Steve Kaynan

by Alexandra Mrozowska
– Senior Columnist —

It’s been a long way from his first recordings made at the tender age of 17 to his independently released second solo album Multiverse Collision. Hardrock Haven caught up with the Florida-based shredder Steve Kaynan to discuss his new album, inspirations behind it as well as his daily “job” in a cover band – and also, to have a few laughs along the way…

Hardrock Haven: You’ve just released your second solo album Multiverse Collision. How would you recommend it to those who haven’t heard about it yet?

Steve Kaynan: My new album will give you all the pleasure you’ve ever dreamed of… and then some! You also don’t need hookers or groupies! Just get my album, and after listening, all of your problems are solved! If you’re married and considering divorce, after listening to my new album, all of your marriage problems will be over! No need for lawsuits, authorities, or having charges pressed! If you want a sex change operation, you can automatically transform (if you so desire) after listening to my new album from beginning to end … all without the proper procedures, all the hassle, and all the money from surgeries! In other words, I’m saving you thousands of dollars with this new product! This album will, without question, “make your life better!” Highly recommended! (laughs) Jokes aside, it’s a celebration of the last 60 years of guitar rock! It’s definitely not about just fast guitar shredding. There is a lot of that! But my playing has never been just about speed. I wanted to play too slow on some parts, play fast on other parts, sound bluesy on other parts. I also like vocal and vocal harmony, groove, and progressive stuff as well.

Hardrock Haven: How would you compare the new release to your previous self-titled solo effort? Do you see your evolution as an artist while comparing those two?

Steve Kaynan: The new one is definitely more mature in the playing and songwriting. Or should I say – the first seven songs, which are the new recordings on the album. I like my guitar playing better on this album. I always try to keep it melodic and have a good balance of finesse, melody and speed if the song calls for it. It sounds like the tone in my voice’s got better and my range has got better and higher with practice. I’d say the new album is a bit more polished to a certain extent, whereas the first album is more raw, youth metal even some punk meets Neo-classical guitar etc. There’s a lot of the first album I’m proud of, and also some of it I say to myself “what was I thinking?” I think any album is a snapshot of that time period. I was 21 when a lot of those songs were written, so it’s just growth. “My Way” from the new album was actually written and 80% recorded before anything on the first album was ever recorded in 2009! It was going to be on the first album but never got complete and the song was too long for the first album. The vocals in the chorus were all that were needed to be written and recorded and all that was missing in the song. So I finished it during the recording of the new album. You can really hear the difference in my voice when you listen to the verses in “My Way” compared to the new vocals in the chorus sections! I’m not pushing my voice as hard and I’m hitting even higher notes in the chorus with less force compared to the vocals in the verses, which were recorded in 2009.
The songwriting, I wrote different chord progressions and really applied more with not only the leads and melodies but also rhythmically. I used a lot of 9ths and some 4ths on chords, and without planning I wrote using different scales on a lot of the songs and within’ the songs. There are sections of songs in major keys, natural minor, Mixolydian, Phyrigian Dominant, Dorian. “To Infintity And Beyond” has a lot of the Mixolydian scale, which is new for me! I’m proud of that tune! The song “Multiverse Collison” has a middle section that is Metallica inspired and the entire guitar solo is in Phyrigian Dominant, which has a very foreign and dramatic sound! The first album, my playing was strictly natural minor and occasional harmonic minor. So, much more musical growth since the first album for sure.

Hardrock Haven: Multiverse Collision is a compilation of sorts – including recordings from 2001 to date. What kind of impact did it make on the album’s coherence? How do you think?

Steve Kaynan: I think it’s honest sounding! You can really hear the difference in my guitar playing, especially my vibrato and technique. The programmed drums are a huge contrast with those 2001 songs being written and recorded when I was 17! It helped me kind of come up with the concept of the album. Even the year, 2001, is very astronomical, so I used that as part of the concept. Having sounds from that era included with the current – a completely different life and time with new songs in 2015. The drums on the 2001 songs make it sound futuristic and cinematic. I’m proud of some of the guitar melodies so I left them and decided not to re-record them. So the album has a representation of different time periods and how my playing has changed and evolved. There is soundtrack type stuff, which I’ve always been into, heavy tracks, bluesy stuff etc.

Hardrock Haven: One thing that can be both a blessing and a curse if it comes to reviewing your new album is its diversity genre-wise. Why is it so varied? Is it all a matter of your personal taste, or perhaps searching your own style?

Steve Kaynan: Absolutely true! I’m not the kind of guy that wants to hear or play an entire night of Speed Heavy Metal. I like Rock, Progressive Rock, Modern Blues, lite Jazz, Funk, some Country, Southern Rock, Classical, and anything with a good melody. I have a huge soundtrack collection. Even when I was a teenager, I would learn Metallica solos, then learn the Braveheart soundtrack and interpret it on guitar. I like the older Disney soundtracks, many of those soundtracks are classics and so well-written! I like Megadeth as much as I like Jimi Hendrix and Journey!

Hardrock Haven: Another unusual thing about Multiverse Collision is that you appear in multitude of roles on the album – playing lead guitar, bass and also singing lead. Do you feel equally comfortable in all these roles?

Steve Kaynan: Yes, just because I’ve been doing it for so long. The biggest hurdle for me has been playing guitar and singing at the same time. Some songs are easy to do both, others songs that are more heavy with intricate riffing, are a task. Every working band I’ve gigged with, they give me all of these higher harmonies to sing. So over the years it’s kinda stuck with me. I do exercises now for my voice during the week, and I still practice my guitar at least an hour a day, and I don’t drink any beers anymore. I was never a heavy drinker, maybe a couple a beers per gig. Now, I don’t even do that. Two years ago, I had a jam night or a gig 5 nights a week, and taught during the day. I’d have a couple of beers per gig, and drink caffeine drinks during the day to keep me going. I don’t do any of that anymore either. Now I get my sleep! (laughs) That way the next day my body and voice are recharged.

Hardrock Haven: Multiverse Collision includes both instrumentals and regular songs. What do you think is the difference between expressiveness and message as far as we compare singing and playing the guitar?

Steve Kaynan: Great question! I think they are both equally expressive. Singing just lets everything straight out. The guitar, when done correctly, can be a very expressive instrument! I love the sound of a singing guitar, can be very saxophone like sounding in the mountains, on the beach or whatever! Probably why I have a passion for writing instrumentals also. Whether or not that is marketable, popular or radio friendly to do is not a concern to me. How you bend the strings on the guitar, vibrato the notes tells a story and expresses tremendously. It’s like fingerprints.

Hardrock Haven: The first band that comes to my mind while listening to Multiverse Collision is classic Metallica. Next is Black Sabbath. What other bands and/or genres were you influenced while making the album?

Steve Kaynan: The heavier songs yes, without a doubt! Black Sabbath and Metallica I gravitated to very early on! “Fairies Wear Boots” was what got me into Ozzy and Black Sabbath. I was 12 and my dad played it for me. All four instruments stuck out and I was drawn to Ozzy’s voice. It drives me crazy when I meet people my age and younger who only know “Paranoid” or “Iron Man,” or they only know “Crazy Train” by Ozzy’s solo stuff. That doesn’t even scratch the surface! (laughs) Joe Satriani of course, Dream Theater was a huge influence on me, Jimi Hendrix, Sammy Hagar, Van Halen, Guns N’ Roses, Slash, Soundgarden, Winger, and Alice In Chains has always been a favorite. I’ve being playing gigs since I was 12, starting in my dads band, were I was learning a lot of blues rock and classic rock – Deep Purple, Foghat, Grand Funk Railroad, The Eagles etc. So from early on it was a broad variety but I always latched on to the heavy stuff too. But even the Metal side of me is influenced by the original metal bands and of that genre- Metallica, Megadeth, Ozzy, Zakk Wylde’s Black Label Society (and his playing with Ozzy), and Iron Maiden I’ve always listened to. Everyone digs “The Number Of The Beast” but I love the albums that followed – Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son and Powerslave. I also like some of the newer stuff they have been putting out. Bruce still sings every note like he did in his 20’s and 30’s and the band is still so on top of their game. I’m also a big fan of Extreme.

Hardrock Haven: Joe Satriani is often cited as your favorite guitar player, or the most influential one. Would you think of any other heroes of your early days – guitarists, but also singers?

Steve Kaynan: Joe has always been such a big influence, and he is also such a nice humble guy! There are a lot of fast guitar shredders out nowadays. But Joe has this amazing technical ability but uses it so well in a musical way and makes the guitar sing so well and the technical side of his playing sounds so musical! Eddie Van Halen was one of the reasons I started playing and of course I learned “Eruption.” From there, I got really into Metallica and learned Kirk’s solos. That was important because that helped me learn the fretboard and I could see how Kirk was connecting the dots and positions on the guitar and how and why notes worked in a scale he was playing etc. Remember, this was 1995, there were no DVD’s or YouTube, so I had to learn by ear, or if I was lucky my mom would buy me an instructional book that I wanted at the music store! The more I practiced the more things started to make since. Then I got into Dream Theater. John Petrucci was a huge impact and I still practice {and warm up} to his lessons from his Rock Discipline book to this day! Zakk Wylde was a big influence and helped me learn vibrato and right hand picking techniques. I learned all of his playing on Ozzy’s Ozzmosis album, which is still one of my favorite albums! His solos on “Perry Mason,” and “Tomorrow,” I use to learn and play along to those solos over and over! The entire album is great! I also think that album shows some of Ozzy’s best performances. Nuno Bettencourt from Extreme has always been a favorite of mine, Gary Moore, Al Di Meola. Vocally, I’d say Ozzy, James Labrie, James Heftield, Bruce Dickenson, Layne Staley, and Gary Cherone from Extreme. I teach guitar during the day, and some of my teenage students, especially the girls, are into My Chemical Romance, and I have to learn their stuff to teach them. A band that everyone else has known about for a very long time that I’m just now getting into! (laughs) I like the singer’s voice and the band is good!

Hardrock Haven: How does your songwriting process look like? Where does the musical and lyrical inspiration usually come from?

Steve Kaynan: Usually I’ll be practicing guitar and I’ll come up with a riff, chord progression or melody. Then I’ll write the rest from there. I’ll hook up my home recording studio, put on some drums and just write riffs. Then I’ll usually record it while I’m writing, just scratch tracks so I have something to listen back to the next day. Then, I replace all the scratch tracks one at a time, some with real drums, sometimes I’ll use programmed drums, re-write the melodies if need be or change certain notes in the melodies. The genre of the song will usually determine if it’s vocal or instrumental. If it’s a heavier tune, I’ll usually sing the melodies I write. Lyrical inspiration comes from anything, a book or movie I’ve seen, a dream, an event on the news, or life experiences. I had a dream once where I was playing onstage and teleported through an infinity mirror and it took me to a different planet and different galaxy! Thus, the song “Mirrors” was finished! (laughs) I’m always writing stuff which makes me bad with the cover stuff sometimes – I’ll change the parts around and make it my own thing! Even though I play covers in a working band and teach, I’m actually not a cover guy.

Hardrock Haven: What are your favorite pieces on the new album and why?

Steve Kaynan: Hard to narrow it down. I probably lean towards the first seven songs, which are the new recordings. “To Infinity And Beyond,” shows some diversity. Some rock, funk, a Pink Floyd meets Dream Theater solo middle section, also “Mirrors” and “Another Time.” Surprisingly, the new vocal songs are the ones getting airplay. I like hearing my current playing on the new songs and solos that are newly written. The songs I did at 17, “Hook” and “Nefertari” I think have some good melodies on them. Usually, I write and record a song or album, then I’m on to writing the next song or album!

Hardrock Haven: As a guitar player, do you favor technical prowess over emotions, or is it the other way around?

Steve Kaynan: I think both are important. Some of the fast shredding I hear sounds aimless to me and sounds like someone practicing instead of playing a piece of music. Sometimes to get an emotion across, it requires technical prowess, but I think it should be a tool to get the message or emotion across. It’s like a language. You can know every technique at any tempo in every key and yet still have nothing interesting to say with your playing. So I think technique is very important, but it’s the first half of the equation! The second half is what you do with it and how you use it.

Hardrock Haven: What kind of equipment do you use and do you think the right choice of particular instruments, amps or even picks is crucial in the process of defining your own sound and style?

Steve Kaynan: I have two Gibson Les Pauls that have both been through hundreds of 4hr gigs, jam nights, benefit gigs, plus an hr or two a day of practice! They are beat up, and still work great! I also have two Ibanez guitars, which I got because Joe Satriani uses Ibanez. I’m using Marshall tube amps with an Ibanez Tube Screamer to compress the sound a bit and add more gain. That’s pretty much it! I’ll add a wah pedal and delay pedal every now and then. I’m a firm believer that your sound is in your hands. I’ve been using GHS strings and 1.0 tortex picks forever! I do a lot of right hand picking as much as left hand legato, so I like thicker picks that don’t bend while you play.

Hardrock Haven: Do you experiment with different guitar brands, music equipment and accessories to adjust your sound to the particular song you have in mind? Or is it more like one well-tried formula?

Steve Kaynan: I go back and forth with my Gibsons and Ibanez guitars! They both are great! I used my red Gibson on all of the first album, and my brown Gibson on most of the new album. Both have Seymour Duncan pickups in them. My brown Les Paul has SD Slash signature pickups in the guitar, which is all over the new album. You can get any sound out of them. Very vocal like midrange for solo sounds, punchy for rhythm sounds, and great for clean sounds. For amp sounds, I use a Marshall DSL now. On my recordings I used a lot of POD Studio, and modeled my amp on that digital software and hardware through the recording gear. I picked a Marshall amp sound and set it to match my actual Marshall DSL amp. So what I did with the rhythm guitars was recorded the left side on “To Infintity And Beyond” with the POD Studio trying to clone my actual Marshall amp. Then on the right channel I actually mic’d my Marshall amp and recorded the right channel with the actual amp. I put the left and right channel together once everything was recorded to get that stereo sound, and both channels sounded identical! The POD Studio does a good job cloning sound digitally, and I hear the new stuff they have out is really good! I like old school analog and tube amps as much as I like digital stuff!

Hardrock Haven: Talking about your guitar playing, we can’t omit the fact you picked the instrument up at the tender age of seven. Wasn’t it a bit too early? What’s ignited you to play guitar?

Steve Kaynan: My first guitar was a Gibson Le Paul copy called an Electra! It was also one of the first guitars my father owned! Probably explains why I always gravitate to my Gibson’s! It sat in the basement. By age four I had already consumed so much music from my father, who plays and I use to go in the basement and watch him rehearse and play and I would pick up his guitar stand and pretend I was playing a guitar! So one day I took that Electra out of the storage closet and started messing with it. My dad taught me a couple of chords and I played it a bit. Then it sat in my room for a while. Then when I was eight or nine, I heard my dad playing something different on his stereo. It was Michael Jackson with Eddie Van Halen playing guitar. In fact, I remember like yesterday, the beginning of Eddie’s solo, I thought at the time it was a chainsaw at the beginning of the solo! (laughs) He then made me a cassette with “Beat It” and songs from the first Van Halen album. I also had a couple of friends, both into drums, in grade school that got me into Metallica, Rush etc. at the time. So from then on, I was on a mission to learn to play for real! Those were good memories! Being from Kansas, it was exiting going to my friends house and rehearsing with my drummer friends in their basements. When you’re 10 years old and trying to learn to play “For Whom The Bell Tolls” by Metallica and “2112” by Rush at loud volume with drums and amps, it’s pretty cool!

Hardrock Haven: Also your father’s musical activity is an important factor in your biography. How do you think the musical traditions of your family influenced your artistic pursuits?

Steve Kaynan: Very heavily! Once I started to learn seriously, not only was I fortunate to have a few friends at school that were learning to play drums, but my father and I played together just as often. And when we were not playing together, he had made me a cassette to play along with, which developed my chord changes, timing, and as I advanced, learning solos in different keys. So I was constantly playing! My first professional gig was in November 1996 when I was 12 at a company party with my father’s band! I still remember it like yesterday, and it was a blast! So from my parents point of view it was a blessing and a curse! By the time I was a teenager, I was obsessed with getting more advanced, and I would win guitar playing competitions, and do gigs with my original band at schools and fairs etc. But I was sometimes in a world of my own, and could care less what was going on at school, or what was popular at school. Therefore I was never in trouble with bad things teenagers do because I was playing music and staying busy! However, I was in trouble often because I was not paying attention or going to class at school, and did not care. They would try and ground me for a week without guitar, but it wouldn’t work! I would still play. One time I even played guitar during class at high school! I managed to pass and senior year I paid more attention. Even in my teens, I was also networking as the internet got more popular and finding out about clubs in the Orlando area, trying to get auditions with the bands that were recording and playing at Full Sail University, and uploading my originals on websites etc. That landed me a great gig right after my graduation! It was at Full Sail University with BWT on the huge stage and they were also recording an album at the schools recording studios. My audition was on that stage in front of everyone! Lights, cameras….everything! I got the gig, and was gigging like crazy all over town, recording in a top notch recording facility, and performing on 104.1FM! To an 18 year old right out of high school, it was beyond cool! My father still plays and gigs often in a blues band and writes and records in his studio at home, and my brother is a tremendous bass player and also plays some guitar.

Hardrock Haven: You’ve also gained experience playing in various cover bands. Is it just a side activity, or perhaps, a valuable experience also while creating your own material?

Steve Kaynan: The cover band has always been a side job. It is a business, booking, loading in the gear, breaking down the gear, playing your ass off for four 4 hours. Most of the gigs are under contract and are 1099ed for taxes. My playing is very physical. I play hard, intense, and my playing is aggressive. After a gig, my upper body is shot. So each gig is an 8 hour shift from beginning to end and all of us treat it as a job. So I don’t learn covers for fun, because my heart has always been into writing my own stuff and I don’t like learning other guitarists parts anymore because I don’t want to be a replica of someone else. There can only be one Eddie Van Halen. However, Bar Fly has a great chemistry and we do have fun playing music together! We play over 100 gigs a year, plus we do jam night gigs, which sometimes we end up playing a few sets, plus benefit gigs, and bike events in Daytona Beach. I’m also a music teacher and have gained a local reputation for being a teacher.

Hardrock Haven: Currently you play in a cover band Bar Fly. Do you also take your solo project to the live stage and perform songs off Steve Kaynan and Multiverse Collision?

Steve Kaynan: We have talked about adding a few of my originals to a couple of our sets! But the clubs hire us to play all the classics, but we’ve talked about adding a few! It’s in the works! I’m actually putting a band together to support my new album. I would like my third album to be more of a band situation. Guitar player, bassist, and drummer in the room playing together live and then add overdubs if need be. A lot of artist and bands don’t record like that anymore and I would like to have that contrast on my next album. Though, if I book some original venues to support the new album it will become a band situation right then beforehand!

Hardrock Haven: Your work ethic is much DIY-based – you’ve released an album independently from big record labels and worked on the majority of the instrumental parts in your own studio. What advantages and disadvantages do you think it brings with itself?

Steve Kaynan: Right! A lot of that came from being in original bands in my teens and in Los Angeles were certain other members were not as serious of musicians or motivated or career oriented. Some even just got into music, not caring about being a good player, just wanted some unrealistic rock lifestyle! (laughs) I never got into music for that nonsense. I’ve learned the hard way to not rely on anyone! The advantages are that you can treat the project like that of a painter and be true to yourself without compromise. However, if you are fortunate to have a group to collaborate with that are down to earth, on the same page and have the same goals, then that is a great entity to have for sure! I like both methods and it depends on the situation! As far as the record labels, and A&R Reps, I have learned a ton from the first album and from my situation in California. All my music is now licensed, published and registered with ASCAP and Sound Exchange, which protects the artist original music and tracks down who is using or playing your music publicly and then collects royalties to the original artist. I have no major label taking my royalties and publishing of my music. I keep all my performance rights, writing credits and my publishing by doing everything on my own. A majority of major labels thrive off a musicians lack of knowledge (if that be the case) of the business and basically try and prosper off a fire that’s already ignited by the band or artist by throwing more gasoline on it and making money off the foundation the artist built. The artist then has to give up most of their royalties and publishing rights to the label. So if a major label were to come along and promote me, it would have to be an amazing offer that I couldn’t refuse!

Hardrock Haven: What are your current plans?

Steve Kaynan: I’m very busy teaching and gigging and doing things for my new album. Definitely pursuing a band line up for the album and doing some shows to support the album in between every else going on! It’s possible! I always bite off more than I can chew!

Hardrock Haven: Is there anything you’d like to add in the end?

Steve Kaynan: Absolutely! I would like to thank all the radio stations who have supported me lately and have been playing songs off my new album and have added me on rotation! I would also like to thank you for the interview and for such great questions! You really know your stuff and have such a passion for good music! Hope to talk to you again soon! See ya down the road! Carpe Diem!

Visit Steve Kaynan online: https://www.facebook.com/stevekaynan