It is quite well known that Monsters appear in shadows and lurk behind trees. They are always watching and observing. They follow patterns and wait for opportunities to present themselves. Now, what isn’t as well known is that they have been around since 1986 and reside in Bern, Switzerland! They await your presence and whisper for you to come hither. Alas, join the ballyhoo and descend into the face-melting theater of the absurd as The Monsters brand you with their trash, garage. lo-fi, rock ‘n’ roll assault of the senses. Pounding tribal beats luring you down into the fiery pits of eternal damnation. Join us in the collective madness as the circus barker tempts you to the dark side. We await your presence. Cocktails with skewered eyeballs will be served from 6-9.
Scene Point Blank: 2022 will mark Voodoo Rhythm Records’ 30th anniversary. Can you comment on its growth and did you ever think it would last as long as it has?
Reverend Beat-Man: Hell no, not at all. Voodoo Rhythm began because no one was into releasing strange and obscure music back then. I figured the independent music industry would become larger. They'd have the balls to release precarious music and do the best promotion job to make sure it's heard globally. Guess I was wrong; lots of great labels that started great ended up sucking at the end or sold themselves to a bigger company. Voodoo Rhythm lives on because I don't want to become like that, even with how burdensome the paperwork is to keep the label going.
Scene Point Blank: How did the COVID lockdown hit Voodoo Rhythm's operations and put touring to a halt for Beat-Man and all VR bands. How did Beat-Man keep himself and the label afloat during all this and what government (or lack of) programs were available to help out small businesses over there?
Reverend Beat-Man: A while back, I had a feeling something like this would come. To help survive, I set a lot of concert pay aside in an account titled “Bad Times” to use when those times came around. That, and the support from many people, allowed us to pay the rent and keep the employees paid with the rest. You must know the label is a minimal profit label. We can barely pay our rent from it, and I make up the rest of my income through touring. All the money that comes from touring goes back into the label. With the small profit it makes, that gets reinvested into label activities. That money is gone because of no concerts for a long time: we're near collapse. However, shows began a month ago, and now I'm touring like a motherfucker around Europe.
Scene Point Blank: The Monsters just released You're Class, I'm Trash. Was it recorded in Bern? How long did it take to record?
Reverend Beat-Man: You’re Class, I'm Trash was recorded during the lockdown in a practice room in our hometown of Bern over three days with Sebastian Zwahlen. That guy is a mastermind and genius and plays in a great Swiss psych band called Sha Blah. Since we couldn't tour, we spent two weeks in our practice space writing and working on the new music. [It was] something we've never done before and, behold, an album came out of that effort.
Scene Point Blank: Three record labels are involved in this release, each label coming out with their own exclusive version: Voodoo Rhythm (regular version w/ 7" included), Sounds of Subterrania (a knit sweater cover version of the album), and Slovenly Recordings (Swiss-German language version, this release is also marking the first time a US record label is releasing The Monsters).
How did this come to happen? Did you approach the other labels or did they approach you?
Reverend Beat-Man: 2019 was the last big tour we did with Pete [Menchetti] of Slovenly Recordings, and he talked to us about the idea of releasing an album in our mother tongue. We thought it was a great idea because Swiss-German is a harsh-sounding language, and it fits perfectly into some of our songs, haha! Our friend Gregor [Samsa] from the Hamburg label Sounds of Subterrania wanted to make an ultra-limited special knitting edition of the album too -- who could say no to that?
Scene Point Blank: The Monsters are starring in and composing a soundtrack with Mario Batkovic for a Swiss-Ploitation slasher/horror/gore movie. When is this coming out? Was this your brainchild?
Reverend Beat-Man: Unfortunately, we don't. We wish, but that's not happening. We have one song on the album called "Dead (Mortem Batkovic)" that he re-composed, and I went into the studio to sing; it's incredible. Mario is a genius, and I hope we work together more soon, but we have been busy since touring started up again.
Scene Point Blank: The year 1967, I believe, is the year Rev. Beat-Man descended from the heavens or maybe came up from down South. The same year I was born. The summer of love!? What was your childhood like and how did you become interested in a career in music?
Reverend Beat-Man: My parents were fans of The Beatles and named me Beat; that's a good start. My brother and I grew up in the countryside. I had a very open mind about politics and a humanistic view of the world. I was Tom Sawyer all day long when we were children. We'd build houseboats and explore the nearby forest. One day we decided to ride our Mofa scooters to Italy from Switzerland, a two-day trip. We slept on the streets and ate what we could get, and our parents were okay with us doing this. They trusted us, and we trusted them. I believe this answers your question.
We decided to ride our scooters to Italy from Switzerland, a two-day trip. We slept on the streets and ate what we could get, and our parents were okay with us doing this.
Scene Point Blank: Are the recordings that you made at 13 under the name Taeb Zerfall ever going to be rereleased?
Reverend Beat-Man: The whole tape is already digitized, but I'm not sure yet, maybe a small press. It's very strange music and more private, teenage industrial music. I used my own and my father's tape deck and a guitar I couldn't play, plus the radio for distortion. It sounds very nasty. Almost depressing, hahaha!
Scene Point Blank: Did you do anything other than music as a job at any point in your life?
Reverend Beat-Man: Yes, my brother became a graphic artist. My parents were horrified when I told them I wanted to be either a musician, cartoonist, or both. At least one family member has to learn a real job, haha! Anyway, I became an electrician because I thought that job had something to do with electric guitars, but I was wrong! I went to a trade school and worked as one for four years before becoming a rock ‘n’ roller.
Scene Point Blank: If you were a true Hammer film monster what one would you be? (If I was a betting man I would guess Vampire however I have been known to lose in poker).
Reverend Beat-Man: Oh, yes. I got my films through Something Weird Video or Kong Films. Ones that caught my attention were The Satanic Rites of Dracula, The Man Who Could Cheat Death, and The Plague of the Zombies, among others. I was a big horror and splatter movie fan. The early Peter Jackson stuff blew me away along with the German trash from Jörg Buttgereit, Captain Berlin, etc. Jesus Christ, then I became a father more than 20 years ago, and I lost track of all that stuff. I watch sci-fi these days.
Scene Point Blank: Rumour has it that you formed a new band called Reverend Beat-Man and The Underground. I believe it consists of a bunch of Swiss musicians that you assembled? Is that still happening?
Reverend Beat-Man: Yes, that band was the idea of the organizers of the PALP Festival, a festival in the Swiss Alps. They make shows in obscure places like a cheese factory on a farm. The organizers contacted me with a cash offer to form a new band and write new music with musicians I've never worked with before, all in a week at a practice space they provided. I brought three people: Milan Slick, who plays ‘70s horror movie synth stuff; Beatrice Graff, who is one of Switzerland's best improv Jazz drummers; and Benjamin Glaus, who is my favorite rockabilly guitarist. I thought this would be a great mix. And it was: the release will be out soon.
Scene Point Blank: How do you select bands to appear on your label? Do you get a lot of demos? Is there any band you regret not signing?
Reverend Beat-Man: Yes, and I'm sorry that I can't respond to every submission. Usually, I see the band live first and then want to release them, but it's always different. An example is the next Voodoo Rhythm release from The Christian Family, a gospel-trash combination from the USA. They sent me a demo tape, and I thought it was amazing!
Scene Point Blank: Who are your greatest influences? Hasil Adkins is seen as the godfather of a one-man-band. How influential is he to your style and your output? Did you ever meet him or see him perform?
Reverend Beat-Man: Yes, the Haze is a great inspiration as well as Howling Wolf.
The biggest inspirations are the bands I see. I don't even know the name of support bands. I go at least four or five times a week to see a show when I'm not touring, and I love it -- the theater too. I was a big teenage rock ‘n’ roll fan of all the stars like Elvis, Little Richard, etc., but Hasil Adkins was the only one I wanted to meet before I died. So in the early 1990's I quit my job and bought myself a ticket to the United States, where I bought a $300 car to travel around the country looking for the Haze. I knew he was living in Madison, West Virginia and, keep in mind, there was no internet. So naively, I traveled to Madison and thought it looked like the town I grew up in, but it was the size of my whole country, hahaha! I asked anyone I could find if they knew about Hasil Adkins and a postman told me his location. So, I hung out with the guy and got drunk with him. That was fun.
Scene Point Blank: Do you have a large record collection (size doesn’t matter!). I understand that you cull from your personal collection to DJ. Where do you do this? What are your prized pieces in your album collection? Is there any holy grail you would like to obtain to add to your collection?
Reverend Beat-Man: Yes, but because of coronavirus, I sold half to pay rent. I have the first Einstürzende Neubauten LP and “Baby, Let's Play House” from Elvis on shellac, etc. I have some great stuff, but come to my record store, The Hardware Store, because I sell a lot there!
Scene Point Blank: Have you ever played North America? And would there be any interest in doing so?
Reverend Beat-Man: Yes, I've done a few tours there and, since my daughter lives in Los Angeles, I was often in that city. Primarily the West Coast, and sometimes I'd go to the East Coast. I love the Los Angeles area, my friends are there, but sometimes it's tough to play in the United States. The work visa is $3500, which must be paid before setting foot in the country. Sometimes depressing scenarios would come about, like playing in front of 10 people who'd rather watch football than a one-man band. Still, I've given some of the best gigs of my career in the States. They have frantic fans, and sometimes I'd have a few support bands who'd give me their pay because of the distance I'm traveling from. When I think of America, I think of how wonderful the people are but how much their government sucks.
Scene Point Blank: I am thinking that they might want to consider making a Reverend Beat-Man statue in Bern? If this happened, what medium would it be cast in? What is your best side? Would you prefer it would portray you playing the drums and holding your guitar?
Reverend Beat-Man: Bern would never do that. They don't like me so much over here because I'm too weird for them. We had this national broadcast done where they gave the Swiss crème de la crème a platform to play music on national TV, so all the stars had 15 minutes. Anyway, I had a live interview, and they were so upset with what I said on air that they cut the interview off, but [then] they cut my performance off after three minutes! Haha, that was it with my fame, and it's been downhill ever since.
Scene Point Blank: What is your preferred guitar to play? Is there a guitar that you would like to own?
Reverend Beat-Man: I like my Danelectro to play with as my one-man band. It's a straight guitar with lipstick pickups, great for blues and one-man bands. With The Monsters, I play a Gibson ES335, so I already got my dream guitars, but I would like a lefty Gibson SG. That's another dream guitar, but they're too expensive.
Scene Point Blank: What can we expect next from Voodoo Rhythm?
Reverend Beat-Man: Many releases.
At the moment, the fresh stuff is Sam Snitchy as a bin gutter poet playing synth-punk, and Nestter Donuts from Spain, who is a Flamenco-trash one-man band. After those two, The Christian Family from Arizona with lo-fi Gospel Trash and much more.
Scene Point Blank: How did you receive the Reverend title? Are you ordained as a reverend? If so, maybe you can perform wedding ceremonies?
Reverend Beat-Man: I saw the light when I was 29 years old. I wanted to jump from a bridge because life fucking sucked at the time, and I lost my voice. Then I saw the light and my life in front of me: the light told me to become a reverend and preach the Blues Trash, which is precisely what I did. Very simple.
Scene Point Blank: Are you familiar with the Canadian two-piece band The Leather Uppers?
Reverend Beat-Man: Yes, I know them, and they're a great band, but I've never played in Canada before. One day I will. I'm still young.
Scene Point Blank: Any parting thoughts on the current state of music, world politics, the world possibly blowing up, and what you hope to accomplish in the next 10 years.
Reverend Beat-Man: I'm focused on the music: rock n' roll is the only solution and answer here.
Thankfully, I can play shows again, and there's a new generation over here that makes amazing music. A lot is going on in Germany around the band Lassie. They're one of many new bands playing rock ‘n’ roll the way it needs to be played: wild, dangerous, and fast.
I can't stand politics and religion. Squares create those two things to make us all shut up and think the same way so they can have an easy life. We're queer, wild, anti-racist, anarchist, or whatever words you want to use that stand outside the system. They cannot get rid of us, and we're going to win; we're going to fuck those squares as no one else has done before.
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Check out the video for Smell My Tongue here, the "Du Hesch Cläss, Ig Bi Träsch" LP here,
