Bomb Squad Team Manager, BC Vaught

By John Pellan and Tony Trapizona
Photos by Jorge Cuartas

Ten years ago H Bomb Films CEO Wes Miller created a one-of-a-kind ATV freestyle team and gave it the coolest name in freestyle motocross history. The Bomb Squad Team has included the most talented collection of freestyle ATV motocross riders in the world. Members of the Bomb Squad were the first to pull off all the big tricks; including the first Superman, the first Back Flip, the first Back Flip Superman and more. Their efforts have changed the way quad-naysayers view the capabilities of ATVs and the riders who choose to ride them instead of dirt bikes.

While the riders push their talents and creativity to the limits the guys behind the scenes do the same. The team’s notoriety and success has a lot to do with the many good business decisions made by the team’s creator Wes Miller. One of those good decisions was snatching up long time friend BC Vaught and making him the Bomb Squad team manager. BC was a professional drummer for (həd) p.e, also known as (hed) Planet Earth, a very successful punk/heavy metal/hip hop/reggae band out of Huntington Beach CA. After nearly ten years with the band and a few tours with Breaking Benjamin, BC decided he had had enough of life as a rock star and looked for a new career. He now books gigs, manages branding and marketing, acquires and implements sponsorships, books travel, organizes equipment, introduces riders and handles a zillion other duties for the Bomb Squad team.

Recently, since H Bomb Films DVD sales have dwindled due to the poor economy and illegal downloading on the Internet, Wes has moved his H Bomb Films production company to the Burbank, California area and is busy working on trying to get ATVs on mainstream television, leaving BC to pretty much handle the Bomb Squad portion of the business. We’ve talked with Wes and some of the Bomb Squad riders over the years but never posted anything with our buddy BC. With that said, enter drum roll….below is a little conversation with BC Vaught.

You’re a famous rock star. Why did you leave that extraordinary career to go work for Wes and manage the Bomb Squad?
I had a long run with the music business and after being away from family and friends forever, inner turmoil with the band, etc, I decided to try something new. Wes was a friend of mine for a long time and things were going well for H Bomb, so he brought me aboard to help him with the company.

You were an original member of (həd) p.e correct? Do you get royalties from music sales? Or are you making a living completely from Bomb Squad now days?
Absolutely an original member. The lead guitar player, Wes Geer, (who now plays as the touring guitarist for Korn), and I were in a band called Liquid Tree together. We used to play shows in Hollywood with (hed)’s singer Jahred and bass player, Mark, with their band, Live Urban Sexx Tribe. We decided to form one band out of the two and boom, (hed) p.e. was born. This all happened around late 1993, early 1994. As for royalties, yes, they come quarterly which provides one hell of a nice dinner at the fast food location of my choice, but we get by!

 

(hed)p.e in Amsterdam with Papa Roach:

 

(hed)p.e at Rock am Ring in Nurburgring, Germany:

 

 (hed)p.e Blackout Live at the Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn in 2003:

 (hed)p.e Bartender Video 2000:

 

How did you become such a talented drummer?
I started out in the 6th grade and loved playing to my favorite bands like Van Halen, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Primus, and of course, Rush. I’m known more as a drummer that’s always in the pocket. Simple and solid. My style is perfectly matched with (hed).

What do you like better drums or quads?
I love them both! Now, ask me what I like better.. Drums or RZR-XPs? I might have to go with the RZR-XP. [Laughing} I still play drums on a day to day basis and still have a passion for it, but I have to work hard to try to keep building the Bomb Squad and Moore Brothers brand. So, to answer the question, quads are the business now and drums are the hobby.

Do you see yourself touring again in the future? You can’t just leave something you love so much, right?
Interesting you might ask. I have a pretty good feeling that something is going to happen in the near future regarding all of the original members of (hed). (hed)p.e. is going strong these days with more of a “new world order” view in their lyrics. Therefore, I see something like a “(hed)v1” (version 1 – all original members) playing together soon. That way, (hed)p.e. can keep doing what they do, and the originals can go back to more of what we did in 2000. The bottom line is that I miss playing live. I miss collaborating with other great musicians to make something that moves people.

I thought so. I’m looking forward to seeing you guys play out again, very cool! But for now back to quads… Wes pretty much has you running the Bomb Squad on your own we understand? What are some of your strategies to taking the team to further success in 2011?
Yes. I recently started my own management company called Rotation Sports Management & Entertainment. Wes and I have always done our own thing at H Bomb all while working together on a daily basis. That’s basically what we are doing now. Even though the Bomb Squad will be managed from my end, Wes is still hard at work on his expertise, film. We work towards one common goal which is promoting the sport and lifestyle that ATVs, UTVs, Bikes, and basically anything motorized bring to the table.

What is a typical day and night for you?
Let’s see; phone, computer, lunch, phone, computer, soccer or jiu jitsu with my son, then dinner. Occasionally, I get on the kit and play old tunes I co-wrote with (hed)pe and a few tunes I played on tour with Breaking Benjamin.

What are your hobbies?
Drumming, hanging with friends and family at Lake Havasu or
Ocotillo Wells, performance driving. Recently after Pont de Vaux in France, JR Hinds and I hit up the Nurburgring Nordschielfe near Cologne, Germany. It’s a 13 mile road course and you can rent a little 120hp race car for $300 bucks. That is a memory I will never forget. JR and I are currently training on our own platforms to see who is faster after PDV 2011. But all in all I definitely love driving my RZR-S in Ocotillo Wells, playing drums, reading nonfiction and watching my son play sports.

What’s BC stand for?
Benjamin Charles. My grandfather was Benny. My father is Benny. I’m Benny. My brother, Benny, and my son, you guessed it, Benny as well. So, we mostly go by our initials as we all have different middle names except for my son, who is a JR.

Who makes up the Bomb Squad Team as of this date?
The Moore Brothers, Nick Hickey, JR Hinds, Marco Picado, Rafa Munoz, Dylan Mason, Nathan Hibbs, Wade Moore, and most recently, Josh Creamer. I also work with Derek Cook and Wiley Fullmer. We’re more of a family than a team. You should see some really cool things from these guys this year. And yes, that includes Wade Moore, the father of the Moore Broz.

How did you guys come up with signing Josh Creamer to race on the other side of the country? And what was his reaction when you pitched it to him?
Actually Wes called Josh, not me, but it’s a pretty cool story. Wes called Josh to simply see which tires he was planning on running this year. He was seeing if he could get Josh on our new Bomb Squad tires. While talking to him he found that he didn’t really have a program put together so he offered him a full ride on the Bomb Squad Team at the WORCS. Josh accepted the offer and seemed to be pretty happy about the opportunity.

While we’re on the subject, what’s your opinion on the fact that today’s top ATV racers no longer race against each other like they did in year’s past?
There are a few guys moving away from the ATV Nationals to compete elsewhere, but there are also some really fast Pro Am riders replacing them at the Nationals. I would say there’s a lot of top pros at the WORCS. Josh will have plenty of fast competitors there. And I wouldn’t be surprised if we see more big names convert over to WORCS in the near future.

Can you talk more about Creamer’s program? Will he live out west or fly to the races? Who will help wrench for him? What is he going to ride? Does he plan to hit up any GNCC races out east?
Josh is already out here now getting ready. He will fly to and from the WORCS races. Theo Lusardi will be Josh’s mechanic. Josh will be racing a Walsh/Fox/FMF/Tokyo Mods Honda TRX 450R. He will have a few identically prepped machines out west and a few back east that he can practice on. I doubt you’ll see Josh at any GNCCs but we do plan to hit up one or two ATV Motocross Nationals this year.

Back to Freestyle, who makes you the most nervous on the team?
They all make me nervous in their own way. I just hate seeing these guys get hurt and with this sport, it’s always a risk.

What do you look for in a freestyle rider and what advice do you have for the young riders out there that hope to someday become a member of the Bomb Squad?
You must have the following: Intelligence, Craziness, Skill, Experience and Personality. Riders need to have just the right degree of each of these qualities to ride safe and be successful in this sport. Personality is 50% of everything. Lots of FMX guys out there are incredible riders on their machines, but their personality ruins it for them. It’s unfortunate. Travis Pastrana is a great example. People love him not only because of his superior freestyle, but that he has a great personality.

Caleb and Colten Moore made quite a name for themselves in the snowmobile freestyle world when they competed in last year’s Winter X Games. What do they have planned for this year at Winter X?
Great things! Let me tell you, these boys are committed to nothing but success. I admire the whole Moore family for their focus and commitment to whatever they do. If you were amazed by what you saw last year, I don’t think they will let you down in 2011. I’m not saying anything will come easy either. The competition level they have to deal with at Winter X is very high and these boys work and they work hard. Stay tuned you wont want to miss this year’s Winter X Games and our ATV representatives Caleb and Colten Moore.

Do you have any nontraditional gigs planned? How about an exhibition at a football halftime show like Evil did in the 70’s?
Yeah! Let’s do it!

What has H Bomb Films been doing to combat the lacking sales in the DVD market?
Starving. The Bomb Squad side of things are just fine. As for H Bomb and the DVD market, do you think Wes Miller is going to sit back not do anything about it? Heck no, he’s moved to Burbank and has set up shop up at RGEAR. And as for the Bomb Squad side of the company, I’m not a race team manager therefore Wes hired Kory Ellis for that venture. Wes has talent and a great business mind. Together we will succeed in getting ATV racing on television, further the Bomb Squad team and continue to take ATV racing and riding to new levels, no doubt!

Do you think that quad freestyle will ever be in the X Games?
It’s not looking too good. But, never say never!

Now that you guys are going racing, am I correct to say that Team Bomb Squad should no longer be considered an ATV Freestyle Motocross team?
We never were strictly ATV freestyle, Bomb Squad is motorsports in general.

I saw ATV legend Marty Hart running a Team Bomb Squad logo on his COR Off Road Racing Pro Lites racing suit. How did that come about?
Marty and Wes have been ATV racing buddies for many years so Marty threw on the logo in return for Wes helping him find some financial help for his team.

Thanks for talking with us and thank you guys for working so hard to take the sport to higher levels. Year after year you’re out there introducing ATV racing and riding to the masses. On behalf of all the enthusiasts out there we thank you guys for the continued effort and wish you huge success in 2011 and beyond. Any last words or thank yous?
Absolutely! Thanks for the opportunity here and a huge thanks to everyone in this industry. And special thanks to our sponsors: Rockstar Energy Drink, Polaris Industries, Fly Racing, Slang Co, Bikeman Performance, Apparelfreaks.com, Scott, K & N, Bomb Squad Inc, HiPer, FMF, Osiris Shoes, Kicker, Stomp Pads, Gaerne Boots, C & A Pro Skis, All Sport Dynamics Wrist Guard
s, Skull Candy, Caliber Glides and CTI Knee Braces.

For information or booking info, please contact BC Vaught / Rotation Sports Management & Entertainment at bcv433@gmail.com

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