Carlos Commentary: Fontana band builds fan base with very high energy music

The members of Kill Butterfly have impressed audiences with their high energy music.

By AMANDA CARLOS

Published: Thursday, July 2, 2009 1:44 PM CDT

Fontana is famous for producing a wide array of talent, including both rock stars and professional athletes. Not to mention putting the city on the map with the birth of the Auto Club Speedway.

So why not keep the talent and fame coming? A group of individuals more phenomenal, fearless, and driven than the racing that takes place at the speedway are planning on doing just that.

Who are these individuals you ask? If you listen long enough, you might even be able to hear who they are without me saying so. For their sound is so inviting and fierce that people from all different walks of life can embrace them, maybe even enjoy them once given the opportunity.

I speak of no other than Fontana’s very own: Kill Butterfly.

These seven gentlemen are on the verge of taking over the music scene and upon going to show after show, it is easy to hear why.

Kill Butterfly (formerly known as Missing Pieces) was established in 1999 by two brothers: Gibbz Gavin Gonzales and Trust Sebastian Gonzales.

Gibbz was set with his vocals and Trust with his drums, but felt incomplete and enlisted childhood friend, Erik Arentz, who plays guitar.

Yet, that still wasn’t enough for the hard-hitting, “ghetto-rock” sound that the brothers wanted. So they asked their cousin Albert Gonzales to join them as their second guitarist. Albert’s metal background with former bands provided them with the edginess they were looking for.

The brothers, setting their expectations to yet a higher level, asked their cousin Daniel “D2” Cruz to join them. D2 brought with him his electrifying screams for back-up vocals and sampling skills to give the band a little extra something during performances.

By the time 2005 came around, another friend of the guys, Garrett

“G-Rock” Nelson, who plays bass, was added to the mix.

And finally, DJ Panic was asked to join the band to add clever mixes and intros to the songs, allowing D2 to focus solely on his vocals.

With all seven members intact, Kill Butterfly (whose members include Fontana High, Kaiser High, and Citrus High alums) works endlessly to perfect its sound in order to provide one of the most thrilling sets an audience will ever see.

These men are not just guys in a band; these men are entertainers, musicians, professionals, and top-notch performers that give 200 percent when they go on that stage.

Back-up vocalist and screamer, D2, describes a show as such: “Up in your face and out through your finger tips just like a shockwave. It is high volume and high energy!”

Ask anyone (really) who has been to any of the band’s shows, and they will tell you that Kill Butterfly is a good time.

Kill Butterfly has been performing for 10 years all over California and in parts of Nevada. They are even set to tour across the United States at the end of August and into September.

Locally, they have performed almost everywhere. In June, the band performed at two separate competitions at the Improv in Ontario Mills, both of which they won. The first competition was all hip-hop and rap artists, so Kill Butterfly was the only hard-rock band to perform that night, but yet the group left victorious. The band members were in shock that they were able to win over hip-hip/rap music fans with their performance. But their fans weren’t. Kill Butterfly has that affect on people.

Audience members Alex Cordova and Topher Keiningham both agreed that Kill Butterfly reminded them of Linkin Park.

Alex went on to say that “Linkin Park should want to sound like Kill Butterfly.”

At the second competition, Kill Butterfly competed against musical artists from various pathways, and as mentioned before, won again!

A fellow competitor, Victor Mena, from the singing group The Mena’s, had this to say about the band after the show: “These guys should be playing at Staples Center or any big amphitheater, not here [at the Improv]. They should be opening up for big name bands.”

Mena, who never heard the band before, said “with that kind of stage presence, they deserved to win.”

They truly put on a mind-blowing show, and that is because their musical backgrounds and extensive (and impressive) resume led them to this point.

For example, Kill Butterfly has played shows at the Whiskey A Go-Go, House of Blues, and at the Roxy in Hollywood. In fact, this past week, the band performed at the Key Club in Hollywood (a show which the band dedicated to the late Michael Jackson).

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In February 2008, they also headlined a show at the Grove Theatre in Upland.

They have also played with hip-hip historians Digital Underground. They have also shared the stage with rock bands such as Crazy Town, Otep, 3rd Strike, and Divide the Day.

Not to mention, some of their songs are featured on a motocross DVD entitled “Fleshwound Films Crusty Demon’s Crusty X.” They have even worked with actor, T.J. Cunningham, who starred on Pamela Anderson’s TV show “VIP” when it was on the air.

The band released its first CD entitled: “6-0-clock” in 2003. That same year, the group won a Battle of the Bands competition for local alternative radio station X103.9FM.

Kill Butterfly is set to release a self-titled EP this summer along with a DVD.

The band members are busy, to the say the least, but are still waiting for their chance to break out of the cocoon — hence where their name comes from. The band members see themselves as a caterpillar which at any point can emerge into a butterfly and fulfill its musical destiny. However, if the music industry does not allow the caterpillar to reach its potential, they kill the butterfly.

Kill Butterfly’s experiences have made the band members who they are today, and frankly they would just like to play their music to the whole world. With their upcoming tour at summer’s end, hopefully someone will break open the cocoon for them and allow them to fly above all expectations.

Lead singer, Gibbz Gavin has high hopes: “Kill Butterfly is Mainstream GhettoRock! We are the leaders of this musical revolution. Our mission is to wipe away the lines and let artists speak directly to their fans without pre-determined ‘in’ styles.”

If you cannot wait for the tour, go check them out on July 8 and Aug. 12 at Lake Alice in Riverside. Both shows start at 9 p.m.

For more information, including tour dates, upcoming shows, and/or if you just want to listen to their music, visit them at www.killbutterfly.com or at www.myspace.com/killbutterfly.

(Amanda Carlos writes a column on a regular basis for the Fontana Herald News.)

Posted at 07:49 am by WTFHeather

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