Building a Duct Tape Bridge: An Interview with Kenny Bryan
By Surya Vaidy
“Growing up, I always had a relationship with music.” Kenny’s smiling face beams at me from the computer screen. Studying history at Furman University, Kenny Bryan was kind enough to video in for the interview. My friend James McConnell, who set up the meeting, sits beside me. He and Kenny are good friends, having played in the same band for a time. James also helps produce Kenny’s music.
Kenny is a wonder, to say the least. He radiates confidence and charisma. And it’s not without substance; Kenny’s got the musical chops to back it up. Songwriting? Check. Singing? Check. Playing guitar and bass? Check. It’s hard to believe he’s only a college student. I started listening to him at James’ recommendation. Kenny’s music lies somewhere between heartfelt alternative and Americana and it’s hard not to immediately like. It’s just damn good music.
When I found out that James could get me an interview with Kenny, I was excited. I had been listening to Kenny’s new album, Duct Tape Bridge for a bit at this point, and I wanted to learn what got him started and what pushes his pen and music.
What got you into music?
“It runs in my family; my dad was always playing music around the house and my mom would always play CDs in the car. It was just that kind of thing that seeped down naturally over the course of my entire life. It’s something where I find peace, and I find a home in music and in making music. It’s really just second nature at this point.”
Did this early exposure to music help you develop your songwriting?
“Absolutely. I think one of the main things with songwriting is that there is a good bit of imitation involved in the game. You know what I mean? I think a lot of it is listening and saying that this is how some people do it and that this is how others do it differently. Like, there’s writing for classic rock, but then you listen to someone like Sufjan Stevens. That was someone who, when I heard one of his albums, made me go like, ‘Oh! You can write like this?’ So, I think a big part of songwriting is taking from so many different influences and sources and finding a way to make that your own. You know, give it your own voice and make it unique.”
Have you ever had a mentor for songwriting?
“My dad has always written songs. And from a really young age, like when I was five or six, he would sit me with his Macbook, and we would sit and try to type out a song. I would just come up with these dumb words. As I got older, I started to work on my own, and I would bring them back and say, ‘Dad what do you think?’ He would encourage me. Same with my mom, too. She also has always written music, so I love going to her for her thoughts on what I wrote. I’m blessed that I come from a family where creative expression was encouraged.”
On the topic of taking inspiration from different sources… What or who are those sources?
“Well, I think my number one answer — and the answer for a lot of people — is the Beatles. I listened to their albums on repeat when I was a kid, and they’re always playing in my car. They were the band that opened my eyes to the fact that music could be so influential and you can do so much with it. As I got older, I found a lot of my inspirations from the place from where I’m from — South Carolina. People like Susto and Young Mister. It made me think, ‘Hey, I can do this too.’”
Besides your inspirations, what else do you tap into when you write?
“It depends. Oftentimes, I’ll find myself in a situation and I’ll think of words that express the way I feel. Or sometimes I’ll come up with a melody or some cool chords that would inspire me in some way, and I’ll just build off that. But I would say that the foundation of my songwriting is my emotions. I treat it as a creative outlet or expression of myself. Like, how do I take my feelings and make them concrete and give them form? That’s why I try to write every single day if I can.
So it's a kind of catharsis?
Yes, catharsis is the perfect word.
Is it hard to write every day?
“Well, it’s a busy life for a college student. So, I’ll usually just pick up my guitar and try to take about 30 minutes to see what I can come up with. Maybe I’ll try to add to an existing project or I’ll practice. I think that’s the most productive way for me, but it doesn’t always work. Sometimes I just end up playing some old songs I know. But sometimes, I tap into some wellspring of inspiration and I write.”
In your opinion, what’s the most basic song you wrote versus the most advanced song you wrote?
“I’m sentimental, so I keep all my old notebooks. I’d say all the oldest ones were my basic ones, but as I learned more, they all got more advanced. My most advanced song, I think in terms of self-expression, is “Take My Time” off my new album. There are no double meanings in the song. It’s just honest and it’s me.
What’s it like to see the continuity of your work?
“Oh jeez. It feels like I’m co-writing with myself. Like I’m co-writing with and learning from who I used to be. ”
What would you tell people who want to write or are writing songs now? Is what you wrote more important than what you will write later on?
“Well, if you can’t think of anything to write, then just write. This can apply to anybody who’s been trying to write or even getting into writing. The thing is, everyone wants to write the perfect song right off the bat. You can’t. I can tell you from firsthand experience. Sometimes, I still feel like I have yet to write a good song. It’s about getting your thoughts on paper and practicing.”
Where was your favorite place to perform?
“The New Brookland Tavern is just a great place. They were always really nice. Oh, and there is a bar in Charleston, South Carolina called the Windjammer. It’s on the Isle of Palms, which is a beach I went to as a kid, and I went to the Windjammer as a kid, so getting to play there was really cool. Also, the White Mule in Columbia. It’s an awesome place for live music.”
Do you ever get nervous when you perform?
“I was a theater kid in both middle school and high school, and I was really lucky to have that experience early on because I found that I love to perform. Just getting up on stage, in front of people, is such a rush. I always think I’ve had a bit of stage anxiety, but it’s only at the moment when I’m waiting in the wings, and I’m about to go out. But, as soon as I’m on stage, in the lights and in front of people, and in a moment where I can create? God, what a feeling. I love it.
What would you say to someone who would doubt your pursuit of music?
“I would say that this is my passion. I love music so much, and I would do it even if it meant that I couldn’t get all rich and famous. At the end of the day, music is the thing I wake up thinking about, go to sleep thinking about, and sit in class thinking about. You know, why not do something that makes me happy, and if by some chance, makes someone else happy too.”
What are your goals for the future?
“I would hope to start another band. That in itself is a great experience. I mean, I would just love to pursue music professionally, in whatever form it takes. I really, really do.”
I don’t doubt him when he says that. I can’t bring myself to doubt any aspect of Kenny’s aspirations. He’s too sincere, and quite frankly, too driven to give up on music. After we had finished and Kenny signed off, I thought about how lucky I was to finally meet Kenny. It’s incredible that James gets to be involved with such amazing music. He gets to produce and handle such amazing material. If his solo album has shown anything, it's that Kenny Bryan is in his own element, and that he’s only getting started.
Listen to Duct Tape Bridge on Spotify here: