They've been together nearly three years now and they're bashing out their own brand of rock'n'roll.
It's always interesting to see new bands that are out there touring, working, and making new music. We're in an age where it's become harder and harder to make it as a musician.
Of course it was never easy. How many great bands have we seen have to go back to working 9 to 5 because they just couldn't make ends meet. That's a part of why I do what I do here, I want to get some sort of a spotlight on artists that don't have the PR Machine of Lady Gaga.
On the eve of their third release, The Heart and The Thrill, the took some time to answer my questions about the new record and what they do.
Glacially Musical: How did you guys start out?
The Battery Electric: I have known Alex and Ron for a long time. We have all crossed each others paths by going to bars, shows, and playing shows together. I had a band that got back from a tour that wasn't doing much for a while. I got antsy and decided to hit them up to see if they wanted to start a band. It was gonna be all of our influences; punk, rock n roll, soul, garage, and whatever. We didn't really have a plan going in but when we met we wrote lots of music. Our first practice we wrote seven tunes. Most of them are on our first album "Weaving Spiders". We played lots of shows. Didn't matter where or to who. We hit the pavement hard. I'd like to think it paid off. We made lots of friends and have lots of stories. Can't wait for more. - Brent
GM: Where are you drawing your main inspiration? Aside from feel, I couldn't hear any other bands in your sound.
TBE: Our main inspiration comes from garage rock, soul, and punk rock. There are sprinkles of classic rock in there as well. Bands like AC/DC and Black Sabbath are so badass how can you not like them? But we are all punk rock kids at heart so it's hard not to have that come through the music. But classic Motown and Stax bands are a big influence too. People like Ray Charles, James Brown, Temptations, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, and all that good stuff. The Sonics are a big one as well. Seventies punk is big like the Ramones, New York Dolls, and all that. So it's a mixed bag of lots of different stuff. That's why I don't think we sound like many bands. We have a diverse range of influences and it comes out in the music.
GM: How do you get that guitar tone? It sounds like the perfect Chicago Blues tone with perhaps a touch of English.
TBE: Hm, depends on what song you're talking about. I change my tone depending on the tune we are playing. And I am surprised you said Chicago Blues because I never would have thought of that. I have an Orange Thunderverb head, I play a Fender Strat with Hot Rail Picks in the Bridge, and I have an assortment of pedals on my board. I like to use an octave pedal to get that huge beefy sound on tracks like Lauren, Heathen, Dead Mans Trunk, Key Party, and Almighty Deceiver. The other tunes I use the distortion off the amp and what not. Pretty standard guitar geek stuff. - Brent
GM: What are your touring plans for this record?
TBE: We are working on a tour in April where we are touring Pennsylvania up to Canada and down through New England. But we plan to hit the road around the east coast. We might be going to Texas as well in the summer. Lots of stuff up in the air but we will be out there, so your eyes and ears open. - Brent
GM: How would you describe what you do?
TBE: What we try to do live is give an energetic and unforgettable performance, both sonically and visually. We would like to eventually just play music for a living, always touring, and in the studio. I would say what we are trying to do is mesh the rock n roll/punk rock attitude and music with soul as well. - Ron
GM: What's your favorite song on the record?
TBE: Our favorite songs off the record have to be "Heathen" and "Heart and the Thrill". They both encompass the energy of our band and our both really awesome to perform live. I would say they are both the direction we are pushing ourselves towards now a days. - Ron Santee
GM: Where do you find the inspiration to write new songs?
TBE: I try to write a song a day on average, whether it's just an idea or full tune, it helps me keep the flood gates of creativity open. I tend to send Brent and Alex a lot of tunes, so much that half we can never get to. But our process as a band is a little different, we usually write everything together. I'd say it's half me sending ideas and melodies to Brent or Alex and half full band writing. Our inspiration comes from never wanting to stop writing tunes until we write our masterpiece, which I feel has yet to be written.. So it's still exciting. - Ron
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