Bang Camaro is a band that is kicking your ass whether you know it or not. You may have seen their live shows as they were starting out in Boston. You may have heard their stuff in Guitar Hero 2 and Rock Band. If you haven't, you will know about them soon. This band is on the cusp of something big and we sat down to talk to the band, specifically Alex and Bryn.

You may have expected quality from us in the past, but we were performing over our heads. It was bound to catch up with us. So our sound recorder died about 13 minutes into the interview and it was sitting next to my iPhone which, because it is an Apple product, gives off hipster radiation that destroys all other competing products. In this case, our Sony sound recorder. Rest assured, we will interview these guys again because they kick ass. Also because of the warped sound on the recorder, I can't figure out who is talking. So I have lumped the responses together. But both receive the award of "Biggest Word Used in a BnR Interview." Clearly, we are not dealing with the dumbass, fourth Jonas brother, Slestak Jonas.

BnR: You guys entered the studio at the end of last week. How is the studio process going for you?

BC: It's been going well. The studio is actually going really well. We got three tracks for an upcoming release. We're mainly just tracking all the basics, the drums, the bass, some rhythm guitar, and drinking a lot of beer in the process.

BnR: Now how does that process work? Is it just the main five of you or do you have all the singers come in and do the vocals as well?

BC: It starts out with the five instrumentalists going first. The three guitars, one bass, one drum and we lay down the rhythm track. Then when we finish that, before we get to guitar solos or any thing like that, we bring a core of our six singers in. We call them the Strike Team, and they record a number of different harmonies. Then we bring in the whole bunch to get the huge vocal sounds, the yells, and the vocal sounds we go for. Normally we end up tracking guitar solos last. But that is whenever we can get into the studio at that point.

BnR: Now do you have an idea of where you want to go with the guitar solos before you start the recording process?

BC: Often it depends. With some of the songs we are working on now, we have been playing them live for a little while. Doing that and getting things out in front of an audience, you can kind of get a better sense for where you want your melodies and how you want them to go. Then on the flipside, when we are working on new material, it's until the last moment where we really figure out where we can convey George Lynch-ian type riffs and runs that we can put in our songs. So it varies. One thing I am excited for in these songs is that since we have been playing them live for a while, something we didn't get the chance to do on the last release, we actually have a lot of the guitar fills and fun, interesting parts already worked out in the rhythm tracks. Then we don't have to do overdubs or anything like that. I think it gives it more of a live feel where it is just me and Alex trading off guitar riffs like we would in a live setting.

BnR: How would you describe a Bang Camaro show?

BC: It's usually a big party. When you put five instrumentalist and anywhere from six to fifteen singers on stage, it really blurs the line between the crowd and the band. It is really just like one, huge, rock n' roll spectacle. Lots of fist pumping, flashing lights, beer spitting, you know, the works.

BnR: But not like a Gwar show? No blood?

BC: [laughs] No, we are a little too lazy to bring props with us. If we just show up with our hands and guitars, we are happy.

BnR: So you would say your mother's approve of your live show?

BC: I think my mom is just happy I have something to do. But a Bang Camaro show isn't really my mom's cup of tea. [Bryn] My mom was really into Black Sabbath, so sometimes I think she wishes we would play a little heavier music.

BnR: Really?! That is awesome. My mom is only into Richard Marx.

BC: He had a pretty sweet mullet.

BnR: Yes, he did. I have to admit that I heard about the band through Guitar Hero 2 and Rock Band. I know that Bryn, you work for Harmonix. Is that correct?

BC: Yea, actually I am talking to you from downstairs at Harmonix right now.

BnR: Really? That's cool. Was it a tough sell to get them to include your songs in the games?

BC: Well actually I didn't work on Rock Band. We are from Boston and they are from Boston. We were already doing pretty well in Boston by that point. They were releasing Guitar Hero. They saw that this band has three guitar players playing guitar solos all the time and thought we would be a great fit. They brought us in at that point. I don't think it was that tough of a sell because Harmonix has a lot of control over what songs they put into the game. They wanted us so they went ahead and did it, which did amazing things for us.

BnR: Whenever I see anything about Guitar Hero or Rock Band there is always this dispute that the kid should pick up a real guitar and stop playing the video games. I think it is a great opportunity for the kids. At least they get to hear older rock songs. I was talking to some kid the other day and he understood who the hell Deep Purple was. I was like 'Damn, you are only 8."

BC: Yea exactly. I use Deep Purple as the example. We have a weird perspective on it because we get to drive around the country and see the kids are huge Rock Band fans. They all know Deep Purple, Jimi Hendrix, and all these great guitar players because these games got them back into rock n' roll. Which I think is pretty cool. Now I hear most of them saying now I am picking up a real guitar. The whole 'kids should be practicing on a real guitar instead of playing a video game" is a close minded argument. People don't actually see what the game is doing out there.

BnR: I like it because I can't play guitar, but I can five star the hell out of Highway Star. So that's pretty cool for me. So given how many people are actually in the band, scheduling the gigs must be a huge nightmare. How do you juggle that?

BC: It is. It is actually less so than it used to be, now that we work with a booking agent who really believes in the band and keeps us on the road as long as we have been. Trying to get upwards of 15-20 people out to a gig is sometimes challenging. What we have done on our last tours is, since we only travel around in a 15 passenger van to cut cost, is bring out a core group of singers, maybe five, six, or seven of them. A lot of them still work day jobs so not all of them can come out on tour with us all the time. Some guys will rotate in and out in the middle of tours and then some guys will stay home and do the regional shows. Whereas we will have a couple of guys do every show on the tour. Yea, to answer your question, it has posed some problems, but it hasn't been insurmountable[largest word ever used in a BnR interview]..at least not yet.

BnR: Has anyone decided to quit their job and work on the band full time?

BC: You are talking to one of them. [Alex] I left my job about nine months ago and I have been doing this the whole time. There are a couple of other vocalists and a couple of other guys in the band have made the leap.
 
BnR: [Long pause] I don't even know where I want to go next. Ok, I will just toss this out there. I know your band is called Bang Camaro for a reason. It is obviously because they are the two coolest words in the English language, as you guys called it. Have you ever tried to negotiate a threesome in the back of a late 80's IROC? It must be difficult.

BC: Well sometimes we try to negotiate in our main band van. But by the time we get girls back to it and they smell it, they are usually long gone.

BnR: Speaking of girls, why did you go with 15 male singers instead of 15 girl singers?

BC: We'll never have any girls in it man.

BnR: I was wondering why though. Isn't the whole rock mantra sex, drugs, and rock n' roll?

BC: The reason we started this in the first place was to get the sound that we were after. Which was basically what Skid Row and Def Leppard sounded like on their albums. I think we have yet to find the proper female voice that would gel and fit in with all the other guys. Maybe there's a few people out there. If so, they should get in contact with us.

BnR: Speaking of Skid Row and Def Leppard, the music industry has changed drastically since the 80's. Do you think it has changed for the better or the worst?

BC: I think it has definitely changed for the better. A lot of the power for reaching a wide audience is in the hands of the artists. Now it seems that bands that want to sign with record labels, more power to them if they do, but it just seems like an industry that is floundering. The record companies start acting like creditors towards bands and the bands start collecting large amounts of debt. With tools like the internet and online social networking, they have really gone a long way to bring the audience closer to the artist. I think that is a great thing. One thing that is kind of interesting, is that back in the 80's, or at least in the 90's, people's dream was that they were going to get signed. That was kind of the end all for what they were pushing. But you hear nightmare stories from people, even those that work here at Harmonix, that they got the major label deals and they were shelved and nothing ever happened with their band. Then their band had to break up over it. Obviously, CD sales are down, but at the same time, I think musicians are just more educated. They know that signing with a major label does not, in any way, mean that they will become rock stars or make any money at all. I think people are just a little smarter now, maybe not smarter, but better educated.

BnR: So I guess you guys get to keep all your royalties? Then whatever sales come from the CD or Rock Band are yours. It doesn't go to a record label.

BC: That is definitely the case. All the money comes into us. We handle it as the heads of our own business. Of course, like any other band we have expenses. We take care of everyone the best we can, but you are right that money comes straight to us and not a record label.

BnR: This is good because you can set your own terms and conditions. You don't have to worry about some record label coming over your shoulder and telling you your image has to change or your music has to change to fit in with this crowd or to become more radio friendly.

BC: That's right. We don't have anyone saying "we don't hear a hit." It is a bit scary that we are running things ourselves, but at the same time we don't have this guy turning us into the next Jonas Brothers.

BnR: Good because the Jonas Brothers suck.

This is where the audio stops. Sadly, there was at least another seven minutes of awesome conversation about overflowing bathrooms at the Khyber in Philly, Bret Michaels, and Mr. T. But I don't remember every detail and rather than misquote them, I will not quote them at all.

We wanted to thank Bang Camaro for taking the time to talk to us. These guys are true BnR artists, with the sound they have and music industry attitude. The attitude follows closely to our attitude toward the industry. We urge you all to go out and buy Bang Camaro's self-titled album Bang Camaro. We also encourage to you to play their songs on Rock Band because they are a kick ass good time.

We will keep you updated as to when the Camaro is pulling into your town, so you can experience the beer spitting yourself, fist pumping, and flashing lights extravaganza, for yourself.