This music will make you feel alive.
The Instagram bio for Oakland-based band Pretty Frankenstein is a list of four different genres – death rock, dark punk, hip hop, and goth punk – that can all be used to describe the band's music. This is, perhaps, appropriate for a band named after Mary Shelley's famous novel about a stitched-together monster; their latest album, Sounds of Revolt, is not confined to one genre, but rather amalgamates the best parts of several genres into an electrifying whole.
The band, fronted by Zack Bateman, recently released a politically charged collection of songs about racism and other bigotry in America, in part inspired by the Black Lives Matter protests following the death of George Floyd earlier this year.
I recently had the chance to ask Zack some questions about the band, Sounds of Revolt, and upcoming album Shred Alive. As usual, my questions will be bolded, and his responses will be italicized.
1. Can you introduce who you are and what you do?
My name is Zack Bateman. Im a musician, comedian, actor and writer and front man for the Bay Area band, Pretty Frankenstein. I was born and raised in Berkeley, California and have always been into spooky things and horror films.
2. Where did the name Pretty Frankenstein come from?
It’s funny, the name came to me because of two things: I’ve always loved wearing makeup since high school (mostly eyeliner, shadow, mascara and foundation) and because I’m 6’ 4 and wear black suits all the time, I’ve been compared to Frankenstein my whole life. I think the name hit me when I put up a pic/post on social media with a caption saying “looks like Frankenstein found the makeup drawer.”
3. Your latest album, Sounds of Revolt, focuses on the racism and other social ills that run rampant in our society, and is dedicated to “those who have rebelled against corruption and bigotry over the years”. Can you talk a little bit about the writing process behind this album, and the message you hope to leave listeners with?
Well, originally, I had songs like ‘Voltaire (featuring Chelsea Rose)’ and ‘Ghost of Henry Lowry (featuring Thea Munster)’ just kinda lying around early in the year, then once George Floyd was murdered, I knew these two songs I had about rebellious figures needed to be accompanied by other songs with a similar message. The thing is, I’ve been part of so many protests here in the bay since Oscar Grant was shot, and as a pansexual Filipino/Iranian mixture, I’ve been harassed by both homophobes, racists and police all my life.
As a brown person or person of color, I’ve had police mistake me for a suspect and slam me to the ground with guns to my head. I’ve had cops harass me for doing nothing but walk around in my own neighborhood, and I’ve had people call me some terrible slurs growing up, but I know my privilege is being able to live to speak on these incidents. I know that if I were a Black man and not just mixed or tanned, I’d have probably been killed.
With most the songs in Sounds Of Revolt, I really just stopped caring what anyone else would think and really tried to make my message clear that my generation and people of similar mindsets are done, angry and tired. That change needs to happen one way or another. So with that album, we did a lot of punk songs, hip hop songs, and just went across the board, featuring as many artists we know and love who believe in the cause.
4. What inspires the costumes and makeup you wear in your videos and during your shows?
It’s always different, I think. Ya know, sometimes I can be inspired by that dark circle around the eyes, almost Tim Burton character look, but other times, it’s full on zombie or clown makeup. That being said, I guess you can say I’m mostly inspired by film/comic characters or looks from other rock stars. When I was doing Drag every month last year, I went for a mix of Siouxsie, Divine and Vampira. Now it’s between The Joker and Bowie, haha.
5. You have a new EP coming out on October 23rd! Is there a song, video, or other part of that EP that you’re particularly excited to share?
Actually, yes! The EP is called ‘Shred Alive’ (after The Peter Jackson classic, Dead Alive) as I wanted to pay homage to an old school Halloween sound. Pretty much going back from the 80s-40s. There’s some songs that sound like the Cramps or more 60s and others that sound like some Cab Calloway stuff. One in Particular is a song called ‘She Put a Spell on Me’, that once again features my friend Thea Munster on Theremin. It’s a spooky Bluesy number that we’re shooting a video for next week actually, so I’m really excited about that one. I also got to use some Filipino/Tagalog phrasing i grew up with in one of the verses, which was fun.
6. What artists have influenced your sound?
There’s so many, haha. I guess the main ones are Tom Waits, Nick Cave, The Cramps, Misfits, David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails, Metallica and Green Day, but, I grew up listening to a lot of music and was in many different groups before PF. I’m influenced heavily by the bands mentioned, but also hip hop artists like Childish Gambino, KRS ONE, Public Enemy, Mos Def, Denzel Curry, Run The Jewels, etc. Funk artists like Sly and the Family Stone, Tower of Power, and so on. Blues/folk artists like Odetta, Bessie Smith, Nina Simone and Son House. I pretty much have a group of artists I love for every kind of genre, haha.
7. Are there any spooky artists, creators, or businesses you think deserve more attention?
Well, this may be biased, as Halloween Herbivore is my partner, but HHboutique for sure. Lots of great Halloween designs, including the album cover for Shred Alive (coming soon). Theaterofcreeps also has amazing shirt and poster designs. Monster Tease as well. Monster Posse, Pin Semetary, There’s quite a few. For a shameless plug, Creepacrylics is where I sell my own spooky paintings.
8. What future goals do you have for the band?
That’s a good question! As the state of the world gets more and more chaotic, it’s been tough to really think about a future for a band, but we have the album ‘Shred Alive’ out on bandcamp October 23rd and a socially distanced/only masked admitted outdoor show in Alameda, California at The Fireside Beer Garden on October 16th! That’s as far as I’ve been able to plan ahead during 2020 craziness, but, should the pandemic ever end and should people actually follow protocol for a minute, I’d really like to get back to where we were performing at least once a month and maybe plan a live full length album in the pro studios we’re connected with out here.
I think this year during quarantine, I’ve just wanted to put out as much content as possible so next year, we can take more time to really push something different. I’d say the main goal is to perform and get the music heard by anyone who may enjoy it. I just wanna tell All the other ghouls and goths and Halloween folk out there, if they wanna fight for justice and change, or just want something spooky/Halloweeny to move to, we got ya covered!