By: Johnny Price, Lead Senior Journalist
Kyng lead singer Eddie Velez said in an interview that Kyng was going to be his last hurrah. The band began as a side project in 2008, but it didn’t take long after he, bassist Tony Castaneda, and drummer Pepe Clarke started writing and playing together to discover that they were onto something special. Fast forward to 2014 and the guys are earning the praise of fans and critics alike with a kick-ass solid album entitled Burn the Serum. When you add a live show that pushes and delivers substance over style, quite the opposite of what a lot of other bands are doing today, and you have the makings of one hell of a 2014 for a much deserving band. Castaneda sat down with me after their impressive set at Rock on the Range and shared some words of wisdom with me.
First off, your new album Burn the Serum is absolutely phenomenal and I am sure it’s going to be on a lot of Best of 2014 lists at the end of the year. What really blew me away was how much freaking power the three of you put out when you are on-stage. If I closed my eyes while you guys were up there performing, I would have sworn that there was a small army up there performing. Well, actually, there was a small army up there performing (laughs).
Thanks man, thank you so much; that really means a lot to hear you say that. I think that because we are just a three piece, it gives us the feeling that we have to have that much energy. It’s kind of like the David and Goliath thing, you know? We go out there and we tear it up because that’s our job up there whether we’re playing to four people or to 4000; we’re on a mission to destroy when we’re up there.
Now, with that being said, is your battle plan to destroy at a big festival show like this any different that a smaller venue show?
Not at all man. We just kind of reorganize the setlist because we want to make sure we up the heavy artillery in there. We want to go in there, knock them down, and keep moving. I don’t think there’s too much of a difference besides the fact that the songs translate a little different. I mean, we go out there with the same intention each and every time.
I know you have some other festival shows to do and some dates with Kill Devil Hill and Crobot. After those dates, do you have anything lined up that you can talk about?
After all the festivals are over, we’ll go home for about a month and then we head out with Black Stone Cherry and We as Human on the Hard Drive Live tour and then some dates with Chevelle.
Wow, two more awesome bills that you guys have lined yourself up with. I bet shows like those really make you push yourselves as artists?
Oh yeah, definitely because you want to raise the bar with each performance.
There’s nothing wrong with a little friendly competition.
Totally, you’re exactly right!
Your new album Burn the Serum has really seemed to bring a lot of new fans into the fold. How does that album compare to your last album Trampled Sun?
Right off the bat, sonically, it’s a lot bigger than the last album. That last album was recorded in three or four different recording studios and there were a lot of issues that we had in recording that album. As far as the quality and the sound, this new one takes the cake. We had never worked with a producer before, but this time we did with Jim Rota and Andrew Alekel. Andrew’s worked with Queens of the Stoneage, the Black Crowes, the Foo Fighters and Jim plays in a band called Fireball Ministry and he also produced the documentary Sound City with Dave Grohl. When we recorded “Electric Halo”, which was recorded in Dave Grohl’s Studio 606 using that same sound board from that movie.
Pardon my French, but how fucking amazing was that?
Oh yeah, it was an awesome experience and a little tidbit for you. Eddie (Veliz), our guitar player, actually got to play one of Dave Grohl’s guitars on that song.
KYNG – ELECTRIC HALO VIDEO
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I also read that “Electric Halo” was the band’s very first music video. What was that whole experience like?
Yeah, it was our first video and it was a really good experience. We did the shoot in one day and it took about six to eight hours. We had never shot a video before, but we went into it with good intentions, good spirits and we knocked it out.
You guys are quite notorious for your covers that you do, such as Van Halen’s “Hot for Teacher”. I know that things probably haven’t slowed down enough for you guys to consider it yet, but have you ever thought about maybe doing a covers EP?
We’ve thought about it and there are a lot of things that come into play when recording somebody else’s music.
Oh yeah, that’s when the suits tend to really get involved.
Oh yeah and we’d have to do our research with all of that. It’s something that we’d like to do, but at the moment we’re so busy doing everything else. It’s not out of the question, so never say never.
Do you ever find yourself going into fanboy mode at any of these big festivals with so many amazing bands?
Well, more so when we first started, but as you get used to all of the festivals your inner fanboy comes out, but you tend to keep it at bay so that you don’t make a fool out of yourself. Earlier today, I met Phil Anselmo and that was quite an experience. I mean, we’re huge fans just like so many other people and he knows about us through another friend of ours Jose Mangin who’s a big supporter and has been holding the flag high at Sirius XM radio. He usually goes up on stage and we’ll do Pantera’s “Revolution is my Name” with him and he got cut one night while performing the song with us. The very next night, he went to see Down perform and he showed Phil the scar and told him about us and that we do Pantera like no other, so Phil is very aware of us. So, when I met him and introduced myself he told me that he knew who we were and that was really cool.
Have you ever bought anything off of an infomercial?
No, but a friend of mine did! He bought one of those laser nose hair removers and it was the funniest thing. He put it in his nose and it freaking ripped a chunk of hair out of his nose and instantly his right eye just starts tearing up (laughs).
If the house was burning down and you could only save one album, and it can’t be your own, what would you grab? What’s that go-to album for you?
Oh yeah, easily, Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. I listen to that album as much as I can and I can listen to it going to sleep every night; it rocks me to sleep. I’m a huge Roger Water fan!
Have you ever done the thing where you sync that album up with The Wizard of Oz?
Oh yeah, I’ve tried it and it was pretty cool.
It’s crazy how they come up with that!
I know man, drop a little acid, smoke some weed (laughs). I didn’t go that far…but I might have.
You at least thought about it!
Oh yeah, I definitely thought about it (laughs)!
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by Johnny Price, Lead Senior Journalist
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