Interviews: Never Kenezzard

We have had the opportunity to interview the Psychedelic Metal band Never Kenezzard from the USA. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name, you planned it or come out just like that?

The band name is loosely based on the name of the Babylonian king from antiquity; Nebuchadnezzar. One day I was repeating the name and it just came out as Never Kenezzard, because I wasn't quite sure how to pronounce it correctly. It ended up on a list of possible band names for us when we were trying to figure it out. It's the one that seemed to align with us the most.

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

It's difficult to even assign a genre to what we do. For now, we have settled on post-hardcore / psych-metal. It covers a lot of what we do, and the two genres we seem to drift between the most. But there are moments where we are outside of those genres. It's not like we sit down and say "Let's write a hardcore song". Instead, we just create what comes natural to us. I suppose that is why it is hard to define us. We don't feel beholden to any specific genre.

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

Me and Jason (drums) met each other when we were only like 13 years old. We met at school and instantly became friends. We started making music with each other a short time later, so we have a pretty long history playing together. Don (bass) is pretty well known in our city's music scene and is someone who is always booking shows and being very active with a lot of local bands. We met him through his work with local underground musicians.

4. Each band member favourite band?

The favorite band question is pretty hard. How can we pick just one? Ryan - The Mars Volta. Jason - The Dillinger Escape Plan. Don - Melvins

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

Inspiration comes in different forms. Each song we write usually has a different theme, which can be inspired by anything from real-world experiences to undefined spiritual occurrences. Inspiration is a rare commodity, so when something comes along that sticks, it's important to hold onto and explore the deeper meanings of something that can actually move and touch you, positive or negative.

6. Where was your last gig?

The last gig we played was at a place in our home town called 'Moe's Original BBQ'. We last played there in 2017 with Free Salamander Exhibit (ex members of Sleepytime Gorilla Museum).

7. Where would you like to act?

Right now, we are really interested in expanding our reach. We would love to travel outside of our region and play some shows in new cities, and even countries. The conversation about traveling to Europe has come up. We would love to make that happen.

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

Right now, we play with just about anyone we can. As an aggressive band, It's hard to be too picky about who to play with. Dream level would be to play with some of the greats: Meshuggah, Slayer, Yob, High On Fire, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Queens of the Stoneage, Tool... this list could be ridiculous.

9. Whom not?

We will stay as far away from 'Indy' bands as possible. We are far too aggressive to be paired with 'pretty' sounding bands.

10. Any of you has ever suffered from stage fright? Any tip for beginners on how to beat that?

I can't speak for the other guys, but I have sensed it in them before. Jason tends to want to play faster. I think there is always some amount of anxiety that comes with performing. If I'm lucky, I won't feel it until a few hours before we perform. But the more you perform, the less you feel it, so as long as we are in a groove of performing at least every couple of weeks, I won't feel it too much. It's weird though because all of it really just disappears once we start playing. Being on-stage and playing is never the issue. It's the anticipation of a show that gets me knotted occasionally. Tips for beginners? Just understand that no one is going to screw you up more than yourself. A clear focused mind will never steer you wrong. Alcohol can help with stage fright, but can mess up your performance, so you have to be careful using it as a coping mechanism.

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

As a band, we share many common inspirational favorites, many that have already been listed above. Some others on that list would be: Metallica, Nirvana, Mr. Bungle, Pantera, Primus, Secret Chiefs 3, Skeleton Of God, Faith No More, Black Sabbath, Soundgarden, Jane's Addiction... This list is by no means complete. We all listen to a lot of music outside of metal/rock as well. I think that comes through in our music too.

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

Several shows age we were asked for our written set list we keep on stage with us when we perform. Although that doesn't seem too 'weird' it was kind of a strange and really poignant moment for us.

13. What do you think of your fans?

We love our fans. They keep us going. Anyone who pays attention and gives a damn about what we do is someone we honor. It is extremely difficult to connect with people on some sort of deeper level, and if we make someone feel something, then we are doing our job.

14. What do you think of our site?

I am always trying to hear and get into some new music. The Breathing The Core facebook/site is a good spot to catch some really great bands that you would never really hear about otherwise.

15. Something to add?

You can follow Never Kenezzard on Facebook and Instagram. We are on all the streaming platforms, but the best way to support us is through Bandcamp. Cheers and be excellent to each other.