Beards and Berets and Botanica Oh My

by Ian Chrisafis

Heroes? Vikings? Rebel pride? While this amalgamation of things may seem at first glance to be the plot of a bad action movie, they are actually the subject of Brevard High’s newest garage band B³’s (read: B-cubed) newest album: Beards, Berets, Botanica.

new-dwarf-guy-with-leaves

B³ uses artistic and creative imagery in the cover for their newest album Beards, Berets, Botanica.

B³ was founded last year by juniors Nicholas Mihalas and Reed Dempsey, though the two original members have since added such legends as Ryu Park and Theo Holshouser.

B³’s genre is as convoluted as the messages in their songs, though Dempsey describes it as “electric Abraham Lincoln” while Mihalas chose the phrase “interpretive, artistic, inept punk.”

The duo drew inspiration for their debut album from various sources, but their main inspiration was the sixteenth US president.

“Well of course, you know, my main main Abraham Lincoln. Back from the dead,” said Mihalas. “Rush. Rush is my main inspiration, besides Abraham Lincoln,” said Mihalas, Dempsey nodding his head in agreement.

The group’s first album is already purchasable through Mihalas as either digital copies or physical CDs. B³ is also available for social events such as children’s birthday parties or funerals.

“It’s all groove though, so I can never guarantee it’ll be the same each time. Just keep coming back man,” said Mihalas.

Even with the numerous ways to sate B³’s fans, they will no doubt still be starved for fresh content from the band. To aid this, B³ is in the process of planning another album which will hopefully drop sometime around January.

This album will include all of the band’s current members, as well as possible appearances by such artists as Mack Attack.

The band is very confident in the quality of their music.

“Yeah I think [B³] is probably the peak of humanity, honestly,” said founder Mihalas.  

In all honesty, B³ does not quite reach the level of perfection they proclaim. However, they do bring an interesting new sound to the music scene with their humorous and eclectic style.

The lyrical style varies from each song, some having a very improvisational feeling while others feel almost practiced and incredibly deliberate.

In their ballad “Peace of Mind”, the sudden interruption of the main theme is unexpected, lulling the listener into a false sense of security before the lyrics barrage their ears.

Other songs do not try such trickery; rather, they smack one in the head instantly without the pomp and circumstance of a melody. “Metal Hero War Head” is one of these, going so far as to incorporate screams and ‘yee-haw’s into the music.

B³ is a fresh face in the music world, and it shows. They are unbridled by setbacks like conforming to societal norms or making music pleasing to the unprepared ear. Their music is unapologetic, as are the members themselves, unafraid to flaunt their difference to the world. And for this, we thank them.

, , ,

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Skip to toolbar