Feature

Boston’s underground scene has built its reputation on a plethora of hardcore and Celtic punk bands. The musical reaction to this scene can be witnessed in Bang Camaro. Pulling inspiration from early ‘80s hair metal, Bang Camaro has formulated their sound filled with powerful vocals (courtesy of the 30 plus member Bang Camaro choir) and ripping guitars that brought fame to bands like Quiet Riot and Def Leppard.

During 2007, video games like “Guitar Hero” and “Rock Band” became staples with game players, and these mediums brought Bang Camaro into millions of homes while gathering new fans nationwide. The birth of this juggernaut of metal is credited to two individuals, Alex Necochea (guitar) and Bryn Bennet (guitar).

SC: How did you guys first get together?

AN: Bryn and I were both playing in indie rock bands in and around Boston for a number of years. More often than not, we would find our bands on the same bill and usually at the end of the night; we would end up chatting about heavy metal and things that we loved when we were kids. It turned out that the projects we were working on at the time fizzled at the same time, so it just was natural that we start working together.

SC: You mentioned heavy metal, and you guys seem to focus on that arena rock/old school glam metal sound. What was it about that sound that turned you guys on to it?

BB: For me, anyway, it was what I grew up listening to being pretty young. I think it was something about those huge hooks and big choruses that kept me coming back to wanting to write that music. For a long time, people looked down on it, and it really wasn’t cool in Boston to say that you liked hard rock in any certain way.

When Alex and I both realized that we were both into this kind of music, it just seemed like a great excuse to get back and do what we loved when we were younger, and it’s brought us this far.

SC: Speaking of the Boston scene, I know that there’s quite a focus on hardcore punk and Celtic punk. What kind of reactions did you get to your music?

AN: Initially, we were a little worried as to how people were going to accept what we were doing, because it was really unlike anything else that anybody was doing or what we were doing in the past. The concept was there the first time when we played a house party in a town full of hipsters. We went on to about two in the morning, and people went crazy over what we were doing. That sort of thing hasn’t abated since. So, I would say that, surprisingly, they have been very accepting.

SC: How did the Bang Camaro choir come into existence?

BB: We wanted to get that Def Leppard sound that you hear on “Pyromania” or “Hysteria.” We weren’t really sure how Mutt Lang (producer) did that in the studio, but we figured that if we could bring in enough singers, we could do that live. Since Alex and I played on the indie rock scene in Boston for a number of years, we had a lot of good friends that were lead singers in other bands. So, one day we recorded a song called “Bang Camaro.” We went into the studio to record that as kind of a run-off to see how it would sound. We brought in a bunch of guys and we sang around one microphone, and it was like the best time ever. After that, we knew that we would have to keep going.

SC: So far, what are some of the challenges you guys face going on the road with 30 plus member group?

AN: First, getting everybody in the van, getting them there on time and onto the stage. We currently travel in a fifteen-passenger van. The challenge there is securing enough guys to take time off of work to travel the country with us. There’s that case. What we’ve been doing is building regional choirs and actually having people come up and sing with us in different towns. That’s something that Bryn has been working really hard on. Logistically, there’s a lot of legwork there to get everybody on.

SC: I saw on your Web site that you are currently taking applications to be in the Bang Camaro Choir. What could those fortunate enough to be chosen expect out of the experience?

BB: I’m actually working on that right now. The first thing that they do is to say that they want to be part of the choir and send me a YouTube clip or some other video clip of them singing, because we really need guys that can pull it off. They’ll get a training DVD that our singers made up, which actually is pretty funny. It shows all the different melodies and harmonies that go on during the songs, and they’re asked to learn three or four songs. We’ve been really lucky with people being trained and ready to go. People have just been great! They tend to take over our green room and drink all of our beer, because it’s their night to be a rock star. It’s been an awesome time. We’ve met a ton of great people, and they’ve all been really good.

SC: In the past year or so, your self-titled debut has been getting more and more attention through “Rock Band” and “Guitar Hero.” How does it feel to have the masses embracing your sound like they have?

AN: It’s unbelievable, actually. When Bryn and I started this band, never in our wildest dreams did we think that it would have such a strong, grassroots following in Boston, let alone, the rest of the country. It’s been a real eye-opening experience in us navigating the music business as it is now. It’s been nothing short of thrilling.

SC: Speaking of the industry, what has been your experience being a band touring with so many members? I would hate to be the booking agent pitching that to a promoter. What’s your rider look like? Is it like 30 pizzas and 200 beers? Do you feed everybody and provide for your choir members?

BB: It’s just 200 beers. We don’t eat pizza (laughing). I don’t think it’s that bad. We haven’t really had any issues with our rider and people bringing us in on a tour. It’s more tough to try to pay everyone out on the road and pay ourselves. We’ve been doing this all ourselves. We’re not on a record label. We run our own mailing list; we run our own Web site. We do all our own graphic design. One of the singers is our road manager. We do everything we can to cut costs, and we’ve been pretty successful with that so far. As far as what clubs have thought of us, a few of them have been surprised at the size of the band, but most people already know what to expect. The clubs have been great with us. I don’t think that there’s been a club that hasn’t asked us back. We’ve had a pretty good track record.

AC: Fortunately, we’ve had a really good booking agent that has really gone to bat for us and has gone a great distance to get us into clubs across the country.

Stephen Centanni is Lagniappe music editor. Contact him at scentanni@lagniappemobile.com.

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