After meeting at NYU, Sam, Glenn, Hartley and Ceci have come a long way from their first shows in 2010. In fact, 2011 has treated Beast Make Bomb well, starting with taking the top spot in the Get Out of the Garage contest presented by Converse, a win that would take them across the US for six dates. From opening for Queens of the Stone Age at SXSW to playing huge crowds in LA, Beast Make Bomb is making a name for themselves. We caught up with the band to get the scoop on the last 6 month whirl-wind that has been their lives.
Beast Make Bomb / Rewind
When asked where their name comes from, lead singer Ceci is the first to pipe up. “We wanted our name to be “Beast” but a pretty established British band beat us too it.” After some internal suggestions, ie “Beast Make Tacos” and “Beast Make Burgers” the quartet landed on “Beast Make Bomb” but are the first to say they don’t condone violence, only beasts.
Prior to winning the Get Out of the Garage contest, BMB headlined a show at Webster hall celebrating the release of their EP. Since then, they’ve traveled to NYC, DC, Austin, LA, Seattle and Chicago opening for bands like Cold War Kids and Tokyo Police Club. “The LA date was the most fun we’ve had and was the large number of people we’ve played for. It was great to see people grooving to our music.”
But all of this could be just a dream, without the help of one of the professors at NYU. The band found out about the contest through a mass email from school and Ceci quickly signed the band up but played it cool. “I didn’t tell anyone in the band I submitted us, but once the voting got started we put our best efforts forward.”
As a finalist, the voting got intense. “I was in Houston; we were all home for Christmas break, and I was thinking of anything I could do to get more votes. I contacted a local radio station where I used to DJ in High School and made the DJ play the whole album. I even put a giant poster up with details in the station, telling people how to vote”
Things got more exciting once Beast Make Bomb won the contest, especially since they headed down to Austin for their first Converse show and conveniently, for SXSW. “SXSW was a ton of fun and we were super, super nervous to open for Queens of the Stone Age.” But on top of playing, the band got hip to life as a buzzed about act, considering their first major interview was with Rolling Stone. “We learned a lot of doing interviews” they confess. Their advice for upcoming artists? “Take turns – if we don’t look at each other before each question then multiple people talking over each other. Just take your time and don’t rush,” says Sam.
It’s clear the band is well on its way to even greater things. “This tour has been an amazing experience and we couldn’t have asked for better shows,” says Ceci. Keep an eye out for Beast Make Bomb hitting your neighborhood this summer.
