The Butcher Babies
by Eric “Psikotyk” Smith
Photo Credit: Century Media
One of the greatest achievements any musician strives for is the creation or interpretation of something truly new; be it a new instrumentation, lyrical style, or recreating and reinventing a particular genre. It’s becoming more and more rare as time progresses, but L.A.-based band the Butcher Babies may have truly met this goal.
The first thing you notice about the band is the intensity from each member; this is a group who truly loves what they’re doing. They attract a hugely diverse crowd, and this is reflected upon by each band member in a different way. “We honestly get a lot of gear-heads after the shows,” guitarist Henry Flury said. “Other musicians who are truly interested in how we create our sound, and what we play on.” Vocalist Carla Harvey further explained, “There are obviously a lot of girls at some of these shows, especially when we were on tour with Otep. A lot of them are like ‘Hi, I love you, you inspire me…’ and then they’re off to talk to (drummer) Chris (Warner).”
The Butcher Babies’ success can largely be attributed to their access to their listeners through the Internet, and each member exclaimed that there was absolutely no way they would be where they are now without the success they’ve had on YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook. That isn’t to say that the band doesn’t believe in true grassroots activism in their lives, either. Each member of the band came out after the show and thanked everyone hanging out near their merch booth for their support; bassist, Jason Klein, shook hands and thanked everyone for staying so late on a Wednesday night.
When asked about their touring experiences thus far, and why they took the extra time, vocalist Heidi Shepherd explained that as they are an unsigned band with only their EP in the books, “There seems to be a lot more pressure at first, headlining your own tour. But it went away really quickly, as soon as we were back on the road. We realized that there really is no difference between being a part of a large tour with an established fan base and heading up our own.”
This band has dealt with their fair share of pressure as they’ve pushed their way up, too. Female-fronted metal seems to always come with a stigma, regardless of the legitimacy of the project. But Shepherd and Harvey both agree, while the raw nature of their show isn’t for everybody, they aren’t about to change it for anyone’s sake. “Bottom line, if you love us, we will love you right back. If you don’t, then you can either not look or just go the other way,” was Harvey’s take, and the guys not only back them up, they push the envelope equally as hard in their own ways. It is a truly unified front, and an even more unified performance to behold.
Overall, the band has a theatrical element, a shock-value, which just drips with sexual energy. But if you were to take that away, not have the visual to reinforce the music? You would still be bobbing your head to the drums, still ready to throw yourself into the pit, and still ready to have the experiences you always expect at a show or listening to an album. Gender in genres be damned.
Online: facebook.com/ButcherBabiesMusic
Category: National News
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