The Brass Rail has long been a dive bar where you can check out live local music, national bands with niche audiences, and those on the rise. 

Bastardane out of Savannah, Georgia, falls into the latter category and are set to perform there Sunday, Nov. 12, as part of their Basanus Tour, which also features indie rock duo Fury in Few and experimental rock quartet Klept.

Forging their own path

While Bastardane may not be a household name, you may be familiar with drummer Castor Hetfield’s dad. If that surname sounds familiar, it is because he is the son of Metallica frontman James Hetfield. 

Formed in 2019, Bastardane, rounded out by singer/bassist Jake Dallas and guitarist Ethan Sirotzki, released their debut album, Is This Rage?, in 2022. In their review, Revolver called the album “metal-inflected, psych-rock,” while Noise Pollution said they had a “sludgy sound, full of groove, and powerful riffs,” drawing comparisons to Corrosion of Conformity and early Soundgarden rather than thrash bands like Metallica, Testament, and Exodus. 

“We take a lot of influences from a lot of different genres,” Sirotzki told Whatzup in a recent interview. “We understand the COC and Soundgarden comparisons, but there’s also some more ‘proggy’ stuff in there, too. Castor draws some influence from a band called Leprous he really likes, in terms of weird time stuff, and we try to experiment with that while maintaining a level of simplicity and listenability.”

The Metallica comparisons are almost inevitable given Castor’s last name and Metallica’s storied history. However, Castor Hetfield and company seem to have no desire to ride on the coattails of the rock legends. 

“It’s a bit annoying, to be honest,” Hetfield said of the constant comparisons. “We’re two different bands. They’ve made music and we are making music, but we are very different.” 

All of which begs the question: Is the Metallica connection an advantage or a hindrance? 

“I think it’s both,” Hetfield said. “But, honestly, I don’t really think about it too much in daily life because we are trying to write songs and make our own music and do our own thing.”

Surely it doesn’t hurt to have an industry veteran always available to call when advice is needed, but Hetfield said his dad “usually just stays out of the way unless I ask him questions.”

“I think the best thing he is doing for us is letting us figure it out for ourselves,” Hetfield said. “I think it’s more fun that way, and I think we earn it that way and feel better about it in the end.”

Large crowds vs. energetic crowds

What is clear is that connection has helped Bastardane get a few large gigs they might otherwise not have gotten, including some large festivals and the “takeover” events that were set up around two-night stands Metallica did during their summer tour.  

For the most part, though, Bastardane are finding their way at smaller venues. 

“The (bigger shows) have been fun,” Hetfield said. “The crowd that goes to those shows is not necessarily there to see us, but every one of those shows has been really fun. We see them as a way to win over new fans and to also get really good practice by playing for larger crowds than we are used to.”

To their credit, the band seem hellbent on going their own way, on their own terms. 

While they have tasted the big time, they are enjoying the ride as a band building their audience one fan at a time. 

“I think our enjoyment of the show comes from how much fun the crowd is having, regardless of the size,” Sirotzki said. 

Hetfield agreed. 

“You can have a really big crowd that’s just staring at you the whole time and then you can have a crowd of 10 people that’s going crazy,” he said. “So the size of the crowd and the size of the venue doesn’t really matter. It just all depends on whether everyone in the building is having a good time.”

Exceeding expectations

The band left no doubt they were eager to get back on the road. 

As for what the evening at The Rail will hold, Hetfield said to “anticipate confusion, in a really good way,” before Dallas jokingly added, “your expectations will not be met.” 

While that seems like an odd thing to say, Dallas said repeated fan interaction has reinforced his belief in that anticipated outcome. 

“That’s just usually what people say to me after shows,” he said. “It’s not because they thought we would be better. It’s usually because they had expectations that weren’t very high. Then they’ll tell me, ‘Well, that was pretty strange and, actually, sort of exceeded my expectations.’ ” 

So, there you have it. The ultimate sales pitch. Expect nothing from Bastardane. Expect nothing and you will not be disappointed.  But be prepared to be blown away.