Kyle, many SLAM! readers do not know you well, so let's go back to the  beginning of your career and let's talk about it.
OK, let's go. Who's driving?

One of the first  experiences you had was with Candy and the album "Whatever Happened to Fun". What are your memories of that period?
Hazy. I was a teenager. Young and dumb. It had its fun moments and it had its dark ones as well. Mostly I just remember the girls--the fun ones and  the dark ones as well!

I know you toured with Rick Springfield. How was that tour?
That was a long time ago, but quite fun. Rick was so damn good in concert... what a ROCK STAR! I was incredibly impressed. In fact, I'm going to go see Rick and hang out with him after his show in a few weeks. I beat  him in tennis when we were on tour together, so I'm going to see if he remembers that.

Why did you leave Candy? Was it for music divergences or something else?
I left Candy because I wanted to write and record my own songs, which wasn't going to happen in that band. At the time it felt like the right thing to do.

You have worked with Gilby Clarke more than once during the years.but when did you last meet Jonathan Daniel, John Schubert and Gilby himself?
I see them quite often. When Gilby comes to New York or I get out to L.A. we'll usually hang out. I see John and Jonathan when I'm in NYC, which is only 3 hours away from where I now live.

In 2003 SongTree Records reissued the Candy album, with some bonus tracks.The title also changed to "Teenage Neon Jungle". What do you feel when you listen to those songs and see the album out in the shops again?
I put a lot of work into gathering and fixing up some old crusty tapes that had those songs on them. I think it shows a young band having fun, which is what we were and what the audiences saw and liked. Teenage Neon Jungle is a term I stole from Kim Fowley. I used to work for him as his assistant and he used that term all the time about our band and others.

Right after you left Candy you started a new solo career and signed with MCA for the release of "Trust", which saw the collaboration with Gilby. What do you think of that album now and what are the best tracks in your opinion?
The "Trust" album was an amazing experience. It was my first big budget endeavour and having Gilby play some tracks while he was in GnR made it that much more special. We made a killer video too in which Gilby is in my band. Have you seen it? My fave track on that album in probably "A Night Like This". It always reminded me of "Dance The Night Away" by Van Halen, which is one of my all-time faves.

In 1997 your homonymous album was released. "Wake Me Up (When the World's Worth Waking Up For)" entered the Top 20 Hot AC Charts and you shot the video with Garry Marshall.tell us about that experience.
Actually, I didn't shoot the video with Garry Marshall, but he did put the song and the video in his movie, "The Other Sister", which I was very greatful for. I played in the same softball league with him in Burbank, which may have helped! 'Wake Me Up' was a turning point in songwriting and recording for me. Parthenon Huxley's co-writing and co-production was inspiring and educational. I love that record... all the songs.

After the release of "Wow & Flutter" you started playing live a lot. What was your best gig ever?
Boy, that's a pretty impossible question. Never thought about the best ever. Possibly the Concord Pavillion in my hometown area of California. I was opening for Barry Manilow on the last night of the tour. My mother and grandmother were there. There were some pretty heavy moments on stage that night for me. Either that, or the time I played in front of 1 drunk person at a Houston bar. There were some pretty heavy moments on stage that night  too.

In the "Sweet Sixteen: Rare and Unreleased Songs" cover picture you vaguely look like John Lennon. Was it done on purpose?
Yep. I called Yoko and asked her what I should wear and she told me. She then demanded 20 bucks as her 'wardrobe assistance fee'.

Ahahahah! ...Elton John, Bee Gees, Count Basies are among the artists that influenced you most. What about the artists that you like at present?
Currently my fave band is Keane. That singer is the best out there. A classic crooner in the Freddie Mercury/Badfinger vein. No one comes close to that band. They are just the perfect pop band in the real sense of the word. If I have to hear another 'singer' who sounds like he has rocks in his mouth groaning about his awful life, I'm gonna puke up my tofu sandwich! I like real singers who have the ability and aren't afraid to sing in their high register.

The album "Don't You Know" followed "Solitary Road". Are there any differences with your previous albums?
"Solitary Road" was my goodbye to L.A. album, and "Don't You Know" was my welcome to New England, glad to be here, thanks for having me album. There are definite differences lyrically, production wise, tempo, etc. Actually it's just the same old crap, but it's my old crap and I guess I kind of like it.

Do you think is correct to define your music as pop rock? What is your target?
I don't really care what people call it. I can't define art. It's whatever the listener thinks it is. I don't know what pop is anymore. Is it Ashlee Simpson or is it Usher? I'm not even close to either, so maybe I'm not pop at all. My target is myself. If I'm happy with the music, then all is happy in Kyleland.

One of your songs is called "The Ballad Of Dana & Mary". What is it about and who are Dana and Mary?
It's about 2 very dear friends of mine who live down the road. They are in their 80's and act like they are in their 30's. Very inspiring people to say the least. I thought I owed them a song for all they've done for me over the years.

Another song title I was struck by is "The Ghost Of Rock N'Roll". Is it about your adolescence?
Yeah, a bit about my love for pop radio when I was a kid, and a bit about what's going on now. Radio will never be the same again. Corporations have killed the varietal concept that once was pop radio. Everything and everyone must now fit into a category. That's why I don't define art. I must say, however, that I've been listening to satellite radio and really diggin it. I'm all for shutting down commercial radio and putting them all out of biz! I'd listen to Howard Stern, Kim Fowley, and b-sides from the 70's on satellite radio all day long if I could!

Do you still live in California? If you were Arnold Schwarzenegger, what would you do?
I moved from California 2 years ago. I miss my friends, but I love where I now live. If I were Arnold I'd have my wife eat more cause she's looking rather skeletal. After that I'd make all California drivers drive hybrid or electric cars, outlaw guns and hunting, turn all golf courses into housing for the homeless, guarantee free medical coverage to all citizens, close down the factory farms and slaughter houses, outlaw all chemical fertilizers and hormones in our food chain, stop developments of open space and wetlands, raise taxes for the wealthy and corporations, outlaw violent video games and junk food at our schools, and then I'd smile because the U.S. would have become a beautiful place again.

That's all, Kyle. We are waiting for you to come to Europe for an acoustic tour. The last word are for you, leave a message to the SLAM! readers if you wish.
Thanks to SLAM! readers if you've actually read this entire thing. I look forward to coming over to Europe for a tour as soon as possible. Anyone who would like to email me directly may do so: kyle@kylevincent.com.

Thanks for listening to the music!

From: The Star Newspapers

Kyle Vincent
Don't You Know
(Songtree)

In the '90s, singer-songwriter Kyle Vincent left behind his pop-rock band Candy and moved from being an opening act for Barry Manilow to scoring a Top 20 hit in 1997 with "Wake Me Up (When the World's Worth Waking Up For)." Since then, his career hasn't had the pop chart visibility his talent should support.

While the radio hits have been lacking, he's released a couple of seductively warm collections of material on his own label, the latest being Don't You Know, which may be his strongest album yet.

Part of the reason Vincent has probably been passed over by the major labels is his penchant for sounding a bit out of step with music today. While his songs might sound a little out of place amid the pop hits on The Mix - 101.9-FM, they would fit in perfectly with the other love song classics on The Lite - 93.9-FM.

For fans of 1970s radio pop, Vincent is the second coming. Vocally, he has the rich, evocative sound that helped the Cassidy brothers — Shaun and David — as '70s pop idols. And his songwriting references the sweetest ballads of the '70s and '80s, garnering comparisons to Air Supply, John Denver, The Carpenters, and Manilow. With rich, layered harmonies, just the right touch of strings and lots of strumming guitars, Don't You Know is an album of pop lost in time.

A perfect Valentine's Day listen, Don't You Know includes a gorgeous, heartstring-pulling hymn to a grandmother in “One Last Ride on the Merry-Go-Round,” (if you can listen to this without a lump in your throat by the end, you are also probably boycotting Valentine's Day!). It offers a supportive “I'm on my way to help you” anthem for a sibling in “Sister Hold On” and a love song to, of all things, a stream in “Sweet Alice Brook.” There is bittersweet personal conflict in the lost dreams of “Soul,” where Vincent sings to an uncreated child about why he can't see his way to bringing it into this world until we've achieved more love, beauty and peace.

It's not all quiet crooning though; the opening title track has some “Wake Me Up” style pop legs as Vincent sings of a love that begins in line at “the Stop n' Shop” (only a guy from California could drop in the phrase “soy ice cream” in a pop song and get away with it). And his electric guitar gets a bit of a workout on “The Ghost of Rock ‘n' Roll,” a homage to Casey Kasem and the 45s of Vincent's youth that begs to be played at a sock hop somewhere.

Vincent has a pop pen that can warm the coolest heart; don't miss this wonderfully realized collection of ballads and nostalgic-but-new pop songs. For more information, check his Web site at www.kylevincent.com.

 

—John Everson

Originally published in The Star Newspapers February 3, 2005