{"id":50141,"date":"2016-11-18T00:00:10","date_gmt":"2016-11-18T00:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=50141"},"modified":"2016-11-30T16:00:39","modified_gmt":"2016-11-30T16:00:39","slug":"feature-phil-campbell-and-the-bastard-sons-11-16","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/feature-phil-campbell-and-the-bastard-sons-11-16\/","title":{"rendered":"PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS – Taking Aim (November 2016) | Features \/ Interviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

PHIL CAMPBELL – Taking Aim<\/strong><\/span>
\nAnthony Morgan<\/span>
\nNovember 2016<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nIan \u2018Lemmy\u2019 Kilmister, frontman of hard rock trio Mot\u00f6rhead, died on December 28th, 2015 at the age of 70 following a short battle with an extremely aggressive cancer. The bassist \/ vocalist had learnt of his condition just two days prior. <\/p>\n

Guitarist Phil Campbell\u2019s 2016 activity has largely consisted of namesake outfit Phil Campbell And The Bastard Sons, formerly known as Phil Campbell\u2019s All Starr Band. Sons Todd, Tyla and Dane occupy the guitar, bass and drum positions respectively, with Dopamine vocalist Neil Starr standing behind the microphone. Phil Campbell And The Bastard Sons was formed prior to Lemmy\u2019s passing, however.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not new, no,\u201d Phil clarifies. \u201cIt\u2019s four years old, the band. Basically, when my eldest son had a big birthday party, we hired a band and everything. We were all there, and just borrowed their instruments for a few songs. Neil was there, too \u2013 Neil Starr, our vocalist. All of the boys have known him for years, through his bands. We played a few songs, and after that, we did some festivals for fun. We did Bloodstock two or three years ago, and bits and pieces. After Lemmy sadly passed away, obviously I\u2019ve got more time now. We changed the name, and we\u2019ve written our own material and stuff, basically. Yeah though, the band is four years old. It has the same members and everything \u2013 we just changed the name. It\u2019s not something that I put together since Lemmy passed away; we\u2019ve been doing it since years before. Now obviously, there\u2019s a bit more time to do stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Consideration wasn\u2019t lent towards retiring following Lemmy\u2019s passing. \u201cWe were so busy with Mot\u00f6rhead, anyway, so I knew that things were gonna change,\u201d the axeman concedes. \u201cYeah, I could\u2019ve retired. I could\u2019ve semi-retired. I guess I make the schedules I wanna do now, instead of everyone else making the schedules and stuff. It\u2019s not quite so busy, but we\u2019ve still got tons of work on. I can do as little or as much now as I want, really. All of the boys, they\u2019re all professional musicians in the band now. Nobody\u2019s got jobs and everything, so it\u2019s working really good. We\u2019ve got the Muni (Muni Arts Centre in Pontypridd, Wales) on New Years Eve as well, which is local \u2013 if there\u2019s anyone local out there. That\u2019s gonna be fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Performing alongside his three sons is a pleasurable experience for Phil. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of fun,\u201d he enthuses. \u201cBasically, they were all born four years apart each. They were always grabbing instruments and cheap, plastic guitars, or banging on a drum or something, when they were two or three. I used to play in punk bands when I had down-time with Mot\u00f6rhead, with some of my mates. I\u2019d take them along to the pubs sometimes, when there were afternoon gigs. The four-year-old kid would be playing the drums, or something like that. They\u2019re all incredible musicians; they blow me away. It\u2019s amazing, like, but it\u2019s good. I don\u2019t know what you\u2019d expect as an answer for that question, really. It\u2019s a lot of fun. It\u2019s a privilege, and a blessing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The trio argue like all brothers do, but no disagreement is left to simmer. \u201cIt\u2019s the same,\u201d the composer observes. \u201cThey\u2019re pretty good; if there\u2019s something, it gets sorted out within a few minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Phil Campbell And The Bastard Sons became a more serious affair following Lemmy\u2019s passing. \u201cIt is a bit more serious, now,\u201d Phil confirms. \u201cAs you said, it wasn\u2019t not serious then, but it was trying to fit things in. Todd and Dane are in Straight Lines, Tyla is in The People The Poet. They\u2019ve all had gigs coming up, and different things going on. We\u2019ve got a little bit more time now though, because Mot\u00f6rhead were either recording or on the road for many days of the year. So, we were restricted then. There\u2019s not so much restriction now.\u201d<\/p>\n

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A fresh proposition, music fans are naturally curious as to the stylings of the assortment. \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d the axe-slinger muses. \u201cIt\u2019s up to the fans to do it. It\u2019s just good music, I think. I really don\u2019t like pigeon-holing, and putting music into categories. It\u2019s definitely rock music. I wouldn\u2019t call it heavy metal. I never liked that term, particularly, but it\u2019s good and hard, driving music I think. This EP has one softer track on it, and we\u2019ll see what comes up in the future. It\u2019s just music; you like it, or you don\u2019t like it. I\u2019m too close to it to respond, really. I just think that a good song is a good song, whatever it sounds like. I don\u2019t like categorising stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

An array of artists and bands musically influence Phil. \u201cThere\u2019s millions of them, isn\u2019t there?,\u201d he replies. \u201cThere\u2019s loads. There\u2019s too many to say, really. I couldn\u2019t think off the top of my head. There\u2019s just amazing musicians around; if you go to Brazil, by the traffic lights you can see a guy playing a guitar on a one-legged bike while bloody tossing fireworks in the air and catching them. That\u2019s real talent (laughs). Yeah, there\u2019s a lot about. I just try to listen to different things, but mostly older stuff. There\u2019s plenty of stuff out there \u2013 you\u2019ve just got to find it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Older stuff\u2019 doesn\u2019t encompass 60s offerings, however. \u201cNot 60s, no,\u201d Phil dismisses. \u201cThe 60s is no good for me. I start from the 70s. There\u2019s good and bad in every year, but I was a bit young for the 60s. I listened to the 60s which was before my time, and I wasn\u2019t that keen on it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Phil Campbell And The Bastard Sons is a lighter premise in comparison to Mot\u00f6rhead. \u201cMost things are gonna be lighter than Mot\u00f6rhead,\u201d the musician laughs. \u201cWe\u2019re not trying to be Mot\u00f6rhead. There\u2019s never gonna be another Mot\u00f6rhead. I\u2019m not trying to be Mot\u00f6rhead, and this band is certainly not Mot\u00f6rhead. It\u2019s different. There\u2019s a different dynamic. There\u2019s different people in there, but it\u2019s gonna have similarities now and again, so there you go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nowadays, Phil doesn\u2019t have to argue his musical opinions so vehemently. \u201cI could do whatever I wanted in Mot\u00f6rhead, but I\u2019d have to fight for it sometimes big time,\u201d he remembers. \u201cI wrote nearly all of the material for Mot\u00f6rhead since I joined with Lem and Mik (Mikkey Dee, drums), but most of the music stuff was mine. Lem did all of the lyrics. He came up with his own songs and his own riffs but the bulk of it was mine, so there\u2019s not much difference, really. I\u2019ve got a bit more clout in doing this. I don\u2019t have to fight for it. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn Mot\u00f6rhead, most of the time I got my way in the end, but it might have taken three days of fighting for it (laughs). Now I can fight for it though, and it will sort itself out in 20 minutes or whatever. With music, if you\u2019re passionate about music… We all are. We\u2019re not doing it just to pretend to be rock stars, or for the money, or anything. We want to write good songs, and if one of my kids thinks they have a better idea than me or a riff that I\u2019ve got is really shit, they\u2019re gonna say so. Good music is written with passion. When you don\u2019t have the passion and listen to everyone else, that\u2019s when it turns to shit, which happens to so many people these days.\u201d<\/p>\n

Writing is a collaborative affair for Phil Campbell And The Bastard Sons. \u201cWe don\u2019t jam much,\u201d the mainman divulges. \u201cWe have ideas \u2013 we all have some ideas. I record stuff on my phone, and we have our own really good recording studio. Yeah, we just put down a song and it\u2019s just a five-way thing. At the moment, Neil\u2019s doing all of the lyrics and all of the melodies. He\u2019s doing an amazing job of singing. We\u2019ll try to work on a song at first, and then Neil will listen to it and see what he thinks. Neil\u2019s fantastic with it, though.\u201d<\/p>\n

Neil\u2019s lyrical meanderings can be found in the likes of \u2018Big Mouth\u2019, featured on the band\u2019s November 2016 self-titled EP. \u201cI don\u2019t write the lyrics, so I don\u2019t know what Neil was thinking,\u201d Phil admits. \u201cThat\u2019s a question that I\u2019ve been asked a few times. I don\u2019t know what Neil was thinking of with \u2018Big Mouth\u2019. You\u2019ll have to ask Neil when you see him. I wouldn\u2019t like to say the wrong thing (laughs). I really haven\u2019t got a clue, but it\u2019s a great song. It\u2019s got a good punk feel, but it\u2019s not my department, so I can\u2019t help you on that one. Todd came up with the main riff on that, the opening riff. Todd came up with the chorus riff, and then I came up with the verse riff. I can\u2019t remember who came up with the other little bit, but we were all there when we were doing it, like. Everything is written by the five of us; every song is written by the five members.\u201d<\/p>\n

A full-length studio album from Phil Campbell And The Bastard Sons is in the works. \u201cYeah, we will make one,\u201d the performer discloses. \u201cI\u2019ve been working on my solo record for the last two years, so I sort of put that on hold a bit until we got this EP out. We\u2019re just installing a new desk in our studio (Stomp Box Recording Studios in Pontyclun, Wales), so from January onwards, I\u2019m gonna be working on my solo record. I\u2019m gonna be doing more stuff on it, and also we\u2019ll be working on The Bastard Sons\u2019 full album as well. It\u2019s gonna take a while yet. We just wanted to put out an EP, a really good representation of us. I\u2019m really pleased with it, the EP. It\u2019s been finished for like two, three months or something, and I\u2019m not fed up with it yet. It\u2019s great; it has great songs, great production, and great playing. The mix is fantastic, so I hope everyone enjoys it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Nothing has been completed with regards to Phil\u2019s solo studio opus. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing finished yet, no,\u201d he shares. \u201cI\u2019ve got about eight songs down, but they\u2019re all rough, and I\u2019ve got another 20 riffs on my phone. I\u2019ve got some big names waiting to appear and work on stuff as we speak \u2013 some singers, especially \u2013 but I don\u2019t want to say anything like who they are yet. I don\u2019t want to jinx it, so you\u2019ll have to wait.\u201d<\/p>\n

The appearance of Slipknot percussionist Chris Fehn can be confirmed, however, who recorded his parts on February 7th, 2016 \u2013 one day prior to Slipknot performing at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, Wales. \u201cChris Fehn is on there, yeah,\u201d the axeman tells. \u201cHe did some great drumming on one track, so he\u2019s down, yeah. He\u2019s locked in. That\u2019s in the can, and there\u2019s other stuff almost in the can. I\u2019m really lucky. A lot of my heroes and really fantastic musicians I\u2019ve looked up to over the years are all excited to be a part of my solo record. The Bastard Sons will be playing on it, as well. They\u2019ll all be doing bits and pieces, but it\u2019s still an open book at the moment, a lot of it. I don\u2019t know where it\u2019s gonna go, but it\u2019s like making your own food, innit? Your own meal, your own recipe like. We\u2019ll see what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a separate interview, Phil expressed hopes for the likes of Judas Priest vocalist Rob Halford and Ugly Kid Joe singer Whitfield Crane to record guest appearances. \u201cWe\u2019re working on it now, yeah,\u201d he updates. \u201cIt\u2019s just the time factor and getting the right songs to each person, but yeah, that\u2019s still on the cards.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition, the songwriter hopes to issue his debut solo jaunt during 2017. \u201cI\u2019d like to think it\u2019d come out by this time next year, but if it\u2019s not ready then it\u2019s gonna have to be the following year,\u201d he cautions. \u201cI\u2019m not gonna go for any deadlines. When I\u2019m happy with it, then it\u2019ll be done. It all depends on everyone\u2019s availability, but I\u2019m gonna try to step it up a gear next year. I don\u2019t know. 15-20% of it is kind of done like. The ground work\u2019s done for it, so we\u2019ll see.\u201d<\/p>\n

And as well, a book offering is in the pipeline. \u201cI can\u2019t do that now until… It\u2019s not gonna be about my life,\u201d Phil explains. \u201cIt\u2019s just gonna be about the funny and outrageous shit that I\u2019ve been a part of and witnessed. That\u2019s gonna have to wait until I get this new album out, until I get the two records out. So 2018, I\u2019ll probably spend most of that year doing that. I\u2019ve prepared, though; I\u2019ve got everything in place for a book and I\u2019ll probably prepare it even more next year, and get it into place. Then I\u2019ll take a month or two off with whomever I\u2019m doing the book with, because there\u2019s someone who\u2019s gonna help me write the book and sort that out. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo, that won\u2019t be out until 2018, 2019, but it has to come out because it\u2019s so funny. It will be, the stories. It\u2019s just gonna be 30 or 40 amazing things that will put a smile on people\u2019s faces. It won\u2019t be about what school I went to, or that boring crap. It won\u2019t be an autobiography, no.\u201d<\/p>\n

The axe-slinger rules out the possibility of an autobiography. \u201cBoring,\u201d he reckons. \u201cToo boring, mun. With most autobiographies, in the first three chapters you wanna kill yourself because it\u2019s so boring. No, I don\u2019t wanna do that. I just want the funny shit to come out.\u201d<\/p>\n

November 2002 Lemmy autobiography White Line Fever<\/em> was a great read, but felt short in areas. \u201cHe had to cram a lot in,\u201d Phil submits. \u201cI don\u2019t know. I wasn\u2019t there when he was writing the book \u2013 he wrote it with Janiss Garza. You couldn\u2019t put everything into the one book, but it was a good read I think, yeah. It was a decent read. It\u2019s well worth reading, but there was so much more they could have put in there. For what it was though, it was fantastic like.\u201d<\/p>\n

Phil Campbell And The Bastard Sons<\/em> was released on November 18th, 2016 via Mot\u00f6rhead Music.<\/p>\n

Interview published in November 2016.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PHIL CAMPBELL – Taking Aim Anthony Morgan November 2016 Phil Campbell And The Bastard Sons (l-r): Todd Campbell, Dane Campbell, Phil Campbell, Neil Starr and Tyla Campbell Ian \u2018Lemmy\u2019 Kilmister, frontman of hard rock trio Mot\u00f6rhead, died on December 28th, 2015 at the age of 70 following a short battle with an extremely aggressive cancer. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,3209],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-50141","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-features","category-phil-campbell-and-the-bastard-sons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50141","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50141"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50141\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52534,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50141\/revisions\/52534"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50141"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50141"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50141"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}