The Aristocrats

The band was formed after a wildly enthusiastic response to a concert performance at The Anaheim Bass Bash during the Winter NAMM show in January. The trio had just one rehearsal before the concert but still performed well and amazed the audience as well as themselves. Guitarist Guthrie Govan stated “The chemistry was so great, that when we came offstage we all said to each other, ‘This is working. We should record this.’” The band would later get together and meet in Chicago to record their debut album, which took just under two weeks. The music album reflected their respective influences, ranging from ’70s fusion (Return To Forever), to progressive (King Crimson), to instrumental rock (Steve Vai, Joe Satriani), to groove metal (Rage Against The Machine) and to just plain absurdity (Frank Zappa). Bassist Bryan Beller stated, “We ended up using our different influences to write for each other. I wrote "Sweaty Knockers" specifically for Guthrie to have fun with, while Guthrie wrote “I Want A Parrot” with bass leads in mind. As for Marco’s material, we’re just lucky to be able to keep up with it!