Amongst numerous metal and rock bands, Beasto Blanco will set sail on the Mega Cruise departing from Los Angeles on a roundtrip to both San Diego and Mexico. Those on the cruise will be living amongst their favourite bands; and their favourite bands living amongst each other for just short of a week.
Beasto Blanco’s performances are apocalyptic, captivating and beastly (it’s all in the name). The inspiration of their innovative performances comes from the band member’s extensive experiences in the industry. The most notable being Calico Cooper’s involvement in Alice Cooper’s (her father’s) touring and choreography for 11 years.
A combination of learning from the greatest’s in Rock n’ Roll and years of acting leads Cooper to extend her shows into more than a mere auditory pleasure. Rather, a multi-sensory experience that will make those on the cruise forget, not only that they are at sea but, what world they are in.
**So, you start your newest venture on a cruise ship?**
Yes, the [Mega Cruise](https://megacruise.com) is a really cool concept that took of a few years ago. They are these music cruises where a genre will take over a cruise ship and all the fans will get on that boat with their favourite bands. You’re living alongside of each other.
**Exactly, so a niche part of this tour is the accessibility for individuals to interact with their favourite bands. Do you feel this excites you?**
I defiantly came up interacting with a lot of fans. Beast Blanco came up playing with a lot of bigger bands, like Aerosmith and Alice Cooper. We all just got together to see what that would sound like original with all our twisted tour experiences. Alice is a real accessible guy. He is somebody that has a distinction between his stage persona and real life. I was always brought up very accessible because when people would come up to Alice when I was younger, he always took the time to interact and explain to us that these are the people who let you go places and have nice things. A rock cruise is perfect for us as we are a people bands.
Photographed by Bjoern Kommerell
**Do you interact with your fans a lot during a show?**
It’s not your typical rock show. It is more theatre. Our performances are of characters, we act out like we don’t feel pain, or fear. We draw people in. You can see the crowd leaning in. But then, when we’re off stage, we’re in jeans and t-shirts. If I hear one more time “I thought you’d be taller”…
**I read you direct, produce, light, style and do your own makeup for your shows. How do you think you will change your creative process due to this tour location on a cruise ship?**
I’m very creative and would love to have a billion dollars to put into our production. But, whatever we bring we have to carry. People on the cruise will see us twice, we want to give them something that they will want to get come back and see. I love a challenge and love seeing a theatre of beautiful theatre and thinking “how can I destroy this without actually destroying it”. How can I create a world where you feel like you are not on a cruise ship for an hour and a half?
**What are you going to do when you are not performing?**
The cruise is about five days. The cool part is on the days when you are not performing you an actually go see these other bands. We don’t usually get the opportunity to do this. Being able to say “hey, do you wanna go see Mega Death or Lamb of God” is a great way to be able to kick back (and being able to walk back to your room after you’ve drunk too much is definitely a plus”
**So, how would you regard your sound in comparison to the other bands you will be able to go see on the ship?**
Our band is a little bit different. The music industry loves to categorise. We bring a popular theatrical show, with stellar musicians.
**It transforms into a multi-sensory experience.**
A lot of people have never seen anything like this. I’m always thinking “has a girl ever done this” and then thinking how is it going to work.
**You’ve entered the billboard numerous times. How did it feel to gain your own success in this industry?**
I can only explain poetically how it feels to be told your number one on the Heat Seekers Billboard charts. People sometimes can’t disassociate you from you father or other things, but you would be surprised how little people know that Alice is my father.
**You worked with your father for 11 years after he hired you to choreograph his Brutal Planet tour at age 18. How do you feel these experiences motivated your career?**
I was acting at the time and my colleague Chuck said to me “I have the vision of you being a front woman with me in this band”. It wasn’t until I was out on stage and the crowd was jumping that I realised I had arrived.
**How did you combine your creativity?**
Songs first. If you bake a shitty cake and cover it in icing, it’s still shit. So if you make a great song it can only get better when you decorate it. But you can’t escape a bad song. I trained with some of the greatest acting coaches, dance trainers and toured with my dad; all of these experiences add up to create a show. Beasto Blanco is so malleable it can fit into a lot.
**So, tell me about the creative process of your new single?**
The record label and the band guys gave me total control. I just daydream – the songs are all the same girl in different fantasies. With Solitary Rave I got to live out my futuristic, cyborg fantasy. With The Seeker I got to live out my western fantasy of a girl who is running away from a town where she was beat up by degenerate men. That’s what is really happening in my brain.
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