WRIF Virtual Rock Room with Fame on Fire's Bryan Kuznitz
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00:00Thank you so much for watching Riff TV. Now, this interview is obviously with video, but I don't interview everybody on Zoom.
00:07That's why I put it on my Talkin' Rock with Meltdown podcast. We talk to rock artists from all over the genre.
00:13So check out Talkin' Rock with Meltdown wherever you get your podcasts. And now, to today's video interview.
00:20Hey, Brian, how you doing, man?
00:23Good. It's good to be here.
00:25Yeah, thanks for joining us here. St. Andrews Hall, you're coming through the Motor City. Is that the start of the tour?
00:31Uh, for...
00:32December 2nd?
00:33I believe it is, yeah. I think the first show's in Detroit.
00:36Is that your next show? Because I didn't see any other tour dates on your website.
00:40You know what? I think it is our next show.
00:41Okay.
00:43You're going to spend some time at home in Thanksgiving and trying to dodge these storms, apparently, right?
00:49Yeah, yeah, the November hurricanes.
00:51Yeah. So how's 2022 been for you so far as we close out the year?
00:55I think it's been our best year yet. We put out the coolest album.
01:00That we've ever made.
01:01We've done a lot of really cool tours.
01:04And I feel like we made a lot of really new, like, a lot of new fans, which was really, really cool.
01:08Yeah, and especially, of course, you know, you played here at Riff Fest. You opened up the, or I don't know, did you guys open up or you guys play second on the main stage?
01:15We played second on the main stage.
01:16Second, yeah. So, yeah, I saw part of your set there.
01:18And it is cool to get out there in front of all those other people, especially in the festival-like situations, isn't it?
01:24Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. It's definitely, as a singer, you know, going up early and, you know, before everyone's had their drinks.
01:31Yeah.
01:32It's, you really got to work the crowd. You got to really work your magic on them.
01:36I was going to say, before they had their drinks, that could be good or that could be bad, depending on which way it goes, I suppose.
01:40Yeah. I'd rather them have a couple.
01:43Yeah. What kind of frontman inspired you growing up?
01:49You know, I have a, there's a couple different, like, people, but a big one is Matt Shadows from Avenged Semifold.
01:55Just his, like, his charisma on stage, the way he talks to the audience, how he's just comfortable up there. I love that.
02:02Another one that might be a little weird is Randy Blight, because he's just, he's crazy.
02:10Yeah. He's intense on stage. Yeah.
02:12Dude is, I don't even know how old right now, but like, you know, he wears the fucking knee pads on stage and he just goes crazy.
02:19And he's just screaming his face off and he's getting into all these, all these fans to do everything that he wants.
02:23And yeah, I just watching him on stage is just super inspiring.
02:27Yeah. I ran into M Shadows. This is a weird story. Last year at a kid rocks house down in Nashville.
02:33I didn't even know who he was. I said to one of my friends, I go, who is that guy getting pictures taken with these kids?
02:38And, you know, around rocks house, there's different people that show up and my friend goes, I don't know, he's in some sort of band.
02:44And I saw his, his tattoo on his hand. We ended up talking for like an hour and a half. I didn't even recognize him.
02:50Well, that's great. Was he incognito?
02:52Yeah. Well, I'm not really. I mean, he had a, he had a hat on and stuff, but he had this like kind of just this, you know, nondescript coat.
03:00And, you know, then Ric Flair shows up, you know, it's hard to top Ric Flair, I suppose.
03:04Wow. Yeah. I feel like, I feel like whenever a singer wears a hat, it's incognito.
03:09Yeah, that could be.
03:10Yeah. I mean, when I wear a hat all the time because I'm just like, I don't want to be talked to.
03:15I got a day to day basis. Are you kind of a shy in person or.
03:20No, I think it just depends on like my mindset and what I'm doing. If I'm like at the grocery store, I'm going to be real awkward with you.
03:26Yeah. Like it's just, it's not going to be the experience that you want. But if I just played a show.
03:30Right. If I'm at a show and I'm expecting, you know, people to come up and talk to me, then yeah, I'll be super cool.
03:36But it just, it depends on the mindset. Like if I'm walking around in sweatpants and in a hat.
03:40I, I'm not, I'm not, I don't, I'm not a singer right now. I'm just a normal civilian.
03:46Civilian. Yeah. So tell me about welcome to the cast. Was this your guys pandemic record?
03:52Yeah, it was actually, you know, it was, it was cool. Pandemic allowed us to sit down and really focus on what we wanted to create.
04:01You know, we didn't feel rushed, anything like that.
04:04We took forever on it and, you know, it consumed a good like year and a half of our lives, but it was, you know, luckily we had that time just to sit down and make something awesome.
04:15Yeah. You know, I mean, you know, I don't know if you know this or not, but I interview a lot of rock bands and a lot of rock bands have the same kind of story.
04:22It's like they, they had time to sit with their records to kind of go over them, make some changes. And sometimes I'm assuming that could be bad or that could be good.
04:32Yeah. I think it was good because I mean, if you look at all like the most recent, like rock songs and rock albums that have come out post COVID and like, there's like some really heavy hitters now, like in the rock world.
04:43I mean, like the biggest struggle for the rock world used to be nobody could write a good chorus or a catchy chorus or like they couldn't write a catchy song.
04:49And now it's like everybody came out and they're like, this is the catchiest album you've ever heard. Next artist comes out. This is the catchiest album you've ever heard. And it's all cool. It's all awesome.
05:00And then a Spencer from Ice Nine Kills joins you on a track. So how does that come about?
05:04So right. The first tour, I like to say it's like the first real tour we had because we've done like smaller tours and stuff like that.
05:11But the first real tour that we had was planned out to be us and Ice Nine Kills and and a couple other bands.
05:18And so when we were writing Welcome to the Chaos, like, you know, we wrote the chorus and we had the first verse and everything like that.
05:24And we're just like, yo, you don't be sick. Like we're going on tour with Ice Nine Kills.
05:28Let's let's see if we can get Spencer on a song.
05:31Like, let's even get Spencer on this song because it just made sense. It's very theatrical.
05:35So the main goal of the entire tour was to become friends with Spencer, get Spencer to feature on the song.
05:43And we so, you know, a couple of days in into the tour, you know, we start talking to Spencer or whatever.
05:51And, you know, just become buddy, buddy with him.
05:53And, you know, eventually we ask him, it's like, hey, would you be down to be featured on one of our songs?
05:58And he goes, well, send it over to me if I like it. Sure. You know, but, you know, no promises there.
06:04I get it. Like if I wouldn't want to be on a song that wasn't good either.
06:08Right. He ended up liking it. And after we did the second tour with them,
06:13he went back to his studio in L.A. and recorded it, sent it over to us.
06:17And we're like, this is sick. Yeah.
06:19You know, I guess that, you know, knowing Spencer and knowing like what his band brings and whatnot,
06:23I guess you guys know, you know, not that no matter what he sent you would have been great,
06:28but you knew it was going to be killer. But what if he sent you something like, man,
06:31I don't know about this. That would that would be terrible. Yeah.
06:35But I don't know, actually, that's not I don't know.
06:38I just I don't live in a world where that happened, luckily.
06:41But we probably have to be like, hey, again, I had one of my friends.
06:49He had all these collaborators on his record. And he's like, man, I didn't think about it till I
06:53till I started getting stuff back. I'm like, what if somebody says to me something I don't like?
06:57It's like, yeah, that's a real problem if that's your record.
07:00Yeah. I mean, honestly, like we weren't too crazy picky about it.
07:03Like we're going to we let artists be artists. Right.
07:07But if you really want somebody to write something that you'll like,
07:09then you should probably just write the part for them.
07:11Yeah, right. I got you. So you guys have been around for almost 10 years, right?
07:16Yeah. You're based out of Florida.
07:19Yep. And so what are some of the highlights that you guys have had so far in your career?
07:24Well, we sat around for a lot of years. Didn't do a lot.
07:27We are very, very focused on being just an Internet band.
07:31We weren't touring. We weren't doing really anything.
07:33I would say I'd say like Fame on Fire really came into being like a legitimized band
07:37when we started putting out like singles back in 2018.
07:41Yeah, just a few years back. So so how did it how did it work when you guys were doing this Internet thing?
07:46So we were just doing covers on YouTube.
07:49Like that was our thing. It's like we were just doing covers.
07:52And I'm not going to lie, like it it paid the bills.
07:55You know, we were able to no one no one worked a normal job.
07:58And it was really cool to be able to do that and like bring income in by doing covers.
08:02But, you know, it got to the point where it's like, OK, why are we doing these covers?
08:06We started doing these covers to create original music, to tour, to do all these things that we want to do to be a legitimized band.
08:12And so we so we started doing like putting out original music in 2018 and that got assigned to Hopeless.
08:23And from there, Hopeless was like, OK, you have to do an album.
08:26And we're like, OK, cool.
08:28So we put out our first like song from the album and it did phenomenal.
08:33And then we went on we went on a little tour and then COVID happened.
08:41And so and so then we were just sat inside.
08:44So, I mean, like we were getting ready to gear up and start doing the touring thing in 2020.
08:49But COVID happened and we didn't get back out there till 2021.
08:53And so now the past year, year and a half of touring, it's been like it's been a roller coaster because we've been on the road a lot.
09:00But a lot of shows, it's just it's been awesome, honestly.
09:03And I have to imagine that one of the highlights has to be putting out that record.
09:07Yeah. Yeah.
09:08I mean, like the second album, like the first time was cool and we put it out in the middle of COVID because we're like, OK, we already started working on the second album.
09:15We're like, we need to just get this out.
09:17We need to get this out because or else we're going to have so much backed up material and content.
09:22So we put out the first record during COVID, whatever is what it is.
09:26Gear up for the second record.
09:27Yeah. And I love the title of it because I was always taught, like, you know, for example, like my podcast is called Talk and Rock.
09:34I mean, you know what that accompanies, right?
09:36Yes.
09:36Pretty much you talk rock, right?
09:38Welcome to Chaos.
09:39It's like you're not going to put that on there and just hear, you know, love songs.
09:43Yeah, exactly.
09:44It has like it has like a point.
09:46I don't think there's a now there's not a single love song.
09:49They tried to get me to do one.
09:51I said no.
09:51Yeah.
09:53Speaking of covers, I you guys covered Nickelback.
09:57And by the way, Rockstar, you know, people can say what they want about Chad and Nickelback and the whole thing.
10:02Personally, I really like the guys.
10:04I've met them a few times.
10:05They're super nice.
10:06But that song is a well-written song, isn't it?
10:09Oh, phenomenal song.
10:11Like that's like I'm telling you, people could hate on Nickelback all they want.
10:15They really could.
10:16But at the end of the day, they write amazing music.
10:18They write really, really catchy songs.
10:21And Rockstar is just one of those classic songs that to me, everybody knows the words to it.
10:27Love them or hate them.
10:28And I just think it's one of those songs that goes down in history.
10:31Yeah.
10:31So I'm talking to Chad coming up here in a couple hours.
10:33So what would you ask Chad?
10:37I'll ask him if he's ever heard your version, by the way.
10:39But anyways, what else?
10:41Yeah, ask him if he's ever heard our version.
10:43But I don't know.
10:44I just want to say keep bringing out the heavy music.
10:46Because I know that they're really into like heavy, heavier music.
10:49And so the new record, fire.
10:53Yeah, there you go.
10:55Speaking of stuff on stage, because those guys have been on stage there.
10:58I saw you tweet something out a few weeks back about you played a show where you couldn't curse on stage.
11:03Oh, yeah.
11:04Does that happen to quite a bit?
11:05No, that's the first time it ever happened.
11:07It was that.
11:09So, you know, when you do the radio circuit and you're going to radio stations, you get used to like not cursing.
11:14On the air, right.
11:15On the air.
11:16Yeah.
11:16Although I've done it twice now.
11:19Yeah.
11:20Go me.
11:21But I was also told that nobody works at the FCC, so it doesn't matter.
11:26So, yeah, Madison, Wisconsin.
11:30They're like, yeah, you can't curse on the stage.
11:32That was a radio show?
11:33It was a radio show.
11:34Yeah.
11:34It seems kind of strange.
11:35Okay.
11:36But anyways, go ahead.
11:37But so I was like, okay, whatever.
11:39So, yeah, I went on stage and we have a song that's called Cutthroat.
11:41And literally the lyrics, can I curse?
11:43I can curse.
11:43Yeah, yeah, yeah.
11:45The starting line is fuck you.
11:47Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
11:48The chorus's line is fuck you.
11:50Yeah.
11:52That's one of my grandma's favorite songs, by the way.
11:54But go ahead.
11:54I digress.
11:55Of course, of course.
11:55Yeah.
11:56It was just, it was just, it was really awkward to sing.
11:59And it was really awkward to like, like being on stage and going, how are you guys feeling?
12:04Yeah.
12:04Like, instead of how the fuck are you guys feeling?
12:06Like, it was just so much less like emphasis and hype.
12:10And it was hard.
12:11Maybe you could have pulled a Christmas story thing and said, fudge you.
12:15Yeah.
12:16Thought about it, dude.
12:17I was like, I just screamed.
12:18I hate you.
12:19It was, it was just weird.
12:21But, um, so we get off the stage and then, um, right when we get off the stage, we're
12:25like going to merge to sign autographs and stuff like that.
12:29As we're walking, this woman holding her baby or her infant literally looks at me and
12:33she goes, you guys are fucking sick.
12:35It's like, why couldn't I curse?
12:38Was this at like a regular venue?
12:40Like, like when you guys played Riff Bash, like at a shed?
12:43No, uh, it was, it was, uh, one of those truck stages.
12:47It was, it was like at the, it was in Madison, Wisconsin at the, at the Capitol, like looking
12:51at the Capitol building.
12:53Well, maybe that's why, maybe it wasn't like a permanent fixture, like at Riff Bash, you
12:57know, where you guys, you know, those are just actual concerts happen.
12:59Yeah, yeah, exactly.
13:00It wasn't a venue per se.
13:02It was in the middle of downtown kind of, but it was cool.
13:04Yeah.
13:05I don't know what the reason was.
13:06All I know is that, um, Johnny Danger got up on stage and the first thing he says, how
13:11the fuck are we feeling?
13:13I'm like, what, what's going on here?
13:15Why can you, you know, I've been in this business for a long time.
13:1732 years and I kind of make it like a practice and I don't swear on stage because for me,
13:22for me personally, not for rock bands, but for me, it's like, that's too easy.
13:26You know what I'm saying?
13:27Yeah.
13:28Yeah.
13:28It has nothing to do with like morals or ethics.
13:31It's just like anyone can do that.
13:33So I just choose not to.
13:35That doesn't mean that off the air, I'm not like a, you know, a drunken sailor, you know?
13:39Of course.
13:39Yeah.
13:40You radio guys are very impressive because every time I do like we go to a radio station,
13:44whatever, it's like, before we go live, it's just cursing, cursing, cursing, cursing, cursing.
13:50Live.
13:51Perfect.
13:51I'm like, what?
13:52It's a switch.
13:53It's gotta be.
13:54Yeah.
13:54Sometimes you have to, you have to pay attention and focus, I suppose.
13:58Yeah.
13:59So what do you got?
14:00What do you got going on for the rest of the year?
14:01You got this tour and that's pretty much it.
14:032023.
14:04What do you got coming up?
14:052023.
14:06So after we do the Fallen Universe dates, we're going to Shiprock, which is.
14:11Oh yeah.
14:12That's cool.
14:12Yeah.
14:13Super cool.
14:13I can't wait.
14:14February or something, right?
14:15It's, it's January.
14:17Okay.
14:18January.
14:18Okay.
14:18January.
14:19Yeah.
14:19So we're doing that.
14:20And then we have a couple of other like radio festivals scattered in between.
14:24I think there's actually a radio festival that we're playing right the day before Shiprock.
14:28So I play that, go to Shiprock.
14:31I'm going to get trashed.
14:32Every, every set we do is get, I'm just going to be drunk.
14:36No swearing.
14:37Of course.
14:37Yeah.
14:37Yeah.
14:38No swearing.
14:38I'd never swear.
14:40Just, I'm excited to hang out with fans, hang out with people that, you know, we never
14:44met before hanging out with different bands.
14:46I think it's going to be a good time.
14:47Like it's like a vacation, like a summer camp kind of.
14:49Right.
14:49Have you done those cruises before?
14:51Never.
14:52Have you been on a cruise?
14:53Yes.
14:53I've been on a cruise.
14:54Okay.
14:54So yeah.
14:55Cause I, cause some people, it affects them differently.
14:58Yeah.
14:58I know the drill on the cruise.
14:59If you're not drinking 20 drinks a day, you're doing it wrong.
15:02So you got to get your money's worth.
15:05So I'm really excited for that.
15:07And then we have a tour with our last night, which is going to be a really, really cool
15:12tour.
15:13So it's, it's our last night, us, and then rain city drive.
15:17Now I know that you just dropped the record this year, but is there anything in the, in
15:20the vault or anything that you guys are working on?
15:22You know, the vault's looking a little empty right now, but we are working, we're absolutely
15:27working to get the next song that we're going to put out.
15:31And do you have stuff that rattles around in your brain and you put it on your phone or
15:34you do something?
15:35Constantly, literally constantly.
15:37Yeah.
15:37There's always, there's always a new voice memo on my phone, but is it good enough?
15:43I don't know.
15:44Until I listen back to it a day later.
15:45Oh yeah.
15:46Yeah.
15:46Is it like, what is it like lyrics or is it like music or riffs or what?
15:50It's just melodies.
15:51Yeah.
15:51Always melodies for me.
15:52Sometimes it's like a riff idea and I'll like, like, like whatever.
15:57Right.
15:58But a lot of times it's melodies and it's just random scattered lyrics.
16:02And then later on, I'll work on the lyrics.
16:05How much does the rest of the band contribute to the writing process?
16:09A lot.
16:10We all, we all contribute a lot.
16:11You know, Blake, our guitar player could write a song, write the most beautiful hook
16:17ever and send it over.
16:18And that's where we're going.
16:19We're going to go with that one.
16:20We're going to use that.
16:21Or, you know, maybe we refine it a little bit, you know, at the end of the day, it's my
16:25lyrics, but everybody contributes, you know, um, our bass player wrote the hook for ketamine
16:29on the album, which is a fantastic hook.
16:32So like we all contribute to it.
16:35Yeah.
16:36So do you miss the days of just being an internet band or are you very happy or no?
16:40Um, I love touring.
16:42I do miss my home at times.
16:44I have, I have, I have two dogs and I love them and I miss them very much.
16:48I have a girlfriend who I miss very much when I'm gone, but I love being on the road.
16:52Um, being in a band was cool and everything like that, but I love how we feel legitimate
16:58now.
16:58I love how like, this is actually what I want to do.
17:00I don't want to be, I don't want to be just on the internet.
17:03I want to be a touring band.
17:05Well, Brian, thanks so much for the time.
17:07We'll see you here at St.
17:08Andrew's Hall coming up on December 2nd, where you kick off that tour with Escape the Fate
17:11and Falling in Reverse.
17:12And if I see you in a grocery store, your sweatpants, I'm going to back off.
17:18It's that.
17:20All right, dude.
17:21I appreciate your time.
17:21Thank you so much.
17:22Of course.
17:23Thank you for having me.