Last Saturday (16-3-2024) I had the luck to watch Astronomica in metal union agrinio and I was amazed by the bassist (as a fellow bassist myself!) not only because of his amazing 6 string fretless bass but his aloof stage presence, rapid but stern fingering and his overall stage performance.
After the gig we talked about many things and decided on this interview. I did a search about kyle and I found out many interesting things which we are going to discuss and many more.
Work, family and many personal matters kept us from completing this interview for almost eight months (!!!!) but finally it is over and done!
Enjoy!
LoÖ: first of all, welcome to the epic fantasy world of “Land of Öyr” and although it seems that you are not so epic, we will make an exception! So, lets begin from the start, when did you decide to become a bassist and what are you influences and favorite artist/bassist?
KS: I started playing bass around 1987 at the age of 13. In my neighborhood, I hung out with friends that were all metal heads like myself, and we wanted to live the dream of being in a heavy metal band. I was always into the bass players in bands and when we decided to all buy instruments, no one wanted to play the bass except me… Then it started! As far as my influences are concerned, I have had many over the years and still have a lot of the same ones. The bass players that influenced me early on were Geddy Lee, Jaco Pastorius, Steve Harris, Cliff Burton, Roger Patterson, Tony Choy, Alex Webster, Steve DiGiorgio, and Victor Wooten. I have found so many other players that I admire for their style or technique, that I could have a few pages alone listing all of them!
comment: unfortunately i know only Harris and Burton as bass players and had heard of Pastorius the rest need to be studied into!
LoÖ: currently you play in four bands, Astronomica, Nasty Savage, Apeiron Bound and Nocturnus AD, which have all different playstyles and they are in quite opposite metal genres from classic heavy/power to black metal how do you combine all these different elements? What is your preferred metal genre?
KS: I actually like playing as many different styles as possible. I have been a fan of Jazz, classical, alternative, to the heaviest of heavy music. I like to challenge my playing, and learn how to play all styles of music, and then try and incorporate different elements of my playing into each of the bands I play with. I don’t have a specific preferred genre, but metal (all types) will always be at the top.
comment: of course metal is on top! also if you wander with it took us seven months to finish the interview the reasons why are above!!
LoÖ: what other bands have you played with in the past?
KS: I have played and recorded with a lot of bands over the years. A recent recording I was honored to be a part of on Nuclear Blast Records was “Till The Dirt” … This was a project that my friend Kelly Shaefer (Atheist) did during all the Covid-19 time. He wrote all the songs while stuck in the house at that time during the lockdown and asked if I wanted to record on the album. It was a fun project to do, and has some great guest players on it, to include Steve DiGiorgio (Death, Testament, Sadus) on bass too. I was also fortunate enough to play in a few of the pioneers of the first wave of metal from Tampa, Florida USA, to include Blackkout and Messiaxx. Some of the other acts I have been in are Cadaveric Mass (Technical Death Metal), Must… Not… Kill… (Death Metal), Disareyen (Technical Metal), Hell on Earth (Industrial Metal), Mercy McCoy (Upright Bass, Folk Americana), and Rude Squad (Punk/Ska) that I still play with a couple festivals a year in.
comment: that’s an impressive bio but unfortunately there are no epic metal bands in it…
LoÖ: lets talk now about gear, you have a wonderful fretless six string warwick bass, which would be most suitable in a jazz musician (!) how come you choose this particular instrument and what are the pros and cons playing with it? Do you have other basses (of course you have but I will have to ask!) if you can share their details and history?
KS: I was endorsed by Warwick Basses from 2012 until this year. I brought two basses on the tour with Astronmica, the Warwick Steve Bailey Signature Model Six-String Fretless and Warwick Stage 1 Six-String Fretless. I have other Warwicks in my arsenal, but for Astronomica and Nocturnus AD, I specifically play fretless bass. I love playing fretless basses, but I also love a good four or five-string fretted bass too. When I join a group, I want my playing to compliment what they are doing, so sometimes I play a little of both, fretted and fretless… Other times it’s only one or the other. For those two bands, fretless just sounded and felt right. I do want to mention though, I recently left Warwick due to the company not focusing on the lower-tier players anymore. They make great instruments, but I was approached by Dean Guitars, that is also based in Tampa, Florida near me, and is a huge supporter of heavy metal musicians. They gave myself and the other guys in Nasty Savage a tour of their factory and custom shop, and offered us a full support deal with Dean, and after playing their instruments and meeting the CEO down to the warehouse employees, I knew I wanted to be a part of the Dean Family. I currently have a four-string Dean Hillsboro fretted bass, and a Dean Edge Pro five-string custom fretless bass for my current bands now.
comment: i couldn’t notice that the basses you mentioned have five figure price tags!
LoÖ: continuing on gear what amp(s) do you use on home practice, studio recording and lives, there is a trend now for ampless live gigs with preamps going straight to the console what’s your opinion?
KS: I have a Mesa Boogie endorsement and have used them well before I was ever endorsed. I use a Mesa Boogie TT800 Subway Amp, and two 12-inch Subway Bass Cabinets. Small, compact and light! I do have a Zoom B6 pedal/processor that I use as a preamp and can be used to go direct like you mentioned. I use that in the studio as well. In all the shows I have done, I have never just gone direct without a live amp on stage yet, but I know it will happen eventually. I do not mind bands that go direct, Apeiron Bound (Prog Metal band I play with) has done that live before (the guitar players) as well as a band called Disareyen that I played with for a few years. As long as it sounds good (they have a good PA system at the venue) its all cool with me!
comment: the gear is very down to earth and simple! i would expect something more extravagant but you know better!
LoÖ: what pedals do you use, your favorites and what uses for each of them do you like pedals in general or you prefer a simpler approach?
KS: As mentioned earlier, I use a Zoom B6 pedalboard signal processor. This has amp modulars and a ton of effects to choose from that you can customize. That is really the only pedal I use besides a Digitech Drop Tune Pedal. I use the drop pedal to tune down my basses when playing in a specific band. This allows me to not have to adjust the neck and intonation as much when I keep all my basses in standard 440 tuning. Astronomica tunes down a whole step, Nocturnus AD is down a half step, Apeiron Bound is standard tuning, and Nasty Savage is down a whole step.
comment: playing different styles requires speciliased gear in order to get the sound you want easy and without effort!
LoÖ: what other gear do you use (strings, picks etc) and how do you combine them to get your particular sound for your many different engagements?
KS: I use DR Strings on all my basses. I always use light or extra light strings, and nickel round wound, regardless if fretless or fretted basses. I do not ever use picks while playing, I would probably be horrible at it! Haha!
comment: i haven’t tried them yet but i am considering the dr red devils will be the strings i will use when i will change my first set!!!
LoÖ: have you changed anything on you basses, or do you like to have them as they were build, what’s your favorite item of gear to enhance?
KS: I put active EMG or Fishman Fluence pickups in my basses. They have the tone I like, and never have to worry about getting a specific sound for any project I am in. I do use custom bass straps from a leather worker friend of mine. As you saw, I play with my bass up very high on me, and they do not make regular straps short enough. I used to fold my straps and tape them to make them short enough. Now I have a couple custom padded leather straps that are set to the perfect height for me.
LoÖ: from your fb page I see many endorsements (!) how much have they helped you as an artist and how you have chosen these particular products (DR strings, mesa boogie amps, emg pickups and warwick basses)?
KS: As a bass player yourself, you know strings can become costly. DR Strings have given me a discount that has helped me always have sets around that I can afford. They are great strings, and last a long time. I would recommend everyone to try a set, I typically use their light gauge DR Blues. I mentioned Mesa Boogie earlier, and they have been great to me. I have owned a few amps from them over the years, and the one I have now is a workhorse… I love their tone! EMG has also been a great supporter to me over the last 15 years. I used to always use EMGs since I was 13 years old in my first bass, and I still use them in almost all of my basses today. Warwick’s are great basses, but I have since moved over this year to Dean Bass Guitars. The prices and quality is the best money can buy in my opinion. I have learned you do not need to always spend $5,000 on a bass to have a great playing and sounding instrument, you can easily spend 6-800 US dollars to have a spectacular instrument!
comment: i am still not sure if a 5.000 bass is ten times better than a 500 one and how much it will improve your sound depending on your experience level and play style… although it becomes a hobby and most musicians collect gear just for the fun of it!
LoÖ: what are your plans for the future (lives, recording)?
KS: Nasty Savage recently finished recording “Jeopardy Room” at the legendary Morrisound Recording Studios in Tampa, Florida. This album gets released officially on October 10, 2024. This album was fun to do (which we went in the studio immediately after I got back from Greece earlier this year) and I know all old school metal heads will enjoy. Astronomica is in preproduction with some new material right now. We recently got a new drummer in the band, Barry Dee. He will definitely add to the songs both live and in studio! I am laying the Keep It True Festival in Wurzburg, Germany, October 5th, 2024. This will be a great time for sure with a lot of bands I love on the bill! In November 2024, Nocturnus AD and Nasty Savage are playing the Swarm Fest, a 3-day metal festival in Tampa, Florida. Astronomica is planning on the European shows in July/August timeframe in 2025.
comment: that’s a full (with metal) programm!!!
LoÖ: as a bassist your role is to support the group and not lead ahead like the guitar or vocals are you as a person mild and relaxed or do you act differently in social life?
KS: I am pretty relaxed in my personal life. I work, go to concerts around town, and do things with my family. I am married and have a great 11-year old son. We are season ticket holders to the local professional football team (Soccer for the Americans haha), the Tampa Bay Rowdies, and we attend a lot of those matches.
comment: nice!
LoÖ: bass players can be from the guys in the back performing tirelessly and keeping the groove to great leaders with a distinctive sound like lemmy, steve harris and joe demaio (my favorite!) to name but a few, where do you stand in this arrangement?
KS: I believe there is a balance. Some bands the bassist is an afterthought, others like you mentioned are right there as one of the leaders. There are times where I feel the bass should shine, both in the music and on stage, so I will do that. Other times, I am keeping the groove and thunder for everyone else with the drummer. I guess, I try to gauge each song individually and see what works.
comment: you can not be always in the front or in the back there is a lot moving to and fro!
LoÖ: Do you write music or lyrics, do you contribute in song writing in the bands you play and what is your way to it?
KS: When I come into a band that is already established, I will usually play the songs the way they were first intended. I do like to add a little individualistic stuff within them, but they are usually subtle. I want to respect the prior bass player(s) and not take anything away from it. If the band wants me to add more here or there in a particular song, I most definitely will. I do like to write music and with the band I am in. Usually, I like to write to a drummer or drumbeat, then bring it into the band to play for them or add it to a song that is being worked. I have never written lyrics, but maybe one day.
comment: modest
LoÖ: you have a family and son, would you advise your kid to become a professional artist, have the experience been a good one for you?
KS: I would want my son or any other young person to do what they are passionate about. Whatever it is, go for it. One thing I would say to them and do, is there is no problem playing music, or being an artist and also having a career in a regular type job for your income. I know so many musicians that have been able to make music their career, but the stability is not always there. I have always had the perspective and often share it that you can always be a musician, and not worry about how much you need to get paid etc. and just let your art be what it was intended to be… an inspiration and passion. Once it becomes solely a job, I have seen too many artists lose the passion of why they were doing it in the first place. There is no shame in working by day and playing music by night!
comment: although we would all want to become professional musicians/artist and quit our day jobs…
LoÖ: you play metal and have been playing for more than thirty years so what have changed in the genre all this time the bad and the good?
KS: I would say that the ability to record at home, any time, any place, and have the recordings sound great has been a game changer. So many bands and musicians can get their music out there fast, and for minimal cost. This was never the case 30 years ago. You had to record on a tape recorder in the rehearsal room, then eventually pay a lot of money per hour to record a demo. A lot of the time, the recording would not be very good, but it was all you had back then. If you listen to the Nuclear Blast release I was on “Till The Dirt”, all of that was recorded at someone’s home studio. We all sent tracks to each other and did it that way. The album was mixed and mastered by Scott Burns, but it was ready for a national release. That was unheard of decades ago!
comment: the good old times of the bootleg cassete demo where you had to sell a kidney to make an album are gone, although maybe the difficulty to make an album then make people try harder and appreciated the moment more making something too easy makes the magic lost…
LoÖ: we are in a time when all the old pioneers of heavy metal are either dead or older than our parents (!) how do you see heavy metal emerging in the next ten years?
KS: I see the musicians getting better and better. The ability to just search on your smartphone for a song or artist, and hear it instantly is amazing for everyone. The influences for people have expanded tremendously. I do think the old school styles will always return, and form even new genres. Take parts from the best or your favorites, and make them your own!
comment: that’s a positive approach i am not that optimistic though…
LoÖ: what’s you opinion on tribute bands, would you join one and what band would be choose?
KS: I am not against tribute bands. Some are pretty cool and do it well. With anything, there are bad ones too. I am not sure I would ever do one, but if I did, I would want to do one where the bass playing was something I loved. Playing cover songs can be very boring, so I would want it to be somewhat challenging.
comment: what would a challenging tribute band could be i wonder? for me it would be an all epic metal one (manowar, manilla road, warlord, bathory, omen, candlemass, solitude aeturnus, cirith ungol, domine just to name a few bands)!!!
LoÖ: what other projects do you have in mind to join or perform?
KS: I do not have any new projects in the works since I am busy with my current ones. If a great band needed a bassist, and the timing was right, I might jump on it.
comment: i believe you are doing already too many projects!
LoÖ: finally what you would advise a new bassist (like myself) to do in order to learn and become better as a bass player, what equipment to use or buy, how to practice and where to focus in order to grow as a musician?
KS: Hmmmm. My advice is to play with as many other musicians as you can. So many players become stagnant by either playing with the same friends for years, and or just the same style of music for a decade. Even if you only play in one band for a decade, practice along with other rhythm tracks, take lessons (I take lessons from a couple other bassists), never discount learning proper technique and theory. So play a lot, play different styles, and learn all the aspects of that instrument!
comment: that is a good solid advice that i will try to incorporate into my advancement
LoÖ: thank you very much for your time and patience I wish you the best both in professional and personal life and hope to meet again!
KS: Thank you my friend! I know I will be back in your neck of the woods again and we definitely will share a beer, and hopefully I will get to see you play live too!
comment: that would be something (me playing live in a band!)
