In Memory of Legendary Houston Metal Scene Champion BILL BATES (1962-2016)

Bill "The Master" Bates (December 15, 1962 - February 21, 2016)

Bill "The Master" Bates was loved in the Houston, Texas metal music underground. He was important through his role as a host of the metal music show Sweet Nightmares at 90.1 KPFT, starting in the 1980s, a home for extreme metal music on the FM dial: thrash, speed, death and black metal, and doom and prog and some crazy experimental metal, too. Bill championed local metal: Helstar, deadhorse, and Imprecation and man others. He invited unsigned acts to bring in their demo tapes and promoting local club dates at venues like The Axiom and Fitzgerald's.

In the metal music scene in Houston, Bill was loved by musicians, metal music supporters and friends in general. Bill played all types of metal music on the Sweet Nightmares radio show on KPFT 90.1 FM, including Texas bands and there are many local Houston metal musicians whose songs Bill played.

Bill’s love of metal music and music in general goes back a long time and he was practically a walking library of knowledge. Bill was obsessed with metal and other like-minded people would recognize a kindred spirit in Bill, who affectionately was called “The Master,” which is a joke within the name Bill “The Master” Bates. Bill was also very funny and had lots of hilarious and embarrassing stories about your favorite bands, Texas bands, and himself. There is a reason why people genuinely loved Bill and it’s because he was kind. That is the Bill that many of us knew.

The older generation knew Bill through the original metal music show Sweet Nightmares that started in the 1980s and that was hosted by Bill and his friend Wes Weaver (1964-2021). Wes (ex-Imprecation, ex-Infernal Dominion) is the guitarist for the death metal band Blaspherian. For many, the names Bill and Wes, Wes and Bill, were said together as if they were twins. These two metal personalities have played a big role in turning people on to new metal music, especially extreme metal.

Below you will find comments about Bill, a Houston Press article about Sweet Nightmares after Bill died, and a YouTube audio of an old show in which you can hear Bill's voice between songs.

Many people have said wonderful things about Bill and it is impossible to put all those comments together in one place. These are some words that friends and musicians and others said about Bill at the time of his death:

Bill had not been well for a long time, and for the recent period dj Herman García has kept the show going. It is important that Herman has stepped up to do the show.

Many people have said wonderful things about Bill and it is impossible to put all those comments together in one place. These are some words that friends and musicians and others have said about Bill:

Bill The Master Bates, Houston has lost one of the undergrounds most influential radio personal in music. Not only was Bill Bates a radio personal that played some of the most brutal music to ever get radio time by anyone, he was also an energetic fan of the sounds of the underground. I first had the honor and pleasure of meeting Bill when I was in my early 20's Ive always been a fan Of what Bill Bates and Wes Weaver had accomplished on 90.1 Kpft Sweet Nightmares. What these guys did inspired me to be the musician that I became by playing the music that I wanted to hear instead of playing commercial music that was not getting my attention. Thanks Bill for being apart of the Houston Metal Scene and never giving up on the music. What you guys did up at KPFT was establish a ground zero for all local metal heads. Rest easy, and be at peace. \m/

Rivethead Magazine celebrates the life and mourns the passing of our old friend Bill Bates. Early RH staff writer and longtime host of the KPFT "Sweet Nightmares" radio show, Bill was and will always be a legendary icon to the underground Houston scene. Here he writes about Sweet Nightmares from RH Issue #8, June of 1989. Thanks for everything you ever did, brother. Someone should read the last paragraph of this at your funeral.

Herman: Last night was kind of tough. We played some of Bill's favorite bands including deadhorse, Helstar and Trouble. We talked about some of memories of Bill Bates and then what blew me away was Bill's mom calling to thank us for doing the show and to say she was still in awe of how important her son was to the community. Important indeed. No one can fit in those shoes. But we will keep going at it and I hope all of you continue to tune in. \m/ \m/

One thing a lot of us agreed. Bill Bates must have sensed this time was coming. He was going to shows, he set up shows and he made it to the radio station. It was almost like he was saying his goodbye as he made his final tour. He touched so many but he was trying real hard to show people no matter what you are suffering, you still need to make time for friends, family and most important do what you can to help your friends in the metal community stay strong. This last week I am seeing so many people stand united in their love for Bill. For that say thank you. He would want you all to know that. So tomorrow one more tough day to say our goodbyes. Then we can continue to share our memories of him. He may have passed, but he will never be forgotten.

Wes: Just got back from the Bill Bates viewing, he looked really good. I had to say a last goodbye since i missed him after his departure from the hospital. Was really sad, but they had him in his sweet nightmares t-shirt, and an astros jacket, kinda fitting with how much he loved the radio show and the astros, well sports in general....Good bye old friend, i'll see you on the other side some time.

sitting at home today, with the baby...remembering the old school days and thinking of all the crazy times with Bill Bates I remembered this video, shot by Sean Sitka, from Vinnie Labella's house (EXHORDER), in 1990 in New Orleans....with bills physical problems,i think the exhorder guys thought it a little funny so Vinnie wrote 'side actions blues' some good natured ribbing and Bill makes his appearance at the 5:25 mark unphased and having a great time...always laughing....

Rubén Elizondo: I was deeply saddened to hear the news on Bill's passing. He played a huge part in the Houston Metal Scene. He did so much for many people, including myself. In the late 80s he managed Dark Reign. In 1990 Bill got us on the whole Texas Tour with Morbid Angel. By 1991 he got us two dates with Death here in Houston and New Orleans. He supported many bands in Houston by giving them air play, as well as setting up shows. Bill even handled all of the paper work to purchase my house for me and my wife. Thank you for your 30 year friendship Bill, I was honored to get the chance to know you. There will never be another Bill Bates. R.I.P.

Andrew Apollyon: I hope I'm able to perform the Bill Bates tribute show with my old band Hideously Defleshed. It would be an honour to pay tribute and support a true Houston legend. Bill Bates was a true gentlemen and class act. He always supported hideously defleshed as you can see from the pic below and played our music on k.p.f.t TheEjacula SweetNightmares often. If we are unable to perform the show due to the fact I'm leaving to the Middle East soon and my job may not allow me to take time off from work at the last moment for the show I will make sure we will donate a nice amount of funds to his benefit. Thank you Mr. Bill Bates we ❤ you...

Jerry Warden: Bill Bates was on the air at KPFT in Houston when I hosted The Metal Show on KNON in Dallas from '86-'89 and he continued to host Sweet Nightmares into 2016. I knew him as a fellow promoter of metal at a time when community radio was the only source for metal music. Later, I was a fan as I listened to him in S.Texas penitentiaries. Upon my return home, I reacquainted myself w/ Bill and conveyed my respect for his longevity on the air. He asked my band, WarlockTexas, to open for Satan as the direct support band at Numbers in Houston and asked me more than once to attend his last show featuring Insecticide, a band we both played on the air and hosted in the '80s. I wish I would've attended your last show, Bill, bc I have the utmost respect for u. U are The ******* Master.

Joshua James Merritt: Bill Bates, family and friends. I want to apologize for not coming to the service today... I simply cannot do viewings anymore... I want my last visual memory of him to be that happy smile of his sitting on the side of the Fitz stage watching Venom Inc, not of him in a casket... my eyes are watering up just typing this.... and for the record, when I depart, NO VIEWING, please. I will have words for our fallen comrade tonight on my radio show. Bill, we love you and we are all missing you dearly.

Dobber Beverly: A preshow shot for Bill Bates tonight. A tie that has been the bind for so many of us since we were kids jamming 90.1. Being able to turn that radio on and jam with pals you know and friends you didn't know yet. I wouldn't know half the people I know now if it wasn't for Bill and he was a hell of a dude. Rest in peace my friend and see you cats tomorrow!

Richard Cagle: Voices came out in 1990... It was a collection of Metal Bands from around the region that I put out on Saturn Records... It was well received in Europe and helped promote the Texas/Louisiana metal scene... Joe Claytor (Band Manager/Local Promoter) and Bill Bates (Sweet Nightmares, KPFT Radio DJ), both helped me put this together... without them, I doubt it would have gotten done or been as successful as it was at the time. With the passing of Bill this week, I've been reflecting on how both Joe and Bill helped and influenced the whole Metal scene in the 90s. They will both be missed... I thank them for all that they did.. Rest in Peace my friends....

John Fossum: Extremely sad to hear of the passing of Bill Bates. A dedicated, passionate music scene pioneer, promoter, fan and friend. When I moved to the Houston area in 1984, Bill was one of the first people I met. I listened religiously to the "Sweet Nightmares" radio show on KPFT that he and Wes Weaver made into a Metal program staple. I'm glad to have known him. It was a true honour. I have no doubt that he is yucking it up with Lemmy right now. Rest in peace, brotherman.

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Sweet Nightmares: A KPFT Show That Delivers The Metal

DAVID ROZYCKI

SEPTEMBER 20, 2018 (Houston Press article)

Local metal fans bored with commercial rock radio stations here in Houston really need to check out Sweet Nightmares, a show hosted by Bryan Posey (aka DJ Metallord) and Gilbert Issac Castaneda (aka Kill Casta), which airs weekly on Thursdays from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. on 90.1 FM KPFT and on the web. Many new listeners are surprised to learn that the show has been on the air for 30 years and is one of KPFT’s longest running programs. A cool thing is if you are an early riser and can’t stay up late to listen live on Thursdays you can listen to a few weeks’ archived shows on the KPFT website.

The current hosting team of Posey and Castaneda will celebrate their one year anniversary on Sweet Nightmares together on September 20. For many of the show’s previous years Bill “The Master” Bates co-hosted the show with Wes Weaver of Houston death metal band Blaspherian and then on his own. Bates suffered from a number of health problems late in his life and passed away in February of 2016; he was much loved in the Houston metal community and an all-day memorial concert to help raise money for his family after his death was held at Scout Bar in March 2016.

“We all miss Bill Bates very much, may he rest in peace, but we try and keep this going on in his memory because he would want that,” explains Posey. “This show was very important to him and it’s important to a lot of people man. I really have realized how important it is now doing this on the other side now and it still is relevant to this day.”

A memorial plaque dedicated to Bill Bates is hanging on a wall at KPFT as well as a small pamphlet given out at his funeral. I asked Posey if the show has changed any since Bates passed.

“I always say we keep it updated without outdating it, you know,” explains Posey. “We try to mix the new with the old, and I’ve done polls on Sweet Nightmares Facebook page on what people would rather hear — the old stuff or the newer stuff — and usually it’s 50/50, a little bit of both, so we’re getting really good feedback. I think Bill would be very happy with the way it’s going and what’s going on with it, yes I do.”

Before Posey joined the show, Castaneda co-hosted the show for 3 years with Herman Garcia, who did an excellent job as well but had to leave due to Hurricane Harvey which devastated the lives of so many people in the Houston area.

“He lost his house and everything in the hurricane,” says Posey. “His girlfriend lives in Tennessee so he was like, screw it I don’t have nothing here I might as well move to Tennessee. He didn’t want to do it but they were planning on either her moving down here or him moving up there but there was no sense in her coming down here since the house was gone… He pretty much had to pick up the pieces and start over his life and move there. He really, really didn’t want to go and he hated leaving the show.”

Posey adds that Garcia asked him to replace him on the show since he thought Posey would be the best person to do it with his history within the Houston metal scene, his knowledge of the bands and his previous years of experience as an Internet DJ with Hard Rock Radio Live and his own Nuclear Rock Radio website. Posey also has booked Houston metal shows past and present with his Throne of Metal Promotions & Bookings.

“I didn’t jump on it right away, I thought about it,” explains Posey. “I actually spoke with previous host Wes Weaver before agreeing to do it and he said ‘I think you should take it’ and so that pretty much sealed the deal for me.”

The current hosts of Sweet Nightmares represent two different generations of metalheads, with Posey being in his 40s and Castaneda, who got the shortened nickname Casta because some of his friends had trouble pronouncing his last name, is in his 20s. Posey had been a fan of Sweet Nightmares for many years while Castaneda discovered it more recently.

“If it weren’t for Josh (Rivera) from Thraxis I wouldn’t even know about this gig,” explains Castaneda. “He told me I have a great radio voice and how would I like to put it to use? That’s how I got hooked up for this gig and ever since then I’ve loved it. Every week that I’m here I’m learning about new jams.”

Posey and Castaneda get up to the station an hour to an hour and a half before the show each week and talk about music and what they are going to play on the show; they work together like a well-oiled machine at this point.

I asked the guys how they became such big fans of metal music in the first place.

“When I was way young, when I was a kid, I grew up in a house full of girls with four sisters and my mom so they were always playing pop, hip-hop, or R&B, but I knew that none of that was my cup of tea,” explains Castaneda. “I remember what got me hooked was hearing on the radio on a classic rock station was Twisted Sister’s ‘I Wanna Rock’ and that was the song that was pretty catchy to me and I thought it was really good but I didn’t know what other music that was similar to that to listen to at that time. I was jamming to some hard rock and some alternative jams and I was just thinking like some of these are good but I feel like it needs more aggression, and I’m that type that started exploring more music on the Internet, and then I went to my cousin’s house and he had all these vinyl albums and CDs, stuff like Dethklok, Exodus, Warbringer, CKY, a variety of different types of metal that he got me hooked to. Then I got into some classic metal and the new wave of thrash metal and it just expanded from there.”

Years earlier Posey discovered metal music from a relative as well.

“When I was a kid, my uncle had all these vinyl albums — rock music, hard rock music. I’m talking stuff like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, I mean literally like hundreds if not thousands of albums,” Posey explained. “I was just fascinated. I remember being 8 or 9 years old looking at Ozzy Osbourne’s Diary of A Madman album going ‘wow dude this looks cool!’ And then Kiss was the band that really started me into hard rock and stuff. As I got to be a teenager, I discovered Twisted Sister, Quiet Riot, all that stuff, and then it just got harder and more extreme. I was there for the birth of thrash metal, the second wave of punk, a lot of the New York City hardcore stuff, and death metal. It became an obsession and it’s a part of me, it’s like my being… rock metal music, it’s always been there for me and it’s helped me through a lot of things.”

Posey and Castaneda like metal so much they both became drummers, playing in several different bands over the years and they both agree the music is a very big and important part of their lives, not just some trivial or slight thing.

“This is me, this is how I am and I always will be until they throw the freaking dirt on me,” explained Posey. “I didn’t want to be a doctor, I didn’t want to be a lawyer. I wanted to be a freaking rock star.”

The extreme metal music played on Sweet Nightmares is an obsession to their listeners as well; people all over the world listen to the show via the Internet, in addition to the local fans who listen live on the radio and call in to win free tickets to shows each week. The program even has a number of fans who are serving time in prison; Posey showed me some of the letters they have sent in to the show thanking Sweet Nightmares for the music they play.

Posey and I are about the same age and we reminisced a little bit about how some people thought metal music was literally evil and earnestly satanic back in the 80s; the metal music scene was also more of a boy’s club back then while today it is a lot different.

“It’s really changed now because there are a lot of women fronting bands and there are certain women who are freaking shredders and just unbelievable guitarists,” explained Posey. “The ladies hold their own man. I know some gals that are heavier than some dudes you know that are into metal. The reason [my wife and I] got together was because of rock and metal music. We’ve been married for 20 years now.”

“In the metal community, everyone just makes you feel like family, especially when you’re at shows,” said Castaneda. “Sometimes people like to be judgmental just because they see a guy with long hair…but whenever you go to a metal show it just makes you feel like you’re with your family, with your brothers, your sisters. It’s a metal bond that everyone has.”

Sweet Nightmares airs weekly on Thursday nights starting at 11 p.m. on 90.1 FM KPFT and online at kpft.org

sweet nightmares bill bates