Punk rockers Beauty School Dropout vocalist, Cole Hutzler, drummer, Mike Rose, and bassist, Beepus Burdett are having their moment and it couldn’t come at the right time with the current Blink-182 punk rock revival. I talked to bassist and back up vocalist Burdett about the relatively new punk trio and how they met, opening for their idols, and their aesthetically pleasing punk rock sound.
Love the name of your band. How did you come up with it? How did the three of you meet?
Thanks! Cole came up with it one day after having run through a bunch of different working names. We all loved Grease growing up and we all happen to be dropouts so it was the perfect name for us. We met on Rya the dating app. Realized we were better band mates than lovers.
Your new album is called Ready To Eat. Why name it that?
We were in the middle of a photo shoot in England and we hadn’t decided on an album name yet but needed one that night and after twenty plus bad names we finally got the one. It comes from our obsession with a coffee chain in the UK called Pret A Manger which translates to Ready To Eat. It has a deeper meaning to us now and stamps a pivotal moment in our touring career.
You’ve been on the road with Blink-182 and opened for Matchbox Twenty. What were those experiences like? What did you learn?
Every tour we’ve been on so far has been a dream come true. It’s what you dream of as a kid. Getting to play arenas with our idols is an unexplainable surreal feeling that we will never forget. Our biggest take away from being in that environment is just being able to see what it’s like at that level. That’s where we want to be and getting to see it first hand allows us to have a clearer vision.
What is going on in your show production wise?
A whole lot of shenanigans, 110% energy every night and the BSD guarantee that you’ll have a great time. We are here to make you mosh, cry and dance with your friends and all the new friends you’ll make at our show. Welcome to the Dropout Circus.
The band’s sound echoes the punk sound of the late 90s/early 2000s. Is that the sound you were going for initially?
That sound is definitely a big influence on us. If you really pick apart our music you can hear each of our individual influences throughout each song. As much as we have similar taste we also have very different taste from each other but that is what makes us Beauty School Dropout.
What has been audience’s reactions to the shows you did play so far? Who do you see come to your shows?
Every show we’ve ever played has exceeded our expectations. We show up ready to throw down and a banging rock concert and that energy is always reciprocated. We are very fortunate to have a diverse audience.
Lyrically and thematic wise, the album dives into relationships, acceptance, and mental health. Is that pretty accurate? What other subject matter does it cover?
This album is truly just a synopsis of how we felt at the time of writing it and also how we cope with those feelings. We all struggle with our own mental shit and want to talk about it in our music so people listening know they aren’t alone in this world. Life is hard but it’s easier when you feel heard and understood.
Do you think punk rock is making a come back with Blink-182 reintroducing it to the younger demo now?
Definitely. I would also say now more than ever genres are blending and people are down to listen to anything. There’s also just an angst to rock that I think people need now more than ever.
