10 Years have been touring their faces off! And those aren’t my words, those are the words of Kyle Mayer, 10 Years’ touring drummer, keyboardist and self-proclaimed beer nerd! I had a chance to sit down with Kyle before their show on 7/28/2015 in Charlotte, NC to talk about everything from the new album, From Birth to Burial, touring with Nonpoint and yes, beer!
You’ve been touring with Nonpoint. When did the tour start?
Kyle: Just about two weeks now. We actually started out with them for a few days, then we did our own thing for a couple days. We did a casino gig at the Mohegan Sun. We did this gnarly biker rally in western IL that was pretty off the wall, but I think we’re with the package now for most of the rest of this
Looks like you’re booked through the end of Sept/early Oct. do you have anything lined up between now and Shiprocked?
Kyle: Yeah we’re doing Shiprocked. There’s a chance we might be in Australia before that, more towards the end of October. Pretty much since the record came out we’ve been touring our faces off since early Feb. We did the whole tour with Otherwise . Then the record came out and we did it all over again with Starset and Islander and a local Knoxville band called Sky Town Riot. Then a quick couple weeks at home and then BAM! back out again and then another two weeks at home and then we do the Breaking Benjamin thing and that may go straight in to Australia. So our wives and girlfriends are ready to kill us for being away for so long. (laughs)
(laughs) I hear that I have a 10 month old so I couldn’t get away with that I don’t think, do you guys have kids?
Kyle: I don’t but Jesse and Tater have kids, and they’re married and I’m practically married so uh, it gets tough being away from home, but you know you gotta strike while the iron is hot and the record is still fresh so it’s better to have too much work than not enough. So you just gotta roll with it.
Have you guys done Shiprocked before?
Kyle: I came in to 10 Years in 2013, filled in a little bit before that, but I have not done Shiprocked. So it’ll be my first and boy, I hear it’s just a mad crazy party!
Yeah man! I was on there in 2012 with Korn, Godsmack, Sevendust, 5fdp and it was wild. Do you think you’ll roam around, mix it up with the fans and mingle or kind of keep it low key in the room?
Kyle: I think I’ll do half and half. Spend a good deal of time hanging out with people checking out bands. I’m looking forward to hanging with some bands we know on there. I’m a fan of Hellyeah. I think our boys in Otherwise will be on there too. And our boys in Seether, they are buddies of ours. I’m looking forward to all that. But hey, it’s a cruise ship! The buffets dude! Looking forward to the food!
Heck yes! Out of all of the venues that you guys play, what do you personally or what does the band prefer to play, i.e. do you like the club atmosphere or do you like to look out at 20,000 people in an arena or festival?
Kyle: You know, I tell ya what, I consider us lucky in the sense that we really get the whole experience. I don’t think a lot of people realize this but depending on what city or state, different bands do better in different places. We’re fortunate enough to tour the whole country and even parts of the world sometimes, but in the U.S. we’ll go from anywhere from these 200 capacity clubs to 1,000-1,200 headlining, and then the festival circuit is a whole different thing. We very recently did Rock on the River in Iowa and there were about 20,000 people there. What a trip! It’s always such a big rush to play those gigantic stages, but I’ve learned you can never size up the type of show you’re gonna have when you roll up to the club and look at the stage and you say, “well this place is too small” or this and that. You just never know. Sometimes those smaller shows are just insane!
What’s your personal preference? What do you like to play the most?
Kyle: You know, I really couldn’t pick because playing the huge amphitheaters is such a rush but at the same time I’m so far back on the stage playing drums that a lot of times I can’t really see anybody. We did a gig a month ago and we did a couple dates with Breaking Benjamin and it was such a shallow stage. We kind of set it up where the drums were kind of sideways and we stood in sort of a line instead of deep and that was really cool to be right up there in front with people. I don’t know, I couldn’t pick one way or the other.
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Do you still party it up or do you keep it low key? Do you still partake in the tour party scene?
Kyle: I think as a band we’ve definitely slowed down quite a bit. Not to say we’re a bunch of boring old men because we’re certainly not that! I think there’s a time for fun and doing this job, with the stress of being away from home, within all the travel you gotta find joy and happiness. If you’re gonna be miserable you might as well be making a lot of money being an accountant or something. You gotta find joy in this and sometimes that means throwing back some beers and some shots with your buddies. Doing this job I see a lot of older friends I haven’t’ seen for a long time while traveling. It’s always really cool to catch up with some old friends. On the flip side, I have these nights on the road where it’s like, “I don’t care how cool it is, I’m going to my bunk and I’m watching South Park.” And you just gotta be like “I don’t give a shit what’s going on! I’m tired!!” So you gotta know when to say that too.
Speaking of beer, what’s your beer of choice? Are you a Bud Light guy or are you a beer nerd like me?
Kyle: Oh no! I like full flavor, IPA, Ambers…on the bus it’s a strictly Coors Light/Mich Ultra environment and that just makes me sad. At least get me some full flavor Yingling or Budweiser please!
One more question I had regarding touring: What’s your dream lineup?
Kyle: Oh my God, you know, I’ve been very fortunate and 10 Years has been fortunate. We have played shows with bands we worship, so I’m going to aim really high here and say something that’s so ridiculous: So what if, we went our tour with Rush or Metallica? Or just a freaking legend!
Wow! Rush! That’s an interesting choice there. I like it! Metallica has been my favorite band since I was 11 so that’s… I know 10 Years has played with them at Download a while back. Did you get to play that or was that before your time?
Kyle: That was before I came in.
Oh ok so you haven’t gotten to play the same show with those guys?
Kyle: No! The one trip we did take that I was a part of with 10 Years was when we did Soundwave 2014 in Australia and what an experience! That was just…there were like 90 some bands…Alice in Chains was there, Green Day was there, Gojira, I’m a HUGE Gojira fan! I watched those guys play every day. My buddy John that plays for Devildriver…or used to at least. So that was a very surreal experience just seeing all these bands. Three or four bands would sort of travel together because you would play at the same time. So you go to the airport together and we just happened to get paired up with Down. So we’re waiting in line to go through airport security at 8:30 in the morning and like, waiting in line with Phil Anselmo, just “What’s up brother?!” I think Tater and I just kind of had these moments where it’s just like, “We’re just chilling with Phil.”
That’s awesome!
Kyle: And the funniest thing, you know Tater has a funny nickname and a couple of days in to the tour we’re just walking and Phil walks by and goes, “What’s up SPUD!!” (Laughs) And we just turned around and looked at each other like little girls just like, “Oh man! We’re just shooting the breeze with Phil, on tour in Australia!” Unbelievable!
That’s sick man, just killer! I totally envy you guys getting to do this for a living. I wasn’t given the gift from above to be able to create and play music at this level.
Kyle: You know I tell ya, I define talent and the quote unquote gift of music as just being stupid enough to do it for as long as it takes to get here ya know? Some bands get started and get famous real young and a lot of guys have to work at it. You know, I don’t think my career as a professional really got going until I was about 30 years old and believe me, I had those years where I’m like “Man! What am I doing?” Still going to rehearsal spaces 4-5 days a week, working whatever odd jobs I could. So I think it’s just that stubborn thick-headedness that may or may not pay off.
Let’s talk about the new album for a bit. I saw that Brian actually produced From Birth to Burial – what led to the production to move in-house. I know you guys have worked with some different producers over the years. What led to Brian doing it this time around?
Kyle: I wasn’t around for a lot of this but I do know the back story. Major labels tend to overspend on everything. They overspend on the record budget. They’ll spend $100,000 on a video. It’s not like they give you that money. You have to go out there and tour and recoup that money. You know, Brian Vodinh, even though he’s not touring with the band, he’s a huge part of 10 Years always will be. I was actually on tour in Brian’s place, playing drums live. He got the studio thing going at home and he actually did the last two records. It’s just nice not to have outside songwriters and producers coming in and telling the band what to be. It really gives Jesse, Brian and Tater the freedom to do it their way. And you know what? We keep the money in the family and we’re not overspending on this and that. As much as I would have loved to have played drums on the record, I can’t be upset that Brian records it. It’s not like they hired some outside studio wiz to do it. It’s Brian Vodinh who I would say is the heart of the 10 Years sound. Can’t really argue about that!
Of course, that’s cool. I know the album only a few months old, but have you guys started putting together any ideas for the next record while out on the road or are you kind of running with the tour and relaxing on the creative stuff for now?
Kyle: At this point we try to take the creativity in to our live shows: working on our segways, interludes, trying to tie the set together as a whole flowing piece of music. That takes up a lot of our energy out here. You know I always had these intentions of when a tour starts of “Oh I’m gonna play guitar this week and work on this and that” but really at the end of it, by the time I clean my dirty underwear and keep my show clothes clean, feed myself, do sound check, do the gig, do the meet & greet, you know that’s all you’re doing and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with just taking it day by day. When it’s time to write new songs, we’ll address it at that point.
I know you said Brian is the heart of the sound of 10 Years, but are there any plans of you recording on an album in the future?
Kyle: I think in a year or year and a half or whenever we’re ready to get something out there, we’re just gonna have to see where it’s all at, and just take it from there.
What’s your favorite tune on the new album? I really dig “Triggers & Tripwires”!
Kyle: I’m very proud of the record, for a record that I didn’t perform on! I’m very proud of it and to be touring on it. I’m a big fan of the song “Survivors”. It’s a super cool epic song. And “Luna” is one I’ve had a lot of fun with because the studio drums are electronic and I’m really able to make it my own, translating to the acoustic drums.
There’s quite a bit of piano work on the record. How do you pull that off live?
Kyle: When we do our full on rock show, all the keyboards are on a back track. What we did do towards the end of the Minus the Machines tour is we did an acoustic tour in 2-3 week segments. I actually play piano too, so that ended up being a really cool challenge for us as a band, because we did about 1/3 of it all acoustic guitars, but maybe a 1/3 with piano and maybe the other 2/3 with live acoustic drums. We would like to do that next year at some point with some of these new songs and some old favorites like “Writing on the Wall” and “So Long Goodbye” – some of our softer songs that really translate well on acoustic.
And play a real deal piano on stage?
Kyle: Yeah man! It was a dream come true for me! In my formative years I played with some bands where I would do more keyboard stuff, and to get to do that in 10 Years was huge for me.
10 Years – Miscellanea
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Cool! Any thoughts of doing a full acoustic tour kind of like Sevendust did recently?
Kyle: I always jokingly say that we actually did that BEFORE Sevendust! (Laughs) I just thought it was great, I was like “maybe they’re checking out our approach – I don’t know!” Because 10 Years and Sevendust go way back and we’ve toured with those guys a ton.
Changing gears a little bit, let’s talk about you for a minute. As a drummer (and keyboards) who have been some of your influences on drums? Who do you model your style behind? I know you have your own style but who do you sort of look up to?
Kyle: You know as much as I love Rush, Getty Lee is my hero in that band. Strictly drum-wise the guys that really kind of formed me early on, Lars Ulrich of course, Nick Manza from Megadeth, Ray Herrera from Fear Factory. (Fear Factory was my bible in high school). Gene Hoglan huge influence. And then you know I have my new drummers that inspire me, like some of those newer Australian bands: Russ from 12 Foot Ninja. Just soaking up little tricks and things that he does and I try to bring in to my style. He just has this finesse and fluidity. I’m always searching for newer bands and newer drummers as well.
What was the first song you learned to play on drums?
Kyle: Probably “Enter Sandman” or perhaps Nirvana’s “In Bloom”.
Do you have any other influences like horror films or anything like that?
Kyle: We’re not really a conceptual band like that. A lot of bands do, and do it very well, but I think of us as just one of those more straight forwards bands. We just come from what we know and what we’ve experienced – especially Jesse. Jesse is an interesting artist because he kind of fell in to singing almost by accident. Always very artistic, more in drawing and painting medium, and he’s an avid skateboarder but he’s one of the few singers I know that doesn’t play guitar or play drums. It was just something he discovered he had an ability to do and I think his other artistic interests fueled that. So I think he’s more along the lines of your question than myself personally.
Well man that’s about all I had, anything you want to add?
Kyle: Right now we’re just in tour mode and we’re spreading the message. And that’s about as far ahead as we’re thinking. Like I said, it’s looking like we’re gonna be booked up through November so we just need to get through that and then I think if we don’t go home for a month our families are gonna murder us! (Laughs). So I think we’ll pretty much be off for that month but then we’ll start hatching our plans for next year at that point. Until then, we just gotta stay the course. We got a lot of stuff coming up!
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Interview and Concert Photos by Dustin Blaine Church, RockRevolt PhotoJournalist
CHECK OUT THEIR UPCOMING TOUR DATES
9/3: Palmer, AL @ Alaska State Fair#
9/11: Poughkeepsie, NY @ Mid-Hudson Civic Center^
9/12: Providence, RI @ Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel^
9/14: Montreal, QC @ Metropolis^
9/15: Toronto, ON @ Sound Academy^
9/16: Erie, PA @ Insurance Arena^
9/18: Ft. Wayne, IN @ Parkview Field (98.9 The Bear Birthday Bash)
9/21: Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall^
9/24: Battle Creek, MI @ Kellogg Arena**
9/25: Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore^
9/26: Sioux City, IA @ Hard Rock Hotel & Casino*
9/27: Saint Paul, MN @ Myth^
9/29: Moorhead, MN @ Bluestem Center for the Arts^
9/30: Clear Lake, IA @ Surf Ballroom^
10/3: Memphis, TN @ Minglewood Hall^
10/4: Louisville, KY @ Riverfront Park (Louder Than Life)
1/18-22 : Miami, FL – Mexico (Shiprocked Cruise)
*- Headliner ^- w/Breaking Benjamin #- w/3 Doors Down **- w/Breaking Benjamin & Godsmack
