Recently, I had an interview with Kyle Bolduc, the singer for Lydia Can’t Breathe. Lydia Can’t Breathe is a metal band but they are difficult to categorize. I think they play a little something for everyone.
They will definitely be going on tour this summer. I look forward to seeing them in concert very soon.
Please welcome Kyle of Lydia Can’t Breathe to the blog!
Interview
So you’re in Detroit tonight?
We just got to Harpo’s. Lot of big bands and a Lot of history at this place in general.
They tell you not to cross the bridge or whatever.
I read that you guys just played at Al-Rosa Villa in Columbus? How was your experience there?
My aunt lives there. We played there a week ago. It was a really good show. A good turnout. The crowd was really responsive. It’s famous for a bad reason obviously but it’s a good venue.
What or who inspired the band’s name?
Actually, the movie “Beetlejuice.” We’re big movie buffs. Lydia Deets is Wynona Ryder’s character in the movie. And we were just watching the movie with the guitar player, Dan. We were watching movie – trying to get something started. We had to come up with a band name because we had a show in a week. Dan was freaking out because we were wasted. He was like “I can’t breathe.” He started having a panic attack or something. When he came to, then something happened on the TV and I said “Lydia Can’t Breathe man.” Then I said “Dude – that should be the band name.” So that’s pretty much how we came up with it.
Have you played in Colorado since marijuana was legalized?
I have. Not recreational but when it was . . . We’ve been to a couple of the hookah shops. We’ve played there and had a good ol’ time. We definitely love going there. Everybody smokes out. We’re a big stoner band and we love that place. It’s our favorite place honestly.
We went out with Otep. We also went out with Mushroomhead last year as well. They have shops. If you sign up for a day pass, you can just go to the shops. They’re like coffee shops. They have this place called The Lazy Lion. It’s ridiculous. We enjoy going there. It’s in Colorado Springs. Every time we go there, we go there and hang out. We know the guy that owns it.
We haven’t been there since people can get it all of the time.
How did you guys meet? You’re all from Florida, right?
Yeah, We were all based out of Florida. Me and Dan have been friends since high school. (Dan Wilson is the other guitar player.) We originally started the project. Then we found our drummer, Josh Runfeldt, two or three years into the project. We played for five years with another bass player. Then about a year and a half ago, we switched out our bass player. We got a friend, Shawn,that was in another band from the area where we’re from. We’d always known him and played shows with him. His band was breaking up at the time and our bass player quit. So we were like “Hey man, do you wanna come play with us?” So that’s when Shawn Goree joined the band.
Did you have any mentors or teachers that influenced you?
Yeah, I actually took lessons from Paul Chapman, he used to be in the UFO’s, an eighty metal band. He taught me a lot of that I know. Then I also took lessons from a Berkley graduate, this guy named Michael Leisure. I think he might have been a Berkley professor. But he wasn’t at the time that he was giving me lessons. He just moved to Florida. And I linked up with him. He taught me a lot of stuff. And I just took it from there.
Are you still hands-on when setting up or tearing down the equipment?
Yeah, we do. We have two techs too. We have a merch guy and a light and production guy as well. Most of our rigs, We still do a lot of loading and unloading. We don’t have the budget for a whole crew.
The Merch guys are my best friends.
You gotta have someone cool. If the guys a jerk to people, you’re not gonna sell any merch. Merch is like ½ of it. You rely on the guarantees for gas and stuff. It’s literally the merch. If you kill it on the merch, that’s when you start seeing a profit.
What’s your day job?
I’m touring and I’m also a sound guy. I have a sound and light company. It’s called Bifym Sound. (http://www.bifym.com/) It’s based out of central Florida. It’s me and the guy that comes on the road. Actually, both of the guys that come on the road work with me. Then I have another partner, Brendon Keith. He’s my partner at Spinnit Records. (http://www.spinnitrecords.com/)
Is there anyone you’d like to see in concert?
I’d like to see the Beatles but that probably is not gonna happen. It would have been amazing to see the Beatles. I got to see Stevie Wonder play piano. Me and my drummer got to see him play. I was like “Oh my gosh, we’re never forget this.” It was crazy.
What do you guys do during downtime?
We watch movies. Our drummer is the only one that is more of a drinker. We try to hang out with fans and see family in the area. Always gotta score food and make sure we get to the venue on time. That’s the most important thing.
I’ve seen “Godzilla” on this tour. Me, my drummer, Waylon, Fitch and Jeffrey Nothing from Mushroomhead went to see Godzilla. We’re supposed to go see the new X-Men movie tomorrow during the day. I heard it was awesome.
Have you seen Captain America?
Yeah, it was really good. It was amazing.
Roth or Hagar?
I’m gonna have to go with Roth. Hagar is good but I just gotta go with the original guy.
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