Time to get your groove on with today’s Band of the Day. All the way from The Prairie State…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
Chicago, IL USA.
How did you meet?
Founding members Jesse (guitar) & Matt DeGroot (drums) are brothers. Rounded out by lifelong friends Aaron Revels (vocals) and Tyler Williams (bass).
How long have you been playing as a band?
Originally formed in 2003 with a different line up, current formation has been semi-active since 2012.
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
Beneath the Hollow was an angry youthful take on watching so many people in the world bow to hollow leaders or idols. Whether it be religious figures, political leaders, etc.
What are your influences?
Pantera, Slipknot, Alice in Chains, Tool.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Dark, intense, haunting, melodic heavy metal. In a world of auto tune vocals and drum machines, we approach our music with a raw, natural approach. We want our recordings to sound like actual human beings playing instruments.
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
Our latest release Nihilist primarily deals with personal experience. Love, loss, depression, addiction. The darker side of existence.
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
BTH has an intense live show. Extremely aggressive. Like a freight train nearly coming off the tracks. Refined over hundreds of shows.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
Our live shows can get pretty wild. We will have to leave this question unanswered. Come to a show and find out!
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
Beneath the Hollow proudly endorses DW Drums, Meinl Cymbals, and Axis Pedals.
We also use Spector basses, Dean and Gibson guitars.
What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
We are still supporting our recent EP Nihilist, released in October last year.
What are your plans for 2019?
As many live appearances as possible in as many new places as possible.
If you were second on a three-band bill, which band would you love to be supporting and which band would you choose to open for you? A chance to plug someone you’ve toured with, or a mate’s band we’ve not heard of before!
We would love to do a full tour supporting our good friends in Dog Fashion Disco, and the opening band of choice is Vile Cynic, a great band from our area.
From previous Band of the Day, LestWeForget: Do you think Spotify is a good thing for unsigned bands?
Streaming services are a blessing and a curse. They definitely help independent artist find new fans, but pay virtually nothing in return.
From another BotD, Shadow of Everest: Have you ever sustained any injuries on stage?
Nothing too serious, busted knuckles or a bump to the head from a flying guitar headstock.
And from King Bison (UK): If you could join any band on stage for one song, who would it be and what track would you play?
If we could join any band for a song it would have to be Pantera or Slipknot. And literally any song from either catalogue would work for us.
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