11:83 Q&A: GargachiX, Dr. B. Bodacious, and Ryan Nitrous
Q: What inspired the lore of your band?
Ryan Nitrous, Lead Singer: I met GargachiX through Craigslist and he really helped me to put it all together. I mean, he's like the master, you know, behind the curtain.
GargachiX, Lead Guitarist: The “lore” is based on some life experiences, I suppose you can say. There's actually a whole documentary episode about this exact thing and how Ryan Nitrous and GargachiX met. There's a video on our YouTube channel and it kind of documents that whole process.
Q: I was reading that there’s some beef between your crew and General Diaz. Apparently, he betrayed you and your mission as 11:83 is to defeat him one punk rock song at a time. So if you defeat him, what's next for 11:83?
GargachiX: I didn’t know we were starting with the hard-hitting questions. Well, I would say that there are always threats against people that want to strive for something. So I would say whatever the next challenge is, we will take care of it as a group. That is how you solve most of your problems. You come together and you work on a goal.
Dr. B. Bodacious, Bassist: I think there's always going to be that common enemy everywhere, you know, battling music and people's enjoyment of music. So that would be our main goal is to rid the world of the people who want to keep beautiful music from everyone else. Just let everybody enjoy what music they enjoy.
Q: So do your songs allude to the mythic adventures of your crew? Is there a story conceptually with each song and album that you put out?
Ryan Nitrous: Sort of… yes and no. So like previously, some songs tie into each other but others don't. The new album that we're working on it looks like it's probably going to be a compilation album. So the songs are going to be about certain people and topics and they’re going to tie into each other. We’re really excited.
GargachiX: Oftentimes, we'll take a topic that is common to write about and we'll tie it to different parts of our lore. We try to write from a unique perspective, but we still want to write things with relatability.
Dr. B. Bodacious: For some songs, we try to write more vague lyrics. Not in every song but most songs and I think that helps the audience be able to connect with our music. Nothing really out of the ordinary there. I think a lot of people do that. That's something we tried to do just so the meaning of the songs is more ambiguous.
Q: From my research, you released your first EP Captain Cannonball in 2018. Has this been the same group since 2018? Have you lost members, gained members or has it just been you guys this whole time?
Ryan Nitrous: Once upon a time, there was this kid existing in 2017. He released his first EP back in like the good old college years. He decided later on that he wanted to switch labels. In order to switch a label, you have to take your codes and switch them to the next label. That was in 2018 when I switched to a different label. After that, I moved two galaxies over and met GargachiX. We started getting more members and then writing the good stuff.
Q: It's really nice to hear growth because a lot of bands that I've talked to are generally new. How would you say that you've grown musically together?
Dr. B. Bodacious: Yeah, we’ve grown quite a bit actually. So the songwriting process has become a lot more streamlined and smooth for all of us. We're getting more comfortable with each other and know what to expect from each other in the songwriting process. I think the songs are only getting better and better. The more songs we write the more the next album is going to be bigger and better. We're trying to push the boundaries a little bit with some soundscapes we are trying some other things.
GargachiX: The goal has always been to be a pop-punk band at its foundation. Since we all have different influences and different backgrounds in our music, we like to take all of that and start layering that on top of each other.
Q: Do you guys collaborate during the production process or is it really just you that's doing all the mixing and the mastering and stuff?
Dr. B. Bodacious: As far as the mixing and mastering that's pretty much just all me. When it comes to songwriting and actually composing the track, that's normally GargachiX. Once we have a solid demo, we’ll get Ryan to give his opinion on stuff and then make changes from there.
Ryan Nitrous: I gotta tell you, it makes life a lot easier.
GargachiX: I think that's one of the things that a lot of bands need to focus on because figuring out your process makes things come together faster. Once you know “this is how you make a song together” it makes everything smoother.
Q: Who are your inspirations?
Dr. B. Bodacious: Blink-182 is, of course, one of the band’s biggest influences. For me, Neck Deep, State Champs, Mayday Parade, Taking Back Sunday, and A Day to Remember. You know all of this is coming back from my early days as a young wizard. I really like metal too. I listen to a lot of pop-punk. I listen to a lot of that early 2000s stuff.
Ryan Nitrous: My inspirations are pretty much everything he said plus Green Day. Green Day is my favorite band. Anyone who really knows me knows that. I grew up listening to that band. I had their posters on my wall.
GargachiX: I would say my number one influence and favorite band since I was in middle school is Blink-182. That's easy hands down. I love Green Day, but I also really love old 80s punk like the Ramones, Bad Brains, Black Flag, etc. I also really love classic rock bands like Van Halen. You can hear a lot of that classic rock stuff come through and some of the solos and lead parts.
Q: I’ve been to a few of your shows! You guys have such a great stage presence. Did it take a long time for you to get used to bringing that kind of energy or did it come naturally for you guys?
Ryan Nitrous: That's a great question. Before I started gigging, I had always pondered the idea of being on stage because anything could happen- the mic is hot. I’ve learned that once I get through that first song everything starts to flow. I like to take inspiration from Freddie Mercury or Billy Joe who do a lot of shouting and get a lot of crowd involvement.
GargachiX: We want the audience to be part of the show. We want them to have fun and feel the same energy that we have. It also comes pretty naturally to me. It's so fun to be onstage. I will say a lot of practice and rehearsal of the setlist makes me feel more comfortable on stage. Our first couple of shows were a little nerve-wracking just because we didn't have all of the backlog of rehearsal time under our belt. Rehearsing the songs and constantly keeping these songs fresh really helps make the live performance a lot more comfortable.
Q: What has been your favorite show experience?
Dr. B. Bodacious: James Dolly's house. That party will forever be the top show for me. It was the first we played as a band, I think? When we played it was just like one of those magical experiences. It was for sure a wow moment for me.
GargachiX: Yeah, I just remember thinking, these people are actually enjoying our stuff and having a fun time. It was cool.
Ryan Nitrous: We were in a backyard with at least 30 people. Everyone was just crowding that little stage. It was so tight whenever one person would move, the whole crowd would kind of sway back and forth.
Dr. B. Bodacious: It was a really surreal moment. I think it was the first time we got to experience people listening to our music and getting involved with it instead of just playing to a room of 10 people. We’ve played those shows and they're fun but to have the crowd interaction takes the cake.
“Keeping us safe with epic pop-punk songs written with an intergalactic flair. A truly one-of-a-kind band with incredible creativity. The unspoken heroes of our galaxy: 11:83.
-BlueGirlHours
