00:00
Hermajesty
Welcome back to WKNC 88.1 FM HD-1 Raleigh. I'm Hermajesty, joined today by my lovely co host, Whoppipotamus and three bears and a coat. Today we are with southeastern Kentucky shoegaze grunge outfit Kanashii. Boys. How about you introduce yourselves.
00:19
Sammy
I'm Sammy Clifford, I play lead guitar and sing.
00:22
Smitty
I'm Smitty, I play bass guitar.
00:26
Hermajesty
How would you guys explain Kanashii to first time listeners of the band?
00:31
Sammy
So if they're not like really well versed in Shoegaze or anything like that, typically I'll always say like, you know, it's like Deftones meets the Cure or something like that. You know, we're just making a bunch of weird noises with a bunch of pedals and having a good time, so.
00:47
Hermajesty
Oh yeah. Awesome. What was it like, you guys? I saw you guys getting on some Shoegaze Shoe gay radars and stuff. So what was it like? Kind of hearing yourselves on the radio for the first time, man.
01:01
Sammy
We were all just kind of freaking out about it to be honest, man. It's.
01:05
Smitty
It, it was really surreal, wasn't it?
01:07
Sammy
Yeah, we. We just kind of spazzed out, high fiving each other in a room by, you know, by ourselves.
01:17
Hermajesty
Sweet. So you mentioned that you were previously, I saw that you were in a metalcore band. What kind of brought the shift esthetically from metalcore to a more shoegaze and focus?
01:30
Sammy
It's a great question, man. So I did metalcore for like 12 years, you know, I was in this band and we had done a little touring and signed with the label and everything. And then it just, I guess it got stale for me because I, I haven't listened to metalcore like daily since I was like 17. Right. So like I've been listening to like Shoegaze and like My Bloody Valentine, stuff like that since like I was like in my early 20s and I've wanted to do this kind of project. I just could never find the right people for it. And now we have them, so it's just like this kind of a dream come true, you know?
02:07
DJ Whippopatomus
Nice.
02:09
Hermajesty
That's awesome. So I saw that you're from Livingston.
02:14
Sammy
Yeah.
02:15
Hermajesty
Where are you from, Smitty?
02:16
Smitty
I'm from Corbin.
02:18
Hermajesty
Okay.
02:18
Smitty
Little town on the southern border of Kentucky.
02:21
Sammy
It's where KFC comes from.
02:25
Hermajesty
I actually do have a question about that later.
02:27
Sammy
Yeah, sure.
02:28
Smitty
Alrighty.
02:30
Hermajesty
Don't worry, it's not completely unfounded. I. My family is from Lexington.
02:34
Sammy
Okay. Yeah.
02:36
Hermajesty
You Guys, you guys are on the Eternal Sorrow tour right now, but how are you guys normally driving a lot for gigs?
02:43
Sammy
Yeah, man, just. We just hop in a vehicle and go.
02:47
Hermajesty
Is it the truck that's outside or. Yeah, okay. What are you guys. What are you guys listening to when you guys are all together?
02:53
Sammy
Oh, so, you know, our drummers really into, like, Motley Crue and stuff. He's a little older than us, so he's always just jamming Motley Crue. And then, like, when I'm driving, like, and they're all sleeping, I'm listening to, like, Phoebe Bridgers and, like, just, like, really chill stuff. Yeah, yeah, it's. It's interesting. Just whatever, you know, whatever we want to jam out to.
03:14
Hermajesty
Yeah. However it's feeling. What is yalls recording process, like, so.
03:20
Sammy
We've been working with this guy named Wasim Bazi. He's out of Cincinnati. Dude is just a master at his craft.
03:28
Smitty
Absolutely phenomenal.
03:29
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah.
03:30
Sammy
Yeah, we'll. We just go up there and I'll. I'll be like, dude, I wrote these, like, five songs. What can we do with these? And he'll be like, I like this, but I don't like this. And then he'll, like, push me to write something better. Oh, you know.
03:43
DJ Whippopatomus
Okay.
03:44
Sammy
Which is cool. So, like, it's kind of this really cohesive relationship. We're just creating more stuff all the time.
03:51
Hermajesty
Is he. Is he like, chopping it up into bits and pieces or, like, of each song to kind of figure out stuff?
03:58
Sammy
Sort of. It's like, you know, I'll come with the. The bones of a song, and I'll have my. All my lyrics and vocal melodies written. And then he'll be like, man, you know, you've got a great song, but it's seven minutes long. How about we cut it down to four? You know, stuff like that.
04:15
Hermajesty
Okay. So are you guys. Are you guys kind of playing, like, matching where you guys will jam on a track and then be like, oh, I think these lyrics work with this? Or how does. How does that normally come together?
04:26
Sammy
So this is going to sound weird, but for me, man, like, I'll write, like, a general idea. I'll.
04:34
Hermajesty
Just.
04:35
Sammy
For me, it's like whatever I'm feeling in the moment, you know, Like, I'll write about that emotion or maybe a past trauma, something such as that, and I'll put that. That negative energy into something positive and write that, you know, and it helps me deal with that kind of stuff.
04:51
DJ Whippopatomus
Beautiful.
04:52
Hermajesty
Yeah. So are you. Are you doing that, like, on an acoustic guitar.
04:56
Sammy
Sometimes, man. Sometimes I'll write our song acoustic and then transpose it into something electric. But a lot of the time we're just all in a room together and we just jam and it just comes out, man. It's just magic.
05:08
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah.
05:09
Hermajesty
Yeah. That's something that's always really interesting to me is because I know kind of the lead songwriter always. He knows what you know, what you want in your head, but kind of how you convey that to the full instrumentation of it.
05:20
Sammy
Yeah.
05:21
Hermajesty
Interesting. What was it like playing Skull Fest with a whole bunch of, like, peer bands? Especially, like, Ask Something back after Covid, So.
05:32
Sammy
That was a cool show, man. We played in a wrestling ring. Oh, rad. You know, there's all these wrestlers just, like, pile driving each other.
05:39
DJ Whippopatomus
Okay.
05:40
Sammy
It was sick. That was, like, our first, like, real show back, and I have to say, it felt great. You know, last night we played, and, I mean, we've just. We love being able to do that, so.
05:56
Hermajesty
Awesome. Do you interact with a lot of the other bands that are similar to you? Or are they. Are they similar or are they just kind of local? Ish.
06:05
Sammy
So there's not really a grunge shoegaze. There's not. Definitely not a shoegaze scene in Kentucky at all. Everyone's either like Hank Williams Jr. Or like Pantera, you know, it's like, that's the vibes, you know, Like a lot.
06:21
Smitty
Of hardcore bands, a few metal core bands. Yeah.
06:23
Sammy
But there's not really a lot of. On the chiller side of things, you know?
06:27
DJ Whippopatomus
Okay.
06:28
Hermajesty
Yeah. So, like, I mean, obviously Kentucky is really known for their. For their bluegrass.
06:32
Sammy
Yeah.
06:33
Hermajesty
And I assume y' all were raised around it. Have. Did you guys just kind of forsaken that or has that influenced you in any way?
06:41
Sammy
Dude, I'll be honest. This is gonna sound terrible, but with just the way I grew up, I didn't even really get to listen to music, like, by choice, really, until I was, like, 14. So, like, I didn't even understand that I even liked music until I was, like, a teenager, you know? And then I got super into. I just came obsessed with it, you know? It was cool.
07:01
Hermajesty
Were there, like. Were there, like, local things going on? Or would you say you were raised more by, like, pop culture and music culture in that sense?
07:08
Sammy
MySpace, dude. Yeah, like. Like 2008. MySpace when I was in high school, you know?
07:15
Hermajesty
Yeah. Just finding all the bands on there.
07:17
Sammy
Yeah, that was a huge one. Like, I was really into, like, Circus Survive and stuff like that, man. It's like One of my favorite bands on the planet, and that really inspired me to get into riding and Nirvana and stuff like that. So.
07:28
Hermajesty
Yeah, I saw that you said that, you know, or you had learned at some point, at least every Nirvana song is.
07:34
Smitty
Yeah, true.
07:35
Sammy
Yeah, dude, every single one. I could play every Nirvana song in their entire discography. Yeah.
07:42
DJ Whippopatomus
Okay.
07:44
Hermajesty
So would you guys. Would you guys add a Nirvana cover to your set and kind of knockify it, or is there another maybe artist that you would want to.
07:53
Sammy
We actually have, like, three Nirvana covers in our repertoire. We just don't always play them live. Like, if we need an extra a little bit of time, we'll do it, you know, but we kind of make it our own. Add some, like, reverb and, you know, lots of shoegaze guitars in there, and it's cool, you know? It sounds awesome.
08:09
Hermajesty
Yeah, that sounds incredible. Just kind of space it all out.
08:13
Sammy
Yeah.
08:15
Hermajesty
You said that you had previously lived in LA for a little bit. What kind of brought you out there after high school? And where. What was that journey like?
08:23
Sammy
Well, I. I grew up around some not so great people, you know, and to get away from, like, some of the certain things that were going on in my home, I kind of lived in my car and, like, went out to LA for three years. I was homeless out there and just played acoustic guitar, and that's how I, like, survived, man. Like, I would, like, play every day until I could eat something or get a hotel or whatever, you know, or sleep in my car. So that was the. That was the vibe at the time, man. You know, just survive through music. And I did for three years, man. And.
09:00
Hermajesty
Yeah, you went.
09:01
DJ Whippopatomus
You went on a journey.
09:02
Sammy
Yeah, for sure, man. It was an adventure.
09:04
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah.
09:05
DJ Whippopatomus
So what.
09:05
Hermajesty
What brought you back?
09:07
Sammy
You know, I. LA is not that great of a place.
09:12
DJ Whippopatomus
That's what I hear.
09:13
Hermajesty
That's what I believe it.
09:15
Sammy
Yeah, it's a. It's a rough place, man. And it's expensive. Like. Like, an apartment's like, two grand, you know, for one bedroom. Like, I ain't trying to live like that. You're, you know, Traffic. Yeah, and traffic's the worst, bro.
09:28
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah. Yeah.
09:32
Hermajesty
So. So I saw you guys have sort of, like, practiced and played it. White Rabbit Records, and I saw that you guys had the sticker for it out back.
09:40
Sammy
Yeah.
09:41
Hermajesty
Truck. So is that. Would you guys almost call that, like, a home base or. How local is that to y'?
09:45
Sammy
All? So that was in Corbin. We used to. We practiced there a lot. And we love the. The owner, Sack. He's A great dude. He's a homie. You know, we. It was kind of like our home base for a long time until, you know, we decided to start practicing in our own houses and things like that. And man, that's just. It's a lovely place. They have some of the best records and stuff. Like, it's just a cool place.
10:10
Hermajesty
Nice. So was there a moment when you realized, like you kind of mentioned that you like realized, oh, like I can listen to music for myself now. Like, was. Was there a mo. Was there like kind of a moment or like a band that you. That either of you guys remember where you were? Like, oh, like I don't like top 40 or bluegrass. Like I'm into this like other. Other avenue.
10:37
Smitty
Honestly, the first band for me was the Offspring. I heard him when I was like 12, 13 years old, just watching videos on YouTube and just something about that stuck out to me. That was. First time I really actually noticed music is more than just something in the background.
10:52
Sammy
And for me, man, I. There's two moments for me, right? I had. My aunt, had a couple old CDs and this is like when I'm like 14, discovering music really for the first time. And it's so lame sounding, but I found this AC DC CD and there's a song called Let There Be Rock and just had this ripping guitar solo and I was like, what is that, dude? Like, I want to do that. And then I really got. I heard Nirvana's Nevermind for the first time and I was like, it's over. That's the sickest thing I've ever heard. I was like, I relate to this, bro. Like I'm trying to do that. So.
11:28
Hermajesty
All right, you're listening to WKNC 88.1 FM HD1 Raleigh. We are here interviewing Kanashii and here is one of their tracks and Shinigami.
11:41
Music
[Kanashii]
16:27
Hermajesty
You're listening to WKNC 88.1 FM HD1 Raleigh. That was Shinigami from Konashi's new EP I'm Hermajesty and I'm joined with my co host Whip Apotamus and Three Bears in a Coat.
16:40
DJ Whippopatomus
And we are here with Kanashii, the shoegaze grunge outfit. I was talking to you guys just before we started recording and I was. When I was doing my research. You guys came here from Ohio yesterday.
16:53
Sammy
Yeah.
16:54
DJ Whippopatomus
That is. How long of a drive was that for you?
16:56
Sammy
So for us, like with stops and everything was like 10 and a half hours. And we haven't been to bed yet, man. We're just like. Just like, yeah, I'm dead inside now.
17:04
DJ Whippopatomus
We appreciate you coming, especially on such short notice because we've only got two of you. Because I think the other two minutes you told me were just.
17:11
Sammy
Oh, dude. As soon as we got back, like to the hotel and checked in Chapel Hill, dudes just drop.
17:16
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah, absolutely.
17:17
Sammy
Great.
17:18
DJ Whippopatomus
Absolutely. When did you get on the road then?
17:20
Sammy
We played. We played our show, our set and everything, man. And. And then we left out like 10pm wow.
17:28
DJ Whippopatomus
That is amazing. Again, I appreciate you then making that crazy drive here.
17:32
Hermajesty
Is this the first time you guys have toured like this with.
17:35
Sammy
With this project? For me, absolutely. This is actually Smitty here and like everyone else in the band's first tour ever, so.
17:42
DJ Whippopatomus
Oh, wow.
17:42
Smitty
This is actually something I've been wanting to do since I was like 12 years old when I first started playing guitar.
17:48
Hermajesty
Yeah.
17:48
DJ Whippopatomus
Living on the road as a new touring musician. What has that been like for?
17:53
Smitty
It's very exciting. Of course it's got its stresses and such, but I think it's very much worthwhile.
17:58
Sammy
Would you say it's exhausting?
18:00
Smitty
Oh, absolutely. But I do think it's worthwhile. And really way I've been seeing it, as long as this all goes well, which I think it is going well, everything's gravy from here on out for me.
18:14
Hermajesty
Would you rate the exhaustion on a scale of 1 to 10?
18:17
Sammy
Dude, I'm always exhausted, so it's like I have sleep apnea, dude. So, like, I'm always tired. So. You know what?
18:23
DJ Whippopatomus
The lifestyle.
18:24
Sammy
This is like a five for me, dude.
18:26
Smitty
I'm honestly lost. Concept of numbers at this point.
18:29
Sammy
This look. Do you see the eyes? Like, they're so bloodshot from being sleepy.
18:32
DJ Whippopatomus
Like, hey, I get it. I get it. You got to.
18:35
Hermajesty
For the listeners. Smitty's eyes are almost closed just while he's trying to exist.
18:43
DJ Whippopatomus
No, it's. We appreciate it. So after. After you play at the local 506 tomorrow, you're headed down to 4 Florida.
18:50
Sammy
Yeah.
18:51
DJ Whippopatomus
How did you manage to get such a wide range of places to play at for this tour?
18:54
Sammy
Man, I've been in the industry for like 11 years, 12 years, something like that. And I've played all over, so I've got a lot of homies in different places, you know, different area codes. So we're just. We're just rolling through, man, while we can, you know.
19:09
DJ Whippopatomus
Absolutely. Absolutely. No, that'll be a good time. I looked at the venue for a little bit In Florida. And, well, you guys would definitely be able to speak more to. It look pretty nice.
19:17
Sammy
Yeah. Yeah.
19:18
DJ Whippopatomus
Kind of jealous. No. So what led you to calling this the Eternal Sorrow Tour?
19:26
Sammy
Because the music's real sad. Okay, sure.
19:29
DJ Whippopatomus
Is that tied into your band name and your band name origin at all?
19:34
Sammy
Yeah, yeah. Kanashii. Like, so I've been studying Japanese for the last, like, two and a half years because I'm going to Japan, like, next year. That's awesome. So, like, for me, I've always been really into Japanese culture and just something that's really important to me. So, like, konashi just means, like, sad, sorrowful, you know, it's kind of just like this sorrowful being kind of. And music for us is kind of like a therapy. This, like, cathartic release. So it's turning this negativity into something beautiful, like, essentially. Yeah. Therapy, dude.
20:13
DJ Whippopatomus
No, it's phenomenal. Music has that. That great power, especially if you use it that way.
20:16
Sammy
Yeah, that's the goal, man.
20:19
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah. I. I hate to take this question from the two of you, but I have to know. I watched the Ego Death video music video, and that was one of the wildest music videos I've ever seen. I don't know how to even ask a question about. But what was that creation process, like? So.
20:40
Sammy
It's a very psychedelic video.
20:42
DJ Whippopatomus
Yes. Yeah.
20:47
Smitty
You know?
20:48
Sammy
Yeah. I wrote that song about an ego death, you know, and it was. I was like, man, I got to make this look the trippiest video we can. I was like, we want to make it a little goofy, too, because, like, I'm a huge, like, Nirvana Foo Fighters fan.
21:01
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah.
21:02
Sammy
And a lot of their music videos are kind of silly, too. So, like, we had these, like, Scooby Doo chase scenes mixed with, like, all the, like, trippy stuff. So it's pretty cool. Like, it just turned out good. I write and direct all of our videos.
21:15
DJ Whippopatomus
Oh, wow.
21:17
Sammy
It's pretty fun, man.
21:18
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah, no, it ended up. It ended up looking great. I really. I really thoroughly enjoyed watching it. And I think after I stopped watching it or when it ended, I think I waited probably a minute or two before I was like, okay, now I can go do something else. Like, latently processing.
21:33
Hermajesty
Yeah, it took a minute to wash over for sure.
21:36
Sammy
Good, man.
21:37
DJ Whippopatomus
Where did y' all shoot that video?
21:39
Sammy
That was actually at White Rabbit Records. We went. We were there, and were like, hey, Zach, man, can we use all your cool lights and stuff? You know, this cool alleys, man? Let's. Let's do it. So it's in Corbin, Kentucky, like, three miles from the original kfc.
22:00
Hermajesty
Do you guys know the 11 secret herbs and spices?
22:03
Sammy
Listen, man, I'm pretty sure that's. That's just, like, some kind of fake thing. And they just put salt and pepper on it, bro. Like, I don't know, like, hold on.
22:12
DJ Whippopatomus
Since we're talking about chicken, have you all had Bojangles, though, bro?
22:14
Smitty
Yeah, Bojangles over kfc.
22:18
DJ Whippopatomus
Thank you.
22:19
Hermajesty
Thank you.
22:19
DJ Whippopatomus
Absolutely.
22:20
Sammy
Y' all ever had in and out, bro? There's some west coast stuff right there.
22:24
DJ Whippopatomus
I never been over there to have it.
22:25
Sammy
You got to dude that, like, I was in LA three years, bro. Internet was, like, my spot.
22:30
DJ Whippopatomus
Like.
22:31
Sammy
Yeah, I hear a lot about it, bro.
22:33
DJ Whippopatomus
Hey, we gotta cook out here. I'm good enough with that.
22:36
Sammy
I know, dude. You know what? I'm obsessed with Cheerwine, dude. Yeah, we don't have that in Kentucky, so.
22:42
DJ Whippopatomus
Really? Yeah.
22:42
Sammy
Every time I come here, I'm like, I have to buy, like, five cases.
22:45
Hermajesty
It's so good. Yeah.
22:48
Sammy
We have la, dude. LA compared to cheerwan is garbage, dude. Okay. Tier one is the superior drink, bro. Like, our record label gave us Cheer wine when we signed the contract because he, like, I was like, dude, please. Like, where can I get it? And he was like, I got you, so.
23:04
DJ Whippopatomus
Oh, my God. That's phenomenal.
23:06
Hermajesty
It is a lifestyle.
23:07
Sammy
Yeah.
23:08
Smitty
I love Cheerwine, but I will fight you for disannal A.
23:13
Sammy
Whatever. We'll go after this, dude. We'll get it.
23:19
Hermajesty
Yeah, you can find that on the WKNC YouTube channel.
23:22
DJ Whippopatomus
There you go.
23:23
Hermajesty
Yeah. Yeah.
23:24
DJ Whippopatomus
You guys just actually talked about Cardigan Records, which you guys joined what would have been a few months ago.
23:29
Sammy
Yeah, even.
23:30
DJ Whippopatomus
What was that process like for you, man?
23:33
Sammy
It was awesome. The Shane, the guy that runs Cardigan, he is an absolute angel and a saint. Like, the dude's awesome to us. He's been really good to us, and he's just really helped us along the way creatively and everything. So we love that guy and we love Cardigan Records, and they're good to us, so.
23:55
Smitty
Yeah.
23:55
Hermajesty
Nice. You said you had homies all over, so how did you. So how do you get to them in Durham?
24:01
Sammy
Oh, dude, Shane's my only homie in Durham, bro. I had a buddy that lived in Salisbury, North Carolina, for a while.
24:09
Hermajesty
The home of Cheerwine.
24:10
Sammy
Yeah. Is that the home?
24:11
Hermajesty
Yes.
24:12
DJ Whippopatomus
What?
24:12
Hermajesty
They have a Cheerwind Festival. Oh, really? The third week of May.
24:17
Sammy
I was there in, like, 2012. I had no idea what year one was at that time, bro. Wish I did though. So good.
24:24
DJ Whippopatomus
You should do a set for the festival.
24:26
Sammy
I'm down. Cheer wine. Let's collab, bro.
24:28
DJ Whippopatomus
Let's.
24:29
Sammy
Let's do this. Like, hit me up.
24:35
Hermajesty
Oh yeah.
24:35
DJ Whippopatomus
I wanted to ask you, since you want to go to Japan. What. What are some things that you're looking forward to doing in Japan or seeing?
24:42
Sammy
So I want to go to like some of the old temples and things like that. I want to see a lot of the. Like, I'm really into like samurais and stuff, dude. Yeah, Like, I love the history behind it and so I want to go see some of like the old artifacts and like the real swords and stuff like that. I've heard. I hear there's like a life size Gundam in Tokyo somewhere. Okay.
25:03
Hermajesty
No, yeah, I think I saw that with Olympic coverage.
25:06
Sammy
Yeah, it's massive. So I'm like, I'm trying to go see that, like. Yeah, it's just a cool place, man. Like, I mean, and I'm trying. I ain't gonna lie, dude. I'm trying to see that Pokemon center too.
25:15
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah.
25:16
DJ Whippopatomus
Oh, I do.
25:17
Sammy
I'm trying to hit that up.
25:18
DJ Whippopatomus
All about that Ye, dude. Yeah, I really love Japan too. That's definitely one of my goals. I definitely want to try the food there. Sushi, like my favorite. Hibachi, sake. You know, all of that.
25:30
Sammy
Oh, dude, I have sake before every show, dude. Like, oh, for real? Okay, I go pick it up.
25:35
DJ Whippopatomus
I'm just like, love it. So you really love the culture then?
25:39
Sammy
I do, man.
25:39
DJ Whippopatomus
I feel that I do. So are you in anime, dude?
25:43
Sammy
Of course, bro. You know? What's your favorite anime?
25:48
DJ Whippopatomus
Hunter. Hunter.
25:49
Sammy
Hunter, bro.
25:50
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah, I know. You already know.
25:52
Sammy
I just finished the like sixth season.
25:54
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah. Oh, you just finished it?
25:55
Sammy
Yeah.
25:56
Smitty
Okay.
25:56
Hermajesty
Yeah, I'll have to go with original Dragon Ball, of course, dude.
26:00
Sammy
That's legendary, bro. Like, yeah, of course. I've been like keeping up with super and all that stuff too, man. I'm huge Naruto fan. Of course. You know, dude, that. That's. I've been watching it since I was like a child. So like I had to stick with it. I can't get into one piece though, bro. It's too long.
26:18
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah, that's how I feel about all the. The originals. Honestly, I've dabbled in all of them, but I could never, you know, go all the way in the.
26:25
Hermajesty
The scoring for original Dragon Ball was so good, but it's so hard to find the ost for it.
26:30
Sammy
Yeah, yeah. The original soundtrack, bro. Yeah.
26:33
DJ Whippopatomus
Oh yeah.
26:33
Sammy
And the Z soundtrack. The OG1 dude was killer. Especially Cell Games.
26:37
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah, man. Man could have hella samples off of that.
26:40
Hermajesty
Yeah.
26:41
Sammy
Yeah.
26:43
DJ Whippopatomus
Another one, Jujutsu Kaizen. It's on HBO Max. Yeah, that. That one's been hitting lately.
26:49
Sammy
Yeah.
26:50
DJ Whippopatomus
And one other one. Dang, it's not coming to me. I have to get back to you on it. Yeah, it's pretty wild though.
26:58
Sammy
How's it check, dude, I'm always down for anime. Yeah, you know, just let me know what you got. I'll check it out.
27:03
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah, I dove in recently and like spent all my time on anime for like a section of my life. So I had to move on but.
27:14
Hermajesty
A little bit back to music. You said you had been doing this for 12 years? Yeah, or just about. What were your first gigs? Like?
27:21
Sammy
So the first gigs in my old metalcore band, like, we're just like these small venues in Danville called Massey's. Every now and again they'd have a big band come out and like we'd play to like a sold out show and it'd be sick. Outside of that though, it's like it was usually like maybe 10 to 15 people. You know. It was a great start. You know, for us, it's. We're kind of where we cut our teeth back then. And that's where I learned like a lot of my stage moves. Right. Like. Like last night I used one of my old metal stage moves because like. Like we're shoegaze grunge and like we're playing with these hardcore bands last night, so they're way heavier than us.
27:58
Sammy
So like I took my guitar off my head, dude, and I was spinning it around like punching cymbals and stuff, dude. Like just these crazy effects going on. People were like, whoa. Like it was awesome. So yeah, it's cool.
28:11
Hermajesty
So is there. Is there more of a scene in Danville or is it like mostly supported by center or.
28:17
Sammy
Dude, no, the Kentucky scene is like right now. Especially with everything going on. Like, man, it's like dry. Like there's.
28:28
DJ Whippopatomus
So how did y' all break out then?
28:32
Sammy
So, you know, I'm a bit handy with a computer.
28:35
Hermajesty
Okay.
28:36
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah. Internet, right?
28:37
Sammy
Yeah, Internet's great, man.
28:38
Hermajesty
Yeah.
28:39
Sammy
Like Livingston, where I grew up and where the band started, we played in like a shack, like a quarter of the size of this room. Like were like scrunched up together and I'm just playing these riffs and screaming and stuff.
28:50
DJ Whippopatomus
Beautiful.
28:51
Sammy
So like, yeah, like we didn't have any kind of scene. It was like a logging town.
28:56
DJ Whippopatomus
Wow. Y' all are still getting it, though.
28:58
Sammy
Yeah, man, that's awesome.
28:59
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah.
29:00
Hermajesty
You mentioned, like, finding the right people for the band. How do you find Smitty and Eric?
29:05
Smitty
Oh, man.
29:06
Sammy
Okay.
29:06
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah.
29:07
Sammy
Can I talk about alcohol on the radio? Is that okay? Sweet. So my old band, the band I was talking about, I played a show called Mountains of Metal Fest, and Smitty was there. It's where I first met Smitty, and I had this habit back then. Well, I like tequila. And so I'm running around pouring a half gallon of tequila down people's throats. I'm like, yeah, man, get some, like, you know, and the people I got Smitty. You know, this is pre cover. We could drink after each other, you know. And Smitty got lit.
29:39
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah.
29:39
Sammy
I saw Smitty play some guitar and I was like, you know what? You should play bass for us.
29:44
DJ Whippopatomus
Put one one together.
29:45
Sammy
Yeah, it was awesome, man.
29:48
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah, that's dope.
29:49
Smitty
It was a really good time. I remember that day. Very fond.
29:53
Hermajesty
Glad you remember it.
29:55
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah, right.
29:57
Hermajesty
How'd you find Eric?
29:58
Sammy
Eric? Internet. Okay. Facebook, man. I post. I was like, yo, we need a drummer. We got some cool stuff, like. And he hit me up and he's been a great fit. He's a good dude and great drummer.
30:10
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah.
30:10
Hermajesty
That's cool. You guys, you've been, I mean, with playing for a while. Do you have any, like, past projects are like, a lot in the back catalog that you kind of want to bring forward with Kanashii, Dude, I'm trying.
30:22
Sammy
I hate toot my own horn, but I try to be pretty prolific. Like, right now I'm sitting on a little electronic EP I've done. I have an emo trap EP I've finished.
30:32
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah.
30:32
Sammy
I have two acoustic albums I've recorded. You know, I'm always riding, dude. Like, that's all I do in my life. That's all I do, you know? And so, like, right now, we've. We've got a few months to finish our record and I've already. We've already written the whole thing. We just have to kind of pump it out, man.
30:50
Hermajesty
So you guys been practicing it?
30:52
Sammy
Oh, of course. Yeah.
30:53
Hermajesty
Awesome.
30:53
Sammy
The shows we're playing right now, we gotta. We're slipping in a couple extra, like, unlike.
30:58
DJ Whippopatomus
Wow.
30:59
Sammy
Yeah. Gotta keep going, dude.
31:01
DJ Whippopatomus
Yeah.
31:01
Hermajesty
Is that. Is obviously the. The album release is the next thing in the pipeline, and then currently in sight is finishing the tour. What is kind of the vision going forward with Kanashii?
31:14
Sammy
Well, you know, for me, man, I'll be honest. It's. It's not about money or anything like that. It's more about that kind of catharsis, like, release and creating something meaningful. And if, like, you know, every now and again, like, we'll play a show and somebody will message me on Facebook. Dude. Yeah. Like, I cried during your set. That song really touched me, man. So, like, that's what it's about for me, you know, just having someone relate to music the way I relate to music, you know, so. But as far as, like, future plans, we're ready to just play as many shows as we can and make. Make cool music together, you know, with my friends. So it's kind of where we're at, you know?
31:51
Hermajesty
That's awesome.
31:52
Sammy
Thanks, man.
31:54
Hermajesty
Smitty, how long have you been playing music?
31:58
Smitty
I have been playing for. Been playing guitar for nine years now, bass for eight.
32:04
Hermajesty
Okay.
32:08
Smitty
I just started out playing a bunch of, like, punk stuff, a lot of just edgy, emo kind of stuff. A person might get into it around that age. And just over the years, I started getting into some weirder and weirder stuff, and I think a big part of that lens to how I managed to meet Sammy.
32:24
Sammy
Yeah.
32:26
Hermajesty
Awesome. What role does everybody play in the band while recording? Because obviously you come in with sound, Sam. You come on with songs. Yeah, but then how does. How's everybody kind of play into the dynamic?
32:38
Sammy
So I come in with, like, the bare bones. Like, I'm like, okay, this is the chord progression. I've got late, like, trippy layers ready, like, shoegaze leads. And then Smitty just lays down a bass line, and Eric comes out the drums, and we've got that. We'll improvise a song at home a few times. Then we'll hit the studio and just kind of work through it. We'll work through it for, like, a month. Take it in and get as tight as possible. And then we usually have a song, you know.
33:04
Hermajesty
Awesome. All right, we're going to take a quick break from the interview with Kanashii. This is Ego Death by Kanashii.
33:24
Music
[Kanashii – Ego Death]
36:59
Hermajesty
Welcome back to WKNC 88.1 FM HD1 Raleigh. I'm Hermajesty, and I'm joined by.
37:06
DJ Whippopatomus
Whippopatomus and Three Bears in a Coat.
37:10
Sammy
Sammy Clifford from Kanashii, Smitty from Kanashi.
37:14
Hermajesty
You guys are playing a show tomorrow. Can you guys tell me more about that?
37:18
Sammy
So Cardigan Records is having a eighth anniversary show, and it's gonna be the local 506. It's gonna be a killer time. You know, we'd love to see some people come out.
37:30
Hermajesty
Awesome. This is just more of a fun question, but from the. From the 96 color pack of Crayola crayons.
37:39
Sammy
Yeah.
37:40
Hermajesty
What is your favorite color?
37:41
Sammy
Oh, dude. Indigo, bro.
37:44
DJ Whippopatomus
Oh, yeah, I like that.
37:48
Sammy
What about you?
37:49
Smitty
I was actually gonna say indigo too.
37:51
Sammy
Then I'll go with teal, dog. You know, fair.
37:56
DJ Whippopatomus
Man, this is gonna come to me. Magenta. That's a color, right?
38:01
Hermajesty
Yes.
38:03
DJ Whippopatomus
I gotta go with teal, too. Almost MIDI on the. This one.
38:06
Hermajesty
I. I'm a big cornflower blue. Man.
38:09
Sammy
That's good.
38:12
Hermajesty
What are some things that we even touched on today that you want the listeners to know either about Kanashii or about whatever.
38:19
Sammy
It's a great question, you know. You know, if you enjoyed our songs, feel free to check us out or something. You know, we're just making music and having a good time and we hope that you guys do too, and you, if you listen to us. So.
38:35
Hermajesty
Yeah, where can they. Where can they find you on social media?
38:38
Sammy
So we're on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. It's just. It's usually just under KanashiiBand.
38:45
Hermajesty
Okay.
38:46
DJ Whippopatomus
And that's K A N A S H I I; Kanashii.
38:50
Sammy
Yes, that's absolutely correct.
38:54
Hermajesty
You can see Kanashii live tomorrow, Friday, Aug. 13, at the Local 504. Doors open at 7. Show starts at 8 along with in Serenade, the second after and through the Tall Woods. I'm Hermajesty,
39:09
DJ Whippopatomus
Whippopatomus and Three Bears in a Coat.
39:11
Hermajesty
The band is Kanashii, and this has been an interview.