Interview with Brian Kahanek, Blues, Rock & Soul
A Real-Life Guitar Hero
Making a living as a guitarist can be difficult, but musician Brian Kahanek's blend of blues, rock and soul manages not only to pay the bills, but has also earned him the title of real-life Guitar Hero.
Kahanek's Texas Roots
Kahanek's adolescence on an 80-acre horse farm may have seemed like the perfect recipe for an early career in country music. However, until his family relocated to San Antonio, Texas, Kahanek's music participation was purely from a listener's vantage.
That changed when he was a teenager, and a family friend bought him an acoustic guitar, which had been used as a prop at a Western Ware store. Unfortunately, actually playing the instrument was harder than he'd anticipated.
"It was a struggle on that instrument, and I almost gave it up because that guitar was so hard to play," Kahanek says.
However, he persevered, and several months later, purchased a cheap electric guitar and amp. At that point, Kahanek learned his first tune, and was, as he says, "hooked."
Becoming a Guitar Hero
As he began playing, Kahanek allowed himself to be influenced by the 1980's rock explosion. However, the hair bands and metal eventually gave way to the original Guitar Hero: Jimi Hendrix.
"I was working the docks at the bookstore at University of North Texas, and someone left a cassette tape with Jimi Hendrix's 'Are You Experienced' on one side and 'Bold as Love' on the other," Kahanek recalls.
Kahanek says that he "literally wore that tape out over the course of a year," and credits Hendrix as one of his major influences.
"From him I found the blues, and I have been exploring the line between that and rock ever since," he explains.
Kahanek continued to define his musical style while at school in Texas. However, opportunities in the Lone Star State were rather limited, so in 1998, he headed to Los Angeles.
Within a month of his move, Kahanek was hired as the lead guitarist for independent band Gypsy Soul. Even though the "professional guitarist" moniker may have seemed impressive, Kahanek nonetheless found himself supplementing his income by working as a studio, temp and session guitarist.
"You have to be able to do it all and do it well if you are going to put food on the table and survive in LA," he shrugs.
Kahanek's jack-of-all-trades guitar abilities paid off in 2006, while working a clinic at the NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) Winter Festival. There, through his amp company's representative, he met Guitar Hero instrumentalist Marcus Henderson. The meeting led to Kahanek contributing his instrumental track "Gemini" for the best-selling video game's second installment.
"Those two guys are the reason I was in Guitar Hero, plain and simple," Kahanek says. "They believe in what I do and gave me an incredible gift by including me in the franchise."
Developing an Independent Record Label
In addition to backing tracks and doing other studio work, Kahanek found time to release two solo albums: Real Life (which hosts his "Gemini" track) and Suicide King, which he released on the heels of Guitar Hero.
Kahanek's success, however, only came after he decided that he "didn't want to be an indentured servant to some monolithic media conglomerate," and broke away from big-name labels.
"I was told by an A&R guy after a show that they loved what I was doing, but there was no way they could figure out how to market me," Kahanek recalls. "I told him that was his problem, and decided then to put my money where my mouth is, and go it alone."
"That guy did me the biggest favor, because as a result, I own all my publishing and masters and I answer to no one creatively," he continues.
Kahanek uses his new label to produce works by an array of artists and projects, and has an ever-expanding list of artists he'd like to work with, ranging from rockers like The Black Crowes, to country's Lyle Lovett, and onetime pop superstar Prince.
Under his new label, Kahanek also recorded his third and latest solo album, One True Thing, due out in early 2010. While One True Thing's tracks will be as complex and layered as his previous efforts', Kahanek's fans may find this volume to be a little more optimistic than the others, thanks to his new, more relaxed attitude.
"This new record will be done when it's done, not when the marketing guy in my head is telling me it needs to be done.. . God, I hate that guy," he laughs.
To listen to Kahanek's music, find a show or learn more, visit his Web site.
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Guitarist Brian Kahanek
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