Fantastic Beatle Boycott is an American electronicore band led by WN and Code Z frontman Slimeo. It was founded in 2008. The band is currently signed to Reprise Records, Frontiers Music Srl, EVOLVE Records, L.I.E.S. (Long Island Electrical Systems), Astralwerks, and Nothing Records (Revival by EVOLVE Records).
History[]
Formation: 2008-2010[]
In 2008, Slimeo announced he was starting a electronicore project with Ulises Tobar. They signed deals with Frontiers Records, EMI, American Recordings, Metal Blade Records, and Astralwerks in preparation for the project's debut album.
The website was launched in April 2008 with a splash screen showing the band's official logo along with the Frontiers, EMI, American, Metal Blade, and Astralwerks logos on the bottom, and the text "Metal and EDM collide under the eyes of Slimeo". According to Slimeo, he got the name from a Beatles documentary, which, at one point, showed footage showing two DJs from WACI Birmingham announcing "Our fantastic Beatle boycott is still in effect."
Their first album, Mothersbaugh, was released in March 2009 on the aforementioned labels. Recording for the album took place in August 2008 at Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas. During recording, Ulises tried out the Ampeg BA115V2 1x15 Bass Combo Amplifier and was satisfied with the tone it gave his basses.
Fantastic Beatle Boycott had their live show debut in July 2009 at Wacken Open Air in Germany, followed by a 28-date tour of Europe, starting in Sweden at the Ericsson Globe and ending in Russia at the Olimpiyskiy arena. Another 5-date tour of Europe followed that one, starting in Denmark at the Kildeskovshallen and ending in the United Kingdom at National Indoor Arena.
"Sagwa": 2011-2013[]
Fantastic Beatle Boycott went into Avatar Studios in New York City to record the basic tracks for their new album, Sagwa. The vocals were recorded at Manhattan Center Studios and the album was mixed at DuArt Film and Video. The album was described as a mix between glam metal and electronicore.
The song "Apartheid My A**" from Sagwa drew controversy for making fun of the Israel and the apartheid analogy and pro-Palestinian groups such as Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) and the International Solidarity Movement (ISM). Slimeo tends to portray the ISM as a religion to poke more fun at. Nevetherless, it became a hit on rock and variety stations and got a Grammy nomination.
Fantastic Beatle Boycott signed deals with Reprise Records, Psychopathic Records, L.I.E.S. (Long Island Electrical Systems), Capitol Records, and Fat Wreck Chords to replace their EMI deal after that label shut down in 2013.
"Fonda" and remix album: 2013-2017[]
Fonda, their third studio album, was released in August 2013, and had basic tracks recorded at Dreamland Recording Studios in Hurley, New York with vocals recorded at Watchmen Recording Studios in Lockport, New York and with additional songs recorded and mixing done at GCR Audio in Buffalo, New York. The album's first track and lead single, "Loss", opens with turntablist Crystal Stainton screaming in sadness, which was recorded so she could express her feelings about losing her biological grandmother, Shelly, and to add scare vibes to the album.
During their Fonda album tour, Complex interviewed the Slimeo and Ulises Tobar about what they have in store for the project's future. Slimeo stated he wanted to do a remix album of an FBB album.
In 2017, after their Blackstar Festival performance and the upcoming remix album announcement, the band signed to Slimeo's label, EVOLVE Records and the label's division with Interscope, Nothing Records. They also resigned to Astralwerks and Frontiers Music Srl. They released a new single, "Liz You B*tch", on September 30, which is a diss track towards Liz Phipps Soeiro, a Massachusetts librarian who very publicly rejected Melania Trump’s gift of 10 Dr. Seuss books for being racist to her. The single, despite its subject matter, hit #2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In July, the band released a new version of Brace For Impact entitled, "Brace For Impact (Tragic)" to honor Chester Bennington after his death. Slimeo put up a statement on Twitter the day before the single's release saying that he "didn't expect this happen and it came from out of nowhere".
I'll be blunt, the news of Chester's death was shocking and it came out of nowhere. So, I've been thinking and me and the members of FBb decided that the best way to honor him is to pay tribute. We have created a new version of Brace For Impact from our 2008 album, Mothersbaugh. Unlike our sound now, We took a mellow and epic approach, minimized the growling and screaming and it's heavy sound, and some new vocals done by me.
A remix album of Fonda entitled EXfonda was released on October 27, 2017.
Breakthru (2018-present)[]
Slimeo revealed in August 2018 that he was working on a new FBB album for Capitol Records, EVOLVE, and Astralwerks and were in the process of recording the album at Capitol Studios in Hollywood, California. He also revealed that the new album would mark a transition of their sound as they decided to go towards a different direction with their album.
TBA!
Members[]
- Slimeo - clean vocals, rhythm guitar
- Ulises Tobar - bass guitar, unclean vocals
- Rebecca Stainton - lead and rhythm guitar
- Israel Stainton - alto and bass saxophone, samples, MIDI programming
- Jake Wrzesiński - lead and rhythm guitar, keyboards, MIDI programming
- Margaret Stainton - keytar (red Yahama KX1 MIDI controller hooked up to Yahama DX7), Audacity and Anvil Studio on RCA Cambio Windows 10 tablet-computer, digital audio workstation
- Crystal Stainton - turntables, keyboards, Arduinoboy (hooked up to silver Game Boy Light and ROLI Seaboard), electric guitar
- Scott Wrzesiński - custom percussion
- Growltiger Jones - custom percussion
- Ernie Vienna - drums, percussion, custom percussion
- Kendall Stainton - drums, percussion, custom percussion