Interview with Beatallica

What do you get when you cross the Beatles and Metallica? Well, in this case the answer is Beatallica the band who combines songs by the two artists mentioned above. A joke band they may be, but they have been going for seven years and have knocked a couple if EPs and the full length "Sgt. Hetfield's Motorbreat pub band". I recently interview bassist Kliff McBurtney to learn more about this band.

MM-Tell us a little about the history of your band.

KM-Kliff McBurtney, Lead Bassist here. I thought it best to give you the Wikipedia synopsis:The project was founded in 2001 by original guitarist "Krk Hammetson" and singer "Jaymz Lennfield". The EP A Garage Dayz Nite was recorded for the annual Spoof Fest concert held in Milwaukee, as a memento of that year's concert. A few dozen copies of the EP were handed out to friends. Later that year, one of those CDs made its way to Milwaukee resident David Dixon, who created a web page that included mp3s of the songs and named the band "Beatallica". The band was unaware of the webpage until Dixon finally met them in the summer of 2002, carrying a stack of fan emails from all around the world. Beatallica gave the webpage its blessings, and after further urgings from its internet fanbase, recorded the EP Beatallica, also known as The Grey Album, releasing it online on April 1, 2004. Later in 2004, the band (including bassist "Kliff McBurtney" and drummer "Ringo Larz") started to perform at live venues nationally and internationally, with a stage show incorporating elements from both Beatles and Metallica performances. They also played as an opening act for Dream Theater; Mike Portnoy even joined the band on stage for drums on one occasion. Beatallica would go on to perform with likes of Motorhead, Testament, Kreator, Sepultura, LA Guns and play huge summer festivals worldwide, including Milwaukee's Summerfest, Germany's Earthshaker Festival, The Netherlands' Kings of Metal festival, and Korea's Busan International Rock Festival. In 2007, the band's current lineup of Jaymz Lennfield (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Grg Hammetson (lead guitar), Kliff McBurtney (lead bass, backing vocals) and Ringo Larz (drums) went into the studio to re-record many of Krk and Jaymz' original songs and write some new compositions for their official debut Sgt. Hetfield's Motorbreath Pub Band.May 2008, marked the release of Beatallica's single; All You Need Is Blood recorded in 13 languages as a worldwide thank-you to the network of Beatallica fans known as Beatallibangers. The band added Belgium, Czech Republic, and Poland to the list of places they have toured.

MM-So what are you currently up to? Have you begun working on any new material?

KM-This Summer marked the Japanese Sony release of both Sgt. Hets, and All You Need Is Blood. We are currently working on album #2, whose name I can't divulge at this time due to legal concerns.

MM-You released “Sgt Hetfield's Motorbreath Pub Band” back in 2007. What was the reaction to it?

KM-Nothing but good news on that front. Everyone seems to enjoy the reworked, mastered tunes, as well as the new matierial on that album. The original release even went to #1 on the Japanese Tower records charts, prompting the Sony re-release.



MM-Did you ever get anyone who just didn’t get what you were doing or were angry with what you were trying to do?

KM-Jaymz (Lennfield) keeps a folder of all the hate mail and threats that we get sent to us. As of yet none have followed through. As a precaution though I have taken up Kung Fu to kick anyone's ass who tries to start shit.

MM-What are some your favorite tracks off of your “Sgt. Hetfield’s” album? Why?

KM-I always say that my favorite track is the Bass solo, primarily because no one else will. That segment of our live show allows me to creep inside our fans' brains a little and lets me showboat a bit. Beyond that I would have to say Cthulu for its creepy coolness, and Sgt. Hets/and the Reprise for the tight vocal harmonies.

MM-I believe most or all or most of you are in other bands as well as this one. So what other bands is everyone in and what kind of music do they play?

KM-Jaymz is in several, mostly Irish trad and Celtic rock ensembles.Grg is in an original rock band called CrumplerRingo, while not currently in another project, has played in various prog-metal groups.As for myself,(Kliff) I am with a punk group called The Crusties and also bassist for God in my church's Praise Team.Samples of all of these can be heard on our site, beatallica. org



MM-Is Beatallica the main project for everyone is everyone just trying to balance all their projects at the same time?

KM-Beatallica has grown to be some kind of monster starting from its humble joke beginnings to becoming an internationally touring outfit. We try to balance our lives as best we can under those circumstances.

MM-Do your consider yourself a tribute band, a comedy/joke band or just a rock or metal band? Or all of the above? Why or why not?

KM-I would say we are a rock/metal, comedy/joke, duo-tribute band. Or in otherwords the world's first Bash-up band. We do it for the love of both the Beatles and Metallica, and for the fans who won't let it go away.

MM-So what should someone who comes to see you live expect?

KM-I like to thrust my bass bayonet in fans' faces if they aren't thrashing hard enough. They should expect to come have a good time, drink a few beers, and have a laugh while jamming to cool tunes.

MM-Do you use any props or much of a set?

KM-Our props have been slowly disintegrating since our inception but there are gravestone crosses, a submarine, and I'm trying to sew back togeather the black meanie hand of doom. Those and more costume changes with each release keep us pretty busy moving shit around.



MM-What bands have you played with?

KM-Dream Theater, Testament, Motorhead, Clutch, Los Straightjackets, The Hidden Hand, The Punkles, OmegalorD, and many many more than I can list right now.

MM-What have been some of your memorable shows so far in your career?

KM-Earthshaker fest in Germany, The Busan International Rock fest in Korea, Kings Of Metal festival in the Netherlands, Summerfest right here in our own hometown - Milwaukee, playing BB Kings' and the Bowery Ballroom in New York, to name a few.

MM-What are your thoughts on “Death Magnetic”?

KM-Thanks to Metallica for giving us more ammuntion, I call it job security. It is nice to hear a return to their heavier sound, but they should have included a Death Magnetic magnet with it.

MM-If you could only listen to three albums over the next month then what would you pick and why?

KM-Currently in my ipod playlist rotation are Adagio out of France, Symphony X out of New Jersy, and Learn to Speak Japanese. The first two because I really enjoy the balls out awesomeness of technical prog-metal bands like that. The last because Beatallica is hoping to make it over to Japan in the not too distant future.

MM-Is there anything else that you would like to say about your band or your music?

KM-Come visit us on Beatallica. org or myspace/beatallica. Sign up on our forum and say hello to all the other Hybrid Children of the world. Come see us, and bang that head that doesn't bang when we come to your town!!! Then get us a beer, thrashing makes us thirsty!!!Cheers,Kliff McBurtney

http://www.myspace.com/beatallica