Kebert Xela

Flagpole Interview

Kebert Xela
originally published July 4, 2007

Even though there's still a decent amount of people making folk, rock and roll and indie-pop albums via home recording methods, it's only natural that as technology has grown and, with virtually any sound imaginable available to the home recorder, that self-made albums now sound less like Neutral Milk Hotel and more like, well, Kebert Xela.

Comprised of Chris Howe (guitars, bass, drums, piano, lap steel, circuit bending) and Doug Saylor (guitars, bass, drums, synthesizers, programming, vocoder), the band formed when Howe moved to Athens from Virginia in August of last year. He had previously played in multiple metal and grindcore bands, and he and Saylor got to talking about forming a band. In November of 2006, Kebert Xela was born with the idea that the two of them should play everything. They just didn't have any idea how to do that.

Howe says, "We quickly realized that MIDI was going to factor into the timing/ synching of our loops in relation to the recorded beats. We purchased an Akai MPC 1000 sampler and three Boss RC-50 loop stations. The Akai sets the tempo and plays the beats we sequence and whatever samples we need. The MIDI goes out of that and into a MIDI splitter box that then connects to the loop stations." The band played its first live show at the Caledonia Lounge on May 16 of this year and followed that up with a Little Kings gig last month.

Flagpole
Your name is a hilarious in-joke. Are you riffing on popular culture or admiring it?

Doug Saylor
Certainly not riffing on it, considering how much we laughed after we decided that's who we would be after watching a certain episode of a certain show that I believe the "in-joke" you're referring to comes from. And I love Alex. He's done a lot for the game-show world and my trivial knowledge.

Chris Howe
I must be out of the loop, the only Kebert Xela I am aware of is the Ukrainian prostitute of the year award winner of 2001.

Flagpole
Your music veers from slightly blissful to downright spooky. What gives?

Doug Saylor
I think that has to do with our diverse musical backgrounds. I've always been into atmosphere in songs and cool sounds. I'm obsessed with delay. Chris comes from more of a metal background. I created the bones to "Exoskeletal Program" and Chris did the same for "To Be Sound." I think those varying influences are reflected in the songs.

Chris Howe
We also smoke crack, lots and lots of crack. So that helps a lot.

Doug Saylor
We've got some mean dental bills.

Flagpole
How hard is it to translate what you're doing to the live arena? When playing live, how much is pre-recorded and how much is done as the audience watches?

Doug Saylor
When we record, we keep in mind that we'll have to play it live, so we try to structure the songs in a way so that we can play it live. We try not to let that limit us, though. If something needs to be there regardless, we'll leave it. We play everything you hear on the record, with the exception of the beats and maybe a sample or so per song. The challenge for us is having to rely on machines not to screw up. They can be temperamental bastards. We're getting better at foiling their plots, however.

Chris Howe
With the help of our loop stations and MIDI synching, we've cut the number of samples needed in a song to one, or none at all. We take pride in playing all the parts live and putting on an interesting show.

Flagpole
Some of your stuff has a pretty timeless quality about it. It's hard to tell whether it's you in 2007 or some obscure band from 25 years ago.

Doug Saylor
We don't really strive for anything in particular when writing songs. It's usually just what happens when we're in that moment. We may have a concept for mood or instrumentation, but that's it.

Chris Howe
I just play what sounds American, you know fighting the war on terrorfreedom-hating and whatnot.

Flagpole
Since this is the last question, and this whole thing is basically to give you a voice explaining what you do and why, what else should anyone know about Kebert Xela?

Chris Howe
New band, cool sounds, two guys funk explosion?

Doug Saylor
Our live shows are going to be a huge part of what we do. If you've got a night open, come check us out.

Gordon Lamb

- Flagpole Magazine, Athens, GA

Kebert Xela is nominated for a 2008 Flagpole Music Award in the Best Electronic Band category. Vote at flagpole.com/awards - Flagpole