|
M4's Kennedy: Spokane Like a True Rock Star Just what was Mayfield Four singer and guitarist Myles Kennedy doing sharing a stage with Mark Wahlberg, Jason Bonham (son of Led Zeppelin's John), and Zakk Wylde (Ozzy alumni) last summer? The leader of the Spokane, Wash., rockers -- now actually a trio because of those pesky "personal differences" -- was acting in his first movie, "Rock Star. Due this fall, "Rock Star" is loosely based on the story of '80s metal heroes Judas Priest. Don't expect M4's sophomore CD, "Second Skin" (Epic, June 26), to be a Priest-like, wailing metal reproduction, though. Heavier sounding than the band's fine 1998 debut "Fallout," "Second Skin" is a thundering, thrashy, melody-friendly neo-rock set. LethalSports caught up with Kennedy while he and his band mates -- drummer Zia Uddin, bassist Marty Meisner, and tour guitarist Alessandro -- were opening for Everclear (more dates to follow this summer). Everclear bassist Craig Montoya also originates from Spokane, a culturally barren backwater of a city, its vibe rural rather than urbane. Main pursuits for its younger population? Drugs and cow tipping. LethalSports: During the recording of "Second Skin," your record company bio states, the band was "three pissed-off guys." Myles Kennedy: I think that's kind of harsh, but we were disillusioned with things. We'd been on the road for 13 months and gone through a lot of changes. It just fueled our fire; that's why we made more of an aggressive record this time, as opposed to the first one. There was just a lot of turmoil; it was a volatile time there for a while. LethalSports: You all still live in Spokane. Myles Kennedy: We're small town boys. Spokane is really a good place creatively because there's nothing to do. There are no distractions. LethalSports: Good place to go back to and get grounded? Myles Kennedy: It was and that's the perfect word for it as well. It keeps you humble living there. Very humble. All there is to do is cow tipping every Friday night at the Mall. Really, the problem for me is the lack of culture. LethalSports: Spokane is known for its drug problems. Myles Kennedy: There's a lot of drug problems there. LethalSports: It's popular option for young people. Myles Kennedy: It seems to be for some folks. LethalSports: Besides the changes in your personal world, was there anything that particularly influenced the record? Myles Kennedy: Not particularly. It was just being very honest; being who we are. We pretty much just fuck trends and do what we do. Again, living in Spokane helps that; you're living in a vacuum. LethalSports: How did the movie part come about? Myles Kennedy: It's based roughly on the Judas Priest story, so I guess they were looking for someone who could sing. LethalSports: Like Rob Halford? Myles Kennedy: Yeah [laughs]. Which I never really thought I could do. LethalSports: C'mon. You never tried singing like Rob in the shower? Myles Kennedy: No, I never did. I would mock it once in a while on the road; wed do the double devils Judas Priest thing. LethalSports: Whom do you play? Myles Kennedy: I'm basically this star-struck kid who idolizes Wahlberg's character. I'm the epitome of all that was heavy metal in 1986. LethalSports: Were you a heavy metal fan then? Myles Kennedy: As a kid I definitely went through a heavy metal phase. It didn't last too long. In the mid-'80s I was really into Zeppelin. I guess I wasn't very cool because by then everyone was listening to Poison or something. Some of those bands I thought were pretty cool. But that was the '80s, they all had big hair. LethalSports: Did you have big hair? Myles Kennedy: No. My hair was too fine. I had to have so much Aquanet in my hair, but it would never get big. LethalSports: How was it playing with Zakk Wylde and Jason Bonham in the movie? Myles Kennedy: That was pretty cool. Those guys were really great. Steel Dragon is the name of the band Wahlberg plays in, and they actually play those parts live along with it. We never did any jams or anything like that. There wasn't time for it. LethalSports: Did they deck you out in the clothes? Myles Kennedy: Oh jeez, they had me pretty decked out. That part of it, I think my family is going to have a good chuckle seeing me. They put me in a wig, this big huge hair. The hair that I always wanted as a kid, I now had. Big thick mane, leather pants, and this leather vest with the dragon on it. It was quite the outfit. LethalSports: Was it embarrassing? Myles Kennedy: I wouldn't want to be walking around Spokane in it, that's for sure. I'd get my ass kicked by all the farm boys. |