by Dan Corey
— Guest Columnist —
I was very excited to have a chance to speak with Keven Eknes, a multi-award-winning, multi-faceted guitarist who is also an all-around nice guy. Keven has played for kings (literally: he has played at the King of Norway’s Ball), and currently works as a gigging union musician in Nashville, Tennessee. When I caught up with Keven, he was getting ready to release his new EP, Northern Lights. Here’s what he had to say about it.
– Give us a little background: where you are from, when and how you started playing guitar.
So, I grew up in a fairly small town called Sandnes in the South/West of Norway. Accidentally, fell in love with the guitar after my friend’s dad (who used to be active in the scene), suggested our group of friends start a band. My parents thought the guitar was a great idea and were generous enough to take me to a music store, where we picked up a Strat copy. From there on, I just fell in love with the learning curve, the epiphany of finally being able to execute songs you had listened to and had been working on. It was during the rise of Youtube and online content, so there was a lot of material available, without it being too saturated and overwhelming. Also, the narcissistic sides of popularity, being a dude in a band wasn’t exactly a negative part of playing for a 12-year-old.
– How would you describe your style, overall? Who are your influences?
I would describe it as mainly rock, with a bit more harmonic content. Great tone inspires me more than anything: Andy Timmons, Allen Hinds, Guthrie Govan, Allan Holdsworth, Yngwie Malmsteen are some of the favorites.
– What is the significance of your new EP title, “Northern Lights”? Your track title “Looking at the Stars” definitely calls out to nature, and “Hemispheres” makes us think of the night sky, heavenly bodies and such.
So, the Northern Lights is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful phenomena that happens in nature. I try to use the different environments around me to inspire the music, and thought “Northern Lights” would be a good way to describe it, as there is a multitude of colors that can be associated with the many harmonic and rhythmic colors in the music. I also felt that the title would enable me to fit in a lot of different styles of music.
– I have a few specific questions about each track, starting with the opener, “Into the Maze.” I sense a touch of country, but with a modern rock/metal edge. Is that what you’re trying to evoke here?
It is a tune inspired from the environment I live in currently and is the newest song on the EP. Not aiming for anything specific other than being inspired by the music in Nashville without loosing my own artistic sound. I wanted to incorporate more jazz elements into the country vibe, as well as the power from rock since these are some of the elements that I really love. The “normal” country music that I hear here is not very intuitive harmonically, so I tried to expand the horizon a bit without going too far into the jazz world.
– Your second track, “Diminished Blues,” seems to be a specific reference to the theory used to compose this tune. Tell us about that, the specific chordal makeup and such of this song.
To me, “diminished” has a very dark vibe, almost hinting at something evil. It is more commonly used as a “portal” or “bridge” between chords and sections, but I wanted to embrace the “unsettled-ness” these kinds of colors make you feel. No specific theory was used in the creation of the piece, but you can obviously analyze and find that most of the content is found in the Messiaen modes. I wanted to combine the simplicity of a 12-bar blues form, shaping it into a more edgy and dark fusion thing with, yet again, the more jazz harmonic elements. The middle section is very inspired by the ambient electro-acoustic music you may find in the depths of Norway’s jazz culture.
– Track three is a beautiful, contemplative piece titled “Looking at the Stars.” The opening notes of this song are very interesting. Are you changing tuning as you play? This tune seems to go back and forth between discordant and melodic. What are you evoking here?
Thank you so much! I don’t change any tunings here, but I used the tremolo bar quite a bit to get some new sounds. The melody came to me extremely clear, at night, as I was literally looking at the stars. I thought the easy-on-the-ear ambient melody would fit great between the two more “fusion-esque” tunes. I get fairly impatient or bored, and the B section is contrasting the easy main section, demonstrating the contrasting colors between the different northern light auras, but it still being part of the same wave or flow.
– “Hemispheres” is sort of the headiest track on the album. You have a big, prog rock-like sound, a lot of time signature changes. Tell us what your goal was here. And is this at all a reference to Rush’s “Hemispheres” album?
This actually started as a school project on modulation that I expanded upon. When I started working on the music for this EP, I knew a full-on modern fusion song was a must, due to my background. Looking at my catalog for ideas, the main idea just spoke to me. With no reference to the Rush album, the title was inspired by the repetitiveness in the main riff and the openness of the solo changes. You know when you keep doing one thing for a prolonged time, you can usually go into an “auto-pilot” mode, and then the solo kicks in, forcing you to engage the other hemisphere in your brain to get through the super-fast changes. It is meant to engage both the logical and the creative parts of your brain if you decide to play it.
– You’re a resident of Nashville. How would you describe the current Nashville music scene? How do you fit into it?
I don’t. But I play guitar, and guitar is very needed here, especially in the Nashville music styles (‘80s rock, country, Western swing, RnB, etc.). There are literally countless opportunities here, so it is a mecca for musicians if you like to play.
– What guitars and gear are you playing these days?
I’m a bit of a maniac when it comes to gear, so I literally change the rig up dependent on the gig. Without nerding out too much, on my regular gig, I have two LPD Pedals for Drive (87 and 64), with a Headrush Gigboard doing all the effects needed (touchscreen is amazing for on the go). I often use a Fractal AX8 if going direct is preferred, and Victory Amps are my to-go-to (Countess and Sheriff) for amps. As far as guitars go, I play multiple .strandberg* models, my Suhr, and a Taylor for Acoustic.
– Any final thoughts on the new “Northern Lights” EP, which was just released late last month?
Excited to finally get some more music out. Excited to start writing a bit more consistently from now on.
– Do you have any upcoming live dates?
I play every night as a sideman, so it’s hard taking a night off to do my own thing, budget-wise. For now, the internet will be the stage for my original music, until a good opportunity appears.
– Where can people find you and your music online?
It’s available on all the streaming platforms, working on a full album stream for Youtube, and you can order it on Bandcamp!
Photo attached appears courtesy of Staci Carriere Sagliano/Team 22 Studios.
