Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.
Cameron Fitzpatrick - lead vocals, bass guitar, keyboards
Stephen Wiley - drums/percussion, vocals
Nick Wiley - guitar, vocals
For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to Kindler? How long has the band been around?
Brothers Nick and Stephen previously made up half of heavy metal band Wake of Redemption. Before that, they were part of a Christian rock band called Counterfall as well as a couple of other projects with close friends. Cameron came to Kindler by way of prog/funk trio Titan and was previously a part of a rock trio called We Are Masked.
What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?
Having previously been a part of bands with longer names, we were all very interested in coming up with a short, memorable name that hearkened back some of our favorite classic rock bands with timeless one-word names (Yes, Rush, Boston, Kansas, Heart, etc.) Kindler was the best name we came up with after several hours of deliberating over a kitchen table. In addition, we're all profoundly interested in the act of creation. A kindler, that is, one who kindles, is someone that creates a fire.
Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time?
Our writing process is very collaborative. We'll typically start with one member presenting a musical idea (riff, chord progression, melody, etc) and then start building off of that. The finished product is almost always a pretty far cry away from the original idea, and sometimes the original gets cut entirely (leaving only newer ideas that were sparked by the original.) Lyrically, Cameron does most of the writing (with a few exceptions.) Thematically, there's a pretty wide range. Like most rock bands, we write about women a lot. :-) But we've also drawn a lot from other personal experiences and occasionally write fictional stories that aren't tied to any particular life events.
What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?
We are HUGE fans of Karnivool out of Australia. We're also big Gojira and Mastodon fans. Beyond that, we all have pretty distinct individual influences. Most recently, Stephen has really been into Deftones. Cameron has found Agent Fresco by way of the Broadchurch (british TV show) soundtrack. Nick has recently rediscovered ZZ Top and Heart.
Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?
All of us grew up in very musical families and were surrounded by music from an early age, so it would be hard to say that a specific event or artist "lit the spark" for us. At some point, we just knew what we were supposed to do with our lives. Music has a way of never letting you step too far away from it.
What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, ect …
We've never been a band that does much in the way of warming up for shows unless it happens to be very, very cold where we're playing. We like to keep our rigs and instruments in good shape, so we'll tune drums if needed and guitar strings are changed frequently. As we move into playing longer concerts, vocal exercises might be something we look into.
What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?
We've had the chance to share the stage with some amazing artists, including Virgil Donati, Tides of Man, Dream the Electric Sleep, and Balance and Composure. But, from a fulfillment perspective, releasing our first music video last year in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month (April) takes the cake. We were able to work with several non-profits and were invited to guest write a blog. Watching our first single become something more than itself was truly fulfilling and more than we could have ever asked for.
If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?
This list could be so long! At the moment, we would give anything to play with Karnivool or Gojira - both INCREDIBLE live bands. If we could reach into the past, it would be impossible to turn down the opportunity to play with Yes or Rush as they've had such a massive impact on our sound.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
2016 is shaping up to be a huge year for us. We'll be releasing our first full-length album, a new music video, more live Basement Session videos, and playing as many shows as we can!