Kyle Gass Band

Kyle Gass Band (KGB) is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 2011. Fronted by Tenacious D lead guitarist Kyle Gass and vocalist and guitarist Mike Bray. The backing band consists of electric guitarist John Konesky (also of Tenacious D), bassist Jason Keene, and drummer Tim Spier.[1] The band have released two albums, Kyle Gass Band (2013) and Thundering Herd (2016). The five-piece band have been on a sporadic status since their Masters of Beasts European Tour in 2017, apart from a small tour in the West Coast in May 2019.[2]

Not to be confused with Trainwreck (band).
For the group's debut album, see Kyle Gass Band (album).
Kyle Gass Band
Background information
Also known as
  • KGB
  • The Kyle Gass Company
OriginLos Angeles, California, USA
GenresRock
Years active2011 (2011)–present
LabelsSpace Horse Records (North America), SPV GmbH (Europe)
Associated actsTenacious D, Trainwreck, Wynchester
Websitekylegassband.com
MembersMike Bray
Kyle Gass
John Konesky
Jason Keene
Tim Spier
Past membersNate Rothacker
Jamie Douglass

Since 2019, the band are also known to occasionally tour as The Kyle Gass Company; this occurs when the band perform acoustic sets (without Keene and Spier), mainly performing acoustic versions of Kyle Gass Band songs and various covers.[3]

History

Background

Gass and Jack Black formed the band Tenacious D in 1994 whilst they were members of The Actors' Gang theater company in Los Angeles. Black's popularity as an actor began to increase in the early 2000s, with appearances in films such as High Fidelity, Saving Silverman and Shallow Hal. These appearances meant that Black was unable to dedicate as much time with Gass for Tenacious D, causing Gass to form the side-project Trainwreck in 2002. In the summer of 2010, the lead singer of Trainwreck, JR Reed, was unable to make a party Gass had been invited to play, causing Gass to form a one-off band called Kyle Gass' Falcon, an early version of what would become the Kyle Gass Band.[4] Trainwreck later split in 2011, causing Gass to form a new project.

Formation and beginnings (2011–2013)

Kyle Gass Band was formed in January 2011, when Gass was asked to open for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell.[1] Gass and Konesky were both of Tenacious D and former members of Trainwreck.[5] Mike Bray was hand-selected by Gass to front the Kyle Gass Band. Mike came to Los Angeles from Mahomet, Illinois in 2007 and formed "Band of Bigfoot", where each band member dressed up as bigfoot. After doing some shows in the Pacific Northwest opening for Trainwreck in 2009 and '10, Gass noticed talent in Bray, and invited him to be the lead vocalist.[6] Bassist Jason Keene was picked for the group, an old friend of Gass.[7] The drumming position in the band was originally filled by Trainwreck's Nate Rothacker from until 2013, it was then given to Jamie Douglass in 2013 and then Tim Spier in mid-2014.

The band recorded their first material throughout 2011 and some recordings in 2012, with their self-titled debut album releasing independently in July 2013. The album was re-released on SPV GmbH in April 2015 for Europe.[8] In June 2015, the band released their first music video for "Our Job to Rock" with the Jash Network. In September 2016, their second album, Thundering Herd was released in Europe, and in November 2016 worldwide.

Touring (2011–present)

The band played their first gig at the 2011 NAMM Show opening for Mike Campbell in early January. They played their first independent show at DiPiazza's in Los Angeles on the 18th June 2011. By 2017, they had held seven European tours, covering fourteen different countries. Following their 2017 European tour, the band have made few appearances live, mainly a small 2019 tour in May.

In the fall of 2019, 'The Kyle Gass Company' was formed - an acoustic trio featuring Gass, Bray and Konesky. The trio performed a small North American tour in the fall of 2019, and will tour Europe in early 2020. The trio mainly play Kyle Gass Band and Tenacious D songs, though also play covers.[9][3]

Discography

Albums

Singles

  • NAMM 2013 Promotional CD (2013)
  • Our Job to Rock (2015)

Band members

Former members

Live Music Archive albums

These releases are a series of live albums released with the explicit permission of the Kyle Gass Band. These live shows have been recorded and released through Live Music Archive and are available for free digital download.

Date recorded Venue Location Downloads[10] Notes
May 1, 2015 The Underworld London, United Kingdom 600 European Invasion Tour

References
  1. "The Kyle Gass Band". The Kyle Gass Band. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
  2. "Kyle Gass Band Concert Setlists". setlist.fm. Retrieved 2020-11-23.
  3. "See Tickets - Kyle Gass Company". See Tickets. 8 January 2020.
  4. "Kyle Gass has fun as tenacious sideman". Redlands Daily Facts. 2010-07-08. Retrieved 2019-10-25.
  5. "Kyle Gass". Biography. The Kyle Gass Band. Retrieved August 20, 2011. Note: User must manually select 'Kyle Gass'.
  6. "Mike Bray". Biography. The Kyle Gass Band. Retrieved August 20, 2011. Note: User must manually select 'Mike Bray'.
  7. http://www.thekylegassband.com/biography.html
  8. "Just finished..." The Kyle Gass Band. Facebook. December 17, 2011. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  9. "Kyle Gass Band - The Burl, Lexington". setlist.fm. 8 January 2020. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  10. "Internet Archive Search creator Tenacious D". Internet Archive. Retrieved 2008-03-20.
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