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| Photo by Fahmi Ramdhani |
There is a rumble on the horizon. The scent of blood in the air. A piercing shriek of distortions splits the clouds, and the hammer of the gods comes crashing down- splitting the Earth. Out of this molten wound rises a man with a vision, a plan, a prerogative, and the pig-headed will to see it through. Hero to some and the bain of poseurs everywhere, Andresa Nugraha is chief warlord of the Indonesian garage rock group The Battlebeats- a brashly, unhinged rabble of sonic vandals that mostly consists of... well, Andresa and anyone who he can haul out of the local landfill or the police drunk tank with the wherewithal to hold down a tune (notably, this edgy entourage DOES NOT include a bass player... don't ask). Earlier this year, The Battlebeats redoubled their assault on the world of propriety and good taste with their second LP, Meet Your Maker, a twelve-track takedown of losers, lunkheads, and lubbers too shiftless to hail the dauntless reign of rock and/or roll! It's a tribute to a flagging legacy of international garage rock, as well as an updated reimagining and recasting of familiar idioms armored in black leather, baptized in the jungle heat, and focused through the amber shade of a modish pair of sunglasses, cracked from the relentless combination of reverberations cast off a wall of speakers and the relentless headbanging that such ruckus wavelengths inspire. Live by the axe, die by the axe- die by the axe, live forever. Get ready to meet your (music) maker!
The following interview was conducted over email. I have literally only changed one word of Andresa's responses, and it was merely to make it more grammatical. The purity of his purpose really shines through in his answers and I wouldn't want to do anything to mute the clarity with which he speaks. Enjoy!
Who does the current Battlebeats lineup consist of?
The current lineup that backs me up for live performance are me, Andresa (guitar, vox), Obi (drums) and Dwey (guitar). I met Obi in some show where we played with our old band years before I formed this project. I really like the way he played the drums, so I asked him to be my drummer in 2021 and he’s been stuck with me ever since. He also has his own solo project, Defectum. Dwey joined the band as a guitar player in mid-2023. He’s in so many bands but currently active in a thrash metal band, Brigade of Crow and post-punk band, Succubus. I think this is the most solid lineup since Battlebeats existed. The band’s been through so many changes. The band has two drummers, and four guitar players so far.
I noticed that your sunglasses on the cover of Meet Your Maker are curved, sort of like the ones Dolflamingo wears. Was this intentional, or is it just a coincidence?
I can’t remember where I got the references for that one. But every time I draw the sunglasses are never the same from one and another. There’s a pointy one that was inspired by Kamina (Gurren Lagann) and the other one just straight from the glasses that I usually wear.
What kind of label support do you have for Meet Your Maker, and how did you work out the details for distribution?
Meet Your Maker was released on a 12” by garage punk label Sweet Time Records from Nashville, Tennessee. Ryan Sweeney, the label honcho, I knew him for the first time from the video of Jay Reatard’s last show on Youtube. Soon I learned he was Cheap Time’s drummer, too. Long story short, we got to know each other from the internet then he offered me to put something out on his label, I didn't even think twice, I accepted his offer because I really like all the music he puts out. At first, I was thinking of putting out like a 7” or something instead of a full-length. All the detail for distribution I let him do the job, he knows best what he does since I also know ST have many distributors across the continent.
You work a lot with independent international labels. What are some of the upsides and downsides or working with labels like these?
One of the upsides are you get your music out there physically and get new listeners across the country who know their stuff. These guys have been super easy to work together with. They don’t even know me in person and they’re on it 100% for the music. The only downsides are there is no money in it, they only gave me a fair share of physical stuff, but I don’t complain since most of these labels I work with are one-man operation businesses.
What is the significance of the title track off of Meet Your Maker, and why is your most recent album named after it?
I came up with a bunch of titles for the LP but ended up using Meet Your Maker. The reason is simple because I really like the song the most. It’s about telling someone I hate to fuck off and die. It sounds so medieval, and stupid. I’m just joking around. I’ve never heard any native English speaker say these words in these modern times. Can you imagine telling people to fuck off by saying “Go meet your maker, assholes!” with two middle fingers in their face. It’ll be freakin’ hilarious.
When did you start work on Meet Your Maker? Or, rather, how long has the album been in the works?
It took like a year or so. Probably it’s in the works after I recorded the series of 7” singles in 2022. I don’t remember it well because I never try to stop writing songs even after I put out something.
Your previous recordings have famously been done on the fly. Did you have a different approach to Meet Your Maker, or were you writing and recording when you had the money and/or time as you have with previous releases?
I still don’t have the money until today tho. Hahaha. The only different approach is I’ve used many different cheap gears to record things because I don’t want it to sound the same as my previous releases.
I noticed that you're going in a much more straightforward garage rock direction with Meet Your Maker and have dropped some of the blues and balladry of your past releases. Why did you decide to streamline things a bit more for this release?
Everything was probably depending on what I listened to during the making of something. I listened to a lot of Tokyo Electron and Jet Boys when I did songs on Meet Your Maker. Even each song in this record has its own references. You know, I used to listen to a lot of 60s garage music and Chuck Berry during the making of my first LP, Search And Destroy. Maybe that’s why there’s a lot of blues and balladry references on that one. I just stole their old riffs and played them faster the way 70s punk used to do.
What is the pace of your songwriting at the moment? About how many songs do you write a day/week/month/etc..?
Whenever I got the vibes, I could write more than five songs in a day, sometimes I don’t write at all for months. You what? I haven’t written any new songs for Battlebeats this year. But I’ve written like 12 new songs right after I recorded Meet Your Maker tho. I’ve been having a hard time writing songs lately. The demos are all on my computer, some have finished, and some don’t have lyrics on it. I haven’t touched it again, no energy to finish ‘em.
How many songs do you end up throwing out or not using, and what makes the difference between a keeper and one that ends up in the trash?
I guess I have a bunch of songs that ended up in the trash. Sometimes I abandon that one song that is almost 50% complete, wishing I can get inspired to finish it tomorrow and then after a 10 minutes break, I write another song and finish ‘em in 5 minutes. Everything depends on my mood at the time I wrote it. I even came up with a cool riff or a singing part which I thought it would make a great song, But I think I’ve heard the riff somewhere and then I opened the voice note recording on my phone and it was the riff I’ve written and thrown away back years ago, because I thought it sounds like shit Back then. Haha.
The current lineup that backs me up for live performance are me, Andresa (guitar, vox), Obi (drums) and Dwey (guitar). I met Obi in some show where we played with our old band years before I formed this project. I really like the way he played the drums, so I asked him to be my drummer in 2021 and he’s been stuck with me ever since. He also has his own solo project, Defectum. Dwey joined the band as a guitar player in mid-2023. He’s in so many bands but currently active in a thrash metal band, Brigade of Crow and post-punk band, Succubus. I think this is the most solid lineup since Battlebeats existed. The band’s been through so many changes. The band has two drummers, and four guitar players so far.
I noticed that your sunglasses on the cover of Meet Your Maker are curved, sort of like the ones Dolflamingo wears. Was this intentional, or is it just a coincidence?
I can’t remember where I got the references for that one. But every time I draw the sunglasses are never the same from one and another. There’s a pointy one that was inspired by Kamina (Gurren Lagann) and the other one just straight from the glasses that I usually wear.
What kind of label support do you have for Meet Your Maker, and how did you work out the details for distribution?
Meet Your Maker was released on a 12” by garage punk label Sweet Time Records from Nashville, Tennessee. Ryan Sweeney, the label honcho, I knew him for the first time from the video of Jay Reatard’s last show on Youtube. Soon I learned he was Cheap Time’s drummer, too. Long story short, we got to know each other from the internet then he offered me to put something out on his label, I didn't even think twice, I accepted his offer because I really like all the music he puts out. At first, I was thinking of putting out like a 7” or something instead of a full-length. All the detail for distribution I let him do the job, he knows best what he does since I also know ST have many distributors across the continent.
You work a lot with independent international labels. What are some of the upsides and downsides or working with labels like these?
One of the upsides are you get your music out there physically and get new listeners across the country who know their stuff. These guys have been super easy to work together with. They don’t even know me in person and they’re on it 100% for the music. The only downsides are there is no money in it, they only gave me a fair share of physical stuff, but I don’t complain since most of these labels I work with are one-man operation businesses.
What is the significance of the title track off of Meet Your Maker, and why is your most recent album named after it?
I came up with a bunch of titles for the LP but ended up using Meet Your Maker. The reason is simple because I really like the song the most. It’s about telling someone I hate to fuck off and die. It sounds so medieval, and stupid. I’m just joking around. I’ve never heard any native English speaker say these words in these modern times. Can you imagine telling people to fuck off by saying “Go meet your maker, assholes!” with two middle fingers in their face. It’ll be freakin’ hilarious.
When did you start work on Meet Your Maker? Or, rather, how long has the album been in the works?
It took like a year or so. Probably it’s in the works after I recorded the series of 7” singles in 2022. I don’t remember it well because I never try to stop writing songs even after I put out something.
Your previous recordings have famously been done on the fly. Did you have a different approach to Meet Your Maker, or were you writing and recording when you had the money and/or time as you have with previous releases?
I still don’t have the money until today tho. Hahaha. The only different approach is I’ve used many different cheap gears to record things because I don’t want it to sound the same as my previous releases.
I noticed that you're going in a much more straightforward garage rock direction with Meet Your Maker and have dropped some of the blues and balladry of your past releases. Why did you decide to streamline things a bit more for this release?
Everything was probably depending on what I listened to during the making of something. I listened to a lot of Tokyo Electron and Jet Boys when I did songs on Meet Your Maker. Even each song in this record has its own references. You know, I used to listen to a lot of 60s garage music and Chuck Berry during the making of my first LP, Search And Destroy. Maybe that’s why there’s a lot of blues and balladry references on that one. I just stole their old riffs and played them faster the way 70s punk used to do.
What is the pace of your songwriting at the moment? About how many songs do you write a day/week/month/etc..?
Whenever I got the vibes, I could write more than five songs in a day, sometimes I don’t write at all for months. You what? I haven’t written any new songs for Battlebeats this year. But I’ve written like 12 new songs right after I recorded Meet Your Maker tho. I’ve been having a hard time writing songs lately. The demos are all on my computer, some have finished, and some don’t have lyrics on it. I haven’t touched it again, no energy to finish ‘em.
How many songs do you end up throwing out or not using, and what makes the difference between a keeper and one that ends up in the trash?
I guess I have a bunch of songs that ended up in the trash. Sometimes I abandon that one song that is almost 50% complete, wishing I can get inspired to finish it tomorrow and then after a 10 minutes break, I write another song and finish ‘em in 5 minutes. Everything depends on my mood at the time I wrote it. I even came up with a cool riff or a singing part which I thought it would make a great song, But I think I’ve heard the riff somewhere and then I opened the voice note recording on my phone and it was the riff I’ve written and thrown away back years ago, because I thought it sounds like shit Back then. Haha.
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| Photo by Ardita Putri |
What is the garage rock scene like by you? Are a lot of people into Oblivians and The Gories, or what are they listening to and being inspired by?
In Indonesia specifically, there is no such thing like “garage rock” scene as far as I know, it never gets popular during its peak. Even when Battlebeats came out, everyone seemed confused because we sound different. I always feel like the music is too rock ‘n’ roll for the punk scene, but too punk for the rock ‘n’ roll scene. That’s why my main focus is to put out records overseas. I’m too tired to explain why I don’t have a bass player or why all of us wear sunglasses.
I believe most people here always rely on mainstream media when it comes to exposure to new things, especially when 2000s garage rock revival was on the surface. Some bands I know were inspired by Jack White/White Stripes, The Strokes or The Libertines. I’m not sure if those people are even listening to Oblivians, The Gories or any 90s garage rock bands. Not many people like to dig stuff deeper on the internet. It takes a special talent to even google something obscure 10 years ago.
Is there still a pretty strong Ramones cult in your part of the world? They always had a strong international following and I've always been curious how they were received in your neck of the woods.
We used to have a lot of Ramones-y punk bands but the one that’s still active and also my favorite band is The Sneakers from Bali. They are a mix between other US Ramones-influenced punk bands like The Queers and Screeching Weasel. Eko, the guitar player/singer, plays all the songs in downstrokes like Johnny Ramone. I never met any person as determined as him. Everyone should check out their Sneakers Freak EP. It’s on my top 5 best Indonesian punk EP list.
Have you been doing much touring lately, and if so, how has it been going?
I just did my first Japan tour in May this year. 5 days, 4 cities (Kyoto, Osaka, Chiba, Tokyo). I can’t bring my usual backing band due to financial issues, so I asked Greg (Supersnazz, Teengenerate) to play drums. I saw him from Teengenerate’s Get Action documentary in 2013 or 2014 on Youtube. I was in my early 20s who just got into garage rock at that time, thinking of having him in my band. I don’t know how, but we manage to get to know each other years later, fortunately he happens to like Battlebeats as well. He agreed to help me out and he told me that his old bandmate, Miyagi (Supersnazz, Texaco Leather Man) is gonna be a great addition to the band. So, we asked Miyagi to join as my guitar player. We only rehearsed two times before the tour started and we did great like we’ve been in a band for a long time.
What was the best date you had on your last tour? Who did you play with/ where was it/ what made it awesome?
The last show in Club Heavy Sick, Tokyo was the best one. I got to play with all my favorite bands like Firestarter, Jet Boys and Angel Face. The show was on Sunday, and the venue was packed with people. It’s perfect. I heard Firestarter and Jet Boys rarely play together but they were there that day. Finally witnessing Onoching (Jet Boys) get naked and shredding radish. I was crying when Firestarter played “Trashy Dreams” because it was so good live! At the end of Battlebeats set, we did an encore playing Teengenerate’s “Dressed in Black” with Fink singing. What a perfect way to end the tour.
Where are your favorite places in the world to tour?
For now, Japan. I love the food and people. I’d love to go back there. I haven’t got a chance to go on tour elsewhere, but I wish to play in the United States one day.
What are your favorite places to play at by you?
Anywhere else in a small city where sometimes only a handful of people come. Interesting and weird stories always come from this kinda place.
Do you ever have issues with people being jealous of you? How do you deal with their envy?
I don’t know for sure, but I think there are one or two or three people who seem jealous of what I achieve in life. I don’t have time to deal with these pathetic losers; I’m just gonna sit around watching ‘em fall in life. Let's see who laughs last.
What is the best compliment you've ever received about your music?
“Battlebeats are the future!” – Eric Friedl of Goner Records/Oblivians.
What is the dumbest thing anyone has said about your band?
I don’t remember if anyone ever said the dumbest thing about the band, but there’s someone who commented on my song “Killed by Boredom” in YT. He/she said it sounds like Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Bop”. Out of 8.1 billion humans on earth, that person is the most stupid of ‘em all.
What's next for Battlebeats?
I don’t know, maybe put out another record, go on touring, or do nothing at all. Let’s see what the future holds for Battlebeats.
When are you going to open for Guitar Wolf?
Wait. I’ll send Seiji a message to invite Battlebeats to play in Shimane Jet Fest 2025.*
*Editors Comment: It's really going to be Seiji's loss if this doesn't pan out.
