The word “supergroup” is tossed around a lot in instrumental music
circles, the result of a seemingly endless supply of efforts to package
together individual virtuoso players and make a band out of them. But
every once in a while, the group part of that shopworn term becomes
authentic and real. Such is the case with The Aristocrats – guitarist
Guthrie Govan, bassist Bryan Beller, and drummer Marco Minnemann – who
defiantly and joyously blow the supergroup stereotype to bits, thrilling
audiences and fans around the world in the process with a preternatural
band chemistry that equals exponentially more than the sum of its
parts.
    Despite their individual followings, The Aristocrats’ formation was
a matter of happenstance on a barely-paying gig. Beller and Minnemann
had a trio slot scheduled at the Winter NAMM show in Anaheim, CA in
January of 2011, and their guitarist was a late dropout. Govan was a
last-minute replacement who they met for the first time in rehearsal,
the night before the show. The electricity was immediately obvious, with
their unbeknownst-to-them shared influences infusing a high-energy
instrumental fusion with an aggressive, playful, even cheeky edge. The
audience response was overwhelming, and the band formed practically by
demand on the spot. “The chemistry was so great,” recalls Govan, “that
when we came offstage we all said to each other, ‘This is working. We
should record this.’”
    Three months later, the band convened in person – eschewing the
usual remote file sharing method in favor of actual live band chemistry –
to track the album. Consisting of nine tracks (three contributions from
each member), the material was a melting pot of their respective
influences, ranging from the seminal ’70s jazz-rock fusion of Return To
Forever and Mahavishnu Orchestra, to the progressive rock of King
Crimson and UK, to guitar heroes like Steve Vai and Joe Satriani, to the
absurdly complex and satirical music of Frank Zappa and Mike Keneally,
and even to ’90s groove metal like Rage Against The Machine.
    Tracked in just eight days, The Aristocrats [BOING, 2011] was
hailed as an instant classic in leading music publications worldwide,
appearing on many of that year’s top ten lists. Guthrie Govan suddenly
found himself on guitar magazine covers across the globe. Music schools
in particular felt the impact, as a wave of students took to covering
Aristocrats tunes much in the same way Steve Vai’s Passion And Warfare
inspired players a generation ago. In less than a year, The Aristocrats
went from doing a single pickup gig to becoming one of the most
sought-after live instrumental rock/fusion acts in the world.
    The next 18 months saw the band successfully tour both coasts and
the Midwest/mid-south of America, eastern Canada, the U.K., Benelux,
France, Spain, Sweden, Italy, Germany, Poland, Croatia, Turkey, Greece,
Israel, Korea, and Japan. The band’s live energy and otherwordly
chemistry was captured on the DVD/2CD release BOING, We’ll Do It Live!
The Aristocrats At Alvas Showroom [BOING, 2012].
    Another more ambitious 109-date world tour followed, bringing the
band across the entire U.S., to Europe, and this time to all of Asia.
Some of the more exotic tour stops included Vietnam, Thailand, and
Iceland. The around-the-world madness was documented on the live CD/DVD
Culture Clash Live, which was released in early 2015. The universally
positive reviews reflected the accurate capturing of the band’s madcap
live show, with equal parts virtuosity and absurdity. One particularly
perceptive UK reviewer (Echoes And Dust) noted it as follows: “There is
so much good humour infused in every bar that every track is a delight, a
charging rhino in a pink tutu.”


Track list:
01-Furtive Jack (Tokyo, JAPAN)
02-Ohhhh Noooo (Bangkok, THAILAND)
03-Louisville Stomp (Manchester, UK)
04-Get It Like That (Tokyo, JAPAN)
05-Culture Clash (Bangkok, THAILAND)
06-Blues Fuckers (Mexico City, MX)
07-Gaping Head Wound (Mexico City, MX)
08-Desert Tornado (Bangkok, THAILAND)
09-Living The Dream (Zoetermeer, NL)

DISC ONE

Introduction
Furtive Jack
Sweaty Knockers
Ohhhh Noooo
Get It Like That
Culture Clash

DISC TWO

Flatlands
Parental Advisory (pronounced “Blues Fuckers”)
Gaping Head Wound
Twister (pronounced “Desert Tornado”)
Washed Passport (pronounced “Living The Dream”)
Erotic Cakes

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