Enter Beatallica – All You Need Is Guitar
Beatllica have done the incredible and created a combination of the music by Metallica and The Beatles, while infusing it with their own brand of humor and aggression. The band has been gaining recognition through the internet and have now began to tour the world, spreading their message of peace and brutality. To find out more about the band's current affairs and rubber souls, we spoke with their vocalist Jaymz.
Hey Jaymz, I understand that band has been touring recently, what kind of a tour did you do?
We recently got back from our second tour of Europe. We hit England, The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It was a great time, nice weather, and good to see friends we met from last time we were there. Especially nice to see some of the same folks out again to see us. That is super important to us. Some of the people traveled over 500 kilometers to check out the shows! We are going to update the website soon with some things from our trip.
How well was the show received by the crowds, did they know your songs?
Sure there are folks that know the tunes, and that’s great. But sometimes it’s even better to see the looks on the faces of those who are hearing us for the first time. To see that questioning look break into a smile and pounding fist is really cool. Overall, the shows in the big cities went very well: London, Amsterdam, Cologne, Munich, Frankfurt, Stuttgart…The smaller villages are a bit of a challenge just because the population isn’t there, you know?
Do you use Metallica and Beatles motifs in your live shows, in the way you dress and such?
Oh sure. We have a few “costumes”. Imagine the Ed Sullivan Beatles suits run over by trucks and tattooed with our favorite items. Or Sgt. Pepper’s suits, but more metalicized. We have ideas for other get-ups and that is one of the fun things about the band – getting to experiment.
Do you have any new material ready, are you going to record new material soon?
You bet we have new tunes and we are doing them live. Right now, we have about 10 new songs that are not recorded. We do have one new song all recorded but we are holding off on release of it until some of the legal issues are finally settled. Believe me, we want to record a new disc very much as we think the new tunes are really clever and fun. We do know we have made progress in the legal issues, but until we get an “all clear”, we are trying to be patient. Any hastiness could be a mistake.
Would you consider also doing solo material by the Beatles members, maybe a Lennon cover in the lines of "Enter Sandwoman" or something?
Yeah, we’ve considered that. We actually have a few ideas, but nothing sketched out fully. We always have about 3 or 4 tunes in our heads to work on.
Now some history, how did this all mad idea start out?
In our hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin (just north of Chicago), I help to book a festival called Spoof Fest. Local band members team up with other folks to form bands that have fun with famous bands. One year, Krk and I did Metallica and we recorded a spoof disc. We wanted to further the spoof fun by thinking about how would Metallica do a spoof. We did a Beatles type disc, handed it out to friends, and forgot about it. 9 months later, I was told by a person who got one that I was now in a band called Beatallica. That person is now our webmaster. He named the band, but we weren’t even a band! We did another disc (the Gray Album), recruited a bass player and drummer, and started playing shows as the web traffic was screaming for it. A few years later, here we are…
What were you doing as a musician before this?
A lot, but not heavy metal. Though I have always loved heavy music and used to be in other heavy projects with Krk, I was primarily playing acoustic music. I still play in 3 other projects besides Beatallica: 2 Irish based rock and acoustic bands, and I do stuff on my own too. I do something with music pretty much every day, it just depends what band it is with. Music is definitely my main source of work
How did you and the other guys meet up?
Well, I’ve known Krk for about 16 years now and met him when he auditioned for my first heavy metal band called Necromacy. He later moved onto a band called Ka and has played with Ringo in that band for many years. We all knew Kliff through the scene and he also used to be in Ka. We’ve all known each other for a long time now. All of us have teamed up in various Spoof Fest bands in the past.
At what stage in your life did you find out you throw a mean James Hetfield impersonation?
HA! That is always a work in progress. I wasn’t aware I was any good at it until the Garage Dayz Nite disc hit the internet. And, to be honest, I feel my vocals on that are so-so at best. We did that disc as a quick project with not a lot of seriousness. Even the Gray Album has a lot of areas where I think I could do better. It just comes with time. Like how an impressionist has to hone their craft, you have to work on things and take care of yourself. I don’t smoke, don’t booze it up before a show, try to sleep enough, do breathing and stretching exercises… Everyone who wants to be serious about their art should find ways to make their abilities last and get better.
How do you start out a track? Do you start with A Metallica song? Beatles? How do you decide on how to mix up the lyrics and the music?
Well, you definitely can’t just throw 2 or 3 ideas together and call it a song. The bottom line is, all songs have to have a groove and a flow. You can’t expect every song to work with every set of lyrics. Each song is decided on differently. Sometimes, I’ll have a lyrical idea. Maybe Krk will have a riff idea. Sometimes it’s a Beatles starting point, sometimes a Metallica beginning. Either way, it’s up to us as songwriters to formulate new lyrics, a groove, work with key changes if necessary, harness tempos to fit the mood, and more. We consider it to be a songwriting triangle of Metallica, the Beatles, and ourselves.
At what point did you understand that your music is becoming very well known in the metal world?
"Blabbermouth" is a huge source for media. But over the last year and a half, media outlets such as MTV, VH-1, Spin, Metal Maniacs, NME, and many more have done spots. The internet is always the most powerful form of news though. It’s what made us and we still consider ourselves to be an internet driven band. Maybe even the first real internet driven band.
Were you surprised when you received the Cease and Desist order from Sony's lawyers?
Ah, yes and no. With all the attention the project was getting, we knew that folks were aware of it. We just didn’t know what anyone’s reaction would be. To be honest, we didn’t think we were doing anything wrong. Beatallica is a band that does things in a measure of good will. We certainly want to have a good relationship with everyone. We really think that the Sony issue isn’t anything personal against us. We simply think the people there believe they were doing their job. It’s a state of the industry issue. Technology can be scary when it gets out of control. We are glad that things are at a peaceful truce but we really hope that we can get new music out to people sometime soon. It’s highly important to do that.
What kind of a reaction did you expect from Metallica themselves, especially with their track record of law suits?
We always hoped they would dig it. I mean, we’re aren’t slandering them. We are revering them with Beatallica. I never considered their legal issues when doing this band. But, now that we have a good relationship with them, we do consider all sorts of things and we keep in touch with them and their legal team on a regular basis.
Did you consider recording a totally original metal album by the band?
Not at this time. Beatallica is a specialized project and it will remain as it is. No covers, no entirely original tunes. We always are into working with other bands though, and I have some loose plans to record my Jaymz voice for other bands later this year possibly.
Did you expect this thing to become as big as it did, playing at metal festivals in Germany?
In the beginning, we didn’t know this was even a band. And for a while, it was simply an internet only band. So to be anywhere playing, especially after the trials of last year, is really a blessing. We’ve met a ton of supportive people. We consider every gig to be special and we are always thankful we got a second chance to take Beatallica to the folks that want to hear it.
Does the band suffer from ego clashes between you and Larz (Metallica style) or between you and Mcburtny (Beatles Style)?
No, there are enough daily trials in keeping a band together to throw that in. We really are organized people who stay level headed. The only thing that suffers is my lack of sleep from those two dudes. When we travel, I have to stay in a different room—those guys snore like f**king water buffaloes!
What now, how far is Beatallica going to go?
How about to the pub? Wanna come along?
Well, That's it, thanks for doing this interview!
You got it, man. And thanks to all those in Israel for giving us a chance. We hope to see you someday for fun! Until then, don’t be a stranger. Come visit us on the Website. Stay heavy and hearty!
