BANG CAMARO
The SiS Interview by Becca Rosenthal

This week we got to chat wth Bang Camaro, the Boston-based band quickly picking up speed on the national radar. They've already been labeled "the premier party act in America" by MTV News, who describes the band as a "full-blown metal assault dedicated to transplanting the fun back into rock through a series of kegger-iffic live shows."

Bryn Bennett and Alex Necochea started Bang Camaro in the summer of 2005, after years of playing the same clubs in their respective local rock bands (The Model Sons, Bleu, and The Good North). As Alex recounts, "when our bands fizzled it followed naturally that we'd work together. We set about writing songs under the idea that bigger is better. Obviously, this meant, for us, 3 guitarists and 19 lead singers. The rest is history."

History indeed. As the FAQ on their website states: "Q: Are you guys joking? A: No."

Bang Camaro has gone on to win just about every local music award there is to be won, before moving on to capture video-gamer hearts nation-wide through the inclusion of their songs in the best-selling games Guitar Hero II and ROCK BAND. Not only are their songs featured in the games, but guitarist and band co-founder Bryn served as the motion capture actor for ROCK BAND. The success of these collaborations with Harmonix has helped lead the band to features in magazines like Billboard, Rolling Stone, Spin and Blender, as well as the opportunity to kick off their most recent tour at Madison Square Garden.

Now they're preparing to head out on their next month-long, cross-country tour before joining the line-up at Lollapalooza in August. Before they hit the road, Alex sat down to nswer a few questions about the life of a band in Boston.

SIS: Hailing from Boston makes Bang Camaro better than all those non-Boston bands because?

Alex: Because in Boston, our rock bands have 19 singers

SIS: Name at least three bands that are still around and touring that you'd love to be on a bill with and think it fits well

Alex: Fortunately, we're not easily pigeonholed as a metal band. We have a wide array of tastes and influences that drive the band's vision and music. I can imagine us playing with acts like Death Cab for Cutie, The Flaming Lips, My Morning Jacket as well as louder and harder rockers like Queens Of The Stone Age.

SIS: What's your favorite venue to perform at in Boston?

Alex: The Paradise

SIS: Are there any genres that influence your music conceptually, rather than sonically? (In that you can't hear from simply listening to the music, but from getting into the structure or mathematics of the song-writing, etc.)

Alex: Absolutely. As I mentioned earlier, we take our cues from several genres and sources - books, music, art, current events. For instance, I'm currently listening to TV On The Radio, a few tracks by Lily Allen, Wagner, and George Lynch YouTube lessons... you know, to get in the mood.

SIS: What's your favorite local bar to hit up when not doing the whole band deal?

Alex: Zuzu in Central Sq, Cambridge. The staff is real pretty.