Behind the lens: Bang Camaro's video shoot

Photos by Tia, see lots more over here.

“I can’t believe we didn’t have a flying V when we started this band,” said Bang Camaro drummer Andy Dole, staring at the Middle East stage at the ungodly early hour of 10 am this past Saturday. He’s right: it’s not really a metal band without one. But Bang Camaro have got one now, and by Christ, those dudes are so metal. They’re also on a roll: for a band with only two gigs under their belt (and that’s counting a house party), they’ve got a shitload going on. They were at the Middle East to shoot a video with American Chopper director Adam Moyer for “Push Push (Lady Lightning),” the smash-hit mp3 they debuted at some music blog or other; camera crews were also in the building for a documentary; both a live and a studio album are in the works; and they’ve already landed a song in a video game. Ridiculosity like this tends to coagulate when you’ve formed a Boston supergroup to perform spot-on ’80s-styled flash metal anthems as sung by a chorus of 14 (count ‘em, 14) frontmen.

Gimmick? Well, sure, but it’s also pretty awe-inspiring. Especially ’cause it’s 14 dudes who go totally apeshit – it’s like having the equivalent of at least, oh, three or four Andrew WKs worth of nonsense all at once. For logistical reasons, the chorus and the band are rehearsed separately, and only come together for one or two full-ensemble practices before a gig. Already, the chorus has developed this weird groupthink identity of their own, independent of the musicians. “Those guys bro down hard,” said one member of the band, with equal parts amazement and rue. Because they’re together so infrequently, any time the chorus gathers in a room, they are apt to start singing. Between takes at Saturday’s video shoot, without cue, you can hear them break spontaneously into Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” Scorpions’ “Rock You Like A Hurricane,” Metallica’s “Seek and Destroy,” and, even long after the cameras stop rolling, their own “Lady Lightning.” You’ve never seen a dozen dudes so stoked to be singing their own song.

Tia and OTD dropped by, mostly to see what happens when you mix half the singers in town, some regressing-to-metalhead guitarists, a bunch of superfans, and beer at the Middle East before noon. The answer? Total mayhem: check the YouTubage below. And get psyched: Bang Camaro will be back and "Hellbent for Rock" at the ME down on September 1.

DOWNLOAD: Bang Camaro, "Push Push (Lady Lightning)" (mp3)