INTERVIEW WITH BRYAN KIENLEN FOR THE EIY HANDBOOK

BRYAN KIENLEN, 40 (New York City / Bradley Beach, NJ)
MUSICIAN (The Bouncing Souls)
YEARS IN MUSIC: 25
ON THE WEB: bouncingsouls.com // bryankienlen.com
CURRENT PROJECT: The Bouncing Souls
ROLES: Bassist, songwriter, backup vocals, t-shirt/CD design

WHO FIRST GOT YOU INTERESTED IN MUSIC?   My first music was Johnny Cash, thanks to my father. My two older sisters got me into rock and roll and then punk rock as a kid.

DO YOU REMEMBER THE MOMENT YOU FIGURED OUT WHAT YOU WANTED TO DO WITH YOUR LIFE?  I really had a better idea of everything I didn’t want to do at first. Music provided on different levels from society’s pre-set categories and “career choices.” By committing ourselves and pooling all our energy as a band, we’ve been able to avoid all that crap and live our lives by our own rules. Music and art are both great for that.

WHAT WERE YOUR GOALS WHEN YOU STARTED?  Our goals were always what was just right ahead. At first we just wanted to survive as a band. Then we wanted to get more gigs. Then we wanted to play out of town. We never spent too much time plotting or looking far down the road. We always made the most of the moment.

HAVE YOU ACHIEVED THOSE GOALS?  Yes, by working together and compromising with each other’s bull-headed personalities, like a marriage. There’s no “I” in team.

WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS NOW? HOW HAVE THEY CHANGED?  My goals haven’t changed; I maintain the same philosophy and priorities: to be happy, have fun, and make the most of this very short life. To stay young and free.

DID IT TAKE A FEW DIFFERENT PATHS TO FIND WHAT YOU LOVED TO DO?  We have just followed our hearts. To do any less is to live a lie. That’s how the Bouncing Souls never sold out.

WHAT HAVE YOU HAD TO SACRIFICE ALONG THE WAY?  Plenty. Life on the road is brutal on relationships. It also stunts some other levels of personal growth. Martial arts and tattooing always had to take a back seat as well. I train my ass off when I’m home, and try to keep it up on the road, but it’s not quite the same. I’ve been tattooing a lot more now that we’re touring less. But then, when I’m not on tour, I miss it — haha.

WHAT INSPIRES YOU ON A DAILY BASIS?  I try to remember to see the beauty in people, places, and things happening around me. I have 2 birds living in my bedroom. I wake up and just chill a minute and watch them do their thing… puts me in a good mood every time.

HOW MUCH OF YOUR SUCCESS HAS COME FROM LUCK? TALENT? HARD WORK?  More hard work and luck than talent haha! We’ve gotten much better at what we do over 20 years, but we totally sucked when we started! We’re the perfect example of how you can be successful with lots of hard work, even if you’re not so great in the beginning. What’s important is trying to improve and challenge yourself. Then you’ll inevitably get better and better the longer you keep at it.

HOW HAVE YOU MEASURED YOUR SUCCESS THROUGHOUT YOUR CAREER?  Success to me means we’ve been our own bosses for 20 years — did it all our way, never answered to anyone else, and never lost sight of who we are and what’s really important in life. We’ve held onto our ideals.

HOW DO YOU DEFINE SUCCESS?  Realizing your dreams.

DO YOU HAVE ANY REGRETS?  I’ve made my share of mistakes. You just have to own them, and most importantly learn from them.

ANY FAVORITE UNDISCOVERED BANDS?  I’m more concerned about all the truly great bands that are now slipping slowly into obscurity, shoveled over with new generations of watered-down, meaningless, commercial, trendy crap. It’s great if you like Rancid and Green Day, but hey, listen to Avail, they’re better! If you like punk, check out the Bad Brains, 7-Seconds, Youth Brigade, X, U.S. Bombs, the Explosion — you know what? Just go buy “Over the James” by Avail right now. Do it. Do it.

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Read Bryan’s answers to 50 questions about music and the music business in the EIY HANDBOOK, available in print or eBook version at www.earnityourself.com

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