EMQ’s with BOMBSCARE

Hi everyone! Welcome to our new EMQ’s interview with Bakersfield, California based Thrash Metal band, Bombscare. Huge thanks to vocalist/bassist, Patrick Murphy, for taking part.

What is your name, what do you play, and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?

My name is Patrick Murphy, I’m the vocalist/bassist of the band. Myself and my brother/guitarist Tom founded the band the end of 2013. At first it was just a studio thing because we couldn’t find members. But we eventually got a drummer in 2015 and played as a 3 piece for a good while. We put out our first release “T-Minus…” in 2017 and did a small tour to support it. On the road we realized something was missing, so we brought in a second guitar player, and that solidified the line-up we have today. We put out an EP in March this year, titled “Bastions of Blood”, but due to the current state of things we can’t tour, so we’re just writing and doing behind the scenes stuff until we can get back on the road.

How did you come up with your band name?

I smoked some weed, sat on the couch, and tried to think of a cool band name, and Bombscare kept coming back to me. I did a quick internet search, and nothing came up at the time so that was that.

What Country/Region are you from and what is the Metal/Rock scene like there?

We’re based out of Bakersfield, Ca which is the lower mid part of the state. We’re about two hours north of LA. There isn’t much of a thrash metal scene here, it’s more of a hardcore thing here as far as heavy music goes. So, we play a lot of hardcore shows here, not that that’s a bad thing. I honestly prefer mixed genre gigs. But if we want to play with other thrash/death bands we usually have to travel.

What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)

Our latest release is an EP, “Bastions of Blood”. Our buddy Issac Sanchez (Trinity Sound Studios) did our tracking, and we were blessed with the opportunity to work with Bill Metoyer (Skull Seven Productions). The artwork is a colab of my friends Britton Shrum (New Wasteland Design) and Joe Ortega (Useless Artworks). The EP’s available on CD and all digital formats.

Who have been your greatest influences?

My favourite band is Forced Entry. They were based out of Seattle, Wa, and were active from 84-95. I first found out about them a little late (maybe 6 years ago), but when I first heard them, I was floored. They changed the way I go about making my own music. So, without Forced Entry, style wise, Bombscare would be a very different band.

What first got you into music?

Metallica and Iron Maiden made me love music. I got “Master of Puppets” and “Powerslave” as a kid and it was game over for me, that was it!

If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?

That’s a tough one. If I’m shooting for the top here, it would be an honour to do something with Exodus. But on a more achievable level, I would love to do something with my buddies in Paralysis or Intent.

If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?

Wacken. That’s self-explanatory.

What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?

This didn’t happen in Bombscare, but one time I signed this kid’s rotten ass shoe he was wearing. That was pretty messed up.

If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?

Thank you for being a fan. You have no idea how much any level of support is appreciated.

If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?

I wish they were all still here. It’s really hard to answer that one but I guess I’ll go with Cliff Burton. I love Newsted, but it would be really interesting to see what could have been, you know what I mean?

What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?

It’s the only thing that makes me happy. I live and breathe my music. Being on stage is my therapy, if you see us live, I think you would pick up on that pretty easily. I hate the business end of things. I handle pretty much all of it in the group and it kind of sucks the life out of you! But if you have aspirations in this game, it’s what you have to do.

If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?

I wish there was more artist development on the label/management end. It seems as though no one will touch you with a ten foot poll unless you’ve got huge numbers on social media, which is a crock of shit in my opinion, because anyone can just get numbers and it doesn’t equate to talent. I’d rather have a smaller number and it be all organic then having a large number that has no idea who you are. Social media is a blessing and a curse. But hey, what do I know?

Name one of your all-time favourite albums?

Here’s a few.
Forced Entry- “As Above, So Below”
Razor- “Shotgun Justice”
Solstice- “Solstice”
Forbidden- “Twisted Into Form”
Vio-Lence- “Oppressing The Masses”
Dark Angel- “Time Does Not Heal”
Demolition Hammer- “Tortured Existence”
Nuclear Assault- “Handle With Care”
Exhorder- “The Law”

What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?

I like CD’s best, but I know vinyl is super popular. I don’t get the cassette thing. I’m old enough to remember dealing with them. They suck and they break!

What’s the best gig that you have played to date?

Opening for Skeletal Remains was a lot of fun.

If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?

Exactly what I’m doing now. I’m a body piercer and a stagehand. I love both of my jobs.

Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?

I hate dinner parties. I’m pretty antisocial, kind of counter intuitive for being a frontman but it is what it is.

What’s next for the band?

With the whole Covid thing, all our plans for this year are shot. So, I guess all there is to do is write, demo, rehearse, and figure out what to do when concerts exist again. If we get the finances in order, I would love to buy on to a larger tour package.

What Social Media/Website links do you use to get your music out to people?

www.facebook.com/bombscareband
www.instagram.com/bombscareband

Our music is available at
bombscare.hearnow.com/

Jaffa Cakes! Are they a cake or a biscuit?

I had to look up what that was. I guess I would call it a cake, but the term biscuit has different meanings in the US and UK, so I guess it could go either way.

Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?

Thank you for the interview and thank you to everyone that reads this. Bombscare is:

Patrick Murphy: vocals/bass
Tom Murphy: guitar
Gar Flores: guitar
Fernando “Nano” Villagran: drums