Trevor Church – Beastmaker – Uber Rock Interview Exclusive
Written by Jamie Richards
Sunday, 21 February 2016 04:00
Rise Above Records has become one of the mainstays in the underground of all things heavy this last thirty years, with the incredible story of founder Lee Dorian’s unlikely success becoming the stuff of metal legend. So what took him all the way to the centre of California’s humid San Joaquin valley, more specifically the city of Fresno, to find his latest signing for the label? After all, heavy metal bands are two a penny here in Europe, right? Well that as maybe, but as a man with an obvious ear for something special he may well have heard in this band, Beastmaker, the subtleties all too often missing from a lot of metal bands.
Sure, there’s a hefty dose of Black Sabbath to be found in Beastmaker (as with pretty much every metal band that existed since the early ’70s it has to be said) but there’s also an embrace of the psychedelic, the occasional layering that eases the crushing brutality. While most metal bands may go directly for the kill, Beastmaker take their time, they ease you in, mixing up the incredible riffs with swirling ’60s melodies credited more to the likes of pioneers such as The Beatles, and more recently their new label mates Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats. I’ve had a sneak of the band’s debut album and I’d go as far as to say it touches the same dizzy heights Uncle Acid have struggled to achieve since their mighty breakthrough album, the irrefutably genius, ‘Blood Lust’.
With their first 7” for Rise Above, ‘You Must Sin’, selling out, and the debut album, ‘Lusus Naturae’, to be unleashed on March 25th, the band is heading to Europe for their first dates outside of the USA. They kick off at Manchester’s Deaf Institute and Birmingham’s O2 on April 10/11th for a couple of support slots with label boss Lee Dorian’s new outfit, With The Dead, and then take in their first ever headline show in Europe at Cardiff’s Moon Club on the 13th before heading off for a run of festivals including Roadburn and DesertFest.
As we love to get the scoop here at Uber Rock we caught up with the band’s amiable frontman Trevor William Church as the band prepare for their adventure, to find out how, why, who and what happened to get them into this enviable position…..
Tell us about the band, when did you form, how do you guys know each other?
Andy, AKA “Juan” and I have been playing music together for about 10 years. It started out I was looking for a singer and that’s how I met Andy “Juan Bonham” who now is the drummer of Beastmaker. We’ve played off and on since then in all kinds of different projects. It wasn’t until March of 2014 that we decided it was time to start playing together again. I had been playing with local Doom/Stoner bands Inside The Sun and Pyramid. Both projects weren’t what I had envisioned. So, we jammed some songs off ‘Kill ‘em All’ and started writing our own stuff. John, our bassist, was a singer and guitarist in a band called Blind Bison and they had come to a close because their drummer left for the band The Stone Foxes. I felt this was an opportune time to ask him to play bass for us. He came over and jammed a few riffs we had written and we officially had a band. I had the idea for Beastmaker and I had the name for it a long time before it came to fruition.
When was your first gig together, and what have you released so far?
I don’t recall the first gig but it was definitely in the summer of 2014 at our local favourite spot Audie’s Olympic Tavern here in Fresno. So far we’ve only released our ‘You Must Sin’ EP/demo and the ‘You Must Sin’ 7” on Rise Above Records. Our full length debut, ‘Lusus Naturae’ is scheduled to be released March 25th, also on Rise Above Records.
How did that association with Rise Above come about?
I sent my buddy Tony our demo. I asked him to spread the word and somehow he got the attention of Scott Carlson who works for Rise Above. I got an email shortly after saying “hey, I dig your tunes get in touch”. I quickly responded and he said he was gonna show Lee Dorian. Lee got in touch with me and wanted to do a 7”. A few days later he wanted to give us a proper record deal.
What bands have influenced you most would you say?
This is difficult because there are so many bands that have attributed to influencing me musically. Metallica was the first band that really made me learn how to play guitar. I was probably about 11 years old then. I always liked heavy metal and punk music. So, naturally I started to learn songs from Black Sabbath, Danzig, Misfits, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix. I was very eclectic musically and I listened to anything that seemed like a challenge and that caught my ear. Vocally I’d say the Beatles and Black Sabbath were the first. I really enjoyed learning their music. I was really into NWOBHM: Diamond Head, Witchfinder General, Def Leppard, specifically. Early 2000s came around and Witchcraft was doing their thing and it was pretty powerful to me. Those would be the bands that shaped up what we are currently doing, but I have to give credit to bands like Nirvana, Saint Vitus, Pentagram, and Megadeth. Megadeth taught me how to really push myself. Also, my Dad, Bill “Electric” Church of Montrose, Van Morrison, and Sammy Hagar had a huge part in showing me how to play.
What was the first record you heard that made you want to become a musician yourself?
The first record that I bought was Metallica in 1987. I bought ‘Kill ‘em All’, ‘Ride The Lightning’, and ‘Garage Days’. My older cousin Michael played guitar and was really into metal. He would let me borrow and record tapes. He got me into Misfits, Slayer, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Mötley Crüe. It was my cousin, though, that was the one that made me want to become a musician. He passed away when I was 19.
What was the first concert you attended?
That’s easy, Sammy Hagar.
What would you say is your favourite album, tell us why?
This changes almost weekly. But to this day ‘Kill ‘em All’ never fails. Probably because the first song I learned how to play was ‘The Four Horsemen’. Every song on the record is badass. I’ve probably listened to it more than any other album ever.
Regards current bands, who’s interesting you most at the moment?
Pretty much everything on Rise Above is crushing right now. For me personally they have such a great catalog, history and we are super stoked to be a part of their legacy. I really dig Slow Season they are only about 30 minutes away from Fresno, Ca. I always dig watching them do what they do. Also, Salem’s Pot, and Dunbarrow. Just to name a few. There are a lot of great bands coming out. It’s awesome to see the resurgence of bands.
The imagery on your releases suggests you may have a keen interest in vintage horror movies. Our editor at Uber Rock is something of an aficionado himself, who and what are your favourites in the genre?
My Dad got me into Vincent Price. The first movie I can recall he showed me was Last Man on Earth. Growing up I’d see movies like A Nightmare on Elm St. and stuff from the ’80s. It was really only natural for me to go back to earlier horror films. Vincent Price to me is the King, though. I like all of his films. My buddy Tony shows me a lot of great movies – he is the aficionado. I really dig Tombs of the Blind Dead, Black Sunday, and Night of the Living Dead. I don’t think any of these are that unusual for anyone into the genre. Again there are way too many to name. This could get very long.
Your first shows in Europe are coming soon, have you been here before, if so what are your most vivid memories of the place? Or if you haven’t been, what are you expecting?
I’ve been to Europe but only as a traveller. I’m really looking forward to playing some really rad shows and hanging out with people that are like-minded. We are very fortunate and get to play Roadburn, Desertfest London, and go out as tour support for Blood Ceremony. We are extremely grateful for the opportunity that Rise Above has given us. We are hoping to just have a great time with everyone and to be able to play heavy music for people that love to bang their heads.
You can grab a ticket for Beastmaker’s headline show in Cardiff HERE!
http://beastmaker.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Beastmaker/
