{"id":8879,"date":"2012-02-22T07:00:30","date_gmt":"2012-02-22T12:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southeastofheaven.com\/?p=8879"},"modified":"2012-02-11T11:29:31","modified_gmt":"2012-02-11T16:29:31","slug":"blowin-wind-with-tony-casteneda-of-kyng","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/?p=8879","title":{"rendered":"Blowin\u2019 Wind with Tony Casteneda of Kyng: \u201cBeing a musician is a tough life but I wouldn\u2019t trade it for the world.\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Since I first heard and saw LA Metal heavyweights Kyng last year they have become not just one of my favorite bands but good friends of mine as well. In 2011 the band released their debut album \u201cTrampled Sun\u201d to positive reviews by critics and fans. The band has seen a significant growth in their fanbase by relentless touring and grassroots word of mouth promo. I had the pleasure of catching up with bassist Tony Casteneda after a monstrous set opening for Trivium and In Flames here in Atlanta. Tony and I discussed the new album, the influence of growing up in the rougher parts of LA and just how Pink Floyd and Black Sabbath changed his life forever. Sit back and get to know my buddy Tony Casteneda from Kyng and be sure to go check them out. You won\u2019t be disappointed.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Welcome back to Atlanta Tony and oh congrats on making the Brainfart\u2019s Top 11 albums of 2011 list!<\/strong><\/p>\n

That\u2019s so insane. I was so blown away when I saw that! [laughs] Man, thank you so much. I really love your blog dude. What you\u2019re doing is a really good thing and it\u2019s appreciated so thank you!<\/p>\n

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

Tony, that\u2019s really cool of you to say that man. Thanks a lot! You guys make it easy by making such kick ass music.<\/strong><\/p>\n

[laughs] Thanks a lot man.<\/p>\n

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

Last time we talked you guys were just about to put out Trampled Sun<\/em> and now it\u2019s out and making some waves. Congrats brother.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thanks man. We couldn\u2019t wait for the album to come out. All we wanted more than anything was to give the people something to take home with them after they\u2019ve seen us perform.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>The album really came out sounding amazing. Are you guys happy with the final product?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We\u2019re really excited that the music is out. As far as the quality of the album goes, I wouldn\u2019t say that we\u2019re unhappy, but we just feel that it could have been a lot better. We\u2019re our own worst critics [laughs]. It is what it is and we have to just keep moving forward.<\/p>\n

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

You\u2019ve been playing these songs so much that they\u2019ve probably gotten tighter and even changed some of them up since you first recorded them.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Exactly. How many times have you gone to a show and you don\u2019t hear a song played live the way you hear on the record? As an artist, sometimes you need to change it up just for something different. For instance, during the song \u201cDown On Me\u201d, there\u2019s this breakdown where I do this little bass thing that I do. I stopped doing it live because I don\u2019t really like the way it sounds on the album. On one of our headline shows this kid asked us to play \u201cDown On Me\u201d and when that part came up he was playing air bass and that part wasn\u2019t played [laughs].\u201d<\/p>\n

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Let\u2019s go back to the beginning. How did Kyng actually come to be??<\/strong><\/p>\n

I used to play in a band with Pepe (Clarke; drummer) called Ankla. There were five people in the band and when there\u2019s five people in a band you create cliques. Pepe and I had our clique so him and I got to be really close [laughs]. One day I said, \u201cMan, let\u2019s do something on our own.\u201d In Ankla, I learned so much. I was just there in the backseat along for the ride but I wanted to be in the driver\u2019s seat. I wanted all of us to be in the driver\u2019s seat. I wanted all of us to have the freedom to have a creative voice. I knew Eddie who played guitar and did backing vocals in a band called Ounce of Self who I played with before Ankla. Eddie always had a great voice and could write lyrics so he was the perfect guy. We got together and everything just started to happen so naturally. That\u2019s the beauty of this band and what I love about this band. We decided from the get go that this would be \u201cour\u201d band, not just one person\u2019s band and it\u2019s been working for us.<\/p>\n

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So Tony, I have to ask what exactly is KYNG? What\u2019s behind the name?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh man, it\u2019s the most boring story [laughs]. First off, we wanted a one word band name. Not some name like \u201cI Wrestled An Aligator and Jumped Off A Cliff With It.\u201d It\u2019s like these band names have ten words or something [laughs]. I get it, it\u2019s a trend to have a run on sentence as a band name but for us, we just wanted to make it simple. We wanted a name that you could pronounce. One night Pepe and I were having Chinese food and I just say, \u201cLet\u2019s call the band King. Simple, one word and let\u2019s throw a \u201cY\u201d in there to throw everyone off!\u201d I went to Eddie and said, \u201cDude let\u2019s call the band Kyng\u201d and he goes, \u201cOh, alright!\u201d and that\u2019s it [laughs]. See to us, the name doesn\u2019t make the band. The band and the music make the name.<\/p>\n

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

Trampled Sun<\/em> has so many great songs on it but it was the closing song \u201cThe Beauty of the End\/Shoreline Pt. 1 & 2\u201d that really hit a chord with me. What can you tell me about that song?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Man, that is the most special song on the album for me. It\u2019s a three part song. The beginning instrumental is \u201cThe Beauty of the End\u201d and then you\u2019ve got Shoreline Pt. 1 & 2.\u201d It\u2019s a very special song to me. The instrumental part \u201cThe Beauty of the End\u201d is something that I had a vision for. I titled it \u201cThe Beauty of the End\u201d because my father passed away from cancer in March of 2011 and it\u2019s a horrible disease. Towards the end of my father\u2019s life I got to spend a lot of time with him and there were all these mixed emotions. I was angry at the disease, I was angry at life, angry at God and to this day I question if there even is one. Out of all that mess, stress, and heartache, the beautiful thing that I got from it was the beautiful conversations I had with my father. It was amazing the things we talked about. In the beginning of the song you can hear a heart monitor beeping and then it flat lines kicking into \u201cShoreline\u201d.<\/p>\n

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

So what is \u201cShoreline Pt. 1 & 2\u201d about?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cShoreline\u201d is about a close friend of Eddie\u2019s friend named Rich Gonzalez. Rich used to play bass in Diesel Machine who was a fucking amazing band. Rich was in a horrible motorcycle accident and almost lost his life. He\u2019s still alive but he\u2019s paralyzed now. About a year after his accident he built a motorcycle that he could attach his wheelchair to and got back on and rode. To this day he\u2019s still building bikes and he\u2019s still writing music and that\u2019s just fucking incredible. That\u2019s what that song is about. It goes from the point of death to life and giving it all you\u2019ve got.<\/p>\n

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

That is so fucking beautiful Tony.<\/strong><\/p>\n

[laughs] Thanks man. That\u2019s the reason it\u2019s not just a cool song. It\u2019s a song that really means a lot.<\/p>\n

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

You guys have been touring as a support act since before the release of Trampled \"\"<\/a>Sun<\/em>. How has the touring cycle been for you guys?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The tours have been getting bigger and bigger and are almost at times different genres as well. We get a lot of new fans coming up to us after the shows and buying the album which is really awesome to see. We are not only getting a great reaction from the audiences but from the bands we play with as well. Clutch really liked us a lot and the Trivium guys seem to like us a lot. They\u2019ve had us on their bus to hang out and what not. Corrosion of Conformity was amazing. That tour was great.<\/p>\n

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

When it comes to your influences, I\u2019m know you hear the whole Black Sabbath meets Soundgarden comparison a lot. Are you cool with that?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes. You know what? We get it because Eddie\u2019s vocals sound like Chris Cornell who is a big influence on him.<\/p>\n

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Man, there\u2019s a lot worse singers that you can be compared to than Chris Cornell. I mean, it\u2019s not like they\u2019re saying, \u201cOoh, he sounds like Katy Perry.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

[laughs] Exactly. Like you said we get it and Soundgarden is a great band to be compared to. What really blows our minds is that we get so many people that compare us to bands and none of them match up. It\u2019s so great that people hear something different from what we\u2019re doing. I mean, we always expect to be compared to Soundgarden or Black Sabbath but one guy told us that we reminded him of Life of Agony. I was like, \u201cWho the fuck is Life of Agony?\u201d [laughs]<\/p>\n

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

I hear some of those classic metal band\u2019s influence in Kyng. I feel like bands like Kyng and Graveyard are turning a younger generation on to some of your influences that they may never have heard before.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thanks man.\u00a0 That\u2019s awesome. I see a lot of people stuck to a specific genre of music or band. Some of these kids don\u2019t even know who Black Sabbath is and I\u2019m like, \u201cWhat do you mean you don\u2019t know Black Sabbath? What the fuck is wrong with you? [laughs] I mean, the bands these kids are into, ask them who they\u2019re into and they don\u2019t even go back to Black Sabbath. It\u2019s sad because these kids are just getting a portion of what\u2019s out there. They\u2019re not getting it all. Kyng is all about telling everyone not to forget who the fucking pioneers are who started this all.<\/p>\n

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

\"\"<\/a>Did growing up in LA influence your sound?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Maybe it inspired the aggressiveness of the music. We\u2019re not from Beverly Hills or Hollywood or anyplace like that [laughs]. We were born and raised in the shitty part of LA where there\u2019s gang members on every other street. I grew up in Linwood and Compton is the next city over. It\u2019s a shitty area and you really have to go search out this kind of music like Black Sabbath.<\/p>\n

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

Eddie sounds pissed off half the time but it\u2019s still beautiful at the same time.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Eddie writes a lot about the stuff that he sees. You see, Eddie looks Caucasian but he\u2019s not. He\u2019s Cuban\/Mexican. He\u2019s 100% Latin. His whole family looks Latin but he looks like he\u2019s adopted. He grew up in a part of town where there\u2019s nothing but Mexican\/Americans and he got picked on so much because they thought he was a white boy.<\/p>\n

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

That\u2019s really sad man. We see that a lot in society where if you don\u2019t look enough like one race, you have a hard time being accepted by any and that sucks.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Exactly man. It does suck.<\/p>\n

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

Ok man, let\u2019s loosen things up and have a little fun.<\/strong><\/p>\n

[laughs] Go for it man.<\/p>\n

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

If Kyng could tour with any band, who would it be and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Black Sabbath without a doubt. That would be the perfect tour. We\u2019re a little heavier but I think their fans would love us. I think touring with Volbeat would be awesome. They\u2019re a great band. I think touring with Queens of the Stone Age would be cool too. They\u2019re all completely different genres but we feel like we can play with just about anyone.<\/p>\n

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

What was the defining moment in your life that made you want to become a musician?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh man. What made me become a musician? I was about 7 or 8 at the time and I found a cassette of Pink Floyd\u2019s Dark Side of the Moon<\/em> that my uncle had checked out from the library. I remember seeing that prism with the rainbow on the cover and being like, \u201cWhat the fuck is this?\u201d [laughs] I had this little tape recorder and I popped it in and it just blew my mind. My uncle then got me into Credence Clearwater Revival and Jimi Hendrix and I thought it was the coolest. I told my parents that I wanted a guitar but my instead they bought me this little organ that would take 10 minutes to warm up [laughs]. I just started playing with it.<\/p>\n

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

When did you start playing the bass?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t get my first bass until I was 20 years old but I had always wanted to play bass because of Black Sabbath. My sister dragged me off the couch one day to her friends house who was selling a bass and a bass amp. I took them home and I played that thing every chance I\u2019d get. About a year later, I played in a Black Sabbath tribute band called LA War Pigs. From then on that\u2019s when I knew that this was what I wanted to do. Being a musician is a tough life but I wouldn\u2019t trade it for the world.<\/p>\n

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

So if you weren\u2019t a musician, what would you be?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Man, if I wasn\u2019t a musician I don\u2019t know what I\u2019d be but you know what I always wanted to be? I\u2019ve always wanted to do cartoon voice overs [laughs]. I mean it seems like an easy fucking job. You go in, record your fucking lines and then go home with a paycheck [laughs]. That\u2019s definitely next on the list for me.<\/p>\n

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

Well you\u2019re out in LA right? So it shouldn’t be that hard to get a gig like that right?<\/strong><\/p>\n

[laughs] That\u2019s a misconception. People think that being in LA makes it easier but it\u2019s actually tougher because you\u2019ve got everyone from all parts of the world coming to LA to pursue jobs like that.<\/p>\n

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

If you could play bass in any band for just one night, who would it be and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n

[laughs] You know the answer to that man. [laughs] For sure Black Sabbath. Sorry Geezer (Butler; Black Sabbath bassist)!<\/p>\n

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

Sorry Geezer but the duct tape will hurt slightly.<\/strong><\/p>\n

[laughs] Then I\u2019d rip his mustache off and put it on me! [laughs]<\/p>\n

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

In you opinion, what is the ultimate metal album that EVERYONE should own and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Man, that\u2019s a tough one because I wouldn\u2019t know what era to go back to I mean, I would have to say Metallica\u2019s … And Justice For All.<\/em> It\u2019s such a great album. Lyrically it\u2019s such an awesome album even if you can\u2019t hear the bass [laughs]. I just remember a cousin of mine had it on vinyl and he put it on for me and I remember getting goosebumps listening to \u201cOne.\u201d Man, I would have to say that\u2019s a great start. You have to prepare someone before taking them back to the old days. You can\u2019t just take them all the way back to the old days because the kids will think it\u2019s crap. You have to ease them back.<\/p>\n

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

Finally, what does 2012 have in-store for Kyng fans?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, it\u2019s all up in the air right now. We\u2019re just flying by the seat of our pants and waiting to see what comes up next. We\u2019re hoping for the best. We\u2019re going to keep working hard, making friends and networking. We\u2019re very passionate and very proud of what we\u2019re doing. You\u2019re either with us or your against us but whoever is coming with us, you\u2019re going to be in for a good ride.<\/p>\n

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

Tony, thanks so much for doing this man. It was so great catching up.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Any time brother. Any time.<\/p>\n

For more on Kyng, go to http:\/\/kyngband.com<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Since I first heard and saw LA Metal heavyweights Kyng last year they have become not just one of my favorite bands but good friends of mine as well. In 2011 the band released their debut album \u201cTrampled Sun\u201d to positive reviews by critics and fans. The band has seen a significant growth in their fanbase by relentless touring and grassroots word of mouth promo. I had the pleasure of catching up with bassist Tony Casteneda after a monstrous set […]<\/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":[663,733,732,734],"class_list":["post-8879","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-interviews","tag-kyng","tag-kyng-interview","tag-tony-casteneda","tag-tony-casteneda-interview"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8879","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=8879"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8879\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8879"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8879"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8879"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}