Bone Wars
In this interview, Abi Unsworth sits down with the members of Bone Wars—Sully Evans, Leo Brazil, Steven Beever, and Ben Wallbanks—to dig into the prehistoric roots of their “gnarly and hypnotic” sound. From orchestral violins and keytars with tiger feet to a shared obsession with potent psychedelia, the band discusses how a binge-watch of prehistoric podcasts evolved into a full-blown musical concept. Whether they are debating which dinosaur has the best thumb for slap bass or warning listeners not to struggle against the “oozy tar” of their latest track, Bone Wars reveals how they use long instrumental improvisations to paint vivid, ancient pictures in the modern imagination.
Have you all always been involved in the same music genre?
Sully Evans (bass): I come from a jazz and funk background so this is a welcome lurch sideways! I’m loving the chance to get more gnarly and hypnotic with my playing.
Leo Brazil (guitar/vocals): After playing violin in orchestras as a kid, I got into playing guitar and blues with heavy Hendrix flavours. Over the years I’ve become more acoustic and songwriting focussed. Bone Wars has reawakened my love of potent psychedelia.
Steven Beever (keyboards): I began playing rock and funk rock. I had a 60-foot lead to run into the audience with my keytar dressed as a doctor with a lamp on my head, leggings and tiger feet.
Ben Wallbanks (drums): I’ve always been a rock drummer, being described as “stadium dummer” by my first band, not from any sort of prowess or talent, just because I was so loud.
Did you form the band with dinosaurs in mind, or did that theme come along later?
Leo: we started out jamming on a few riffs I had unearthed. I had binged a prehistoric podcast, so our first song ended up being inspired by Richard Owen who coined the word dinosaur. I wrote a long list of prehistoric themed song titles in a few minutes, so it seemed to be fruitful area of inspiration!
What’s an album that’s in your top 3 albums of all time?
Leo: Forever Changes by Love, I saw Arthur Lee play it live with strings and horns a few times. The songs are very unique and inspiring.
Sully: Erykah Badu Live – the coolest gig with the coolest band
Ben: PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation By King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. It also has one of the best album titles of all time.
Beeves: The Peddlers live in London.
What would you want to say to somebody who is just about to listen to Tar Pits for the first time?
Leo: Kick back and try to relax. Don’t struggle or the rich oozy tar will just suck you in further.
Beeves: Don’t judge us.
What are each of your favourite dinosaurs, and would that dinosaur play the same instrument as you do?
Leo: The tufted duck. It blows my mind that like all birds they are technically dinosaurs. I chose that bird as I’ve a fondness for them but that’s another story! Everybody knows ducks play the French horn.
Ben: My fave dino is a pterodactyl because of the silent P, but they’d be useless at drums.
Sully: It’d have to be iguanadon! They were first discovered in my neck of the woods (Sussex) and have the ideal thumb for slap bass!
Beeves: Stegosaurus… a big clump on end of tail for smashing things, I don’t think they’re dextrous enough for keyboards though!
What draws you towards music as a tool for storytelling?
Leo: I love writing lyrics but music has the power to inspire the imagination. Bone Wars lean into long instrumental passages and we love to improvise. I remember as a kid listening to bands like The Grateful Dead and Television and just closing my eyes and letting the music inspire pictures in my head. I think it’s kind of appropriate music for dinosaurs when there’s so much about them that we can only imagine.
