Every so often comes a musician that is so out of this world in talent that it amazes the ears to listen to such greatness. That kinda sounds like the way Kyle would describe himself and his band. On his website the description of his band goes like this “men, women and children, domesticated house pets, earth roaming wild mammals, sea dwelling creatures of the deep sea, insects and species yet unknown, gods and leaders, universal truths and earthly lies; all lay wanting in subjugation to the new interstellar constant that is the Kyle Gass Band”. With a description like that we were excited to get to know the man, the myth, the legend just a little bit more.
Whats up with the Julliard rumors, who started that?
One time on some talk show a million years age for some reason it stuck and I think I delivered because it my acting is so good so convincing at the time that it was utterly believable, and then my guitar playing was sorta underestimated, people enjoy my playing and it seems as if maybe people and that I might have gone to a conservatory. But now I try to say that story and it never works so I just say yes “I am the youngest graduate from Julliard, don’t look for the records they disappeared”.
Well congratulations on being the youngest graduate from Julliard!
Why thank you.
Your good friend is Jack Black, you showed him how to play the guitar, if I’m correct? Can you tell me a little bit about the teacher –student relationship there?
Well I mean we are uh, we are uh, see the movie? That’s like a docudrama, that’s like a historical document so yes you could say yeah I did teach jack how to play the guitar, he was a VERY accomplished vocalist though, he was musically inclined, and I said “ Jack you know you should accompany yourself cause you’re a great singer and I think he agreed and its fun and it went from there”.
About the movie, that one scene where you area about to give JB his new guitar you are walking back and forth in front of a box of vinyl records, I was just curious as to your collection what is in there?
My collection, I’m not a big vinyl collector; I’m more likely to give away vinyl. I like, I love vinyl, I like to enjoy it and I like to buy it. But I’m not organized enough for that sort of thing. I gotta go on to the next thing, I gotta practice a song or try to write a new song, get ready for the next show or just hang out.
Just hangout? What to do like to do when you just hangout?
When I hang out? Oh just a variety of relaxing actives eat and uhh, getting back into golf lately. Golfing and eating at the same time, that’s really good. (laughs out loud)
I did want to tell you congratulations on your Grammy win from last year!
Oh my god, thank you. Who would have thunk ? Who would have thunk?
On your Instagram you have a empty Grammy case, what does that mean? Why didn’t you take a picture with your Grammy?
umm well I thought it was more poetic, really. Because you could tell what it was without it being there. The empty space of the Grammy, cause it’s not always the award that’s the weird thing, it’s the weird prize that you get it the physical, but of course it symbolic ultimately meaningless but yet it’s really fun to have the physical thing. But, now I’m proud to say that I have it displayed at my moms.
At your moms, where does she have it at her house?
Up high, and my brothers have to walk by and see it. Where is your Grammy guys, where is your Grammy? You know sibling rivalry it never goes away, never.
Let’s now talk about Tenacious D, tell us about where you guys started and the “Actors Gang”?
I met Jack a little before that but threw a mutual friend RA White but we were both in the Actors Gang, but Jack was a little younger than us and we all went to UCLA at one point, and the Actors Gang was a theater group. That happened after college and Jack got on board and we started hanging out..
The Kyle Gass Band, so how do you, John, Mike, and Tim work? How did you guys get together and decided you know what we are going to do this? Cause I know you were in Train wreak before?
Yeah, train wreak went off the track, I know pun intended,and then there seemed to be a vacuum, I mean Tenacious D, we have been around a while and Jack he is a big movie star and he’s working and he is developing stuff and has projects going so and I like to gig so my friend John Konesky and I worked together so it just seemed sorta a natural fit, and Mike Bray our singer, and it just seemed of a natural regeneration of the Train Wreak, and the side project comes alive and here we are. Great collection of friends too.
When your fans go to your shows or when people go to your shows what do you want them to feel?
Well I don’t really want them to feel I imagine they will feel their faces melting it might be haunting at first then they liquefy. They will be a little bummed but they then they will be like “WOW I’ve never been rocked like that and so entertained they might laugh, I think they will be moved I think they will see a show, and be like wow I wish more shows were like this but that’s impossible because this is the best show I’ve ever seen.
The self-titled album? I think my favorite song off that album is definitely “Manchild” , are you a Manchild?
I was the uh, inspiration behind Manchild, not surprising for my friends and bandmates that know me think it was a easy call, they knows it’s totally about Kyle there.
What can we expect from your sophomore album?
Well I think that we uped the annie, its really happening in real time we are not uh, we are getting to close to the finish line that the songs and the production and the performances, wow we could not just be more excited, we are probably not the most objective critics of it but its just amazing I’m really proud of what we got. Really excited to drop it on folks.
I’m really excited to hear it
Yeah.. yeah.. it’s gonna be great
Ok I’m gonna switch gears from music to your acting, I know you have had lots of acting roles. Any one that you would like to reprise?
Huh? Reprise you mean like do again? In a movie or TV show, actually there is one I had a guest spot on friends and uh I don’t know, I wasn’t having the greatest day we shooting and I found it kinda difficult wasn’t too happy on the performance I’d like a re-do on that one. But you know every actor wants one more shot, you like “ahh” when your driving away driving home from work, thinking I wish I could do that again that would be good.
I know you were on Seinfeld, how was it to walk onto that set?
Well it was pretty overwhelming, I’ve been in Los Angels and working for a while, and I think it was on one of their last seasons and it really was kinda iconic you knew the stuff that your doing that day was probably gonna live on. So it was very resonating it was moving. It was fun and kinda surreal to be on the New York set in Los Angels when it supposed to be cold and its like 80 degrees and it had that sorta vibe.
Okay one last question for you, what is the secret of happiness according to Kyle Gass?
Oh I think its stay engaged and be creative, show up and leave all out there on the field.. aww
The Kyle Gass Band will be rocking the Lowbrow stage Wednesday April 27th. Come see Kyle preform good old fashion rock “n” roll with his Gibson guitar, dressed in gym shorts ready to show you a good time.
Text: Isabel Aleman | Photo: The Kyle Gass Band