The working class music scene: N.L. descends into the lair of SWAG 667 - By N.L. Belardes

The entrance to Mad Dog is at the gates in the right of the photo.

I’ve kept an eye on local rock legend Billy Von ever since SWAG 667 broke up. I could tell he was going through some kind of rock and roll heartache on his Billy Von Project site. There had been drug problems in the band. There was arguing and in-fighting. He had to hang up SWAG 667—all of the guys did. It’s rock and roll. It comes with the territory. Sometimes you just have to put it up on a big hook. Rock and Roll isn’t so different from the war sometimes: drugs, fighting, survival, isolation, oppression… that is, until you clean yourself up, clean your band up. Make an escape. As much as you can anyways after you realize you can’t live without the music. Then you come back to the music and it’s all for the better. Everyone’s head is clear. It’s not quitting and beginning again. It’s resurrection and transcendence to a better place musically.

I descended a flight of steep cement stairs; a wheelchair sat at the top. At the bottom, against the hallway wall rested a sea of beer cans. It’s almost like I expected them in all their various shapes and sizes. There’s a lot of passion and angst in metal music, let alone, in Billy Von. He sat strumming his guitar, and in between, sipping a beer. There was a big cast on his leg. “How’d you hurt your leg,” I asked.

“I got in a fight,” he said.

I didn’t push the issue.


Billy Von of SWAG 667


New bass player, Ben, warms up...


Billy Von tearing into the rhythm of metal

The lair of SWAG 667 rests in a small room in the core of the Bakersfield metal music scene: beneath Mad Dog Tattoo on 19th Street. You know I could say the core of the music scene could be anywhere. It could be the disjointed group of venues spread around town: Riley’s The Gate, Jerry’s, Studio 99, Backstage... It could be someone’s living room. The Bakersfield metal music scene could just be a state of mind…


SWAG 667 gets ready to practice

I think metal and nu-metal were born in the shadows of such tattoo parlors, particularly Mad Dog. The hard-edged Metal Indie music out of Bakersfield reflects the vibe: the angst of the tattoo parlor realm that in Bakersfield means working class people—people often disenfranchised with society, and now living alternative lifestyles… anti-corporate America getting inked up. Yet, these are more often than not, prideful, working class, hard-nosed-ethics-that-get-the-job-done kind of people. Look at American Standard, Korn, Adema, Myndsick, and SWAG 667: all the Bakersfield metal bands that fill themselves with musicians that can get the job done, yet are filled with lives sometimes on the edge of anger, insanity, heartbreak, all disenfranchised with society at large, at least it shows in the music. They’ve created a world for themselves in the music and in a social network and tattoo parlor/music scene vibe begun sixteen years ago by Billy Von who started Mad Dog Tattoo (Marc DeLeon now runs Mad Dog).


Drummer, Matt, without a shirt.


Why does Matt always play topless? The world wants to know.

“We want to take over Europe,” Billy Von said, sharing some of the dreams of SWAG 667. He knows SWAG would be loved in Europe. Why? Is it just the music? “We’re just a bunch of California boys,” he smiled. We talked about images, re-creating oneself. “Kids also love Korn because of their image,” he added. Yes, kids want to be Korn. It’s true. So we all have to think about our image. I wonder what SWAG will do…

I asked about the new state of music. “Are CDs dead?”

“We don’t need a CD or a ten thousand dollar recording. Just a few songs to shop around,” Billy said, strumming, getting ready to practice a few songs.

Lead singer, Derek talked about the band’s music being more complex, a catchier change for SWAG 667’s music. Their new bass player, Ben also talked about the issue. We agreed: it’s a changing world of music that includes the rise of the small labels. Bands can connect to people in bigger ways than ever before. Bands are empowered, though as Billy Von mentioned, “There are still some great tours out there like the Warped Tour.” Yet Billy Von realizes, the big music industry has transformed. “They sold the capitol building (capitol records) and turned it into condos for a reason,” he said.




Derek readies for his return to the Bakersfield metal scene

“Is it hard to put the hooks in?” I asked. I was wondering about how music connects to youth, catches their attention.

“It’s a necessity. We have to. But the songs take a little more time to get down because they’re more complex. We have to take more time to get them right.”

SWAG 667 broke into a few songs. The room was so small that Derek stood outside screaming lyrics. I wasn’t even sure where he was at first. Matt, he’s from Midnight Panic, sat at the drums. His little girl was outside the room and unhappy with her babysitter. She cried for her papa. Ben tried a bass jam and sang to her. No deal. She was grumpy.


Angry Kylie at SWAG's practice gets serenaded
(ignore the poor cell phone sound)


*(TURN OFF SOUND - OUCH!)


No, this isn't screamo...


Live life to the fullest. Derek just got inked...

SWAG dove into a couple tunes. The sound pounded my ears. I was trapped in a tiny basement room with a ton of equipment all electrified; a metal rock concert raged into my consciousness. Yet, I could still hear that this was the more radio friendly of the SWAG 667 sounds. The band is working together with a new vision of themselves. They want the hard-edged Bakersfield metal songs with the hooks. They want the online marketing through videos and streaming media rock concerts. They want to storm across Europe with their new SWAG 667 image: California boys tearing across the Audubon just because their raging metal music can.

And it all starts right here in Bakersfield, howling beneath the Mad Dog moon…

Look for their big return down at Bakersfield’s Backstage on January 13th, 2007.


What are tattoos good for? Find secret message...


It's SWAG time...


Billy Von Beer considers the power of Coors Light

This entry was posted by N.L. Belardes, on Monday, November 13, 2006. You can leave your response.