Beasto Blanco Brings 'We Are' Tour to Nashville June 1 With Local Support

Beasto Blanco live. Press photo

There's a case to be made for Chuck Garric as the hardest working man in show business. While much of his year is spent as the literal “right hand man” for shock rock god Alice Cooper, playing bass and providing backing vocals at a touring pace that would be considered busy for a band of 20 year olds, Garric isn't satisfied to spend his downtime relaxing. Instead, he spends it writing, recording, and touring with his own band Beasto Blanco, who are scheduled to hit Nashville's Basement East June 1 to close out their tour in support of their album We Are, which drops May 24.

Joining Garric, who trades in his bass for a guitar and microphone as frontman, to form the core of Beasto Blanco are longtime friend and guitarist Chris “Brother” Latham and fellow vocalist Calico Cooper, whose extensive history as an on-stage performer brings a theatrical electricity to the stage. Rounding out the touring group are the rhythm section of Jan LeGrow on bass and Sean Sellers on drums.

The one word that comes up constantly in live reviews of Beasto Blanco is “primal.” With his mane of hair cascading over a fur-fringed leather jacket that cloaks his hulking figure, Garric holds court like the leader of a werewolf greaser gang in a post-apocalyptic world. Adding to the mystique are Latham's wildman antics and the balance of sweet and sinister on display in Cooper's “Motor Queen” persona.

But Beasto Blanco is not just a theatrical showpiece. Musically, they are as dynamic a metal act as is working today. Channeling elements of Rob Zombie's comic brutality, Alice Cooper's stage presence, and Trent Reznor's barely restrained fury, the band strives to bring a blue collar, work hard/play hard ethic to their music. Says Cooper “If you are a blue collar person who gets up and busts your ass everyday or if you’re a working mother who doesn’t get any sleep, then you’re in the tribe. We write about people who are down trodden and overlooked, but they don’t say ‘Hey, look at me.’ They have a silent strength to them – and they make the world go round.”

Joining Beasto Blanco for their Nashville stop are a pair of groups who should be familiar to fans of local heavy rock shows. Voltagehawk are a driving guitar rock act from East Nashville who have opened for a number of local favorites and made a bit of a splash in 2017 with their over the top cover of Mariah Carey's “All I Want for Christmas.” Also hailing from Nashville, Voodoo Prophet has become a popular metal act in Music City, where their overt aggression and driving guitars stand in direct contrast to the city's country music reputation.

If you want to catch Beasto Blanco, with guests Voltagehawk and Voodoo Prophet in Nashville, head to Basement East on June 1 or pick up tickets early here and save $5 off the $20 door price.