Bengaluru wouldn’t want Steven Tyler to persuade Boston rock band, Excessive, to play their well-known acoustic ballad, ‘Extra Than Phrases’ at Bandland 2024. Written by vocalist Gary Cherone and lead guitarist Nuno Bettencourt, the band needed to battle their music label to launch ‘Extra Than Phrases’ as a single. Upon launch, the music, on Excessive’s second album, Pornograffitti (1990), zoomed to primary and received the band worldwide recognition.

After a degree, as Excessive started to be known as the ‘Greater than Phrases’ guys, the band, in keeping with Cherone, started to resent the music. Apparently when Excessive was touring with Aerosmith in Poland, they determined to not play the music, main an exasperated Tyler to put in writing “play the (expletive) music!” on their dressing room door.

“I’ve by no means needed to make peace with the music,” says Bettencourt talking over a video name from Temecula, California. “We made that music. That music didn’t make the band. Rock followers know who we’re. It’s solely the those that aren’t Excessive followers, perhaps, know us for ‘Extra Than Phrases’, however our true followers know us for every part that we do. So we don’t have an issue with it in anyway”(smiles).”

To a query of whether or not Excessive will likely be enjoying the enduring anthem at Bandland, Bettencourt teases with a “no,” earlier than smiling saying, “After all, we are going to play it.”

The genesis of ‘Extra Than Phrases’ has been nicely documented. “Oh, come on, it got here like every other music. You decide up the guitar, play some music, sing alongside, write a lyric, inform the story, and there it’s. It’s identical to every other music that you just write. There was nothing particular or completely different about it. It’s very primary stuff, quite simple.”

Each music is completely different, says Bettencourt concerning the music-or-lyrics conundrum. “It relies upon. Generally you’ve got a narrative and a title, typically you’ve got melodies, music, typically the drum groove…”

The 58-year previous musician launched a solo album, Schizophonic, has labored as a visitor musician with Janet Jackson, Toni Braxton and Rihanna amongst others, and as a part of a band. “The very first thing I did was to be in a band. I’m a giant fan of all of the bands that I grew up on. So it’s being in a band that works finest for me.”

Lead guitarist Nuno Bettencourt
| Photograph Credit score:
Particular Association

Working solo is completely different, Bettencourt says. “It’s simply stuff that’s in all probability extra private to you, songs which can be extra private, and with the ability to do issues that perhaps you don’t do with the band. It’s not roughly joyful, simply completely different. It’s taking a break from what you do.”

Composing for films, together with on the soundtrack for Sensible Individuals is enjoyable, says Bettencourt. “I like films. I don’t get to do it rather a lot. I wish to do extra of it.” Scoring for a film, the Portuguese-American guitarist says, entails the visuals. “You see footage and compose to that visible, that emotion, and attempt to keep out of the best way, be part of the scene. You by no means need the music to overhaul the scene.”

Music overpowering the scene within the film shouldn’t be good, Bettencourt says. “It’s as much as the director, although. There’s no proper or flawed. If they need it to be the sturdy a part of the scene, then that’s what it will likely be.”

Lead guitarist Nuno Bettencourt
| Photograph Credit score:
Particular Association

Working in a band comes with its set of disagreements and compromises. “If you’re married or ever been married, you recognize the reply to that query (smiles). Attempt being married 4 methods directly, not simply to 1 individual, however three on the similar time and good luck with that.”

Within the remaining rely it really works, says Bettencourt. “It’s not rocket science. Being in a band has its ups and downs. A band is like every household. All households are dysfunctional, particularly rock bands.”

Admitting to not having fun with touring, Bettencourt says, “I get pleasure from touring to play on stage, however the different 20 hours is hard. Being away from family and friends and residing out of suitcases, touring, sleeping in buses, stuff like that, is unquestionably extra of a youthful man’s recreation. In your 20s, you adore it, however upon getting been doing it for 10 years, and we’ve been doing it for almost 40 years, it loses its glamour fairly rapidly.”

Excessive carried out in Manipur in 2019 on the ShiRock Competition. “We’ve by no means performed in a significant metropolis like we’re about to do now, and we’re excited.” Followers, Bettencourt says, “can look ahead to the perfect rock present of their lives.”

Excessive performs as a part of BookMyShow Stay’s Bandland 2024 on November 23 and 24 at NICE Grounds, BIEC, Bengaluru.