Vancouver band B-Monster: Be bold and excited

Loyal reader, I promised to span the globe to bring you the best in independent music. Some places are easier to mine than others. B-Monster is the second Vancouver band to be featured here on Fox Tracks. John Lee explains what his band is all about, discusses what is essential to every B-Monster show and song, and explains what he'd be doing if he weren't making music.

Someone you don't know asks what your band is all about. What do you tell that person?

Listen to the songs - B-Movie RocknRoll soundtracks and beyond. Same values as ever...leave the shit behind w/ simple, short, RocknRoll - energy, inspiration and impression. You can do this too. Always find the most fun you can have. Share it about. Cool posters & headlines prepare you for B-Monster; "From Out Of Nowhere & Up To No Damn Good!!" "Witness The Explicit Sounds Of Forbidden Desire!!" "Prepare For Trash Action Adventure Into The Beyond!!" "Experience Sonic Sounds Of Villians, Vixens & Vice!!" Sounds like fun before you've plugged in.

What is essential to every B-Monster song?

No rules. But there is a template. The B-Monster template reads; Keep it simple. Riffs. Backing vocals. An odd sound. A cool title. Enjoy it. Repeat. Finish under three minutes. I like the B-Monster sound - usually fuelled by exploitation/trash cinema. What should the soundtrack sound like for the title; 'Naked Machine Gun Girls'? Then go dream it up. Don't sound like the sound-alike bands trying to sell plastic. Forget that shit. Be Bold.

What about every B-Monster show?

Cheer people up. Get people up. Bleed. Sweat. Stuff usually breaks. Ignite the orgy of RocknRoll release! Maximum R&R delivery. B-Monster uses the 'Wailing Wall Of Sound' - I made it at home. 168 speakers that all work - I crank the whole lot during points in the show - a subsonic rumble that shakes the walls. Cost me less than a brand name guitar and stack. Or a drumkit. I don't need the WWOS to play a gig, I want to use the WWOS at a gig! It's fun. It's ridiculous. We invite people to play it too. Ideas cost nothing - they're priceless.

If you could sit and have a conversation about music with anyone, who would you choose? Why?

Malcolm Gladwell or Seth Godin. They stir your cranium. Lateral thinkers - the curiosity of human behavior - solo or en masse. Interesting stuff - they'd probably do a great rant. North America under the microscope. Music as the number one communicator. Politics & Religion would love that power. Music pisses all over Fear. Be fearless and excited.

If you could write and perform a song with anyone, who would you choose? Why?

The Queen of Scream Dreams - Tura Satana (Faster Pussycat Kill Kill). It'd be a riot. And spirited. One hundred percent Grade A inspiration - 'Tura Satana on Screams and Tamborines'.

What would you be doing if you weren't making music?

There's tons of stuff, cause I like to learn new things - and bring it back to the tunes. Pursue risk and hard work. More travel. Write ideas down. A Book of Beware For Artists: things that can happen "Out There." Be quick, see the signs. Do a film of building something. Answer questions. Do a bizarre workshop. Lots of things. Then come back to do more music - refreshed. And repeat.

B-MONSTER & WWOS Live - 'Naked Machine Gun Girls' from John Lee | B-MONSTER on Vimeo.