{"id":10594,"date":"2012-12-17T07:00:04","date_gmt":"2012-12-17T12:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southeastofheaven.com\/?p=10594"},"modified":"2012-12-17T07:00:40","modified_gmt":"2012-12-17T12:00:40","slug":"blowin-wind-with-kyngs-pepe-clarke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/?p=10594","title":{"rendered":"Blowin\u2019 Wind with Kyng\u2019s Pepe Clarke: \u201cDon\u2019t try to make music that\u2019s going to make you money. Just do what you love to do and hope that people will get into it.\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Kyng-band\"<\/a>Kyng is a band that I feel that I have literally watched grow up. From the first time I ever met these guys in 2011 while opening for Black Stone Cherry to a direct support slot on Megadeth\u2019s \u201cCountdown To Extinction Anniversary\u201d tour, Kyng has always been awesome about keeping in touch and remember little old me. It was a total pleasure to get the opportunity to interview Kyng drummer Pepe Clarke after an amazing performance at the Tabernacle here in Atlanta.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pepe is a really hilarious guy and one of my favorite peeps. After their set we sat backstage and over a few beers we talked about this love for jazz music, his musical journey as a drummer, and what it was like being handpicked by Metallica to perform at the Orion Music Festival and Dave Mustaine to open their most recent tour. This was a really fun interview and I hope you all will dig getting to know a little more about Kyng\u2019s drummer Mr. Pepe Clarke. Horns up y\u2019all!<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Pepe, thanks for doing this today man.\"Img_4491\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Of course man. No problem.<\/p>\n

==========================<\/p>\n

I feel like I\u2019ve literally watched Kyng grow up and to see you guys really taking off is great. And you still remember me!<\/strong><\/p>\n

[laughs] Thanks. Well, we still have a long way to go. We\u2019ll forget you eventually [laughs].<\/p>\n

=======================================<\/p>\n

How much longer before you forget me?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, when we at least get 100 people coming to our shows [laughs].<\/p>\n

=======================================<\/p>\n

So looking back to the beginning of the band and now being on a tour with such an influential band as Megadeth, do you look at it like it\u2019s a surreal thing or do you feel more like, \u201cWe deserve this\u201d?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s incredibly surreal. We were honestly not sure what we were going to do for the last few months of the year. We had the Seether tour and while Seether is a big band and all, none of us grew up listening to Seether. It\u2019s a different type of music and not what we listen to. It was an awesome tour to be on and everyone was really excited for us but to suddenly get the Megadeth tour was amazing. This tour is about the same size as the Seether tour and we\u2019re playing the same venues but it\u2019s Megadeth! It\u2019s incredibly surreal. I grew up listening to Megadeth and they\u2019re a big influence on my playing. Nick Menza (former Megadeth drummer) was a huge influence on me. It\u2019s not that we don\u2019t work hard and that we don\u2019t deserve it but it\u2019s not something I think, \u201cYes. We should be here!\u201d<\/p>\n

=======================================<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard enough being a support act on a tour but being the only direct support for a band like Megadeth can be brutal. How have the fans been taking to you guys?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s been great. We\u2019ve been getting really great responses from everyone. I love it so many people are discovering us for the first time. We have 45 minutes to play and we have an opportunity to really put on a show. Mustaine even Tweeted about us a few times which was awesome. People listen to what he says so I know a lot of people have checked us out because of him. People have really been giving us a chance and try to bring it every night with as much energy as possible. We haven\u2019t had a bad show on this tour.<\/p>\n

=======================================<\/p>\n

You guys have definitely been turning some heads because in almost every review I\u2019ve read on this tour, Kyng gets a paragraph or so where the reviewer talks about how much they were blown away by you guys.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah, it\u2019s been great. We were talking to Dave Mustaine and he told us that his fans are very open. I really feel that his fans are very open and they\u2019ve been incredibly accepting. I don\u2019t if it\u2019s just our age or something but the people have to know that we are Megadeth fans. We\u2019re one of them. I feel like that maybe they identify with that as well.<\/p>\n

=======================================<\/p>\n

So did Dave Mustaine actually hand pick Kyng to open this tour?<\/strong><\/p>\n

He really did. Megadeth actually reached out to us which is incredible. We have some friends like Jose from Sirius XM, the people from Dean Guitars and D Drum apparently played our stuff for him and he liked it so he invited us out. It\u2019s awesome.<\/p>\n

=======================================<\/p>\n

I can only imagine how awesome that is. I mean, that would be like if Dave called me up and said, \u201cDon. I want you to come out and blog on stage before we play every night.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

[laughs] Yeah.<\/p>\n

=======================================<\/p>\n

Dave Mustaine has really been in a press quite a bit for saying some pretty crazy stuff. What are your thoughts on some what he\u2019s been saying?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t really agree with what he says but I totally believe that he has the right to think and say the things he does. He\u2019s got a lot of balls to say the things he says. It\u2019s just that he says things that most people don\u2019t think a heavy metal musician would be saying.<\/p>\n

=======================================<\/p>\n

\"Img_4592\"<\/a>Just since we first met nearly two years ago when you were touring with Black Stone Cherry, Kyng has shared the stage with some pretty big names including a coveted invite to play at Metallica\u2019s Orion Music Festival. Are you beginning to see an increase in your fan base since doing all these amazing shows?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Honestly, I really don\u2019t know. We try not to do headline shows because we just don\u2019t feel that we\u2019re there yet. We have done headlining shows but in all honesty I don\u2019t know. I know that our base has grown in that people that come to a show like Megadeth will say, \u201cI saw you guys before with so and so\u201d and they are into the band that way. I don\u2019t know if they\u2019d actually come out to a show just to see us. We really haven\u2019t had an opportunity to experiment with a tour on our own. We are definitely seeing people singing along at shows so yeah; I guess it has in a way.<\/p>\n

=======================================<\/p>\n

Is there a particular band you\u2019d like to see you guys touring with that you haven\u2019t already?<\/strong><\/p>\n

As an opening band?<\/p>\n

=======================================<\/p>\n

As an opening band or a headliner.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We\u2019d love to tour with Down. We\u2019d love to tour with Graveyard. We\u2019d love to tour with Orange Goblin. There\u2019s a ton of bands we\u2019d love to tour. I\u2019d really love to tour with Testament or Anthrax. We\u2019d also love to tour with bands like Soundgarden or Alice in Chains. You know, some of the more alternative stuff.<\/p>\n

=======================================<\/p>\n

Kyng definitely has that hybrid kind of sound that would totally work well with bands like that. I could see you guys doing songs like \u201cPorcelain\u201d and what not. Speaking of, that\u2019s my favorite song right now and you guys should be doing it.<\/strong><\/p>\n

[laughs] Yeah? Well we do that one when we have more time.<\/p>\n

=======================================<\/p>\n

Well I say you need to go back out there now and tell Dave that you have to play this song for me.<\/strong><\/p>\n

[laughs] Alright we\u2019ll do it. \u201cDave. Stop countdown. We have to play this song for Don.\u201d [laughs]<\/p>\n

=======================================<\/p>\n

Kyng has been touring the hell out of the debut Trampled Sun<\/em>. We heard two new songs tonight so when can we expect to hear a new album from Kyng?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, I don\u2019t know when it will be released but we\u2019re hoping to record at the beginning of next year. I\u2019m assuming that it\u2019ll come out spring or summer of next year. I\u2019m not sure how record cycles work or what the best time to release an album is.<\/p>\n

=======================================<\/p>\n

Actually, you\u2019ll put it out when I tell you to put it out.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh, ok. We\u2019ll record it, get the product, and then we\u2019ll call you and figure it out then. [laughs]<\/p>\n

=======================================<\/p>\n

So you guys actually haven\u2019t recorded anything yet?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, we recorded the two new ones we played tonight (Used as a Fool and Burn the Serum) as demos to try out some things but we haven\u2019t actually started the album process yet.<\/p>\n

=======================================<\/p>\n

So was the new material actually written while on the road?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah, some of it was. Eddie\u2019s got a lot of ideas and riffs. We jam out in the hotel rooms sometimes and we arrange stuff while in the van.<\/p>\n

=======================================<\/p>\n

2012 has been a pretty amazing year for Kyng. What would you say has been your personal highlight?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Playing the Orion Festival was definitely a highlight. Megadeth. We loved touring with Clutch. Um, yeah, I can\u2019t really just pick one but those were highlights for me personally.<\/p>\n

=======================================<\/p>\n

Man, my personal highlights were watching you guys do all of that!<\/strong><\/p>\n

[laughs] That\u2019s awesome.<\/p>\n

=======================================<\/p>\n

Speaking of Orion, Kyng was actually introduced by James Hetfield. How was that and did he have any words to share with you guys?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Apparently he\u2019s fan. Each member of Metallica chose bands to play and we were a Hetfield band. He picked us. We also ran into Lars in the hotel hallway. We were walking towards each other and I was wearing a Metallica t-shirt and he was totally trying to avoid us [laughs]. We stopped him and just said, \u201cSorry to bother you. We\u2019re Kyng and we wanted to thank you for having us. \u201cHis whole demeanor completely changed and told us that he really liked us and wanted to make sure we were treated well. He was really cool. I mean, I basically learned how to play along with Lars.<\/p>\n

=======================================<\/p>\n

Pepe, let\u2019s get to know about you. At what point did you know you wanted to be a musician?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well I was always interested in drums. I remember being 16 and making that decision that I wanted to be a drummer as my career choice. I was thinking about colleges and what I wanted to do with my life and I decided that I wanted to be a drummer. I remember having that conversation with my parents and it was just a realization. I\u2019ve never looked back. I feel like this is what I was always meant to do. Obviously my parents wanted me to get a real degree and pursue music. They wanted me to have a Plan B in case music didn\u2019t work but I didn\u2019t want to live in Plan B. Plan B is for somebody who is going to settle. I want to live in Plan A.<\/p>\n

=======================================<\/p>\n

Did you have any formal lessons or training?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I did. I took a few drum lessons here and there growing up. Basically I taught myself by listening to thrash albums. I would learn drum parts. I went to the Musicians Institute for college and then I went to Berkeley. I didn\u2019t get my degree. I only went for two years but I grew a lot and I learned a lot about myself. When I was in Berkeley all I wanted to do was study and play jazz. I realized that I was never going to be a good jazz drummer so I focused on rock but I definitely incorporate some of the jazz stuff I know in Kyng.<\/p>\n

=======================================<\/p>\n

I can totally see that especially after your drum solo tonight. It\u2019s kind of like Bill Ward from Black Sabbath. I mean, he was mainly a jazz drummer playing in a rock band.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Exactly. I still listen to jazz and practice to it. I\u2019m by no means a jazz drummer though.<\/p>\n

=======================================<\/p>\n

What song do you feel best encapsulates everything that Kyng is about?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sometimes I feel \u201cTrails in Veins\u201d is that song. It has that southern kind of stuff but some very metal parts to it, some harmonies, and it has that little jazzy breakdown. We always sound check with that song because I feel like the sound guy is going to get all our needs from that song. It covers most of the dynamics.<\/p>\n

=======================================<\/p>\n

What is going through your mind while you are performing live?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh man. I have a lot of various feelings and thoughts. I am very aware of the crowd so I definitely try and gage the crowd at that moment. I look at all the faces and I think, \u201cIs this going to be a good show?\u201d I really don\u2019t think about music very much though. I can\u2019t really turn off my brain. I\u2019ll be thinking about things like load out or like, \u201cI wonder if so and so got their tickets.\u201d [laughs] I\u2019m very scatterbrained when I\u2019m playing which is bad but it hasn\u2019t really hurt anything [laughs].<\/p>\n

=======================================<\/p>\n

Do you get nervous before you go on stage?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I always feel anxious. Once that first note is played I\u2019ll know if it\u2019s going to be a good show or not. I\u2019m just always anxious wondering what\u2019s in store for us for the next 30 or 40 minutes. Is it going to be hell or is it going to be cool? It always feels good though when we\u2019re hitting it and it feels right and it sounds right. That\u2019s when I\u2019m just like, \u201cThis is going to be a great show.\u201d<\/p>\n

=======================================<\/p>\n

What was the first concert you ever went to?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I grew up in Mexico so it was this thing called the Guateques tour. It was a lot of Mexican bands that came through where I grew up. That was my first show. It was part of that whole En Espa\u00f1ol movement that was happening so it was a lot of bands singing in Spanish. It was just bands from Latin America.<\/p>\n

=======================================<\/p>\n

What was your first metal show?<\/strong><\/p>\n

My first metal show was Sepultura in 1998. I was 18 and had just left home and moved to L.A. I was there for like two days and saw that Sepultura was playing at the House of Blues. I went by myself and it was awesome. Derek Green was in the band but Igor (Cavalera; drums) was still in the band.<\/p>\n

=======================================<\/p>\n

This has been a pretty busy year and lots of van tours for you guys. How do three guys live in a van for so long and not kill each other?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thankfully we get along really well. We have our moments and drive each other crazy at some point. We\u2019re kind of witty and we make fun of each other a lot so it becomes fun\u2026 after a while [laughs].<\/p>\n

=======================================<\/p>\n

What is your favorite road trip\/tour junk food?<\/strong><\/p>\n

You know those Snyders Honey Mustard pretzel things? I love those things [laughs]. I\u2019m gonna say that.<\/p>\n

=======================================<\/p>\n

If you could drum for any band of any era for just one night, who and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh man, who would it be? That\u2019s a loaded question Don [laughs]. What if I said Kyng? Would that be lame?<\/p>\n

=======================================<\/p>\n

That would suck and I would not print that. Actually, I will print that.<\/strong><\/p>\n

[laughs] I\u2019m going to say Death. They have such a history of amazing drummers so it would be kind of cool to be in that line.<\/p>\n

=======================================<\/p>\n

Who is, in your mind, the ultimate metal drummer?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I would have to say I\u2019m pretty blown away by Tomas Haake from Meshuggah. He\u2019s definitely phenomenal. He\u2019s insane.<\/p>\n

=======================================<\/p>\n

If you could have a 30 minute drum lesson with any drummer, who would it be?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Abe Laboriel Jr. He plays with Paul McCartney now. When I first moved here and went to school everyone talked about \u201cgroove.\u201d \u201cYou gotta have groove.\u201d Nobody could really explain to you what groove is and nobody can really teach you groove. You either groove or you don\u2019t. There are so many amazing drummers out there that I feel don\u2019t groove. The first time understood what groove meant was when I saw Abe Laboriel Jr. playing with Larry Carlton. I\u2019ve always just admired him because of his feel. I would just love to pick his brain.<\/p>\n

=======================================<\/p>\n

Well, speaking of jazz, arre there any artists or type of music I\u2019d be surprised to hear you were into?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I love Bill Stewart who\u2019s a jazz drummer and I think he\u2019s phenomenal. The way he plays just blows my mind. I listen to Mexican folk music and some of that drumming is very intricate. I like some Latin and Caribbean music.<\/p>\n

=======================================<\/p>\n

I love hearing stuff like this. I ask this of all metal friends and it seems that metal musicians and fans are some of the most open minded music listeners.<\/strong><\/p>\n

You kind of have to be when you play this kind of music. I\u2019ve noticed than when we\u2019re on tour, if I\u2019m driving the van and I play metal music, it won\u2019t wake me up. I\u2019ll play something like Mad Season and I\u2019ll wake up. I guess it\u2019s because it\u2019s so different from what I do every night.<\/p>\n

=======================================<\/p>\n

In your opinion, what is the ultimate metal album that EVERY person should own?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think Metallica\u2019s Master of Puppets<\/strong><\/em>. It\u2019s not my favorite album but I think it\u2019s the ultimate metal album. The riffs, the speed, and even the sound and production of it. That riff from \u201cMaster of Puppets\u201d always takes me back to this amusement park where there was this ride where they always played metal.<\/p>\n

=======================================<\/p>\n

Do you have any advice for anyone out there with a dream of playing music?<\/p>\n

No [laughs]. I mean, in all honesty, just keep doing it. We\u2019re still climbing that ladder ourselves so I wouldn\u2019t really know what else to say than to keep doing it. Don\u2019t try to make music that\u2019s going to make you money. Don\u2019t think about it as money. Just do what you love to do and hope that people will get into it. You can set yourself up to play music that is going to make you money but it doesn\u2019t mean you will make money. You might never get anywhere and you\u2019re playing music that you don\u2019t really like anyway. If most likely nothing is going to happen, you might as well do something that you love.<\/p>\n

=======================================
\n Bassist Tony Casteneda walks in:<\/strong><\/p>\n

(Tony<\/strong>) \u201cWhat is this? Fucking 60 Minutes or what?\u201d [laughs] and hands me a Dave Mustaine guitar pick.<\/p>\n

=======================================<\/p>\n

Tony, you can get in on this one too. Pepe, what do you want for Christmas?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A new wallet [laughs]. That\u2019s what I want.<\/p>\n

=======================================<\/p>\n

Tony, what do you want for Christmas?<\/strong><\/p>\n

(Tony<\/strong>) Money for my old wallet [laughs]. Man, I\u2019ve got all I really need right now. I\u2019m really fucking content with my life.<\/p>\n

(Pepe<\/strong>) That\u2019s a clich\u00e9 answer. Don\u2019t lie [laughs].<\/p>\n

=======================================<\/p>\n

Y\u2019all are my boys. Thanks so much for taking the time out to do this Pepe.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fuck yeah brother.\u00a0 It’s always awesome seeing you man.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Thanks to Pepe (and Tony) for that fun interview.\u00a0 For more on Kyng go to: https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/KyngRocks<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kyng is a band that I feel that I have literally watched grow up. From the first time I ever met these guys in 2011 while opening for Black Stone Cherry to a direct support slot on Megadeth\u2019s \u201cCountdown To Extinction Anniversary\u201d tour, Kyng has always been awesome about keeping in touch and remember little old me. It was a total pleasure to get the opportunity to interview Kyng drummer Pepe Clarke after an amazing performance at the Tabernacle here […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[194],"tags":[663,733,874],"class_list":["post-10594","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-interviews","tag-kyng","tag-kyng-interview","tag-pepe-clarke"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10594","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10594"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10594\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10594"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10594"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10594"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}