Who better to embody the spirit of mayhem than a posse of rock-crazed teenaged boys? Especially if it's capital-M Mayhem, which happens to be the name of a package tour of metal bands sponsored by crack-tastic Rockstar Energy Drink?
The show, which hits the Shoreline on Saturday, July 12, with a roster of bands both horns-worthy (Mastodon!) and ehhh (Five Finger Death Punch?), signals the local debut of Black Tide, a quartet whose chief source of notoriety thus far is that they're fronted by a 15-year-old (their oldest member just turned 20). Yep, you read that right: though they're the same age you were when you got your first job at Jamba Juice, this gang of Miami whippersnappers has a deal with Interscope Records and are currently touring the world to promote their new album, Light from Above. What gives? Do we have a metal Hanson on our hands, or what? And would they kill me for suggesting as much (duh)? I called up bassist Zakk Sandler mere hours after Black Tide played their first Mayhem set at tour's kickoff in Seattle, Wash.
San Francisco Bay Guardian: How's the tour going so far?
Zakk Sandler: It's the first day, and we played about an hour and a half ago. It was just fuckin' insane.
SFBG: Was there a big crowd?
ZS: Yeah, huge. They have it set up so no bands overlap, so everybody focuses their attention [on who's playing]. We were the first band on today, because the stages rotate [of who plays first], so it just set the tone for the day. It was awesome.
SFBG: Is it weird playing in the middle of the day in the bright sunshine?
ZS: Actually, I kind of like it a little bit. You don't have to deal with, like, lighting guys, or being tired from traveling. I like this daytime thing. It works for me.
SFBG: Black Tide just got finished touring Europe. What was the best part of that experience?
ZS: Over there, we're legal to do whatever we want.
SFBG: How old are you?
ZS: I'm 19.
SFBG: Are you the oldest member?
ZS: No, our drummer has me beat by a few months. He just turned 20 -- he's the old guy. We told him, when he can grow a full beard he's out.
SFBG: Do you guys find that your ages are an advantage, or is it a hindrance?
ZS: Total advantage. I mean, think about it. We have a jump start on everything. We're young, and we can go on tour for a year and a half straight and never take a break and still feel very good.
SFBG: How are you perceived by the other bands -- the older bands?
ZS: Most of them like us. They're all really cool. They find it fun to hang out with us, because we're young and just, chill as fuck.
SFBG: How did you guys go from high school to touring the world? How did that meteoric rise happen?
ZS: You know, you put a song out, people dig it, you get people to help hook you up, put you on a good tour, get a good booking agent. It just goes, you know. If the kids don't like it, it's going nowhere. It's as simple as that. Nobody can make people like you.
SFBG: Do you already have a pretty big fan base? Do people know the words to your songs?
ZS: Oh yeah. There's parts where we can stop singing and let other people sing, which is awesome.
SFBG: Who are you most excited to be on this tour with?
ZS: Me personally? Airbourne, Slipknot, Mastodon. I was a fan of most of the bands [before the tour]. It's awesome to know that every day I can just wake up, play my set, go eat something, and go watch one of my favorite bands onstage.
SFBG: Do you get tired of people commenting on how young you guys are?
ZS: Yeah, and no. I mean, there's days when I'm like, "If I fuckin' hear one more person mention it, I'm gonna kill somebody. But then there's days when I'm like, "Whatever. I know this has to be asked."
SFBG: What do you guys do when you have downtime?
ZS: Run around, skateboard, blow shit up, try to get chicks -- same shit any other 19-year-old would be doing.
Black Tide
Mayhem Fest
Sat/12, 2 p.m., $25-$55
Shoreline Amphitheater, One Amphitheater Pkwy, Mtn View
www.livenation.com
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