Flood Gates
As a solo artist and member of the Aristocrats, Bryan Beller finds himself in the best of both worlds. With guitarist Guthrie Govan and drummer Marco Minnemann, he says, it’s “a rollicking outfit. We’re doing outrageous things, winking and nodding at the audience, and breaking the fourth wall all the time, so it’s kind of a tricky muso act, but we’re also having a lot of fun and breaking all the rules. Then there’s the deeper, more emotional, reflective part of me, which is where my solo material goes.”
“WITH THE ARISTOCRATS, THERE’S A LICENCE TO DO ANYTHING. WE CAN DO ANY STYLE WE WANT, AS LONG AS IT WORKS IN A TRIO FORMAT AND WE HAVE FUN WITH IT. THOSE ARE THE ONLY REQUIREMENTS”
When he spoke to us, Beller was in the stressful, but enviable position of promoting two albums: The Aristocrats’ and his , an ambitious, 18-song, two-CD/ LP project clocking in at 88 minutes. It’s a lot for anyone, even a self-described workaholic—but with over 25 years of professional experience as a multi-instrumentalist, arranger, composer, producer, studio/touring musician (Steve Vai, Joe Satriani), and bandmember, he takes it all in stride.
