INTERVIEW: Kyd the Band
By Maria Kornacki
Nashville-based artist Kyd the Band (aka Devin Guisande) has carved a path guided by the instinct to create music and connect with people of a similar tribe. At age 16, he co-founded a band with his guitar-playing brother, Kyle, and began writing songs without outside influences. At age 19, he headed to Los Angeles with his self-recorded songs, that would take him further into his music career.
Guisande adds character to all aspects of his musical storytelling from his experimental song stylings to accompanied visual interpretations. His songs are reflective of his music timeline. He’s traveled from Nashville to Los Angeles, and then back to Tennessee a year later along with his brother. From there, they would reignite their musical partnership where there would be songwriting, streams, and continued success.
Kyd the Band’s latest single “Heartbreak Anthem” with gnash is out now with his new EP Season 2: Character Development . Like many artists, Kyd the Band is facing the strange reality of social separation. The lack of physical interaction challenges artists to hold off on the unmatched intimacy that live shows foster. We got a chance to chat with Kyd the Band about his new single, virtual shows, and visual storytelling.
First off, congrats on the EP. You also released the single, “Heartbreak Anthem” recently. What do you want fans to know about this song? Is there something you’re most proud of?
Thanks, I appreciate it. "Heartbreak Anthem" is special because it's kind of this musical amalgamation of where I've been, where I'm at, and where I'm going. Sorry for the super nerdy word lol. But yeah, I'm proud of that with this song and I think maybe the people who got introduced to my music early on will appreciate that.
What’s one of your favorite songs on the EP?
"Human" probably. I'm always looking to feel something in what I do, and that song was the first song in a really long time that did that for me.
You said that you’re “intrigued with how strongly heartbreak unites people in a live concert setting”. How have you been dealing with the concept of temporary virtual shows? In other words, what are your thoughts as an artist in quarantine? How are you holding up?
The virtual show thing is a little weird to me to be honest and I've been trying to figure out if it's something I want to do or not. I think most of the magic in a traditional live show happens because you're physically there with all of your senses, and also because you're there with other people. Virtual shows obviously can't have those things, and so there's really no comparison in my opinion... aside from that, I think I'm doing pretty well. Thanks for asking. I feel extremely fortunate, so thankful, and a little guilty that I'm able to work from home. I know there are so many people that aren't able to right now, and this whole thing is up-ending everybody's lives in so many different ways. I just want to help wherever and whoever I can.
I recently discovered your music and one thing I noticed is the intricate storytelling in your videos. You also mentioned how you think of your music in “seasons”. It seems like you enjoy sharing other angles of the story through visuals. I also noticed the common thread between them, especially with recurring “characters”. Are you thinking of the music video as you create songs or do you focus on the music and then see how it might fit into the visual story?
Thanks for noticing that, it's something I'm really proud of. I focus on the music first, just because that's the most important thing for me. But my music is sourced from my life so there's already so many visual cues I can pull from when I start thinking about how I want to communicate it visually.
Going off of the last question and out of curiosity, what’s a film that you’re inspired by?
This constantly changes for me, but recently I saw Parasite and was absolutely captivated. It's beautifully shot, but the level of storytelling just blew me away. Bong Joon-ho hits so many different notes emotionally and intellectually, and all in a way that transcends race and language. It made me want to make music that can do that.
What else is in store for the future?
Lot of music and a lot of not in-person stuff.
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