The Aristocrats (band)

The Aristocrats is a rock group formed in 2011. The band consists of Guthrie Govan, Bryan Beller, and Marco Minnemann. The group name is inspired by the venerable Aristocrats joke and consequently the song titles on the progressive rock compilation are rife with salacious double-entendres.

Formation and history
The band was formed after a wildly enthusiastic response to a concert performance at The Anaheim Bass Bash during the Winter NAMM show in January 2011. The trio had just one rehearsal before the concert but still performed well and amazed the audience as well as themselves. Originally the guitarist for that one-off show was to be Greg Howe, replaced by Guthrie Govan at the last moment. Govan later stated: "The chemistry was so great, that when we came offstage we all said to each other: 'This is working. We should record this.'" The band would later get together and meet in Chicago to record their debut album, which took just under two weeks. The music album reflected their respective influences, ranging from 70s fusion (Return to Forever), to progressive (King Crimson), to instrumental rock (Steve Vai, Joe Satriani), to groove metal (Rage Against the Machine) and to just plain absurdity (Frank Zappa). Bassist Bryan Beller stated, "We ended up using our different influences to write for each other. I wrote "Sweaty Knockers" specifically for Guthrie to have fun with, while Guthrie wrote “I Want a Parrot” with bass leads in mind. As for Marco's material, we're just lucky to be able to keep up with it!”.

After releasing their debut, the trio toured for the year 2012. Later in the same year the band released its first live album, Boing, We'll Do It Live!. Footage and sound for this release were recorded in two concerts held at Alvas Showroom in Los Angeles, California. During those concerts the band played material from their debut album as well as songs from each band members' solo projects.

In July 2013, their second studio album Culture Clash was released, which will be followed by a supporting tour; first in North America in 2013 and then in Europe, South America and Asia in 2014.

Discography

 * Studio albums
 * The Aristocrats (2011)
 * Culture Clash (2013)


 * Live albums
 * Boing, We'll Do It Live! (2012)

Band members

 * Guthrie Govan - guitar
 * Bryan Beller - bass
 * Marco Minnemann - drums