BENEATH THE SKIN - Deep Riffs From The Missouri Dirt ! (Usa - Doom/Sludge/Stoner - Interview with Mike Riley).

Hello ! Can you introduce yourself and tell me about the band... How you met - the current line-up - past experiences - and above all - WHY the need to form THIS band? 
I'm Mike Riley (vocals).  I met Russell (guitar) in 2022 when I finally decided to give music another shot. We had a band for a few months but it fell apart. Fast-forward to May 2023. I reached out to Russell again. Russell actually steered us toward the big fuzzy sound we have. We had 2 practices with my daughter keeping a beat for us in my garage. For our 3rd practice, my wife's cousin Jimmy (drums) came to hang out and we had him sit at the kit. He had never touched a drumstick in his life, but an hour later, Headcase had been written and somehow, we found our drummer. His entire drumming history has existed within the confines of BTS. We continued with it for a few months... writing Robotic Zombies, Hard Knocks, and Wasteland. Eventually we found a bass player who understood the vibe, and with him, we wrote "Pay Up," which completed the EP. We did about 5 shows with that bass player, but in April 2024, we brought Josh on.  Josh (bass) and I have known each other since the 90's when we were raided by the swat team in Belton Mo on the 4th of July (95?) We were in a few bands together back then. I walked away from music for about 20 years to get my meth addiction under control and raise my kids. The Pay Up EP deals with overcoming addiction and emerging on the other side. With Josh, we played like 15 shows during the 24 show season while writing furiously. That winter we recorded the Pay Up EP. We played another aggressive season in 25 while continuing to write this self titled album which we just released.


 
Describe your sound and explain why I should listen to YOUR band at all cost ?
Our sound is thick and visceral... we pace it so that every note can breath. Our entire thing is self reflection, self growth, and self accountablity. Our name nods to the fact that there's always something below the surface; you just gotta look for it. You can't grow unless you peel back the layers to get to the truth of the issue, which requires honesty of self.
 
Lyrical and musical inspirations/influences ? How important are the lyrics for you ? Are there any specific messages or thoughts you try to develop and share through your lyrics ? 
"Pay Up" is about getting clean and rising from the ashes of a wasted life. "Beneath The Skin" covers everyday struggles we all experience, from walking around the world and seeing people in general for who they are to laying in bed wide awake overthinking everything to political corruption and media manipulation. Our shit lays you wide open if you let it... We are all in this shit together and understanding yourself as well as other humans is the way thru it.


 
Your most insane dream with the band would be ?
Our "top of the mountain" aspirations would be to land a show with the likes of Acid Bath, Down, CoC, Crowbar and other big boys in our arena... getting paid to play some big festival would be amazing!
 
Your BEST & WORST concert - as a band - and why ? 
Our best shows are in small places packed with the BTS army where people are singing along... our recent album release was a perfect example of that. Razor Edge Productions Photography actually filmed the video for "Internal" at that show!

 
 
Next live-appearance(s) ?
As of the time of this interview, we are preparing for a show with the legendary crossover thrash band, D.R.I. This is huge to me personally, as DRI is in my top 10 all-time favorites, given my strong punk rock background.
 
Some words on your local scene - bands you're friends with and you'd like to name ? 
Kansas City's local scene is really a big family; it isn't always perfect, but what family is? You would be hard pressed to NOT find musicians from like 5 other bands at any given show. 
There are bands like My Waking Dream, Gurney, Buzzard Fight, Drek, The Stacys, The Hard Margerets, Endrid, BLVCKLIGHT, Copper Still, Stone Eagle, and so many others full of amazing people... We are truly fortunate for the community we have!