We got the chance to sit down with Kyle Smith for a tell-all interview. For those who don't know Kyle Smith, we'll let him tell you about himself, but he's on tour 150-200 dates a year, playing ska-punk, reggae-rock, and relatable feel-good music. We'll be at The Gaslamp in Long Beach, CA on 4-20 for a pop-up shop when Kyle plays with Guttermouth and Buck-O-Nine.
Serial Killer
Yeah, so let's start by asking you who the fuck is Kyle Smith?
Kyle Smith
Just so you know, what happened was somebody created a Facebook group, like a fan group for me. And somebody got invited to the group and they said, who the fuck is Kyle Smith and why am I in this stupid fucking group? And they posted it on Facebook and everybody and everybody was like, that's fucking genius. You should use that as your fucking shit. And ever since then, I've never used it myself once. I've never fucking said it myself once. But the entire scene or whatever you want to call it, everybody has that in their minds. That's all I hear all day. At shows. That's all I hear at shows. That's all I hear at fucking the festivals. Everybody's screaming across the festival.
Serial Killer
You're headlining a show on 4/20 with Guttermouth and Buck-O-Nine in Long Beach at the Gaslamp where Serial Killer is having a pop-up shop for fans of these bands. For fans of these bands and our brand who haven't heard your music yet, what would you want them to know about you?
Kyle Smith
That we play way fucking faster and harder live and…. Oh yeah, and everybody…everybody lumps us into this “cali reggae” scene, but I like to think we're more like ska-punk and a little more aggressive. And we love punk rock and we all grew up on fucking, you know, my whole team all grew up on like, NOFX and Rancid and Minor Threat, Pennywise and shit. But we also all love reggae. So we play all these, you know, Cali Roots Fest, Cali Vibes Fest, and we're kind of lumped into this Cali Reggae scene. But I would like the people that don't know my shit to know that it's not really reggae.
Serial Killer
What is punk rock to you?
Kyle Smith
Playing whatever the fuck you want, regardless of of genre or how it sounds, I think. I don't want to say being punk rock because nobody can really call themselves fucking punk rock. I mean, well, yeah, few people can. But what does being punk rock mean to me?
Serial Killer
Who are those people that can call themselves punk rock?
Kyle Smith
Fucking Fat Mike, Fletcher. Dwayne Peters. Fucking quite a few people that that, that are kind of like that, I kind of, I look up to quite a bit.
Serial Killer
So why? Why Fat Mike?
Kyle Smith
'Cause they're fucking, they don't give a fuck.
Serial Killer
And why, Fletcher?
Kyle Smith
'Cause he doesn't give a fuck.
Serial Killer
How did you get into reggae music?
Kyle Smith
How did I get into reggae? It's so fucking typical. But bands like Sublime and Slightly Stoopid and The Expendables, even. NOFX. I mean, especially like a lot of third wave ska bands. You know, like Goldfinger, Less Than Jake. Like I I feel like that whole scene, that that whole early 2000s fucking or late 90s fucking third wave ska explosion was really what? I was super young at the time. I was like 8 or 9 years old. I was born in 93, right? So, I started, you know, listening to all this shit when I was like 8 or 9. And you know, my sister, who was five years older than me, always wanted me to listen to Slightly Stoopid, Sublime, shit like that. And that's what, you know, introduced me to reggae. And then the older I got and the more weed I smoked.
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Serial Killer
Was your sister your inspiration & influence?
Kyle Smith
When I was like 7, you know, she was five years older than me. And she was, you know, she was like the cool one with all her friends partying and shit. And I was like the little kid that was trying to hang and keep up and shit, you know? So yeah, I looked up to her a lot when I was a kid for sure. And and she introduced me to all the good fucking music that I like. So 1000%, I would say. She's here in Ventura like fucking or Camarillo like 10 minutes away from where I live in Ventura.
Serial Killer
She's not a backup singer?
Kyle Smith
No, no, she's a mom of four and selling, selling real estate.
Serial Killer
Oh wow. She's your hero I bet. Seriously, 4 kids?
Kyle Smith
Yeah. I don't know how the fuck she does it. I don't know.
Serial Killer
What's the edgiest subject you've talked about in an interview thus far?
Kyle Smith
We were talking about a couple days ago. I did one. We were talking about “one man, one jar.”
… We were talking about 2 girls, 1 cup and one man, one jar. And we did like there was like a good like 8 minute portion of the interview where I was strictly explaining to the people on the podcast what those were. They didn't know. Even my mom knows about that.
Kyle Smith
I said one man, one jar. And the guy was like, what? And I was like, yeah, dude, I was like this fucking, Oh yeah. And then we went into the BME Pain Olympics.
Serial Killer
Oh fuck.
Serial Killer 2
What's that?
Serial Killer
It's this old video from 20 years ago on the Internet where this guy fucking ties off his fucking nuts and and dick and takes a fucking hatchet to it and chops his own dick off.
Kyle Smith
Then there’s the guy that got fucked by the horse and died.
Serial Killer
Oh yeah, I remember that.
Serial Killer
What was that called again, Kyle?
Kyle Smith
Mr. Hands.
Serial Killer
We've seen some of your interviews before. Why do you tuck your ears into your hat?
Kyle Smith
Haha. Fuck you. I guess it's just how I it's just how I fucking wear my shit. That's like that's like, why does somebody leave their shirt unbuttoned? Do you know what I mean? Or.
Serial Killer
So it looks like you're going on tour across America this summer. What city or cities are you most looking forward to hitting?
Kyle Smith
We get to play with the Pharcyde and Badfish in Florida. Three shows. So I'm super stoked to fucking play with the Pharcyde. So we're doing three dates in Daytona, Sebastian and there was one more I can't remember the last city but we're basically hitting all five areas of Florida. And yeah I'm stoked to do a couple shows with the Pharcyde because I've gotten to know Fatlip from the Pharcyde. I have him on one of my songs but we've never really gotten to do them live besides like some studio shit. So I would love to rip those in front of a crowd and have him show up and go off on it, but we'll see. He’s an independent guy. So we'll see.
Florida goes nuts for this scene and our type of music. I think that I am kind of stoked to do the Hard Rock in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh usually turns up pretty well.. We're doing Cervantes in Denver and it's the first time we've ever had a headline date as Cervantes, which is huge. So I'm probably most looking forward to that show.
Serial Killer
So did you get a Pennywise tattoo on your elbow? So the last thing people see when you elbow them in the face is a Pennywise tattoo.
Kyle Smith
I got it 'cause I fucking love Pennywise. I haven't elbowed anybody in seven years.
Serial Killer
Who did that tattoo for you?
Kyle Smith
My friend Amy up here in Ventura. She did a Pennywise on one elbow and no effects on the other. And I have, like, what else? Like exploited. I have The Exploited, The Casualties all over my back. I got a few more that are like, what do I have? I got Kurt Cobain portrait on my fucking arms. I have a yeah, Rancid, I got Out Come The Wolves on my fucking arm. I have all kinds of music tattoos of my favorite albums.
Serial Killer
Why are you so broken?
Kyle Smith
So why was I so broken when I was younger, to be honest? I mean, fuck, I don't want to like hurt anybody's feelings or anything… I think home life was really tough. And I think that you know when you have parents or a parent that has so much of their own shit going on, that they're they are themselves induced in whatever the fuck they have going on, whether it be drugs or alcohol or whatever, when there's so much shit whirlwinding for them and you just kind of have to learn everything on your own and you're not really taught how to deal with fucking emotions or life or given any advice or guidance. I think that, you know, growing up not not knowing what the fuck to do or how to act appropriately was a big part of why. You know, by the time I was 13, I had no fucking life skills. You know what I mean?
Serial Kiler
Did you find it as a way to cope or were you influenced?
Kyle Smith
Both. Yeah. Both. 1000%. Because because I fucking, you know, I I hate when I was, when I was in like 8th grade, freshman in high school full of fucking rage. Hated everybody. Fuck everybody. Fuck everything. You know I'm going to get as high as I fucking can because I hate the way I feel and I hate the person that I am and and you know. I really couldn't stand the way I fucking felt sober which is apparently not normal.
Serial Killer
Do you like yourself today?
Kyle Smith
I do. I fucking yeah, I really do.
Serial Killer
Nice. It's a good yeah. How much time sober do you have?
Kyle Smith
For almost 11 years.
Serial Killer
What makes you think you can be a rockstar? You're sober, right? Can you handle it?
Kyle Smith
Yeah, a rock star, huh?
Serial Killer
Well, that's the path that you're on. That's what you want to be, right?
Kyle Smith
I want to be a musician.
Serial Killer
Paid.
Kyle Smith
I want to be a musician. I don't give a fuck about, you know. Well, I guess, yeah.
Serial Killer
Goes hand in hand. It is what it is.
Kyle Smith
When I hear Rockstar, I just think like, like flashy shit and you know, fucking. I don't know.
Serial Killer
The people that you look up to, like Fletcher and Fat Mike, they're not flashy.
Kyle Smith
No, not at all.
Serial Killer
Would you consider those guys rock stars?
Kyle Smith
No, I mean somewhat, but like, I don't want to say rock star, no, I mean I don't know that's a good ass question. I think that they are. I think that they are fucking punk rock musicians and they fucking and they don't give a fuck what shit looks like. And that's why I respect way more than any rock star flashy bullshit, you know?
Serial Killer
So do you want to be a rock star or do you want to make money for the rest of your life playing music?
Kyle Smith
I want to make money for the rest of my life playing music, yeah.
Serial Killer
That's a better sort of picture than a rockstar.
Kyle Smith
Well, you know what? And and I'm not even like, I'm not even fucking lying when I say this. I know that this is going to sound super fucking douchey and fucking fake and fucking lame, but but the thing that I love most about all this shit is if somebody like I love fucking making a positive impact on people and I love I really, it fucking fulfills my fucking heart and my soul to have somebody that I know that feels exactly how I do. Whether it's inadequate at points. You know, just somebody with a loud ass fucking head like mine coming to our show and that shit shutting up for an hour and a half. And them fucking smiling and laughing and having a fucking amazing time. When they otherwise would be dealing with fucking life and shit. Going down and being uncomfortable and and hurting for them to come to our show and and to be able to fuck off for an hour and a half and just fucking smile and and have an amazing time so.
Serial Killer
That means you're truly living in service, right?
Kyle Smith
I would like to think so, but that that sounds kind of self-righteous. But in a way, it doesn’t.
Serial Killer
No, it doesn't. Because you're bringing stuff to the table and you're working at it, and you're ultimately being of service to higher power and bringing what we were taught we're supposed to bring in AA.
Kyle Smith
I really love that you see it that way because sometimes I feel like I'm just out here just doing the next right thing. But you know, sometimes I do feel like like, hey, man, like the only way that I can be of service is by doing that because I'm on tour 100 and fucking fifty days a year. You know what I mean? I don't have a home. I don't have a home group right now. I can't have any, like I can do like occasional alternate positions like for meetings and stuff when it comes to commitments. But I haven't had a home group in like 3 years. I haven't had a commitment in three years as far as my recovery goes because I am fucking one month on, one month off as my schedule right now, you know, or three weeks out, three weeks at home, five weeks gone. You know, so yeah, I mean I would like to think that me doing what I do is a way of giving back or a way of you know, making others feel good about themselves. That'd be fucking awesome.
Serial Killer
You got any final thoughts you want to kick off? Anything you want to promote?
Kyle Smith
That's a good ass question. I would just say come see us this summer and we're going to be all over the Midwest and the East Coast. So anybody that's in the Midwest or the East Coast, check out the tour dates and everything's all over my website and everything and come see us and come hang out and that's like the most anybody could ever do to support us, to just come to one of our shows and fucking say hi. So that's all I ask.
Follow Kyle Smith:
http://instagram.com/kylesmithjams
http://facebook.com/kylesmithjam