StankBot Tyranny
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StankBot Tyranny

Salt Lake City, Utah, United States | SELF

Salt Lake City, Utah, United States | SELF
Band Alternative Rock

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"Age Is Just a Number For Band"



By David Burger

The Salt Lake Tribune
Published Sep 8, 2010 04:18PM
Updated Oct 8, 2010 01:50PM

You could tell drummer Will Holle that he reminds you of Keith Moon, the late and legendary drummer of The Who. But he wouldn’t understand the reference.

It’s OK, though. Will is only 10.

Will is the preternaturally gifted drummer of the local punk-inspired power trio StankBot Tyranny. The band includes his older brother Ben Holle, 13, on the guitar, and friend Nick Anjewierden, 17, on bass. The band will perform this Saturday at the Avenues Street Fair.

While Will and Nick have been playing for years — first inspired by playing the video game “Guitar Hero” — the band has only been together since February. Since then, the boys devote nearly every spare moment of free time to rehearsing. The band performed in front of 400 people at Salt Lake City’s Mestizo Festival in July, as well as to a crowd of 600 people at the Utah County Fair in August.

Well — maybe not every spare moment is spent rehearsing. “They’ll play for a while, then play [video game] ‘Halo’ for a while, then play some more, and then go outside and shoot each other with [play] assault rifles,” said Kate Wheeler, mother of Will and Ben.

Nevertheless, the devotion to musical craft has drawn admiration from Nick and Ben’s guitar teacher, Salt Lake City’s Mathew Wennergren. “The thing that makes them unusual is their dedication,” he said. “You don’t see that too often at that age level.”

The trio are so intent on making it big that they have started creating rock characters. Will likes fake moustaches and always wears green pants onstage. Nick wears unmatched socks to perform — and also often offstage. Ben favors purple pants and makes sure people notice his braid, which he hasn’t cut in the six years since he first saw Jedi warriors wear Padawan braids.

Ashley Hoopes, of Salt Lake City, was so impressed with the band that she booked it to play her 9-year-old’s birthday party earlier this summer. “We were pretty blown away,” Hoopes said. “These kids were just as good as bands twice their age. It’s pretty incredible the hours they log [practicing] every day.”

Before the party, Hoopes’ son rarely practiced a guitar she had bought him. After the party, he has been inspired by seeing role models in the band’s kid musicians.

StankBot Tyranny was selected to perform at the Avenues Street Fair because the selection committee was impressed with the musicians’ talent, not just because they were young and unique, said Nichol Bordeaux, a member of the committee.

In some ways, the street fair performance is full circle for the family. Kate Wheeler met her husband, Jay, there back in 2002, when he was performing in a blues band. He’s now the producer of his boys’ band, while Kate serves as their manager.

StankBot Tyranny began in earnest in February, when Nick, a family friend, told Will and Ben’s father he was interested in playing the bass for the band. At the time, he had no musical training. Jay Wheeler assigned Nick a three-week deadline to learn the bass part of Iron Maiden’s “Run to the Hills,” the 17-year-old recalls. The next day, he returned and played most of the bass part of the song. He has barely stopped playing since.

Nick doesn’t mind playing in a band with a 13-year-old, much less a 10-year-old. “I don’t view it as a hierarchy,” he said. “We’re all equals. I don’t look down on them.”

It’s hard to look down on a drummer who plays like the late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham. Then again, Will likely doesn’t know who that is. - Salt Lake Tribune


"Age Is Just a Number For Band"

StankBot Tyranny was selected to perform at the Avenues Street Fair because the selection committee was impressed with the musicians’ talent, not just because they were young and unique, said Nichol Bordeaux, a member of the committee." - Salt Lake Tribune


Discography

Robots Rising 2011

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Bio

StankBot Tyranny was created February 11, 2010.

Brothers, Ben and Will Holle, were searching for a bass player that could match their intensity and drive. After searching for over a year they discovered Nick Anjewierden. Nick turned out to be the missing link necessary for the band to reach the next level.

The band is unusual and turns heads every time they play. Why? Because their amazing double kick drummer is a mere 10 years-old, the lead guitarist is amazing and only 13 and the bassist is the eldest of the group at the ripe age of 17.

SBT played their first show after 2 months of working together and haven't slowed down since. Their sound has been compared to the Ramones, Mudhoney, The Clash and Black Flag. StankBot combines their old school punk sound and clever lyrics to create a completely fresh and memorable sound that will keep you humming their songs long after you've stopped listening.

Set list currently includes 10 original songs and covers of bands such as White Stripes, Ramones and Nirvana. This band is the future and we are living in the future RIGHT NOW!

Rockers they want to meet some day:
Ben - Slash, Jack White, Jimmy Page, and wishes he could meet Jimi Hendrix

Will - Dave Mackintosh (drummer for Dragon Force), Lars Ulrich, Dave Grohl

Nick - John Paul Jones, Flea, Jack White