Behind the Gunfire with…..
Neil Mason of Bang Bang Bang
I’m starting to feel like I’m living on a launching pad. Nashville, known for rhinestone cowboys and the snobby CMA, has turned into a veritable breeding ground for some of today’s future stars. A number of acts are getting major-label looks and being signed. It seems like the country aesthetic is beginning to wear off. Sure, country music is still a hot commodity in this town but doors are beginning to open for artists that don’t frequent the Wildhorse Saloon. One of the newly-signed acts out of Nashville is Bang Bang Bang; a four on the floor quartet that was recently signed to Warner Brothers Records. Bang Bang Bang is relatively new to the Nashville scene, incepted in 2005; but they’ve already built one of the most rabid fan bases that this town, and areas across the nation, has ever seen. I sat down with drummer Neil Mason to discuss the band, the Nashville rock scene, and what it feels like to live on the roller-coaster of the music industry.
One of Bang Bang Bang’s earliest marketing strategies occurred before the band ever set foot onstage. The members of the group printed up thousands of flyers and plastered them all over Nashville. These flyers weren’t for an upcoming show though, “It was right after we came up with our name. “Go See Bang Bang Bang” is the one we wound up doing. We did that here in town for 3 or 4 months and we’re doing it in all of the cities that we’re playing now. It worked pretty well here.” An out-of-left-field band name such as Bang Bang Bang surely intrigued people. When asked how the band came up with the name, Mason states, “It came from the Nancy Sinatra song, “Bang Bang You’re Dead”. It was Jarren [Johnston; vocals/guitar] and I that were throwing ideas at each other. He came up with that one.”
Armed with a demo and enough songs to play live, the band began booking gigs and sharing bills with other like-minded musicians with the same desire to rise above the typical, haphazard way of booking rock shows in Nashville. This grouping of bands was the foundation of Movement Nashville; a band and artist collective that has created a strong buzz by promoting from within. “It was ourselves, Autovaughn, Jeremy Lister, and Kyle Andrews that got together at The Gold Rush and had some beers and it came about because we were basically sharing the stage every night already. I think we all have been very happy with how it’s continued to grow. The most recent show that we did with Autovaughn and the Features down at the Cannery had over 1000 people. It’s really been very progressive and has continued to grow. It’s a good mix and a good tool. As for other bands, there’s nine now and we’re trying to figure out how to expand. There’s the Movement Booking thing that Ethan [Opelt] just started doing.”
While Bang Bang Bang is now getting attention on a national level, they have their roots firmly planted in Nashville. I asked Mason what he thinks of the current local rock scene in comparison with its past. “I think it’s finally beginning to hit its stride. We’re all born and raised here and I’ve been playing in bands since I was 13. There’s never really been camaraderie. In Nashville it was always “Well, that band’s being successful so let’s talk shit about them”. The more success that some people in Nashville are having, the more some people begin to talk shit. But with that said, I’m optimistic that there’s enough positive things going on right now that I think it’s going to come out on the other side. I think that the quality of music that’s going on right now is really, really strong and I think that everybody helping each other out is a great thing. I also think there are really not two bands that are alike. Kyle [Andrews] is phenomenal. The only time it gets dangerous is when people start thinking that they aren’t getting what they deserve and others are getting more than they deserve. I think that everybody is going to get their chance if they work for it.”
With Bang Bang Bang being one of the newest groups to grab the brass ring, I asked Mason who he thought would be the next big group to come out of Nashville. “I think Paramour, out of any other band, probably has the best chance because they’ve done everything at such a grass roots level and been able to sell a significant amount of records, something like 75,000 copies or something like that. They’re so young and they’re basically headlining the Warped tour this summer. I think that they’ve got a really good shot. They’ve got a major label record this year.”
I was wondering if the band was getting a fair shot with Warner Brothers as far as creative freedom was concerned and how the new album stands up to the first Bang Bang Bang release ‘I Shot the King’. “So far it’s been great. We had a really good deal set up in the sense that we wanted to keep doing our thing. We’ve written 50 or 60 songs the last couple of months. It doesn’t necessarily seem like you’re doing anything different than you were six months ago but when you compare the two, it’s night and day. Warner has been really supportive. [‘I Shot the King’ has] been great. We just sold out of our second pressing of it and we’ve got to decide if we want to do more or wait. We’re putting out an EP and it is in the same vein. It’s cut live, all in the first takes with some singing and guitars done afterwards but all the drums and the bass are done right there in the room when we all played together. It’s 5 songs and it’s great for us because ‘I Shot the King’ was something that we were doing even before we started performing as a band. I’m honestly surprised at how far it’s gone in a lot of ways. I’m really excited to get the new one into people’s hands because the playing with us as a unit is just so much better.”
Before Warner Brothers signed Bang Bang Bang, it participated in a bidding war with rival, Sony Records for rights to the band. I asked Mason what that experience was like. “It was a pain in the ass. Not to sound like we didn’t appreciate it. The whole showcasing for labels thing is something that makes you feel like you are at someone else’s mercy that doesn’t understand you or your band at all. You have to really weigh out what it is you’re getting yourself into at that point. My old band Llama is a great example. We signed to MCA and got to make an expensive record but with a label that really didn’t know what to do with it. It went through a couple of years and just ended. In the end, Sony was really excited about working with us but musically, their idea about where they wanted us to go was different and Warner Brothers has been much better about that.”
In 2006, the band realized a dream; opening up for rock legends Lynyrd Skynyrd at the now-defunct Starwood Amphitheatre. Being a local band from Nashville, getting to perform on a stage that hosted so many heroes of their youth was an overwhelming experience. Mason reflects, “It was awesome. Being from Nashville and getting to play out there and to open up for such a famous band was really awesome. Starwood was cool because when we started, it was half-full and daylight and by the time we were finished, it was packed and it was dark and we played under the big lights. We did that for 15 or 20 minutes and it was awesome.”
Things haven’t been completely rosy for Bang Bang Bang. Part of being a successful band in Nashville (and other areas) means enduring the scrutiny of your peers and critics. I asked Mason if some of the negative comments ever get to him. “My rule is when I see something that pisses me off; I give myself ten or fifteen minutes to digest it. I’m not one to go around calling people out on shit that I don’t know anything about. You can look at any band and draw comparisons. That’s going to happen. As far as our band goes, we always get compared to Kings of Leon, in this town especially. But, they’re a great band. We could be compared to worse bands. Ultimately, I think it does come with the territory.”
I decided to end the interview with Mason by asking what advice he has for up and coming bands in the Nashville area trying to climb the same ladder that Bang Bang Bang has ascended. “I think the biggest thing for bands is, who do you want to be, where do you want to be, and how do you want to do it? If you can say to yourself “This is the way I see things happening”, then work backwards from there. That’s exactly what we did. Honestly, just work your ass off. We get flack for where we are, who we are, who we sound like. It’s just what I do and it’s not based on some other band’s formula because some other band’s formula isn’t going to work for me. It’s really important to define yourself and get it out to as many people as you can. I think that at the end of the day, if you’re presenting yourself the way you want to be consistently and putting the music out that you want to put out consistently, you’re not going to have as many problems. If you are having problems, just stick with it. There are some great bands in Nashville that I think should have record deals now that don’t. I know how hard it is to be in that situation.”
Bang Bang Bang will be performing at Exit/In this Friday, March 23rd to debut their new EP. After that, they will head west to open on tour for Texas rock legends, ZZ Top.
For more information on the band, song clips, and upcoming show schedule visit www.bbbrock.com or www.myspace.com/bangrock
That’ll do it for this time.
Until Next Time, I’m out like Duke in the NCAA Tournament
Chris “Uncle Daddy” Czynszak
To reach Chris Czynszak, e-mail at cczynszak@nashvillerock.net