Bloodshot Pyramid

By Jessica Sinn
The University Star

Bloodshot Pyramid fueled the stage with death-metal riffs and pounding funk-rock beats Friday night at The Triple Crown.

A crowd of hard-rock fans filled The Triple Crown..s tight quarters to sample songs from Bloodshot Pyramid and Ethereal Architects. Bloodshot Pyramid has recently been formed by a cluster of musicians from various local bands and has already attracted a following in the San Marcos music scene.

Bloodshot Pyramid..s lead vocalist, Aron Williams, and bassist, Alan Houston, have decided to call it quits for their soon-to-be former band, Rebecca Creek. They plan to make Bloodshot Pyramid their No. 1 priority.

Houston, a business administration graduate student, said that leaving Rebecca Creek would allow him to free up more time to focus on practice and recording sessions for Bloodshot Pyramid.

..Now I can concentrate on one band and two practices a week instead of four,.. Houston said. ..It..s only going to get better and the music will be tighter...

Biology sophomore Jordan Pack said he..s been a loyal Rebecca Creek fan for many years and has mixed feelings about seeing them go.

..Aron and Alan are both good friends of mine. We went to high school together and I..ve been following Rebecca Creek..s music for a long time,.. Pack said. ..It..s sad that it..s over, but the band isn..t gone altogether because I get to see Aron and Alan play together for Bloodshot Pyramid...

Bloodshot Pyramid is currently working on a five-track EP still in the early stages of production. Guitarist Michael McLeod said the twelve-hour sessions at the recording studio can be grueling, but he believes that all the hard work will produce positive results.

..It..s going to sound really cool because we..re trying out a lot of new stuff in our recordings to create the best possible sounds, in terms of blaring guitars and harmonies,.. McLeod said.

Williams derives his ideas for song lyrics from his own life experiences. He doesn..t believe in spelling everything out for the listeners and strives to write music that leaves more to the imagination.

..I..ve always enjoyed bands that have very ambiguous lyrics .. but you still get the point .. and that..s the kind of style I..m taking on,.. Williams said. ..Instead of saying everything straight up, I try to come up with a more intelligent way of describing things...

McLeod, a Texas State alumnus, has trained in classical music. He said that the classical styles and techniques that he studied enabled him to enhance his skills as a rock guitarist.

..We do these cool little guitar interludes that I picked up from learning classical guitar. It..s really influenced a lot of what I write, but mostly I..m hard rock; that..s what I prefer to play,.. McLeod said.

This self-proclaimed straight-rock band is ready to expand its fan base by booking more shows at Austin venues. Despite minor bumps in the road, the band is determined to break into Austin..s music circuit.

..As of yesterday, we just booked our first shows in Austin,.. McLeod said. ..It..s our first time playing outside of San Marcos. We have to play pretty poor slots on Monday and Sunday, but we..re getting our foot in the door and that..s what counts...

Bloodshot Pyramid originally started out as a five-piece band. Now that the band has downsized to four members, it believes the kinks have been smoothed out and the music has taken a turn for the better. McLeod said that since they have dropped the fifth member, they have been more able to focus on what they do best: straight hard rock.

..His leaving the band really forced us to polish our sound and really tighten up,.. McLeod said. ..Without him, it..s more riff-driven, and we..ve been sounding a lot heavier...

In the meantime, the band is busy showcasing its new music in San Marcos. Drummer Elliot Mitchell said he enjoys playing for the friendly crowds of college students at local venues.
..The crowds are great, lots of people show up; we get a lot of drink tickets and people are cool,.. Mitchell said. - Texas State University Star- San Marcos

By Jessica Sinn
The University Star

Local music artists joined forces to create a brand new side-project, Bloodshot Pyramid.

Members from Rebecca Creek, Newborn Trance Conspiracy and Strong Rock have teamed up to mix Bloodshot Pyramid..s hybrid of modern jazz and riff-rock. Bloodshot Pyramid..s lead vocalist, Aron Williams, is also front man and guitarist for popular rock band Rebecca Creek. Williams took on this new side gig with Strong Rock and Newborn Trance Conspiracy guitarist Mike McLeod.

..Mike and I started talking about doing a side project, and it snowballed,.. Williams said. ..We..re still involved with other projects, and we..re trying to see how it rides out...

McLeod, Texas State alumnus and guitarist for Bloodshot Pyramid, said their heavy instrumentals and hard rock beats are inspired by popular rock bands such as Tool and ..old-school.. Red Hot Chili Peppers.

..Our music is straight rock. We try to bring rock .. the hardest .. to every show,.. McLeod said. ..I know it..s kind of generic to describe it as rock, but it..s really riff-driven with sweet solos and lots of energy...

Bloodshot Pyramid is only eight months old and has just started hitting local music venues. Band members have already established a steady following from their full-time gigs, which allows them to open for popular bands and book concerts at music hot spots in San Marcos.

..We already opened for the Burden Brothers,.. McLeod said. ..And we..ve been getting good slots on weekends at local venues because of our reputation with Rebecca Creek...

This four-man band is busy recording a five-song EP, which is to be completed in about three weeks. A Texas State sound recording senior and guitarist for Ethereal Architects, David Glass, was impressed by Bloodshot Pyramid..s music. Glass asked the band to be involved in his senior project and gave them recording time at Texas State..s Fire Station Studio.

McLeod believes Bloodshot Pyramid will win the crowd over with its powerful stage presence and a side of comic relief.

..We have a lot of fun on stage .. we like to get crazy with the crowd,.. McLeod said. ..You..ll love watching Aron .. he..s hilarious onstage. He makes us laugh in between songs...
Bloodshot Pyramid and Ethereal Architects will be performing at The Triple Crown San Marcos at 10 p.m. on Friday. - Texas State University Star- San Marcos