Beggars Ball
CD Review and Interview
By DBK
Photos Crystal Brnabic
Rolling down the heavy highway today is Beggars Ball. "Fight this Town" is the latest release...and it's cocked and loaded. The sounds smashed me like a rolling train. Great riffs, roller coaster arrangements and tasty leads make this one a definite must have. The merging of sounds and ideas are obvious and certainly distinct. There is a discernable southern rock vibe with a neo-resurrection of great American heavy metal thunder.
The real treat was number 7..."American Vocal". After hearing the grinding beauty and mayhem of their previous songs, I began to wonder how they'd sound slowed and tempoed down. American Vocal nailed it. A perfect bluesy/southern round of satire, observation and fun. I have to admit, I'm still a sucker for this kind of sound. There's a piece of this in all of us...
Overall, I give 2 thumbs up to Beggars Ball. My head bounced, foot tapped and mind wandered as I experienced their album. The 3 essentials for success in any band. (in my book anyway...) And props to them for melodically delving into the future of sound while holding fast and respecting rocks past noise.
BUT WAIT...THERE'S MORE.
I just recently had the opportunity to catch guitarist Eddie Brnabic. Thinking of, and stealing some of Luckys questions, I was able to do a quick catch up with the driving force of Beggars Ball....
1. Where has Beggars Ball been since our last interview?
Just workin’ hard writing new material as well as playing a bunch of
shows
in California. We are making plans to hit more and more towns to
establish a
reputation everywhere we can.
2. You have a distinct sound, where do you draw your influences from?
We just play what comes naturally. We all have slightly different
influences
individually, but all have the same respect and appreciation for all
types
of music. I personally think that you can’t go wrong when you just play
what
ever you feel. Don’t think about what you’re playing or “label” it.
Just
play it! I write all types of weird shit like that, I don’t use them
all for
songs but it’s whatever came out of me at that moment. I’ll record it
and
throw it in the library of ideas I have. Some of the ideas I use for
songs,
pretty much every song on the cd was made from those “spur of the
moment”
recordings I did. I bring ‘em to the band, they all put their stink on
them
and you have Beggars Ball’s sound.
3. Does Beggars Ball do any collaboration with other artists/producers?
At the moment, no. We are recording all of our demos in our dinky rehearsal room on a $300 8-track with no pro mics or production tricks. I’m producing, mixing etc… on my own at this point. I think that the tracks are great for what they are although I am looking forward to getting this band into a real studio with a decent budget. I have a vision of what we are going to sound like when we have the opportunity to capture the band in a studio with the proper mics and recording equipment. It’ll be f’n huge! If I meet a producer that shares a similar vision and can help us achieve it then I would love to collaborate with one. But as far as having a producer come in to change us or alter our attitude and vision, I say fuck that! I know that it is possible to sell records without conforming to popular trends or selling out on yourself.
4. What cd is in in your player right now?
I’ve got my ipod on “shuffle” all the time, the top 20 bands that’ll probably come up are: Guns N’ Roses, Pantera, Megadeth, Slash’s Snakepit, Pride & Glory, Kid Rock, BLS, Black Sabbath, Skynyrd, Ugly Kid Joe, Corrosion of Conformity, Frank Zappa, Aerosmith, Skid Row, Alice Cooper, Anthrax (John Bush era), AC/DC, Black Crowes, Down, Ozzy…
5. Is there an upcoming tour/ are you touring with any other bands?
We really want to get out there. There aren’t many new bands that are doing what we’re doing so it’s hard to fit in with a scene or do shows with other bands consistently. There are a number of major label bands I could see us touring with and winning their crowd over but that will come in time. At the moment we’ll just do what we can.
6. What song is your favorite on the album and why?
That’s a very hard question for me. I really do like every single song on there equally. If I have to pick one I would say “Low Life Blues” because it was the first song we wrote together. I wrote the music to that one a couple of months before we met Dustin and when he came in the first night we jammed with those lyrics and melody I knew we had something cool right off the bat. It set a good standard to start off with, and it’s only getting better from there.
7. What do you enjoy more, gigging or slogging it out in the studio?
I really love both the same. Both performing and being creative in the studio are what make me feel alive.
8. What are your thoughts on the current music scene?
I could spend days answering this one. Let me just put it this way. If a band is talented, have a sound of their own and believe in what they are doing I am all for it. No matter what kind of music it is. Weather it’s my cup of tea or not. Anything else I don’t really care for. Unfortunately these types of bands are few and far between in this town.
9. Any last words to your fans?
I just want to let everyone know that we are continuing to write the best music we possibly can and that we can’t wait to perform for all of you. I promise that you will get a Rock N’ Roll experience to remember. This ain’t no wanna-be shit, it’s the real deal. Thank you for all of your support and spread the f’n word!