEX: Some loose change, guitar picks, 6 dollars, and my manager’s phone number.
ALEX: I just finished Cormac McCarthy’s “No Country for Old Men” in the van the other day. Very disturbing. I just picked up “Glamorama” by Bret Easton Ellis. I’m hoping for explicit passages of gay sex I can read out loud in the van.