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A conversation with Chaz Kay of Undermine: metalizing fraggle rock

By Patrick O’Heffernan, Host of Music FridayLive!

Metal can be an acquired music taste. It is loud, hard driving, dark, and to some people , just noise. But for those who take the time to listen to good metal bands and open their minds and bodies to the sound, it can be a window into a much larger universe. One band that opens that window as few others do is Undermine, four artists who come to metal through modern fragglerock. They have mastered the art of synching powerful, sophisticated lyrics with a wall of sound – both vocal and instrumental – that leaves audiences exhausted and energized at the same time. Nominated for the Hollywood Music & Media best rock single 2013 and Los Angeles Music Award best rock song & best rock album of 2013, Undermine has been recognized by the Rockwell Unscene magazine for being one of the top music groups of 2013 and one of the ten bands to look out for in 2014.

The vocalist and genius lyricist of the band is Chaz Kay (short for Kaltenhalter), a mechanical engineer by training who put his talents to work creating some of the best metal music out there. I had the opportunity recently to sit down with him for a conversation.

Patrick. Chaz, what is fraggle rock as you play it. And how did it come to be your signature?

Chaz. Fraggle rock came from the fact that I am huge Jim Hensen fan and watched Fraggle Rock, a show on Nicholodeon about 15 years ago. I have been a nerd from way back, before it was cool to be a nerd. I started out thinking fraggle rock was cool and nerdy humor, but over time it has taken on a new meaning in our music. Our music like all rock music is very serious and deals with some serious issues. But we are just a just a bunch of guys who want to have fun and want to make sure that the fun, lighthearted side of things are looked at and that is what fraggle rock is all about.

Patrick. There is a line in the lead track of your EP, Shhh, It’s Too Quiet, “Hope Has Not Abandoned this Land” that goes: “Self-sacrifice is nothing more than self-indulgence” . That line requires some thought – it negates the idea of heroism. What is going on there?

Chaz. Every song I write is very personal to me, but I write songs with vague enough lyrics so they can apply to everyone. When I put that line in there, the general theme of the song is hope, and I am not abandoning it no matter what the circumstances are, whether it is a lost lover, or looking for a job or danger or whatever. The idea of self-sacrifice, of cutting this off instead of letting it get worse, or ending my life instead of trying to push through is there. The concept there is not giving up….just don’t give up. Giving up is not heroic, it is taking the easy way out; it is self-serving.

Patrick. There is another line in there that makes me think. It goes: No I can’t be the only one Who sees the lives we tend to live and thinks there must be more to it /Wanting more than just to get by. That’s true, most people just want to get by, and many people would say that the system is rigged so the best most people can just get by. But there are others who say if you try, you can do much more. Where did you come down on that question?

Chaz. That’s the philosophy of all my lyric writing: live beyond, strive for more, reach for more. You are not necessarily going to get all you strive for, but if you don’t strive, you won’t get anything. Life is much better when you strive and dream. That’s what we are all about.

Patrick. Were you a philosophy major in college?

Chaz. No I was a mechanical engineer But I am really an old poet. When I was in junior high and high school I had poetry published so I have always been kind of touchy feely and self-reflective.

Patrick. In the song “War, War never changes”, you sing:

Justifying or lying to ourselves /No victory’s to be had if we forfeit our souls /When the smoke begins to fade away /Will we stand on what we did that day . What did you mean – is that an indictment of war, or something else?

Chaz. Both and. It was inspired when I was playing the game Fallout 3. It weaves a story of a solider in a battalion and the things he was asked to do. Should he follow orders that are immoral – does he do what he needs to do or what he knows is morally correct? And what are the repercussions of doing either one? How will it affect you if you cross the line or if you don’t. I could not even image even being a soldier in that situation, so they have my upmost respect.

Patrick. Does the band write as a group?

Chaz. There is no specific songwriter, but I do write all the lyrics and music. We come together and work it out as we go. The guys will come in with ideas and we will kind of workshop it in house.

Patrick. Who are the guys – the other band members? And how did you meet?

Chaz. I am the vocalist. Kenny, the drummer, and I have known for many years, and he brought me into the band. He is lynchpin of the band – we all met through him. Our guitar player is Richard, Pete is our bass player. Kenny and Richard were friends for a long time, but Richard and I had not crossed paths. Kenny brought us together. The chemistry works great…we started out just to have something to do and before we knew it has grown to tours and EP’s and interviews and recording studios – all unexpected and fast. Loving every second of it.

Patrick. You work with very thoughtful lyrics and concepts. Why did you choose progressive metal as a way to communicate these concepts? Why not rock or pop or rap or another kind of music?

Chaz. We all grew up with metal and we are all fans. Rock and metal grab me more than anything – the energy and passion just grabs me. Not to say there is not passion in other music, but the raw energy of metal at a concert moves me. We run the gamut – we are not metal purists, you can tell from our music. We sometimes go soft and play melodic, but we can go heavy. We like to push boundaries, play what we like.

Patrick. In your song How to Demonize Oneself, you drop your voice several octaves so you sound like a demon from hell. How do you do that? Does it hurt your throat?

Chaz. It actually doesn’t. If you work on it, you can learn a special technique through breathing and practice. You sing from your diaphragm and the pit of your stomach rather than your throat. When I first started out I did sing from my throat it did hurt, but I learned the technique and I can sing like that all day and it doesn’t hurt.

Patrick. Are there a lot takes involved in your recordings.

Chaz No, it usually goes pretty smoothly. We usually get it the first time, unless there are last minute changes. We are all a little perfectionist, so we can add tweaks and changes and modulations here and there at the last minute. But at the end of the day we have to learn just to let it go and put it out there. Otherwise we would tinker with it forever.

Patrick. When is the next EP coming out?

Chaz. We are gearing up for our new tour but shortly thereafter we will hit the studio, hopefully in July. Check our Facebook page for release dates on dates for the upcoming tor.

Patrick O’Heffernan, Host, Music FridayLive!

Shh. It’s Too Quiet by Undermine

4.5/5

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