Spawned in the small town of Plainwell in Southwest Michigan, Benjamin Dmitruk, the guitar player for hard-rocking Nashville metal band GoldylockS, has had an eclectic musical infusion in his veins from the very beginning. His father being a fan of Waylon Jennings and David Allen Coe, he was imprinted with their classic country sensibility – an influence that would tinge his sound even as he progressed into ever-darker territory.
As time went by, it was clear that his early influences were just the proverbial “gateway drug†for Dmitruk.
“I was pretty much a country kid until I was about 10 when I got into some of the heavier stuff,†he explains. “I started listening to Eric Clapton, BB King, Jimi Hendrix. It was kind of a natural progression from there where it got heavier and I diversified my musical interests.
“You take a little something from everything you listen to, it opens your eyes.â€
At 5-years-old, Dmitruk gained a fundamental musical education thanks to a seven-year stint in piano lessons taught by old crones with possible homicidal tendencies. After surviving this harrowing ordeal it was now clear for this once and future king of Rock that his passion lay elsewhere. His destiny lay on the darker path, the path that would lead him to the heavy metal of Pantera, Black Sabbath and Metallica.
After bidding a rather less than fond farewell to afternoons of staid piano lessons, with nary a glance back, Dmitruk channeled his love of country and rock ‘n’ roll into studying the guitar. Hitching his sights onto the likes of the late great Dimebag Darrel as a musical influence, it was inevitable that he would soon be wielding an axe with all the skill of a Guitar God. Soon the guitar would be the weapon he would use to lash at the world with face-melting metal.
Dmitruk got his first taste of live performance in middle school, where he found an undiscovered talent for theatrics. With a classmate on drums, the social studies teacher on bass (“He was the only bass player in town,†Dmitruk explains), with the computer programming teacher providing vocals while dressed like Ozzy Osbourne. They played Paranoid by Black Sabbath.
It was the blaring intricate riffs of heavy metal that allowed Dmitruk to appreciate the inner workings and hidden crafts of elite guitar playing. As he improved his craft, others took notice. His school asked him to perform at bonfire-lit pep rallies, giving him an early primer in playing live (and with pyrotechnics). One of the few things in this world more Metal than a huge fire is a blazing riff from the guitar of this young Rock Lord.
Before, long, this bourgeoning example of undiluted metalness, set off for Nashville, Tenn., the northernmost tip of American music’s fertile crescent. There he found GoldylockS, a band headed by extreme sports correspondent and pro-wrestling personality Goldy. In a super-human feat, he mastered seven hours of material in less than one month.
A formidable stage presence by any yardstick, you might think that Goldy would overmatch the young prodigy. You’d be wrong, though: Dmitruk comes alive on the stage, pacing like a demon panther as he blares out rootsy, southern flavored metal to complement Goldy’s passionate vocals.
Dmitruk and GoldylockS can now be found traveling the country, rocking socks regardless of knit or length. Truly more than the sum of their parts, this band is a force to be reckoned with as they burn through the country at a break-neck pace (often exceeding 220 shows at 350 venues) with the help of their guitar-slinging shaman from Plainwell.
Its little wonder then that this guitar guru, alongside GoldylockS has opened and closed for the likes of Nickelback, Saliva, Sevendust, 3 Doors Down, Puddle of Mudd, Theory of a Deadman, Collective Soul, and Stevie Nicks.
So batten down the hatches and prepare to be boarded by the musical assault of Dmitruk, and pray to your gods that you survive his onslaught with you eardrums intact.