UNION KAIN
Interview conducted on July 27, 2020
By Dan Locke
Formed in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida in 2017, Union Kain is carving out its own identity in a new chapter by providing a dynamic range that is the embodiment of soul metal. From the hard hitting and growling guitars in their song’s Battles Within and Lake of Fire to the transcending vocal melodies in The Master, Your Own Kind, and The Journey, Union Kain is raw and powerful, yet teases the senses with a unique blend of soulfulness, elevating passion to its sound.
UNION KAIN IS:
Glazergirl —Vocals
Kain —Lead Guitar
Jay the Worst —Rhythm Guitar
Brizzy D.—Drums
Sandman —Bass
What is your upbringing?
JAY THE WORST: pretty rough
KAIN: I grew up in a single parent home in St. Charles Missouri. Moved to Florida in 1987 started playing guitar later that year. Grew up under catholic religion, switched to Christianity in my 20s.
GLAZERGIRL: Close knit family upbringing
SANDMAN: strong family values that I gained being raised by a single mother with my older brother
How did you discover music?
BRIZZY D: My parents were spinning records ever since I can remember. I used to sit and look through the album covers of Fleetwood Mac, Abba, Queen, and others and wonder how they produced such amazing sounds. I remember my parents loving Fleetwood Mac’s song, Tusk, so they would play that album quite a bit. The drumming resonated with me. Sometime around 2002, I took them to a Fleetwood Mac concert. I never saw my dad smile so much.
JAY THE WORST: I’ve always been gravitated towards music
KAIN: I discovered music through my older sister. Mainly heavy metal.
GLAZERGIRL: Singing in the choir in Hebrew School.
SANDMAN: like any kid growing up I listened to what was being played around me until I was around 10 years old and was able to find my own taste for music. My mother also kinda pushed music on me by having me play in the orchestra for elementary and middle school. Then one day flipping through channels I found fuse tv and Korn was playing freak on a leash. And I was like that’s what I wanna play. I started learning about more bands on that channel and eventually developed this pallet for rock music and all its sub genres.
How did you start to write music?
BRIZZY D: I was in Jazz band through school. While we had sheet music, at times I was encouraged to improvise. We had an incredibly strong music program with amazing instructors. From there, I always enjoyed taking what I have learned through others and rearranging the patterns into my own technique.
JAY THE WORST: picked up the guitar, everything pretty much went downhill after that
KAIN: when I was about 15, I started piecing riffs together from other people’s music. I finally started writing my own stuff around 16 or 17. Even then it was pretty basic power cords.
GLAZERGIRL: Always a poet at heart, lyrics flow like the Force, best when accompanied by an interesting riff, but I make my lyrical melodies and send to the guys to see what they can wrap around them.
SANDMAN: from learning how to play songs by ear. My play style was influenced by the songs that I learned from bands like System of a down, Underoath, Thursday and much more. I eventually started writing my own music when I was high school and they were all very bass lead. I started really getting creative when I was playing in this punk band called a new start. After we split up I still continued to write songs and just try to keep getting better at it. Writer’s block is the worst for song writing the saying is true “if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it.”
How is your music old school metal with a modern twist?
BRIZZY D: We simply write. It flows from within us. The description really comes from feedback from listeners. For example, Kevin showed up for practice one day pissed-off and started throwing some aggressive angry guitar riffs at me and I just hammered down. Ten minutes later, Battles Within was born.
JAY THE WORST: well you take the old metal sound, and incorporate it with the “modern” tone
KAIN: I think a lot of that deals with the influences I have. Then after it is written J puts a modern twist to it cuz of his more modern guitar style.
GLAZERGIRL: Love eighties and nineties rock, keep the stories you tell current, about what you feel, in the moment.
How did you get your first guitar and do you still have it?
JAY THE WORST: bought my first guitar from a buddy in high school, it was an old Squire so no i ended up giving it to someone else.
KAIN: my mom bought me a cheap harmony guitar, sadly it got broken.
SANDMAN: my first bass guitar was a first act bass guitar. That my mom got me when I was in middle school. And It was black with glitter and I named her Matilda. Unfortunately, I don’t have it anymore. But that bass definitely taught me a lot when I was first starting.
What was your first performance at like?
BRIZZY D: For me, I was incredibly excited to be out sharing our music. The energy of the crowd was electrifying. I had an absolute blast!
JAY THE WORST: nerve racking, but totally awesome
KAIN: I was very nervous and anxious. I just wanted to get it over with but didn’t wanna screw up…. lol
GLAZERGIRL: Electrifying because it made it real.
SANDMAN: well my first performance with the band was done on a live stream. But it was an awesome time playing with union Kain and it made me feel like I’ve been playing with them for years
What was the title of your first original song? Did you record it?
BRIZZY D: The Journey, which is very special to us and will be on our second album.
JAY THE WORST: i don’t even remember it, but i did on an old phone which i lost
KAIN: I started writing The journey when my mom passed away from cancer in 1999. Brizzy and I eventually completed it years later and it is included in our setlist but won’t be available til our second album. We played it on our livestream on July 18th this year.
GLAZERGIRL: Specifically, from the lyrical perspective, The Master, about the Cain and Abel story.
Before Union Kain, what bands were the members in?
BRIZZY D: My first full all originals band was Labyrinth in Maine, which had about a 10-year run, recording an album, performing, etc. Then, I was in the band, Fault. We created a disc and did some shows, but ended when I moved to Florida in 2008.
KAIN: I was in a very short-lived black metal band called fatal union.
GLAZERGIRL: In high school the Miami Beach Rock Ensemble directed by Doug Burris, then in College the Whiskey Rebellion for about ten seconds, Concrete Skiffle, and then a couple that never got names.
SANDMAN: I was in a pop punk band called A new start. Our first show was at the dive bar in ft. Lauderdale which we messed up so bad on. But people were drunk so our audience was still hyping us up. We made an EP but our band split up after one of the members left.
How did you start the band?
BRIZZY D: Kain and I split from another band once we knew we discovered we wrote well together and in-line with the other members.
JAY THE WORST: actually, they fellas found me on craigslist
KAIN: Brizzy and I laid down the foundations for Union Kain when he and I met in 2016.
GLAZERGIRL: Kain and Brizzy D. were the founders, but Kain plucked me from BandMix.com .
SANDMAN: Jay the worst brought me in when I moved back to Florida from Illinois.
How the band did get its name?
BRIZZY D: That’s all Kain.
KAIN: I always liked the story of Cain and Abel from the bible. I just switched the C with a K to spell it Kain instead of Cain. A union is a group or a bond. We are a group of likeminded people bonded together by the love of music.
GLAZERGIRL: Kain picked the name.
SANDMAN: I’m just the bass player
Is your album, which comes, out this week on July 18th, a concept album?
BRIZZY D: Not specifically…
JAY THE WORST: no i would call it more of a collection. i mean were not trying to pioneer anything, were just waking the sleeping beast that is metal
KAIN: mmmm, I don’t think so. I think if anything it’s kinda getting back to the root of metal with a modern twist.
What is your favorite track on the album?
BRIZZY D: Tough one! All of them! Lol!
JAY THE WORST: Battles within. that’s a neck breaker
KAIN: I love battles within, it’s just raw and in your face kinda metal.
GLAZERGIRL: Lake of Fire and Your Own Kind.
SANDMAN: your own kind I get scream
Tell me about the video World to End video?
BRIZZY D: Fun on a budget! I believe GG drove the direction of the video. I just played along. It was fun. I hope we have a chance to do more.
KAIN: it was our first video we attempted, definitely an experiment…. lol
GLAZERGIRL: OMG that was so crazy fun. A friend of the band, John Gertz, videoed us playing, it was a very hot south Florida day, we took out the Jack Daniels, passed it around and hit the start button. On a more serious note, the original story comes from Kain, about how we are so trapped by technology with our noses in our phones, that we don’t see the world crashing down around us. Now that there is COVID, we are awakened and SEE the world crashing around us. It is a timely piece.
You just released The Master lyric video. Would you have done it different if it was not for the virus?
BRIZZY D: The Master applies in any scenario and is not specific to COVID-19.
JAY THE WORST: no, the game plan was the game plan, we just stuck to it. no excuses
KAIN: not really, I like the idea of a lyric video… takes the guess work out of what is actually being sung.
GLAZERGIRL: The Master is about Cain and Abel for Judeo-Christian perspectives in old and new testament. Who is the Master—the devil? Lilith, Eve? And no, it just was its own awesomeness, so much fun!
How do you stay healthy while touring?
BRIZZY D: Lots of Jack Daniels! Good for the soul.
JAY THE WORST: well can’t tour with the lockdowns and what have you
KAIN: getting rest after each gig. We put out a lot of energy when we perform.
GLAZERGIRL: Eat right and exercise. Don’t abuse the body with a lot of sugar (I love sweets).
SANDMAN: A beer a day keeps the Gout away
What are you’re feeling about streaming music?
BRIZZY D: I feel that any vehicle for sharing music is great!
JAY THE WORST: its good and all but doesn’t compare to actually performing
KAIN: definitely different, but makes the music more accessible to more people.
GLAZERGIRL: While streaming gets it out there, I’m not a fan. I’m old school, love vinyl and CD’s.
SANDMAN: streaming music is a great idea to share music
Digital vs. vinyl?
BRIZZY D: Same as above.
JAY THE WORST: vinyl. digital is just was too clean
KAIN: I like a physical copy of an album. I’m nostalgic that way, lol.
GLAZERGIRL: CD’s
SANDMAN: both for me
What are your feelings about the social uprising going on in the United States?
BRIZZY D: I have no feelings about it. I’m just a drummer in a rock-and-roll band.
JAY THE WORST: it’s sad that this has to happen in this present
KAIN: I believe that everyone has a right to voice their opinion. I do think that as long as it’s peaceful it’s fine.
GLAZERGIRL: I’m not into politics. I lived in DC when the Gulf War kept us up in our dorm rooms counting how much pizza Dominos delivered to the state department.
SANDMAN: I think when there are hard times going on. It calls for amazing music to be made
What song from the past is in your mind right now? In addition, what is the meaning that song means to you?
BRIZZY D: Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk ever since I mentioned it at the beginning of this interview.
JAY THE WORST: Master of Puppets, because there’s a lot going on that isn’t adding up.
KAIN: The Prisoner from Iron Maiden. It essentially was responsible for the birth of Kain. I heard Adrian Smith’s guitar solo and I was like, I wanna do that. So, I picked up a guitar and started learning how to play.
GLAZERGIRL: Listening to Chris Cornell’s Nearly Forgot my Broken Heart. His lyrics speak to me and he emotes beautifully.
SANDMAN: The clash Bank robber I’m breaking my back to earn my pay
You were about to play at the Dirty Fest 2020 at the Dirty Dog Bar in Austin TX… Then the show was cancelled. What were you thinking at that time?
BRIZZY D: I was just really bummed. But there is always next year!
JAY THE WORST: totally bummed, was really excited to go back to my favorite state!
KAIN: this really sucks….
GLAZERGIRL: I was really upset at the cancellation. And then, when I got past my disappointment for us, I realized how awful this is for all the bar owner’s and servers losing work from this. It’s so awful. I messaged Rob Hick’s of Dirty Dog out of feeling so bad for him and all his efforts to keep the event alive even after SXSW cancelled itself. Dirty Dog tried to hold out as long as possible. We wish everyone well and hope to see them next year.
How do you feel the Covid-19 virus going to affect the music business in the future?
BRIZZY D: No idea!
JAY THE WORST: this is where rock n roll really shines. people are already itching to get out and have fun, bands can provide, could be a good shift
KAIN: as you can already see, people are really starting to be apprehensive about going to large gatherings. Musicians will have to find a way to reach fans until concerts can resume.
GLAZERGIRL: No idea, but we must be clever about how to keep moving forward and upward while staying safe.
SANDMAN: we have to stay positive but if things don’t under control, we’ll probably be playing a lot more live stream concert. We’ll just have to get creative and wear funny outfits to keep it fresh
What have you been doing with your self-quarantine?
BRIZZY D: Writing new music for our follow-up album.
JAY THE WORST: practicing and honing in on our audio engineering skills, can’t walk away from this Covid nonsense without gaining knowledge
KAIN: working on material for our second album and streamlining my playing rig.
GLAZERGIRL: Working—I’m an essential business in the glass and construction industry—we do barriers for hospitals, etc, to protect the staff and public from spreading COVID where possible. In my “spare time” I write and record lyrics and lyrical melodies.
SANDMAN: getting settled back into Florida with my fiancé Sarah and our beautiful son Nigel and being as safe as possible reconnecting with friends and family.
Have you discovered or rediscovered any new hobbies?
BRIZZY D: Not really. I have been taking the time to enhance my recording skills through instructional videos.
JAY THE WORST: oh yes
KAIN: I’ve rekindled my love of just being out in nature….at a park or a lake…. it’s really quite relaxing
GLAZERGIRL: Learning to change my cookie recipes into vegan recipes. Nightmare
SANDMAN: I’m starting to get back into a gym routine. No dad bod for me thanks
Many artists are doing nightly concerts over either YouTube, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. What are you planning to do?
BRIZZY D: We just did a whole concert last week on Facebook. Likely there is more to follow.
JAY THE WORST: well definitely find way to engage with fans, maybe not so much on the performance, but maybe even one on ones with some fans, who knows
KAIN: we will go the same route; we just did a live stream of our new album on July 18th.
GLAZERGIRL: Getting on board to be more fluid with our social media—it’s a learning process.
Do you think it will be possible to make a living doing concerts this way?
BRIZZY D: I think anything is possible.
JAY THE WORST: no like i said earlier, people are itching to go out, no one wants to stay at home to watch a show when they could BE at the show
KAIN: it will be tough but i think people will find a way to make it work.
GLAZERGIRL: Not sure. Leaning toward no.
SANDMAN: have to stay positive
Live Nation is starting to do the first ever U.S. drive-in concert series — LIVE FROM THE DRIVE-IN — This will bring fans a live music tailgating experience unlike any other, kicking off July 10-12 in Indianapolis, IN, Nashville, TN, and St. Louis, MO. Brad Paisley will headline performances in all three cities, marking the start of a much anticipated return to in person live events. Darius Rucker and Jon Pardi will also headline the series. Is this something you would be willing to do?
BRIZZY D: Hell yea! Give us a call Live Nation!
KAIN: I’ll play anywhere, I love performing for the fans.
GLAZERGIRL: Indeed. We are a “go” for that!
SANDMAN: that’s a yes for me
For smaller bands who do not play large crowds, this is not really an issue. How do you see bands going back to smaller venues and doing things like play for the door, with no guarantees?
BRIZZY D: No idea. I lost my crystal ball…
JAY THE WORST: it’ll still happen, bands that do it for the love of the art will always be on board, even if it’s a show for three people
KAIN: it’s gonna be rough. A lot of places book shows only to have them get canceled due to Covid regulations. It’ll be tough for anyone trying to get momentum.
GLAZERGIRL: I think bands who are down to earth enjoy the smaller venues and were already in that frame of mind. There is something special about the smaller venues. Playing “for the door” is a tough call with venues struggling with limited number of people allowed. I think if you want to play, you just play.
SANDMAN: a gig is a gig is a gig and like Glazergirl said if you want to play just play
You are about to do a show with a friend of my. Bill from Green Jello, at the 423 RockFest in Bristol, TN.
KAIN: we were definitely more than ready for that show. Unfortunately, it got postponed at the last minute due to Covid.
GLAZERGIRL: Actually, they were to play Sunday night the 19th of July, we were to go on Saturday night the 18th. We’d hoped to meet them.
Are you ready for the show, with your album coming out the next day?
KAIN: for me it will be really difficult because I still work a regular job.
GLAZERGIRL: We had planned to do the live show there on the 18th (that we ended up streaming on Facebook due to COVID cancellation) and releasing the album Black Dawn that day for sale and also a new video that same night at midnight off the Black Dawn album—Lake of Fire. So, it was a real gut punch not getting to do it live.
In addition, at the present time for a band to go on tour from one state to another they may need to self-quarantine for 14 days. How is that going to work?
BRIZZY D: – Not sure. We just have to play it by ear.
JAY THE WORST: i mean there’s a price to pay, and truth be told if i can make 10 people say “fuck yeah that was a fucking good show” to me it’d be worth it
KAIN: I hope not, hopefully when they find a viable way to vaccinate or treat covid, things will calm down.
GLAZERGIRL: Not sure how that works. We are all working people with family responsibilities.
With Social Distance being the norm. Do you feel that it may be the end of music fest for the next couple of years?
BRIZZY D: Maybe.
JAY THE WORST: nah, this is just temporary
GLAZERGIRL: No. It’s going to somehow work its way out. Stay positive. Be safe.
What about Holographic concerts in our living room?
BRIZZY D: That’s cool! I will have to check that out.
JAY THE WORST: sounds expensive
KAIN: that would be cool to see.
GLAZERGIRL: That sounds very Hunger Games, not a pleasant idea.
How do you see yourself in the next five years?
BRIZZY D: Still rocking!
JAY THE WORST: pulling as many shows as possible, like the great Freddie mercury said “were music prostitutes dear”
KAIN: hopefully we are still writing new stuff and performing for our fans……
GLAZERGIRL: Rocking out.
SANDMAN: making more music and being something, my son can look up to
Anything you would like to say in closing?
BRIZZY D: Be kind, be cool, be safe!
KAIN: I just wanna thank you for taking the time to interview us. We appreciate you wanting to get to know a little bit about us.
GLAZERGIRL: Be appreciative and gracious to one another. Stay safe.
SANDMAN: be safe wash your hands RUN RUNNER!!!
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