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Kansas Interview
By Peter Orullian
 Kansas is a
legendary progressive rock band, known world wide, and of special significance in the
American progressive scene. They’ve helped define generations of musical ambition,
and have done much to raise the bar on what we may expect of our musical artists. I
recently caught up with Kansas violinist, Robby Steinhardt, drummer, Phil Ehart, and
guitarist Richard Williams after the release of their DVD: Device, Voice, Drum, a
staged live performance filmed and recorded in Atlanta, Georgia at Earthlink Live.
They had much to say about the DVD, their music, and the band’s career.
PO: How have
things changed for you since the early days of Kansas, musically, personally, etc?
RS: Not all that
much. I’m traveling less, and enjoying it more. Musically, it still feels the same
as it did in the beginning. Kerry is writing most of the material, and it’s
stimulating and enjoyable to play. As for different, I’d say it’s easier to travel,
as opposed to long ago in yellow school buses to get from point A to B. Generally,
things are better than ever. And more than ever, I’m glad to be part of Kansas. It’s
still fun.
 PE:
I would hope, speaking personally, that I am a better drummer. I think I’ve gotten a
lot of youthful exuberance out of the way, and have become a better editor and
arranger to fit what I do with what works in the band. The band is better in those
ways, too. We’ve been around so long that we look at ourselves differently. Songs
are more concise, considered, thought out. And we’re better at being a band and
being songwriters. We’re conscious about trying to make fewer mistakes in the
decisions we make.
I also now
manage the band. I’m part of the whole process: recording deals, product
placement, and putting the music out there. My becoming the manager was incidental and
was kind of pushed on us in late 80’s. Our former manager moved on to another field of
expertise. Our record company and booking company dumped us. We were told we were a
dinosaur band. We went out on the road to play every dump and dive. We were in the
bus, working and playing, working and playing. I finally turned to the guys and
said: “I’ll just handle day to day stuff until we find a manager.” From that, it just
kind of evolved. Though, I had always been the guy that the manager called to
interface with the band. So, I guess it was fairly natural.
And I’m more
confident. Able to handle the disappointments. Handle life.
RW: Personally,
we were young and dumb back then. We didn’t have much responsibility except to
ourselves. Now we’re at the top of the hill, but not over the hill. [Laughs] But
maturity has affected the band and the decisions we make. (Takes a break to heat
some soup, and get kids off to school.) I’m full time domestic for a while. (Goes to
smoking lounge.)
Musically, we’ve
attempted to change, mostly in response to the record company’s suggestion. There’ve
also been feeble solo attempts rammed down our throats. They are what they are.
Also, radio has
nothing to do with Kansas or what I like musically. Four or five years ago, I got
thinking about radio and thought: “Ah, man.” I decided the best thing was to make as
little a change as possible, though we are better players now then before.
PO: How has your
audience changed? Have you seen new, young fans as well as those who followed you in
the early years?
RS: I’m not
sure, I wasn’t as aware then as I am now. So its hard to tell if its changed. But
one thing is obvious, fans are bringing their children and grandchildren. Great, old
fans are helping to perpetuate the band.
PE: We’re not
picking up as many young fans. Most of our fans are in their early 30’s to late
40’s. But those fans are having kids and bringing them to shows and introducing them
to our music. But Kansas is not really exposed to a younger audience; it’s not on
MTV or the radio, except for the classic rock stations.
 RW:
I think it’s a little bit of everything. Our main fans are growing old with us.
Things are getting better for them, so you have decision makers at companies, etc.,
who are the people listening to Kansas. A lot of people do bring children out to
shows. And there are a lot of kids that don’t like the new stuff on the radio, they
listen to classic rock and find Kansas as though we were new, they find something a
little more musical.
PO: What remains
the most satisfying element of your music career?
RW: Live gigs.
The feedback from the audience. Without them there’s no spark. It helps me even more
to enjoy what I do. It sort of comes naturally to me, since I’ve been playing since
grade school. But, yeah, live concerts are the most rewarding. I love to talk with
people after the show.
PE: To earn a
living doing what I love. The guys in Kansas don’t take it lightly. We know how
hard it is out there. So having a thirty year career is amazing. Doing an interview
like this after 30 years . . . the music has stood the test of time. We also have
the satisfaction that we’re leaving a legacy; we’re leaving a body of work. You
don’t start out to do that, but when you get our age, you look back and feel
thankful. We’ve been fortunate to have the talent, but fans have really done it.
Classic rock radio emerged and kept us alive.
RW: Yeah, it’s
the ability to continue doing this as a full time thing. It feeds the bulldog. And I
see no end in sight. Next year we’ve got something like 75 dates with Styx, then
maybe Europe with Styx, followed by some more dates on our own.
PO: Who are you
listening to these days that you find innovative and exciting?
RS: I’m not
listening to anybody right now. It’s kind of funny to say. But I’m taking a break
from music for a couple of months. It’s strange, too, since I’ve been playing and
listening forever.
PE: I like the
new Peter Gabriel CD. I like what he does and says, and how he records. I also like Ramstein, a German band. Their latest album, Mutter, is great. I’ve never heard
music like that. I discovered them when we were in Germany. And I like Sting.
RW: I’m not
listening to anybody at the moment. I’m so tied up with life, I don’t have time.
Career-wise, I’m focusing on new equipment.
As far as
guitarists I like, Jeff Beck is the most expressive ever of all time. You can listen
to a hundred guitar players and pick Beck out every time. Eric Johnson is also
incredible, great tone and player.
PO: Your new
effort, Device Voice Drum, embraces the new media available to musicians, a media that
has made piracy and copyright infringement more pervasive. Do you feel the trend to
download illicit music has affected Kansas sales?
RS: I suppose it
has. But I’ve no way of feeling it directly or indirectly. I’m sort of removed from
that if you know what I mean. I mostly concentrate on learning the songs and playing
and traveling. So, it doesn’t really affect me. My opinion, though, is that it
sucks.
PE: Downloading
doesn’t affect us too much. I see a lot of it in colleges and younger kids. Kansas
fans will go to the store and buy it.
But I think the
cow has left the barn on this; record companies should have addressed it when it first
came out. If I were a teenager, I’d be doing it like crazy, because as a kid I
couldn’t get or discover enough new music. So back then, it might have driven him
into file sharing, etc. But by now, it’s moot point. CD’s are expensive and kids will
certainly do something for free. Record companies are reaping what they’ve sown,
having screwed the consumer and artist for so long. People are saying enough, we’re
not paying anymore.
On the business
side, though, I’m not exactly raising my hand to sell cheaper. [Laughs]
Ultimately and
morally, what is going on is wrong. This is how artists put food on the table, so
people are taking money from them. But now it’s not as simple as putting a finger in
the dyke.
RW: It really
does impacts everybody who puts anything out. But I don’t feel sorry for record
companies, they deserve to be screwed. They hand that screwing down to musicians.
Then you have to hire expensive auditors to find the money. The record companies can
tie up money for years with their lawyers. The artist gets hit hard.
PO: Thus far,
what would claim as your greatest music career moment?
RS: There are
many great songs in our repertoire, and too many moments to single anything out.
People ask questions about favorites, but I never have an answer for them. I may
have to write one for that someday.
PE: There are
too many to single one out. First, it was living in a little town in Kansas and then
even being recognized by Don Kirschner for a recording deal. Then we were on our way
to NYC to record, and went into the studio with New York Dolls, Johnny Winter,
Aerosmith. Then we had our first album. Then it was walking into the store and
seeing it on the shelf. Then it was being on the radio. After that, we opened for
the Kinks and Queen. Then we had a hit song: “Carry On Wayward Son.” Then it was
headlining, selling out arenas. Then “Dust in the Wind.” You get the idea.
Now, we’ve just
put out the DVD, and we’re very proud of it. It’s not perfect, but it’s the best we
could do.
RW: The first
album was as far as we could imagine to reach. It was beyond the stars for us. When
we went platinum, then triple platinum, it exceeded every dream we could possibly
have. When you see what’s behind the door and then you get it, it’s short lived,
then its: ‘What’s next?’
PO: Can you
describe your songwriting process a bit?
 RS: There hasn’t
been a Kansas band songwriting process for years because of the road and studio. So
much of the music is written by Kerry. He’ll put the music down on a CD and send it to
me. Then I’ll listen to it—while I’m driving—and learn it. I know it sounds
mechanical, but it was great because it gave me time to get the stuff on the tape
into my head. I make some small changes hear and there, but basically the songs are
finished when I get them.
PE: Steve or
Kerry will write songs. They come in various forms. Sometimes they’ll teach us how
it should go. But the songs go through arrangement stages. Even if they come in
mostly complete, they morph into Kansas. Kerry will demo a song from beginning to
end. Home studio evolvement has made it more complex and complete. Other times,
Kerry will begin plunking a piano. Other times we’ll jam on a riff. But just as
often it comes in virtually done.
There are many
different approaches, it just depends on the song. But there’s always total band
involvement.
RW: Most of the
time a song is brought in fairly rough. For the writer everything they do is a great
song, so it’s a painful process but important process to be edited by those around
you. But each Kansas player brings his own style to the parts. We’ll look at it and
say: ‘This part really isn’t working, it needs a transition, or else something
missing.’ It’s a brainstorming process.
PO: Do you feel
the Device Voice Drum captures the band’s live dynamic?
RS: Absolutely.
I’ve been hearing how much people like the DVD. It’s one of the best things we’ve
ever done. It’s fantastic for people to have a visual of us. Everything’s been so
positive from fans and people who did the recording. And I’m so proud of it. I
always find it strange when people in the biz who’ve been in front of people say
they don’t like the way they come off on film or that they don’t like being in front
of an audience. It makes me wonder if they shouldn’t become dishwashers or
something. [Laughs]
PE: Yes, we
worked hard to do that. That’s why we shot it in film; it didn’t wash out things in
lights for video. So we used film to have shadows, etc. We created the concert. Then
on sound we didn’t go overdub crazy, just a few things. This is 100% what Kansas is.
No makeup, no stylists. We came in and played a gig. We did use animation and a
choir, but other than that it is a good representation of the 5 of us.
RW: Yeah, we
captured the moment. You really get it if you sit back and listen to it on a good
stereo and great TV. To stare at 5 ugly mugs for 2 hours and not get bored is quite
an achievement. [Laughs] It’s the biggest undertaking we’ve ever done. Hats off to
Phil; this was his baby from beginning to end, and he saw it through every phase.
PO: What one
piece of advice would you give to aspiring musicians that you didn’t know when you
began?
RS: Stick with
it. If it’s something you really like, you have to remain fixed on your goal. You
have to know that it’s going to be harder than you think it will be, and you have to
work twice as hard as you might have thought--unless you're one of those that’s one in
a million. So, its a lot of hard work, but a lot of enjoyment too because your
heart’s in it. And it’s rewarding when it works out. You need to be prepared for
downs if you want to be there for the ups.
PE: It’s hard to
give advice, because it puts you in the position of having to know something. After
30 years, I would say to keep it fun. That may seem simplistic, but there are so
many disappointments that if it doesn’t work out for you, you can make a living,
you want to be able to look back and know you had fun doing it. Because that’s
really all that’s left. If you’re not successful, you’re not going to make a lot of
money, or if you don’t make a lot of recordings, you’ll need to look at the high
points of playing, learning your instrument. Enjoyment of the music is the thing.
Being fortunate enough to make music at all is what you should focus on. If you
strip everything away, it’s the fun of being in a band.
RW: Have
something to fall back on. We’re not the best players in the world or even in town, but
we had a goal and were able to get along, that’s important, especially when you
spend thirty years with 4 or 5 guys. You’ve got to make the whole dynamic of guys
and their wives work. [Laughs] Be patient, and have a sense of humor. Check big head
attitude at the door. If you don’t, you work with one person then another, then
another.
PO: What’s next
for Kansas?
RS: Touring all
over the place with John Waite and Styx. We may also be later touring with Paul
Rogers and Robin Trauer. We’re really enjoying touring at this stage in our lives,
so I don’t know about another album. We’ll probably tour until we pass out. [Laughs]
This has been the longest break we’ve ever had, so now we’re hitting the road and
looking forward to it.
PE: We hit the
road in January to promote the DVD all next year. There’s no new Kansas project at
this time. We’re packaging with Styx for 60 to 70 dates.
We’re Midwestern
workaday guys. We appreciate the influences that we have in the progressive music
scene. We don’t always understand, but we appreciate that people love what we do. We
wish progressive music were more popular. Kansas is really the only multi-platinum
American progressive rock back. And it’s sad. There’s Genesis, Yes, ELP, but they’re
all from England. What else are American fans going to choose from? I find if kind
of funny when people lump us in with Journey, Styx, Boston, REO. We’re glad to be
there, and there are some similarities. But we are in a more progressive vein; like
Rush is in Canada. We know we are a 3 legged dog in a world of 4 legged dogs. But
we’re getting along just fine.
RW: This DVD is
one of the best things we’ve ever done. With Ultimate Kansas and the DVD, next year
we’ll be on the road to promote.
PO: Anything
else you’d like to add?
RS: Not much to
say. Except, tell people to stop moving to Florida. It’s full! The government won’t
listen to me. But I tell them that before a person can move in, one should have to
move out. Stay away from Florida, and we’ll see you out there on the road!
 RW: Yeah, for
the first half of my career people will remember that I had two eyes, and for the
second half I wore eye patch. I’ve had a glass eye since 8th grade. One 4th
of July I made a little bomb out of firecrackers in a porcelain jar. It exploded and
tore up my face. Eventually, I got tired of wearing the glass eye. It didn’t track
right, so I was aware of always looking forward. It gave me a stiff neck. They’re
not comfortable anyway, your eyelid sticking to it when it’s cold. So that’s the
story of the eye patch.
PO: Thanks,
guys. Best wishes in all you do.
RS: Thanks, I
hope to see you out on the road at one of our shows. You’re always welcome.
PE: Thanks,
Peter, for your time and insightful questions.
RW: Yeah,
you were real thorough. That’s rare from rock journalists. Thanks.
Official Kansas Website:
KANSAS
CD Review -
Device Voice Drum by Peter Orullian
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