In case you didn't know, James Hetfield's son Castor Hetfield is in a metal band called Bastardane. Just like any other child of a rock star, comparisons are made between them, and he finds being compared to his dad "a little annoying."
Bastardane, in addition to Hetfield on drums, consists of bassist and vocalist Jake Dallas and guitarist Ethan Sirotzki. The Savannah-based trio are set to open for a punk band called The Manarovs in their hometown tomorrow night (April 30), and Hetfield spoke with Savannah Now ahead of the show about their mission and their musical style.
“We grew up in different places and we all grew up listening to different kinds of music, so we have our own voices, which is cool and they come together in an interesting way,” Hetfield said. "We’ve even been trying to pin it down, name the genre of our music and it’s hard to do. I don’t think it’s necessary, but for publicity stuff, people want to know what genre this is, but we don’t know.”
Some of the various bands Hetfield mentioned that have influenced the members of Bastardane include Corrosion of Conformity, Opeth, Tool, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains.
The big one that wasn't cited? Metallica.
“All of us are our father’s sons, mine just happens to be very successful in the industry that we’re in,” Hetfield added. “It’s not bothersome, but it is a little annoying when people try to compare us, because obviously we’re our own people and he’s his own person. We’re making our own kind of music."
"Online, when you search our band, my dad’s face is all over the internet and it’s a little strange for me," he continued. "We are our own people and want to cut our own path. We’re not trying to ride off of anybody else’s success here.”
This is a sentiment that's been shared by many rock star offspring — and it's understandable that they don't want to be known as the sons or daughters of so-and-so forever. However, when it comes to bands as massive as Metallica, Slipknot or Guns N' Roses, it's a bit inevitable. Lars Ulrich's sons are in the same boat as well with their band Taipei Houston.
Bastardane are heading out on a cross-country trek in a couple of weeks, starting with a show in Atlanta, Ga. on May 13. They'll hit the BottleRock festival in Napa toward the end of the month — where Metallica will also perform — and then do a handful of concerts throughout California. See all of the dates here.
