Interview — Beyond Belief

Skratch Magazine

Beyond Belief is low brow hard core, full of originality. Based in Hanford, CA Chris Elick (drums/vocals), DillonWalters (vocals/guitar), John Trupp (guitar) and Kevin Kurtz (bass) have been playin together for roughly six months. And rough it’s been. “Dillon and I have been together for about a year and a half,” says Elick. “We've had some flakes along the way. . .I don't know any band that hasn't really. It's all part of the whole experience.” Check out what Beyond Belief had to say to Skratch Magazine and then go have your own experience when you give their music a listen.

Skratch: Describe your sound:

Chris: Fuck, I dunno, barely creeping over to the hardcore side of the rock spectrum.
Dillon: Listen to it.

Skratch: How did you become interested in music?

Chris: By listening to it and ipod. Music is what you make of it, you create it. I think it's an art.
Dillon: By listening to it and Guitar Hero.

Skratch: What is your song writing process like?

Chris: Dillon usually comes up with the guitar and vocals and I just jam it out!
Dillon: I don't really think, it just comes to me.
Kevin: It's unexplainable and weird.

Skratch: What artists or musicians inspire you?

Chris: Underoath, Inhale Exhale, Saosin and Animal from the Muppets!
Dillon: Underoath, Mixtape, Taking back Sunday, Schwayze, Senses Fail, Pixies, Lost Prohpets, Led Zepelin, Good life, Tim Casher.
Kevin: Eddie Val Halen, Willie Abler, Randy Rhoades, Angus young.

Skratch: Where do you take musical inspiration from? Your environment? People? Explain.

Chris: Everything, if it sounds good.
Dillon: Everything, life should have background music!
Kevin: Mostly my emotions.

Skratch; What is your musical background?

Chris: I am a self-taught drummer - just a natural, I guess.
Dillon: My brother played guitar and bass one night and so I was like "I might as well learn this!"
Kevin: My brother played guitar and he quit because the instructor yelled at him. He still had 2 lessons left and I took them and I liked it.

Skratch: Tell us about how you got started as a band.

Chris: It's a long story.
Dillon: It all just came together with a group of friends and we originally played different instruments.
Kevin: I was sitting in Physics class next to Chris when he said "Damn, we need a bass player" and I said "ok".

Skratch: What is the most rewarding part of playing in a band?

Chris: Being in front of a crowd and them liking it. Sometimes I play so hard and for so long that my hands bleed from drumming. It doesn't really even bother me. The way I see it, it's worth it to be able to perform and have the crowd enjoy it.
Dillon: Playing in front of the crowd.
Kevin: Putting everything together and actually making it sound good.

Skratch: What challenges have you faced as musicians?

Chris: Flakes, flakes and more flakes, oh and Joshua M.
Dillon: Former member s not showing up for practice of shows.
Kevin: Balancing life in general and the band.
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Skratch: What would you say is your best song to date? Why?

Chris: The new one called "Just Another Day", it's not recorded yet, but it is Epic!
Dillon: "Just Another Day" because it's pure, orgasmic magic! It's not recorded yet, but keep an eye out for it!
Kevin: There isn't one best song. They are all unique in their own way.

Skratch: Do you remember the first album you ever brought? What was it?

Chris: "The Sickness" by Disturbed.
Dillon: “Ugly Organ” by Cursive.
Kevin: "Hypnotize" by System of a Down.

Skratch: Where do you see your band in five years?

Chris: Hopefully on tour with a full-length album.
Dillon: Five years is a long time, I don't know.
Kevin: We won't be around in 5 years, the world is gonna end in 2012.

Skratch: Would you say your goals as a band are long term, or short term? What do you ultimately hope to achieve? Explain.

Chris: Long term...to make more good music.
Dillon: I can't really tell the future, but mostly the goal is to make a sound that people enjoy and to show that we can make sounds that are better and different than the sounds on the radio.

Skratch: How has your band evolved since when you first formed?

Chris: So much! I don't know how, it's just better.
Sil: A lot, like at first, we didn't have a sound and now we kinda have something to go by.

Skratch: How often do you practice? What is your rehearsal time like?

Chris: We practice whenever we have time and rehearsal time is long, hard and sweaty!
Dillon: We practice whenever we are free. Sometimes, it's repetitive. When we have a new song, it gets really fun.
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Skratch: What shows/album releases/plans do you currently have set up? Tell us about them.
Chris: A lot of local shows in the valley. We're building up a really large fan base.
Dillon: We're almost abut to release the new CD "All for a Girl". We just need to finish recording it.
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Skratch: Where have your preformed? Tell us about the experience.

Dillon: Mostly locally - from Fresno Zapps Park Bar to the Venue in Sanger, a lot of shows in Hanford, at the Fair and in Corcoran.
Chris: We have opened for "I am Empire" and some other sick Cal bands. We've done some house parties in Corcoran, oh and the YMCA there, not the prisons! That would be crazy though. All of the shows have been a lot of fun. Some crowds were big and wild. Some have been just a few people. But, even when that happens, it's a good show and lots of fun. As long as someone is enjoying it, it's all good!

Skratch: What sets your stage show a part from all the other bands making the rounds at venues?

Chris: I guess we have a different sound. Most bands we play with are like techno or really hard core. We mix rock and metal to get our sound on the lower end of hard core.
Dillon: We try to get the crowd involved. We don't just play our music. Some bands just play and some bands bring all their groupies to boost the crowd.
Chris: We work with what we get.

Skratch: Anything else you think we should know about the band?

Dillon: We are all pretty much 16 & 17 year old self -taught musicians.
Chris: We love to have fun and share our music, so if you're reading this, go to myspace.com/anothershittyassband. Shoot us a line and book us please!

For more on Beyond Belief go to myspace.com/anothershittyassband.

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