Sometimes, weird = awesome. Take Bang Camaro, a classic rawk band out of Boston based around a simple, brilliant idea: why bother trying to make our one lead singer sound like Sebastian Bach by multi-tracking the hell out of him when we can hire 10 lead singers and, in the words of great Bill O’Reilly, say, “Fuck it! We’ll do it live!”

When I saw these guys in L.A. earlier this year, they only had about eight lead singers…or maybe it was just four, my beer goggles were pretty thick at that point. Anyway, even scaled down a little, the hesher chorus still sounded pretty killer. There’s nothing original about the music exactly…if you like Skid Row, Def Leppard and Poison, you’ll probably dig these guys…but the whole Army of Singers idea is so great it really doesnt make much diff what the music sounds like. You’ll be fist-pumping in no time, bro.

This is an old video of them performing at what looks like Harvard or MIT or some shit…not very rockin I know but of all the live videos I could find, this one has the best sound and really gives you an idea of fantastic it sounds to hear that many dudes singing arena rock all at once.  There’s even a few harmonies and shit. Good stuff.

Links:

• Bang Camaro official site
• Bang Camaro on MySpace

Link to interview

The juggernaut group that is Bang Camaro are EA’s newest to the Artwerk label, I get some time with them to see what’s happening for them in the world of rock, and what they have in store for 2009.

Answers by- Alex & Bryn, lead guitars and Morgan Brown, lead vocals.

Mechanical R: What was the inspiration behind the name of your band, and what led to you having almost 20 people in your band?
BRYN: We were inspired by bands from our childhood that seemed larger than life. The sound of Skid Row and Def Leppard had that huge gang vocal sound that I’ve never heard a band make live. We wanted to sound like 300 crazed Spartans with cool guitars.

ALEX: Let me answer your question with a question: Have you ever wanted to grow a shaggy mustache, travel the world in a van, and record rock songs? Well, we did. The words BANG CAMARO conjure exactly that type of human adventure where grown men drive from to town to town leaving crying boyfriends and hot bartenders behind in their wake. Why 20 people? Why not?

Mech: Does having that many people make it easier for song writing and PR events?
ALEX: No. It makes it harder. Moving people from one place to another costs money. So, the financial obligations to make things happen are more demanding for us than most bands. That and most of the songwriting and PR events we attend serve alcohol. When you put 20 guys in a room with a case of beer and a bottle of vodka… well, let’s just say the wheels are going to fly off and that never makes anything easier for anyone.

BRYN: In some ways it makes PR a little easier for us though. It’s difficult not to notice 20+ rock guys wander into a Best Buy for an appearance.

Rock party. Alex far right, Bryn far left…

Mech: Any problems with having that many? I.E. Touring?
BRYN: We own a 15 person van, so we do most of our national touring with 15 people. That includes 4 instrumentalists, a sound guy, and a bunch of singers. Think about how tough family trips were when you and your little sister were crammed in the back of your dad’s station wagon. Now multiply that times 100.

Mech: Your latest album, Bang Camaro II came out this year, the third to be exact, are there any major influences behind this album or any directions you’re trying to take?
ALEX: Actually, it is our second album. We called the collection BANG CAMARO II to remind us just in case we lost track. Our first record was recorded in a few bursts over a period of a year. We made our second record in a much shorter period of time. The things I wanted to emphasize were sound quality and better songwriting. Our songs are a little shorter and feature the choir in a more engaging way than our first record. Our vocalists had a hand in that. That’s probably why there are more lyrics this time around.

Mech: What’s in store for 2009 for Bang Camaro?
ALEX: A lot of touring. The best way to experience BANG CAMARO is to see us live. You put 12 guys on a stage and turn everything up to unsafe listening volume, you’re going to have a good time.

BRYN: In addition, we have a track called “Revolution” that’s going to be in the upcoming Sims 3 game. We are working with Artwerk and EA on placing some more songs in games. Obviously, video games are a big reason that people know about us and we love it!

Mech: Any other bands to watch out for this year?
BRYN: Jupiter One are pretty sweet. They also have had a few songs placed in video games too. Check them out on youtube. They have some great videos that they have made themselves. We just played a show with That Handsome Devil, who kick ass.

ALEX: I like Leslie. They’re a 3 piece rock band from Charleston, SC. They do a southern rock thing that reminds me of Tom Petty and Led Zeppelin. They’re ok. I’m watching out for them mostly because I probably owe them money.

Mech: What does being under Artwerk label mean for the band?

ALEX: Working with Artwerk, which is a publishing arm for EA Games, has helped us promote the band on the internet and video games. For instance, our track “Revolution” was just remixed by Chris Lord-Alge and will be featured in the upcoming The Sims 3 game.

BRYN: Video games are turning out to be a viable new option for bands getting their music out to people. We are proud that we are on the cutting edge of this new change in the music/gaming industry.

Mech: Has frequenting on some of the most popular music video games had a large effect in the direction of your Bang Camaro?
ALEX: Absolutely. Having the exposure from being included in games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero 2 has helped us get on the road and play in front of audiences all around the country. Until recently, we were a band that didn’t have a record available in major record stores but we were still able to tour. We owe that, in part, to being featured in video games.

BRYN: You have to understand that we are not on a major label. Alex, Dave, and I run the record label out of our living room. The fact that you can go to a Best Buy in Minnesota, and find our CDs is mindblowing. I’m very proud that we have made it to this point doing everything ourselves, exactly how we wanted.

Mech: Its one thing to have your song appear in games whilst your playing but what’s it like to actually be able to play your own songs on games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero?
BRYN: It’s fun until some fan at a ROCKBAND event totally destroys you at your own song. Some people out there are amazing at the game.

ALEX: It usually ends in heartbreak for me. I barely have the coordination to play our songs on a real guitar. The Rock Band controller baffles me. I’m more of a “SIMON” kind of guy.

Mech: Any plans to appear in any new games or ones you’d like to see your tracks in?

ALEX: Sure. We’ll be featured in The Sims 3 this year. There are some others but I’m probably not allowed to talk about them. I’m actually kidding. I just made that up.

BRYN: I’ve always been a fan of the FIFA line of games. HEY EA, YOU READING?!

Mech: Do you guys play a lot of video games or is it just a select few of you?

ALEX: Yeah, some of us play a lot of video games. Bryn likes Puzzle Quest. Bryn?

BRYN: We get some really heated Mario Kart games going on in the van. Other people will be trying to sleep, and then everyone will start screaming at each other. I also won the Superbowl as the Buffalo Bills in Madden 2008 on the last tour.

Bang Camaros gaming king, Morgan, bottom left…

Mech: There are a lot of you, which one of you claims the gaming crown?
BRYN: Morgan is our resident video game maniac. That guys lives, sleeps, and breathes gaming. Justin Buckley, our sometimes-singer from Charleston is probably our best ROCKBAND player. Then again, he did fail out of a song while we were on the Lynyrd Skynyrd cruise, causing a lot of embarrassment. I always think Glen would be better than he is, because he doesn’t do much else… but he still gets destroyed in our Mario Kart battles.

MORGAN: Hey, guys! Yeah, I would count games among my many vices. If only I could make a game about my vices…

Mech: Are there any games out there currently than you can stop playing?
BRYN: I am really excited by the success of Braid and indie gaming in general. I’ve been following Braid for years now, and I’m so excited for Jonathan Blow that it worked out well for him. I think it will give many closet game developers a lot more confidence.

MORGAN: I have to agree here. Competition for any industry is healthy, but the game industry really needs it right now. Fresh blood and underdogs will keep the money moving around; inject new ideas and possibilities, and light fires under the butts of the big-time developers who are skating on brand recognition and/or massive budgets. The indie developers and homebrew support will keep the gaming industry from cannibalizing itself. Plus, I fancy myself a designer, I work on my own projects, and I want to get back into developing games. Wait, what was the question? Oh, yes. I’m a pretty avid DotA (Warcraft 3 mod) player and I can never turn down a game of Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii) or Carcassonne (X-Box/Live).

Mech: Any games you’re looking forward coming out soon?
BRYN: I would have to say that I’m excited about Harmonix’s Beatles game, because I work on it when I’m not touring. (I’m so self important!) Also, Dante’s Inferno! A while ago I worked on a game called “The Lost” at Irrational Games. It never came out, but it was loosely based on Dante’s Inferno, so I’m interested in seeing what they do with it. In addition, I can’t wait to see what new Xbox Live games come out. It’s a great platform that I’m very excited about.

MORGAN: GHOSTBUSTERS! I just saw the WonderCon footage of Resident Evil 5 and it looks pretty rad. I’m also looking forward to the next EA NHL game so I can lead the Red Wings to beat the snot out of the Avalanche all day, and–with any luck, land blow after blow to their domes with a Bang Camaro song blaring in the background. I used to like wrestling when I was little, so seeing a video of in-game Ted “The Million Dollar Man” DiBiase got me fired-up about WWE: Legends of Wrestling. And, of course, Punch-Out!!

Hear Bang Camaro in EA games including Guitar Hero II, Rock Band 1+2 and the upcoming Sims 3.

Bang Camaro II is available through Black Sword Records now.

From/De: EA

EA Announces Fall Music Line Up for Sports Franchises

LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) today unveiled the full soundtracks for Madden NFL 10, FIFA 10, NHL®10 and NBA LIVE 10. This first-ever quadruple announcement represents the sounds of this fall’s four sports franchises and affirms EA’s standing as the leaders in worldwide videogame music and marketing.

“Each EA SPORTS game is unique to every gamer that picks up the controller, we wanted to make sure the music matched each of those unique experiences,” said Steve Schnur, Electronic Arts’ Worldwide Executive for Music and Marketing. “With the big songs and huge bands in Madden NFL, bringing back the Soul of the Game to NBA LIVE, tapping into the hard hitting metal tracks of NHL and the international flavor of FIFA, this year’s EA SPORTS soundtrack line up aligns with each of the game’s unique styles.”

MADDEN NFL 10

Since 2001, the annual Madden NFL soundtrack has become music’s most essential launching pad for such artists as Avenged Sevenfold, Franz Ferdinand, Lupe Fiasco and Fallout Boy. This year, Madden NFL 10 makes the ultimate surprise play with a front-line of classics that includes Black Sabbath, 2Pac, Iron Maiden, Kid Rock, Nirvana, Public Enemy, System Of A Down and Rage Against The Machine; tracks by breakout bands Airbourne, Mastodon, and Killswitch Engage; and an exclusive new song by Cypress Hill.

The complete in-game soundtrack for Madden NFL 10:

NBA LIVE 10

Long recognized as the premiere showcase for diverse and innovative new music, NBA LIVE 10 features more than 80% exclusive tracks, including reinvented classics from Afrika Bambaataa, Dead Prez and Snoop Dogg, along with ground-breaking collaborations by indie-rockers Matt & Kim with the legendary De La Soul, and newcomers Mickey Factz & B.o.B. The soundtrack also spotlights never-before-heard songs from Beastie Boys and Wyclef Jean.

The complete in-game soundtrack for NBA LIVE 10:

NHL 10

NHL 10 boasts a crunching line-up of metal, indie-punk and rapcore tracks from both legendary platinum bands – including Megadeth, Scorpions, Green Day and Rancid – and breakthrough new acts such as Cancer Bats and Metalkpretty.

The complete in-game soundtrack for NHL 10:

FIFA 10

For the latest edition of the most influential global soundtrack in the world today, EA SPORTS FIFA 10 brings together genre-spanning tracks from 39 different artists representing more than 25 nations, including England, Spain, Germany, Sweden, Mexico, Brazil, Norway, New Zealand, Israel, USA and Nigeria.

The complete in-game soundtrack for FIFA 10:

For more information and previews of EA SPORTS franchise soundtracks, please visit http://www.ea.com/music.

EA SPORTS™ is the leading interactive sports software brand in the world, with top-selling titles and franchises including Madden NFL Football, FIFA Soccer, NHL^® hockey, NBA LIVE basketball, NCAA^® Football and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR^®.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS^TM, EA^TM, EA Mobile^TM and POGO^TM. In fiscal 2009, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.2 billion and had 31 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA’s homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA’s products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA Mobile and POGO are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. John Madden, NFL, FIFA, NBA, NHL, NCAA, Tiger Woods, and PGA TOUR are trademarks of their respective owners and used with permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Working on a longer post about the demise of Boston’s venerable WBCN and something about the lost last best opportunity for radio to make itself a vital portion of the music industry….   this should be up by tonite or tommorrow morning.

But in the meantime, two videos that are each sublime in their own, completely oppositional ways.

First:

Second, from our friend Rodrigo Van Stoli of Noble Rot and Bang Camaro, a power ballad by the band Steel Panther that is completely NSFW for visuals and audios, but pretty funny for all the most base, childish reasons.

Seguinte, agora vai ter que ser assim um post.

EX:

Nome do CD – BANDA – ANO

Capa:

Pink Floyd

Review: BLalalalsldsladlasdlalblalalla

Gênero: Rock Psicodelico

Músicas:

1 – piriripompom  – 4:53 (David Gilmour)

Recomendações: Tal musica.

Link do CD : www.4shared.com/nomedocd(ano)banda-dtbaangmetal.wordpress.com-upadoporquem

E a advertencia.

RESUMINDO:

TITULO:  NOME DO CD – BANDA – ANO

CAPA:  A RESPECTIVA CAPA DO CD.

REVIEW: É QUASE QUE OBRIGATÓRIO FAZER UM REVIEW.

GÊNERO: COLOCAR GÊNERO DO CD.  EX: HARD ROCK, DEATH METAL, ETC.

RECOMENDAÇÃO: RECOMENDAÇÃO DE MUSICAS DO CD.

LINK: O link vai ser aceito em qualquer servidor,  sendo que, deverá ter:  nome do site, quem upou ano, nome do cd, e  banda.

ADVERTENCIA: “Qualqer arquivo protegido por algum tipo de lei deve permanecer, no máximo, 24 horas em seu computador. Eles podem ser baixados apenas para teste…

Tonight – Late Night – Jimmy Kimmel Live – the special guest – Bang Camaro II #ABC RTvia @performing @anos @used @weddingdj @losangelesdj

weds june 10 on jimmy kimmel

Bang Camaro

A banda americana Bang Camaro, que é composta por 4 instrumentistas fixos e algo em torno de seis a vinte vocalistas nos shows ao vivo, é hoje umas das mais conhecidas e queridas na cena musical indie, principalmente para a galera que curte os jogos musicais da nova geração – suas músicas podem ser ouvidas tanto em Guitar Hero 2 quanto em Rock Band 1 e 2.

O guitarrista e co-fundador da banda Alex Necochea deu uma pausa na sua rotina para conceder uma entrevista exclusiva para o Portalxbox, que você pode ler logo abaixo.

Conte para nós a trajetória da Bang Camaro: sua história, e seu início

A Bang Camaro começou no verão de 2005 quando Bryn Bennett (co-fundador e guitarrista) e eu começamos a escrever músicas juntos. Originalmente nós queríamos encontrar um vocalista e montar uma banda de indie-rock, mas geralmente nossas sessões de composição acabavam com nós dois trocando solos de guitarra do Ozzy Osbourne e rindo pra valer. Um dia nós escrevemos uma música chamada “Bang Camaro” só por diversão. Nós gravamos um monte de solos de guitarra e chamamos alguns de nossos amigos até o estúdio para cantá-la. Seis de nós ficaram em volta de um único microfone e cantamos alto as palavras “Bang! Camaaaaarooo!”, e foi a experiência de nossas vidas! Quando a música ficou pronta nós a enviamos para o MySpace e, para nossa surpresa, ela teve quase 5000 downloads em poucas semanas. Dali por diante nós soubemos que estávamos envolvidos em algo especial, e nunca mais olhamos pra trás.

E as perspectivas?

Nós fazemos menos com mais!

Vocês já visitaram o Brasil alguma vez? Isto seria algo possível? Podemos esperar uma turnê de vocês por aqui?

Infelizmente, não, eu nunca visitei o Brasil. O Rodrigo Van Stoli, que é um dos nossos vocalistas, é do Rio de Janeiro e fala muito bem dos anos que ele viveu por lá. E falando em termos da Bang Camaro, nós iríamos adorar a oportunidade de viajar para qualquer lugar do mundo e o continente sulamericano não é exceção. Eu sou de Santiago do Chile, e estou procurando a desculpa certa para voltar e visitar a família e os amigos. Eu espero que nós possamos aparecer por aí logo.

Qual a conexão que vocês têm com os videogames?

Quando a Bang Camaro começou, a Harmonix estava desenvolvendo o Guitar Hero 2. A Harmonix está localizada em Cambridge, Massachusetts, e tem vários músicos locais como funcionários. Felizmente, a cena musical de Boston não é tão grande, então os desenvolvedores sabiam o que estávamos fazendo. Ser uma banda que possui vocais altos e potentes e um monte de solos de guitarra era perfeito para o tipo de jogos que eles estavam fazendo. Eles pediram para que a gente contribuísse com uma música e, para nossa surpresa, eles a aceitaram.

Valeu a pena ter participado de dois jogos de grande sucesso como Rock Band I e II?

Com certeza. A Band Camaro teve a oportunidade de fazer turnês pelos Estados Unidos e pelo Canadá por 3 vezes durante o ano passado por conta da exposição que nós recebemos através de Rock Band I e II. Nós devemos uma boa parte de nosso sucesso às milhões de cópias que estes jogos venderem pelo mundo afora.

Qual a sua história com Dungeons and Dragons?

Questão muito interessante. Quando eu era criança, meu irmão convidava seus amigos para maratonas de D&D e me deixava do lado de fora da porta. Em resposta, eu ia para o meu quarto e colocava meu disco “Metal Health” do Quiet Riot para tocar o mais alto que eu podia. Você pode dizer que D&D solidificou meu amor pelo rock and roll alto e rebelde.

Existem projetos futuros para mais trabalhos relacionados com videogames?

Sim! Nosso novo single, “Revolution”, estará presente na trilha sonora de “The Sims 3″ a ser lançado ainda este ano. E daí pra frente eu espero colocar mais de nossa música em video games.

Uma mensagem para nossos mais de 50 mil usuários no Brasil

A Bang Camaro espera entrar em turnê um dia pelo Brasil, fazer muitos novos amigos por aí, e pegar um sol em suas lindas praias! Até lá, por favor procurem por nossas músicas online no iTunes e comentem com seus amigos sobre nós. Espalhem as novidades. Rock!!!

Fonte: www.portalxbox.com.br

Metal’s favorite glee club return with BANG CAMARO II, Bang Camaro’s sophomore effort chock full of tongue in cheek stadium anthems for the modern age. This act’s unique choral lead singer situation and shredding pop metal riffs clear the path for a raucous 10-track joyride through the heavy metal parking lot. Tracks like “Miss Illusion” and “Night Lies” blast you back to the era of excess, using virtually every groan-inducing metal cliché from country fried (“Life is Hard on the Road”) to campfire balladry (“The Hit”) to its advantage with an unwaveringly tasteful yet bombastic sense of grace. Sounding gargantuan yet retaining a feel as if they were unearthed from the recesses of the Sunset Strip, this infectious spectacle’s latest offering displays Bang Camaro’s transcending from novelty act to full-fledged arena metal masters, able to set fists in the air and Bics overhead with their contagious and crisp delivery. www.bangcamaro.com -Mike SOS

Bang Camaro is Alex Necochea – Guitar, Bryn Bennett – Guitar, Dave ‘Doz’ Riley – Bass, Peter McCarthy – Drums, Rodrigo Van Stoli – Vocals, Morgan Brown – Vocals, Nick Given – Vocals, Richie Hoss – Vocals, Glen Fant – Vocals, Steve Trombley – Vocals, Zach Given – Vocals, Jake Given – Vocals, Jay Clifford – Vocals, J. David Nugent – Vocals, James Fant – Vocals, & Justin Buckley – Vocals.

Track Listing:

1. “Blood Red Rock”
2. “Night Lies”
3. “Revolution”
4. “She’s Gone (Critical)”
5. “Miss Illusion”
6. “I Know You Like My Band”
7. “Thunderclap”
8. “Can’t Stop The Night”
9. “The Hit”
10. “Life Is Hard On The Road”

PLAN A: Dan Deacon, Wavves, Double Dagger, Future Islands, Teeth Mountain, Fortress of Amplitude @ Che Café. Dan Deacon’s live reputation has become the stuff of legend, but I’m more excited about Double Dagger’s muscular, sinewy punk blasts that recall forgotten D.C. antagonists Frodus. BACKUP PLAN: Bang Camaro, Leslie, Die Sabotage @ The Casbah.

Quick Picks:

The Changing Colors @ Soda Bar

“Pressure Drop” with DJ Jeff Graves, Skarina

“Mechanical Bull Riding” @ U-31

]]> http://indiemusicstop.wordpress.com/2009/04/15/bang-camaro-news/ Wed, 15 Apr 2009 18:44:35 +0000 cwsplace http://indiemusicstop.wordpress.com/2009/04/15/bang-camaro-news/

BANG CAMARO ON TOUR WITH ELECTRIC SIX, MONSTER MAGNET DATES ALSO ANNOUNCED – JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE ON APRIL 24

“REVOLUTION” IN THE SIMS 3, OUT JUNE 2009

Boston’s Bang Camaro is a four-piece band with a gang of anywhere from six to twenty lead singers at live performances. The Boston Phoenix describes them as “Headbanger’s Ball meets Polyphonic Spree.” The boys mix strut, energy, and arena rock hooks with indie-rock sensibilities, solid musicianship and blazing solos. They have been featured in national music outlets like Rolling Stone, Spin, Billboard Magazine, MTV News and Playgirl as well as large daily papers ranging from the Boston Globe to the Chicago Tribune. Their music has been heard at the MTV Movie Awards, in commercials, movie soundtracks, and is becoming a staple at Boston Celtics and Bruins games. In 2008, Bang Camaro were picked to kick off Lollapalooza in Chicago, they played Virgin Fest and Download fest while criss-crossing the country on a relentless tour.

This truly independent band has been blazing a new path in the current unsure music industry, using the burgeoning video game environment to reach new fans. Songs from their first self-titled album have been included in Guitar Hero II and Rock Band, giving them play in 30 million households, their YouTube videos have been played over ½ a million times by music lovers who want to explore the world of Bang Camaro. Their involvement with gaming, a direct conduit to motivated fans continues, with “Bang Camaro II” featured in Rock Band 2 and “Revolution” hitting 10-15 million households in The Sims 3, out in June.

Bang Camaro has completed more than three national tours and continue to bring their brand of rock mayhem to every big and small town across the US. “Bang Camaro II” hit stores in January 2009, in time for their show-stopping performance on Late Night with Conan O’Brien January 6th. On April 24th the band rock late night television again, on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Bang Camaro are on tour now with the Electric 6, with a couple of Monster Magnet shows to follow.

For more info. visit their website- http://www.bangcamaro.com

Source- Heather West – Western Publicity

Back when I was in high school and later in the Navy, any money I spent on CDs went to movie soundtracks a lot of the time. It allowed me to get pretty much the songs I wanted without having an album full of crap. That said, they also functioned as a way to get me into stuff I’d not normally listen to. Forgive my complete lack of indie cred, but it was thanks to movies like Grosse Pointe Blank that I learned that there was more to the ’80s than hair metal and cheesy pop. Those 2 soundtracks introduced me to The Clash, The Pixies, Siouxsie & the Banshees, and Echo & the Bunnymen. The Wedding Singer introduced me to The Smiths and Elvis Costello. And as un-frakking-believable as it is, Queen was virtually unknown to me until Wayne’s World. I blame my father for that heinous oversight.

Nowadays, I’m not buying very many CDs anymore. Oddly enough, it’s not because of the economy, I have more disposable income than ever before. No, it’s primarily because the RIAA. I won’t buy a CD from a band that’s associated with them unless it’s at a concert (the band gets significantly more profit from those sales instead of a buck or two if I bought it at a record store) If I’m going to get new music, I’m probably going to buy it on CDBaby, since they only sell music from independent artists.

I’m still getting exposed to new music, however. Now I get exposed to it through Rock Band. The interesting thing is that people like me are getting exposed to newer stuff we wouldn’t normally listen to, and younger people are being exposed to the great things of the past. Some of the stuff that I enjoy playing on Rock Band I wouldn’t be caught dead buying (I’m looking at you Modest Mouse and Panic at the Disco).

As for the old stuff that the youngin’s (that apostrophe marks the loss of the letter G, not as a way of making it plural) can get exposed to, I’m thinking specifically of Dylan’s Tangled Up in Blue, The Grateful Dead’s Alabama Getaway (not to mention 2 whole Deadhead track packs), and Judas Priest’s Screaming For Vengeance. I specifically am excluding The Who and Boston because although they’re very well represented in Rock Band, you get to hear a lot of them on classic rock stations. Not so much with The Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, and Judas Priest.

This doesn’t even include the independent and Harmonix bands that are included. I’ve bought a number of Freezepop albums (Sorry, I think Liz Enthusiasm is truly outrageous) since first hearing them on Guitar Hero 1. Bands like Bang Camaro are able to book gigs all over the country instead of merely New England thanks to their exposure in Rock Band and Guitar Hero.

Oh! Speaking of independent music. Check out these pair of Youtube videos. The first is Zoë Keating. She’s a cellist who’s currently touring with Amanda Palmer (of the Dresden Dolls). She uses pedals to loop what she’s playing through a MacBook so when she plays it’s like a cello quartet (or possibly a quintet or sextet.)

The next person, Kutiman, takes music in existing Youtube videos, cuts them up, and makes something completely different. It may take some time getting used to the jittery video, but it’s totally worth it.

Sorry for all the links, but I like to give credit to the people who make such awesomeness possible, and I hope you do at least check out a couple of them.

The army of 14 known as Bang Camaro set up shop at Santos Party House. The group is probably known best for their songs in the Rock Band and Guitar Hero video games. And after seeing them live it’s pretty easy to see why, the group has big rock riffs with about 10 vocalists giving their best in gang vocal sing-alongs. Getting that many people into one shot was nearly impossible it was also tough getting shots with the sheer amount of headbanging going on by the people around me.

Written by Andrew

Hey kids! Are you tired of all of your bands having just one, boring lead singer? Well then I have I got a deal for you! Straight from Boston comes one of the craziest gimmicks of a band you’ve ever seen. Bang Camaro, a band with thirteen lead singers, has been making a lot of noise with a recent appearance on Conan and three songs in the highly successful Rock Band video game franchise. They’re not just all singing though, Bang Camaro is doing it’s damnedest to bring back catchy, party, arena rock. With that goal in mind, Bang Camaro drops the sequel to their self-titled debut, and it’s you’d-never-guess title is Bang Camaro II.

As soon as “Blood Red Rock” kicks off the disc, you understand exactly what I’m saying when I say Bang Camaro lives for guitar solos and catchy choruses. “Blood Red Rock” certainly is not the best example of this, but if it’s serving as a crash course to the world of this 17 piece band, then it does it’s part well enough. The best examples of Bang Camaro’s appeal lie in the next track “Night Lies” or others such as “She’s Gone (Critical)” or “Miss Illusion”. “Night Lies” demonstrates the concept of it’s 13-man frontchoir at it’s best, with each and every voice rising in unison to hit pitch perfect notes and create an exhillirating chorus, and song as a whole. It’s hard enough for most bands to find one talented vocalist, but apparently Bang Camaro found a baker’s dozen in Boston.

I’m sure this all sounds super great so far. Yes, what Bang Camaro promises, it does. There’s plenty of excellent guitar work from Alex Necochea and Bryn Bennett, which makes the backing of most songs an absolute blast. But the novelty of the band tends to wear thin after a while. The first five songs are almost identical in nature, a standard verse and chorus structure with little to differentiate each song apart from slight variations of the guitar solos. Still, Bang Camaro begins to grate on you after so much repetition, and I have a feeling the band knows this. The latter half of the album is a much different experience, but not in a great way.

“I Know You Like My Band” is a simpler and shorter number which is unexciting in almost every way, and “Thunderclap” is just a straight up instrumental. That doesn’t sound bad from a bad that specializes in guitar solos, but those solos just don’t hold your attention for three minutes. “Can’t Stop The Night” is a nice throwback to those five songs you listened to just 10 minutes ago, so it, of course, earns brownie points for being catchy and fun. Again though, the song doesn’t have much else going for it. “The Hit” is a nice breaking of the mold, in that it’s entirely acoustic. It’s actually fantastic how good this band sounds when so stripped down, and makes me wish they would be more like that.

Bang Camaro is all fun and even more games. The more I listen to the album the less I’m inclined to compare them to arena rock acts and more like joke metal bands along the template of Tenacious D. The lyrics are so incredibly cheesy that it becomes abundantly clear that nothing the band writes is meant to be taken seriously, as demonstrated by the opening line from “The Hit”. I wish I was joking when I said the line is “Some things don’t catch on fire the way that we do. Who knew?” Of course, I am confident that this kind of lyrical lunacy is intentional and adds to Bang Camaro’s happy-go-lucky atmosphere, but it’s almost unbearable at points.

The Point – Bang Camaro is a lot of fun, and this album is likely to leave a hook or two in your ear. But gimmicks and solos aside, Bang Camaro II is a rather shallow affair filled with the same song six or seven times, with few, usually unsuccessful, variations. A lot of people, including myself, will enjoy this disc, but it’s certainly not the pinnacle of rock music, and there’s a lot of room for improvement in the writing and solos.

5 out of 10

Download This – “She’s Gone (Critical)”

I can’t even explain how much we hyped up this concert.  We talked about it for years.  The hype even involved lying to and deceiving loved ones.  I don’t know why it was so hyped up, maybe because are getting old and realize how boring our lives can be, but we waited so long for this concert.

After a few years, and one missed Bang Camaro concert, when another concert was actually in the foreseeable future, we discussed buying tickets.  My husband lived 3000 miles away, so he couldn’t come.  My underground-musician name-dropping friend, who originated the the hype, had a fiancee who refused to go.  I am not sure why she refused, but it may have involved the amount of hype and the lying and deceiving…   Her friend also would not go for questionable reasons, but her husband was down for it.  The nerds who weren’t going all studied math together (coincidence that they weren’t cool enough to go? …I think not, it’s because of the math) and thus originated ‘the others’, as the significant others of the math nerds were the only ones going to the concert.  Being spiteful people, the hype continued, and can be said to have culminated in the form of a poster.  The poster was updated once my husband said he would have gone had he been within a reasonable radius.

The night started with people dressed in colonial costumes, and it ended with a giant man-gasm on stage.  I can’t explain Bang Camaro any better than a bunch of musicians who all want to be frontmen up on stage having one giant orgasm in the form of a hair-metal chorus.  Seems gay, but sounds awesome!

Somehow this concert lived up to the years of hype it generated, a very rare feat.  It has taken me 5 days to fully recover from the concert of the century.

The first thing I had to recover from was drinking too much – typical.  I love that I am 25 and I still don’t know my limits.  I never go out with the intention of getting shitfaced, though BFC was a huge deal, and I did plan and drinking enough to be fully socially lubricated, just in case they invited me to dance onstage.  They didn’t, but I did meet one of the (eight) lead singers at the bar.  He is married, and so am I, but he still could of bought me a drink.  Geez, what kind of a rockstar is that…or maybe it’s totally rockstar, I don’t know.  It took me about a day to recover from the drinking.  Going shopping with your mom is very sobering, so that probably sped up the process a tad.  She came to my house the following morning and I was still in bed, dying.

The next problem was my hearing.  I am not joking when I say that I was partially deaf.  When we got out of the concert, I could not hear a god damn thing, but everyone around me was yelling so it was OK, except the cab driver.  The poor cab driver.  The next morning, my ears were ringing so badly, especially my left one.  On the bus to go shopping, my mom was on my left side trying to talking to me and what I heard was “wacka wacka wacka”, you know, like the adults on Charlie Brown.  I spent most of the day not talking because I didn’t know how loudly I was talking and I couldn’t hear anything anyone else was saying.  By Monday, I could understand what people were saying to me, but the ringing in my ears was enough to drive me insane.  I had to have sound on so I didn’t hear this constant sinusoidal “piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii” at a few different frequencies.  It’s now Thursday, and I can say that my hearing is mostly back to normal.  There has always been a “piiiiiiiii” at one frequency ever since I can remember, and it is still there, maybe a little worse.  The thing that sucks is that I was so used to it I didn’t think about it – when I was little, I thought I could hear extrordinary things like light waves going through my head. I was kind of disappointed when I learned it’s just tinnitus – but now I have been made aware of it again.  Dammit.

Anyway, it was totally worth it, even if I had gone completely deaf.  The concert lived up to the hype, and it’s been the most fun going out I’ve had in a while.  I’m sorry the ‘not others’ had to miss it, and they certainly will hear about it for the rest of their lives.  Hell, my grandchildren will probably even hear about it.

There is something so wonderful and awesome about having the house to myself every now and then. I love spending time with the husband, but it is nice to get in some quality me time.

While the husband was out partying it up in Philly at Bang Fucking Camaro, I was eating junk food, writing the final exam for my class, and watching “Whose wedding is it anyway?” on the Style Network. Even better, is that he partied it up so much that he is still hung over and curled up in bed with our three cats – so I get another day of me time!