TLR: Thanks for being here today guys, for our East Coast readers that may not be familiar with Swirl yet, introduce yourselves.

Alfred: Alfred "You can call me Al" Ramirez, lead vocals

DT: Duane "DT" Jones, Guitar and Backing Vocals.

Brian: Brian "Bam Bam" Jones, Drums.

TLR: Swirl has toured pretty frequently over the last few years, break down the list and share some stories from the road.

DT: Metal In America XXX Mas Tour w/ Stephen Pearcy/ Britny Fox Nov/Dec 2008- This was our first tour and it really got the ball rolling in a big way for Swirl as Stephen Pearcy really took a liking to the band. Stephen has a real "family" vibe about him when he goes out in as much as he wants the bands on tour to look out for each other to make each show as successful as it can be. He really took care of us on that tour in making sure we didn’t get our set time adjusted for venue "production issues" and on a few occasions even went so far as to get the band a hotel room when we didn’t already have one. Stephen told us then about a possible 2009 summer tour for RATT.
Road To Nowhere Tour w/ Bullet Boys Feb/ March 2009- Our first go round with one of the more cliche` rock all night/ party all day bands from the 80s. Everyday was a new experience and we experienced every range of emotion touring with them over those 5 weeks. One night in Dallas, Swirl bassist Shane Carlson had to sub in on bass with them, but hey that`s rock n roll.
Rocklahoma 2009- Swirl’s first festival show. We opened the day on a side stage and RATT closed the night on the main stage (somewhat like the tour we did with thm over the `09 summer) East Meets West Tour `09 w/ Ratt and Extreme July/ August 2009- The highlight of the touring year for me personally as I was on tour with two of my all time favorite guitar players from the 80s in Warren DeMartini and Carlos Cavazo with the Extreme-ly talented Nuno Bettencourt on tour as well. RATT drummer Bobby Blotzer is a big supporter of Swirl and he, along with Stephen were instrumental in getting Swirl involved on that tour. It was the biggest tour for Swirl to date.
George Lynch’s Souls of We September 2009- What better way to follow up a summer with Warren, Carlos and Nuno than spend the fall with "Mr. Scary" (another of my all time favorites). George is a very funny guy who was never once to "rock star" to answer any questions about his playing or touring stories from years past.
Road To Nowhere Tour w/ Bulletboys Oct/ Nov 2009- The last tour of 2009. We started on Halloween night and were home just in time for Thanksgiving. More of the same touring with them, but we had really established ourselves after the previous tours in certain markets here in the US. Swirl developed its own draw and we could really see the pay off for our 2009 efforts in attendance and audience reaction to the band on this tour.

Shane: We toured with Ratt and Extreme and I'll not soon forget all the help we got from their road crews. We're out there on our own and there were a couple of nights where the crews really stepped up to help us out. One night in particular my bass was having a problem. A couple of Extreme's crew really stepped up and did a quick repair.
 
TLR: How is playing out in California compared to other states you've had gigs in?

DT: Playing is fun for me no matter where we are. I like playing California because it is the home base for Swirl. In the midwest they tend to not hold back with their enthusiasm like they do initially in California. I call it that "being sure to look too cool for the room" vibe. [laughs] Almost like everyone is looking around at everyone else to make sure it is ok show their enthusiasm. It doesn’t really matter though because we love that kind of challenge as well and in the end we always win over the audience.

Bam Bam: Playing in Cali is always fun and with so many bands crammed into this state, it's highly competitive. The crowds here really support there own, whereas the other states seem to hang for all the acts (especially touring bands). That's the reason why we love to tour so much.
 
TLR: Where are you each hoping to take the band over the rest of 2010?

DT:  Swirl will support Cinderella at the Viejas Casino on July 30. Swirl has been notified that we are one of 10 finalists in the Band Slam 2010 and will be performing August 19 at the Music Box Theater in Los Angeles. Both of those events aside we are working on getting back on tour again in the US and over seas.
We have spent the beginning of 2010 promoting our successes in 2009 to the general rock n roll public and the music industry. In fact Swirl attracted the interest of manager Sean Hadley. As an independent band we have to do handle every aspect of the Swirl machine to this point and there is just never enough hours in the day. Now we have a partner who shares our vision that will allow us to focus on performing and writing more songs.

Shane: I'd love to make it over to Europe to see how we're received over there.

Al: In 2010 I hope to take  The Swirl experience to the masses . I want to give people what they want in the studio and especially live show experience .
I want bring back the days of big anthem rock concerts where you and your friends would talk about what a great show and how much fun you had . 

Bam Bam: To more and more places through radio and touring. With any luck both here in the states and overseas. Just continue to get the name out there through as many media outlets that are willing to jump on board the Swirl train.

TLR: Brian, you and your brother grew up in Alaska, did those formative years have an affect on your playing? Meaning what kind of music scene was there in the area you lived in?

Bam Bam: Alaska is not exactly the music capital of the world, but I wouldn't change where I grew up for anything. I was a teenager playing in cover bands and wasn't old enough to play the local bars. So my music scene or outlet was MTV. I think that because there wasn't as much to do up there as say Cali, it really gave me the time to study and practice on the drums. I grew up watching a lot of "Head Bangers Ball' on MTV and that fueled me for what I'm doing now.
 
 
TLR: DT share your equipment preferences with us, you know favorite guitar model, hardware preferences etc.

DT:  Currently have 19 guitars! One Hohner Les Paul copy (first guitar I ever owned), a `65 Fender Strat and 17 either Jackson or Charvel guitars of various wood combinations including an `82 Randy Rhoads, 3 Phil Collen models, a Charvel model 6 as well as replicas of my heroes that have been Charvel players at some point in their career. I have 2 Warren DeMartini Charvels and one white Charvel strat that is very reminiscent of the Jake E Lee Bark at the Moon guitar. That guitar is used every night and is one of my favorites for sure.
The guitars have various Seymour Duncan pickups in them. Lately, I am very partial to the alder body strats with the Warren DeMartini signature pick up or the Duncan Custom, but every guitar is different.
My amps are Mesa Boogie Tremo-verbs with 6L6 tubes.
 
 
 
TLR: How was it for you guys to work with Fred Coury on "Adrenaline" and "Sleepwalker"?

DT: Fred is such a great hang. He has such a wealth of knowledge and experiences he was willing to share. Al and I went into the studio to do pre-production and just clicked. I had previous experience working with Fred from some remixes he did for me in 2004. When it was time to go into the studio to work on the ideas that became "Sleepwalker" and "Adrenaline" he was at the top of the list of producers.
 
 
TLR: Again, Swirl has toured a lot lately, individually and collectively what has been the best Swirl show so far?

DT: Fortunately there have been way too many good shows and honestly very few bad shows with this band. I am very pleased with the talents of every member of Swirl not only on their given instrument, but with their ability to engage any audience. 

Bam Bam: Truthfully there really has been some memorable shows, but I know for me it was playing in Texas at Dos Amigos on the Ratt/Extreme tour. The crowd didn't know what to expect from us and by the third song they were going crazy. Hearing the chants of Swirl still gives me goosebumps to this day. I think the beauty of this question is that we all have different answers and that just goes to show how well the shows have gone. 
 

TLR!: With us today is Toby Knapp, an undeniable master of shredding, thanks for sitting down with Tastes Like Rock Toby.

Toby Knapp: Thanks for having me here for a chat!

TLR!: Toby, you're a bit of an enigmatic legend in the metal scene, at least to casual fans, care to introduce yourself to the uninitiated?

Toby: Well, I've been playing making music and playing guitar for quite awhile, sometimes in high profile situations, sometimes not. Alot of my past is inconsistent, way too long between releases. Also some don't piece the puzzle together, just because there hasn't been solo albums doesn't mean I wasn't still making records, but in the 90's it was like every 3-4 years, the nineties were tough.

TLR!: Your name has been known in the industry since Guitar World Magazine profiled you at the age of 18, and you've been shredding around the world since both solo and with a number of different outfits, in that time has performing ever gotten to be old hat for you or is it still as exciting as when you were first coming up?

Toby: I'm still absolutely excited about it, really I feel there is so much more to do, so much to conquer. Playing around live in a really good band is a great feeling, unfortunately I don't have that at the moment. Two albums come out this year and I really need a proper touring situation. I love playing for those that want to hear me play.

TLR!: Toby your style is without question your own, and that is a complement, have you found your style largely on your own or have you been specifically influenced by any guitarists over your years playing the guitar?

Toby: Thanks! I am very influenced by so many. I love Jimmy Page, Robert Fripp, Blackmore, Malmsteen, Jeff Beck, Friedman and Becker and many more.Through years of mixing these influences up I believe I may have found my sound, a rather crazy one, but I don't feel like a clone anymore. I've seen my name used as a point of reference in the press if a journalist is trying to describe another player's sound. "So and so has that Toby Knapp sound"......that's a great feeling.

TLR!: You've also played some of the biggest metal festivals around, including Chicago's ProgPower, the Abrasive Rock Fest in Seattle, November to Dismember, and Ultrasound for a sampling; were there any favorite stops for you or were they all "just another gig"?

Toby: They were all very important for me, every show has something unique about it. I remember being very nervous at the Milwaukee Metal fest thinking my band Onward were not "Heavy" enough to go over well. So when I dared look at the audience after the first song, all I saw was several hundred smiling faces, fists in the air and applause. At another show in L.A. the audience would actually stand up and give each guitar solo a round of applause before the song was even finished. That was when we opened for the great Symphony X.

TLR!: When it comes to touring, do you prefer the big festivals or smaller venues?

Toby: Anything we can get really. Usually a tour of someone at my level is going to be a series of small clubs and than a few big fests along the way, I like it all. Festivals are cool because maybe you'll get to see Nile, Acheron or Jag Panzer on the same bill!

TLR!: Last year you toured with Darkane in Canada, how was that? Any good road stories from that trip?

Toby: Canada was really cool, the people that came out to those shows were very cool and I hope to get back there. I actually had my own fans going to those shows and they just wanted to see me play, but they were not so happy it was with Darkane. I was sitting in an empty auditorium just watching the soundguy set stuff up and Darkane's bass player walked in and just kicked my guitar cases over, not realizing I was there of course. Man did those guys love themselves. Ironically the most down to earth individuals were Warbringer and Swallow the Sun who are by now, much more popular than Darkane. Good for them!

TLR!: Toby, this is often a hard question to answer, some would find it too personal I suppose, but what has been the hardest part or at least the biggest roadblock in your career to date?

Toby: Some record companies whose royalty statements lie, illegal downloading and an oversaturated scene. I've said before, Metal and Shred became popular, everyone jumped on the bandwagon and it will be pushed underground once again were it is survival of the fittest, and I will be there doing my thing like I have all along. I've seen 'em all come and go.

TLR!: Toby you've worked with a wide spectrum of labels, including Shrapnel Records, Sony, Roadrunner, and a number of indie labels including our friends over at Shredguy Records. Given the option which do you prefer, the "big guys" or the indie labels?

Toby: Well, I can honestly say right now is the coolest time I have had in label dealings, that being Shredguy, an indie label, and when you break it down, a man named Mike that invests in music that he likes. That's the way labels used to be. Shredguy is an indie, so indies that give a fuck rule.

TLR!: Speaking of Shredguy Records, your latest full album, also your tenth full album, The Campaign just dropped with them this past week. Tell us a little about the album.

Toby: It's fuckin' great. It's very diverse and there are four guest vocalists; Attila Csihar (Mayhem) Tom Cline (Noise Auction) Dean Sternberg (former Into Eternity) and Jeff Gruslin (former Vital Remains/Godless Rising). The album is half vocal with a stellar group of guests, the other, more guitar oriented Metal instrumentals. Other guitarists are ripping off this idea for their albums, but The Campaign shall make short work of them.

TLR!: Did touring with Darkane affect the production of The Campaign at all?

Toby: Yes, to avoid sounding like Darkane at all costs.

TLR!: How did working with Shredguy Records compare to past experiences with labels?

Toby: Up to the minute updates on every facet of the project mutually shared. Ideas thrown around, lots of productive dialogue. An artist who wants the label to succeed and a label that wants the artist to succeed. Never an "us against them" type of stance. Shredguy gives the artist the final decision, with that in mind, I have always heeded Mike Mcdowell's advice.

TLR!: How was it working with vocalists Tom Cline, Jeff Grushlin, Attila Csihar, and Dean Sternberg on your compositions?

Toby: An absolute pleasure, they all kicked ass..... a dream come true to have such talents working with me. They all gave 100% and I damn well would love to work with all of them again!!

TLR!: I remember another publication saying, I'm paraphrasing but this was the general point, that you're reinvigorating black metal, has that been your intention with your compositions and performances, or are you creating to create as it were?

Toby: Oh no, I said I found certain BM reinvigorating, not that I was reinvigorating the genre. I have done two BM albums; Darken's self titled mcd in 1997 and Waxen's Fumaroth in 2006 for the Metalbolic label, I love that God Damn cd. You will definitely hear waves of BM throughout The Campaign.

TLR!: Toby you're also the guitarist and chief songwriter for the Death Metal outfit Godless Rising, what do you have coming up with them in the year ahead?

Toby: We have the album Trumpets of Triumph scheduled for release on Moribund Records in early February. We hope to get it together and do some small tours in the coming year, but myself and Jeff Gruslin remain the core and we are having some problems getting touring musicians to commit. At this point we may end up making records only, we shall see!

TLR!: Finally, while I was looking over your Myspace page to do some extra research for our interview, I noticed the photograph of you and your Stratocaster collection. Definitely an incredible instrument, but what brought on your love of the Strat?

Toby: Richie Blackmore, Yngwie Malmsteen, Gary Moore, John Norum, Uli Roth, Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, David Gilmour, Robin Trower, etc. Hell, even Jimmy Page used a stock Lake Placid Blue Strat in later Zeppelin stuff and with The Firm as well! My first strat was a stock Lake Placid Blue over 20 years ago and the main instrument on The Campaign.

TLR!: Thanks for being here today Toby!

TLR!: Hi Ben, thanks for doing this interview with us.

Ben Kuzay: Glad to be here!

TLR!: How long have you been playing bass guitar?

Ben: 17 years.

TLR!: Why the preference for the bass?

Ben: I don’t know, honestly.  It’s a preference I’ve had ever since I first picked it up, but I can’t pinpoint a reason.  I find the keyboard and guitar (as well as some other instruments which I don’t play) to be equally as expressive, but I favor the bass.

TLR!: Who or what got you playing bass and into metal?

Ben: I was inspired to play metal early on by Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Ozzy, etc.  I mistook the rhythm guitar on “...And Justice For All” for the bass (since the bass is non-existent yet credited on that album), and I was completely uneducated on the respective sounds of the different instruments.  Once I started playing the bass, I realized which instrument it was within my first couple months.  The first piece I set out to play was Cliff Burton’s “(Anesthesia)- Pulling Teeth”, which I play live at every Ben Kuzay concert to this day.  I believe that that lead-bass approach Cliff displays in that song helped to shape my view of, and approach to, the bass guitar.

TLR!: What led you to applying shred guitar techniques and speed to the bass?

Ben: It is arguable whether or not I use shred guitar techniques.  I do not see what I’m doing as being influenced in any way by shred guitar.  Rather, my lead bass is influenced by guys like Stuart Hamm and David Harbour.  My more rhythm-oriented fills are influenced by Geezer Butler, Geddy Lee, Harbour, Steve Digiorgio, etc.  I think I have my own style, but I definitely and happily give credit where credit is due.  Whether or not my influences were influenced by shred guitar is another question; but I know that I wasn’t.  Another common misconception about my playing and approach is that I was influenced by Billy Sheehan and Steve Harris.  I was not influenced by either of these bassists at all!  I respect both of them, but have never been influenced in the slightest by either.

TLR!: Speaking of technique, when performing, given the speed you're playing at, do you slap, finger pick, or use a pick?

Ben: I finger-pick and tap, primarily.  I occasionally slap, but quite seldom.  I never use a pick.  I don’t look down on bassists who use one as much as most people do- but I steer clear of picks, myself.

TLR!: There's only one thing in the liner notes of Perpetual Reign, the phrase "where there is compromise, there is no art." I share that philosophy with you, the past two years creating and building TLR! has ingrained it in me; any experiences you'd like to share that helped lead you there?

Ben: No, no experiences.  My philosophy of life is a product of my reflections and observations, and yes, sometimes experiences (and subsequent reflections thereof).  This particular aspect of my philosophy is one that is inborn in me and needed no cultivation. 

TLR!: Ben you get some really cool sounds out of your bass on the songs "Vortex", "Fantasy Girl", and "Ascension", what type of pedals and effects do you use?

Ben: In the studio, I just have Joel show me a bunch of different EQ settings, and we throw one on that sounds good.  We use this primarily for the leads, to bring them more to the forefront in the mix. 
Live I use a pedal in, I think, only two songs.  I don’t even use any compression live.  I plug straight from my instrument into my amp.  I have never used a pedal in my life, in any of the bands I’ve played for.  The pedal I use is a guitar pedal: a Digitech rp5.  I actually use this for both bass and guitar live- but like I said, only a couple of songs.

TLR!: Since we're on gear and tech specs, are you a four, five, six or more string guy?

Ben: I use a four-string bass on both of my albums.

TLR!: Given that shred bass isn't a common subgenre of shred metal, Ben could you describe your creative process while writing new material?

Ben: I think that I’m the only person ever to create a bass-shred cd.  If I am wrong, I hope someone tells me, because I am advertising Perpetual Reign as the first album in the history of recorded music to feature as its format lead bass with metal accompaniment.
My writing process is based upon spontaneity and emotion.  I write many different genres of music, shred bass being one of them.  When assembling an album, I want to make the album flow smoothly and sensibly from beginning to end.  This particular album called for continuity, due to my desire to create a bass-shred cd.  I did not, however, ever contrive to create this type of music; rather, it was all the result of the natural process of mental abandon and emotional outpouring.

TLR!: How long did the production of Perpetual Reign take?

Ben: I would say that I was going to the studio, on average, once per month for a three-day session.  This took place from the middle of September, 2008 through the beginning of May, 2009.

TLR!: Run into any hold ups or problems during the production process?

Ben: Yes, but I’m not going to badmouth any of this album’s participating characters, so I won’t elaborate. (laughing)  I may have caused some hold-ups myself.

TLR!: I know this is like asking a parent to pick their favorite child, but if you do have a song or couple of songs that stand above your other compositions on Perpetual Reign, which are they and why?

Ben: No, I don’t have any favorites.  I love every song on this cd.

TLR!: Out of curiousity Ben, every area seems to have a particular flavor among original bands that marks it, TLR's immediate area for example is marked by hardcore metal and rap/metal fusion; what genre is favored in your part of Wisconsin?

Ben: I’m pretty out-of-touch with the local scene.  I live out in the country-side, where I’ve resided for almost three years, now.  I don’t go to nearly as many concerts as I used to, and I like it this way.
I spent a number of years playing in local bands, sometimes as a member, sometimes as a session musician, and I don’t miss it.  Being the object of the uneducated sound-guy’s condescension, promoter’s greed, and drunks’ simplicity is not my idea of a “good time”.  Nor is being forced by my band-members into playing a half-hour set alongside a bunch of other groups of ne’er-do-wells who are unprofessional enough to be incapable of playing a real set if their lives depended on it.   
Nowadays I set up my own shows at a university.  At these events, we are the only band, we play for 90 to 120 minutes, and no alcohol is served.  People can argue with me all they want, insisting that my approach is wrong, but I don’t see my peers who are still trying to make it in the bar scene doing better than I am.  The only difference is that someone is making a lot of money off them, and no one is making a penny off me.

TLR!: Ben you're currently unsigned if I'm not mistaken, are you in the market for a label or staying independent?

Ben: I would love to be signed, if a company would offer me a good deal and stick to it!  But like the previously spoken-of local scene, the record companies do not seem to even operate in a way which I find desirable.  I have friends in signed bands.  The commonality between them and me is this: we make no profit.  The difference between them and me is this: someone is making a ton of money on them, while no one is making any money on me.  I prefer my situation.

TLR!: Any big plans in the works for 2010?

Ben: No.  I will consider my options as a session musician, and continue pushing Perpetual Reign and playing live with my four-piece band.

TLR!: Ben, thank you again for taking the time for Tastes Like Rock and our readers.

Ben: It’s been a pleasure chatting with you!