Founder member and guitarist of La Bestia De Gevaudan, Diego underwent our rather friendly version of interrogation…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
I (Diego) am from a little town called Bulnes in the center of Chile, all the other guys (former and current ) are from Santiago de Chile.
How did you meet?
With Alonso (drums) we met in a little punk bar near my house, not actually drinking but just hanging around till we got to jam together there and started to play together since then. Matias (bass guitar) interviewed us for a blog he was on and then we became friends.
How long have you been playing as a band?
As a band, about 8 years (before that I was a “solo artist”).
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
I was reading a magazine about werewolves (in a toilet in the hostel where I lived in Argentina) and there was a little segment about “La Bestia de Gevaudan”. I thought how cool that sounded (to me) and started to use that name.
If you like what we do, consider ing us on Patreon for as little as £1 per month!
What are your influences?
Mostly life itself but we are not that pretentious. At first I must say the typical stuff like Neurosis or Isis, but now we are a lot more focused on hip hop or whatever other stuff like Aesop Rock, Fka Twigs or Elliott Smith and trying to take that to a more heavy, cinematic mood.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Probably the fact that we are not limited by any label so we can go from very soft to very heavy without losing our essence.
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
Those are mostly about personal struggles but from time to time I write about (or against) politics and the actual status quo.
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
Really energetic and loud, we need to transmit all the feelings involved in the songs and I think we have played around 100 shows by now.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
A guy snorting cocaine from the dick of Michel Lefranc (a solo artist that goes by the name Solo Contra Todos).
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
Alonso:
- Gretsch USA Custom 26×14, 14×10, 16×16, 18×16.
- Ludwig Supraphonic 14×6.5 w/Tube Lugs
- Istanbul Mehmet Cymbals
Matias:
- Amp dsrkglass microtubes 900
- Cabinet genzler Magellan 12-3
- Bass guitar g&l m2500
Diego:
- Old Fender Baritone Telecaster, no guitar amps, just a pair of cabinet simulators in stereo config
- Korg Mikrosampler
What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
The reissue of our LP Kintsukuroi released by Ricord Records and the video for Caracal, which is the song that opens that album. [See below – Mosh]
Don’t fancy Patreon? Buy us a one-off beverage!
What are your plans for the next 6 months or so?
That’s really hard to say right now. There was a tour with an important European band planned for last year but Covid-19 fucked that up. The idea is to retake that this year but we really don’t know if that’ll be possible.
If you were second on a three-band bill, which band would you love to be ing 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 open for Rosetta and Thisquietarmy again, those guys are awesome people! And also we would love to tour with Chamuco, a very new instrumental hip hop project from a Chilean friend.
Check out this month’s BotD Playlist on Spotify and YouTube
La Bestia de Gevaudan: facebook | instagram | bandcamp | spotify | youtube
