stretch

When you speak to Kyal Randolph and Dillon Koprowski, their personalities are what you would expect from your average good dudes: polite, mild-mannered and funny. When the pair hits the stage, though, their combined presence is anything but average.
Fusing elements of hip hop, pop and rock into their sound, Randolph and Koprowski transform when they perform live.

Fusing elements of hip hop, pop and rock into their sound, Randolph and Koprowski transform when they perform live.

Fusing elements of hip hop, pop and rock into their sound, Randolph and Koprowski transform when they perform live. Delivering a mixture of head banging and crowd involvement, the duo—who go by Stretch—have a high energy set that’s more akin to a rock show than a rap concert.

“A lot of people obviously like a lot of different music, but I feel like some of them are like, ‘Oh, okay. They’re a hip hop act. Shrug it off,’” Randolph said of Stretch’s live show, which often is featured on a bill with rock bands. “So I feel like with each show we go into, we’re like, ‘Okay, we’re going to show everyone in this crowd why they need to like us.’”

Randolph and Koprowski have known each other since attending Rossford High School together. However, it wasn’t until after high school that the pair became close through a mutual friend. With Randolph coming from the hip hop side and Koprowski the rock and metal side as far as vocal delivery, the two thought it would be interesting to mesh their styles together.

“I think after I started working with [Kyal], that’s when I started realizing I actually had a screaming voice,” Koprowski said. “Like, I always kind of did in my car, but that was really it. And then Kyal comes along and tells me he wants to start this, and I start going at it.”

Since forming in 2012, Stretch has been on a mission. In addition to performing a host of local shows and having a gig at the House of Blues in Cleveland, the first song Randolph and Koprowski recorded together was “Hype,” which features Jahred of (Hed)p.e. Surprisingly, the process was as simple as Randolph commenting on the band’s Facebook page, and within a day Jahred responded.

“(Hed)p.e. was my favorite band in high school, so to do a song with them, that’s crazy to me,” Randolph said.

“I was hoping to see him in person,” Koprowski said of Jahred. “It was just so cool.”

Over the past two years, Stretch has been hard at work recording its debut full-length “Awkward At Its Finest,” which came out on Dec. 30. Recording for Stretch’s debut LP took place at The Soundscape Recording Studio in Royal Oak, Mich. with Tim Smith.

“He has this act of just pushing you so far that it was a point where Kyal’s voice went out doing one of the verses and he just couldn’t do it any longer,” Koprowski said of working with Smith. “We had to take a break because Tim kept pushing and pushing. He wasn’t getting the right sound from him.”

“There was one time where I just was not getting it and he basically said, ‘Right now, you are in character. You have to act like this when you’re recording. It sounds too boring. You’re just reading lyrics,’” Randolph said. “So I feel like he’s part of the reason that we have the personas that we have.”

From the slow build and shoe gaze feel of “Thunder And Lightning,” to the driving guitars in “Sound Of Silence” (featuring Kevin Palmer) and the anthemic party vibe of “Bringing Down The House,” Stretch’s debut album is both diverse and personal.

“If you listen to it, I would always hope that you’d be able to tell that all of it’s pretty personal,” Randolph said of ‘Awkward At Its Finest.’ “I feel like a lot of rap has to be. Rap, it has to come from personal experience.”

On Jan. 23, concertgoers will get to experience “Awkward At Its Finest” live for Stretch’s CD release show at Frankie’s, 308 Main St. The show will also feature Wearebrothers, Trust Me I’m A Doctor, Walk Like Salem, Missing In Cincinnati and KOGA. Doors are at 7 p.m. with tickets available for $5 in advance and $7 at the door.

“I can’t even, like, describe how excited we are,” Randolph said of the CD release show. “Let’s just say we’re going to have a lot of surprises.”

“It’s been so hard to keep them under wraps,” Koprowski added. “The show’s evolution is almost to its fullest.”

For more info on Stretch’s CD release show on Jan. 23, visit http://innovationconcerts.com/. To stay up to date on Stretch, visit https://www.facebook.com/helloimstretch. - Toledo Free Press

A perfect blend between uplifting and inspiring lyrics and party songs consistent with pop-rap music currently makes The Stretch’s new album Awkward at Its Finest a must listen. Listening from front to back, this album does such an amazing job at capturing something real. It’s probably one of the easiest things for me to spot nowadays and one of my biggest complaints about new rap songs. In a time when so many rappers are trying to rap about something that they can’t relate to, The Stretch talks about things they know. What’s that? Things like struggle, passion, the desire to make it and what it really takes.

Listening to the song “Glass House” you can feel the desire to make it. It’s not a question or a faint hope flickering in the distance…it’s a truth that you have to whole-heartedly believe to make it. The glass house he references is his life, everybody can see inside…emotions, fear and struggles are all out on the table in this album for the world to see and feel. And that’s why I think this song does the best for me to describe and sum up the album. I read in interview recently with Mackelmore and he said the biggest change in his work happened when he stopped writing about what he thought people wanted to hear and started writing about what he knew; that couldn’t be more clear in this album.

The song “Thunder and Lightning” is about a tough relationship and really pulls from the feelings we can all relate to, “…with thunder and lightning together we’re a perfect storm”. The song is an admission of deep faults and insecurities everybody has in relationships but still leaves you with the anchor, “as long as I’m fighting, I’m fighting for you”.

The beats and instruments from the album are produced about as fine as anything I’ve heard on the radio lately or better. Some songs are soft and perfectly create a blanket for the deep emotional songs. Other songs are upbeat and have a hook you could dance to and even others have a more hardcore feel to it. The final song on the album “Sound of Silence” feat. Kevin Palmer has a hard-hitting drum rhythm matched with deep electric guitar. The songs like this show a different side of The Stretch and have fueled lyrics to match. It fits the album perfect with the other songs but has the song that feels a lot like the new music Linkin Park is putting out right now, I’m sure it also brings down the house at live shows.

Any way I spin it, all the songs are the types you want to play multiple times to fully appreciate. The more I listen to more I appreciate the poetry behind these lyrics, they come at you fast but have serious meaning. Check out the music and learn more at the links below to follow them.

www.facebook.com/helloimstretch
www.youtube.com/helloimstretch
www.reverbnation.com/stretch
www.twitter.com/helloimstretch - A Site For Your Ears

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsRDRfuFz_k&index=1&list=PL6L-sbGcAHIBa9j-bgzCS88DgOvTNao1v

Stretch are a musical duo consisting of Kyal Randolph and Dillon Koprowski, these two have blended Hip-Hop, Pop and Rock/Metal to create something musically unique.

Awkward At Its Finest is Stretch's debut album and it showcases the duo's lyrical and musical talents with 14 outstanding tracks.

Cardigan (Like Me) features some heavy instrumentals and lyrics that are semi quirky and relevant to life in equal proportions.

Awkward is chock full of rock beats as well as some catchy rhymes.

Love Potion #9 showcases lightning fast instrumentals especially on the percussion front.

Run Run Run is outstanding with its energetic guitar arrangement, powerful lyrics and a catchy vocal performance.

Sky Is Falling dazzles us with an eclectic mix of instrumental beats and somber lyrics and Jess Ampiaw's guest vocals are simply beautiful.

Dammit I Miss You is a blend of a gentle and upbeat piano arrangement and sad lyrics which are delivered as part of a cheery vocal performance.

Bringing Down The House serves up lightning fast verses.

All Night Long delivers a gentle melody and catchy rhymes.

The instrumental track has an ethereal feel to it and the vocals are smooth even though the lyrical content of Glass House is gritty.

Miss Me When I'm Gone treats us to a delightful Guitar arrangement and the wonderful guest vocals of Kevin Palmer.

Thunder And Lightning delivers smooth beats and lyrics that are both passionate and somber.

Love Song is full to the brim with first class melodic beats.

Cardigan (Pt II) rolls out catchy beats.

Sound Of Silence launches with a dazzling Guitar melody and then the duo serve up super fast lyrics and instrumentals.

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/helloimstretch
Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/helloimstretch
Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/helloimstretch - OBs Music UK

Ah, to be young again, but would I want to be young in today’s world? Probably not. We had it better. Still, it always makes me jealous to energetic kids partying and having a good time. Such thoughts come to mind with a band called “Stretch” who released a video and single “Bringing Down The House” for their upcoming album “Awkward At It’s Finest.” The video has a long intro featuring some friendly hipster dudes(there’s even beard talk) wearing apparel that I recognize as being straight from the racks at Urban Outfitters and eagerly preparing for a small party.

Then comes the surprise, the music! Perhaps showing how out of touch I’ve become with the youth of today, I was expecting some kind of SXSW style indie rock or maybe some screamo. Yet it turns out to be Eminem soundalike rapping with an electro-indie pop feel. I think this is just a result of the heavy mix of genres people are exposed to today, which influence them. The phrase “What kind of music do you listen to?” used to be a defining question where people gave one answer. Punks listened to punk rock. Wanna-be gangsters listened to rap. Rednecks listened to country. Metalheads and heshers listened to metal. Ravers listened to techno. Average people just listened to normal pop rock. Those days are over, and now even country can be hard to distinguish from hip hop. Whether that’s good or bad..who knows?

In “Bringing Down The House,” Stretch has created a great video. It’s easily something I could see playing on the screen in the mall food court. By that I mean that’s it’s as professional as anything out there, and I could see it appealing to a wide range of people. The band was smart enough to feature some attractive girls in the video. Nothing worse than artists who keep themselves as the center of attention throughout a video thinking you are so into looking at them the whole time. Another thing I like is that even though the vocals are delivered assertively, the band is clearly having some fun and not taking their image too seriously. The lyrics are millennial to the core(Aaron Carter references etc.) The music reminds me of the kind of stuff you hear in a modern strip club, and the song is long enough that you’d get your money’s worth buying a lap dance to it. Pretty decent jam. I’d like to see more videos from these guys and hope they maintain the enthusiasm.

http://stretchtheband.com/
http://facebook.com/helloimstretch
http://soundcloud.com/helloimstretch
http://youtube.com/helloimstretch - StepKid

Constant connectivity and immediate access to almost any place on the globe is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it increases the proliferation of information and understanding, giving people who would have once been totally cut off a place to belong, and find kindred spirits. On the other hand, it has a tendency to remove local flavors and regional dialects.

Once upon a time, you could go a hundred miles from your home, and feel like you were entering another planet. People spoke with strange accents, ate weird foods with strange names, that you’d never heard before.

Centralized media has decimated this ecology, making every place like every other place. We are losing a lot of the local flavor.

You can see the effects of this in hip-hop, where every would be rapper, DJ, and producer acting as if they are 2Pac, or Biggie, or Terminator X, coming at ya from the streets, even if they live in a 100 story high rise.

The hip-hop duo Stretch are doing their bit to remedy this, blending phat, old-school beats, indie pop, and metallic rock, to create beats and rhymes for kids who grew up with Death Cab For Cutie, The Postal Service, and The Strokes, alongside Wu-Tang mixtapes.

This is rap music for awkward kids, for the wallflowers. And while it seems like a contradiction, Stretch embracing their nerdiness actually makes them very, very cool. Being cool, hip, legit, means being yourself, and doing it the best way possible.

Basically, Stretch are like a less aggro Eminem, (Kyal Randolph even describes himself as “Michael Cera meets Eminem” at one point, which is pretty astute); a more down-to-Earth N.E.R.D.; a slightly less emo Atmosphere.

Unfortunately, this is not always the case, as in the case of the tracks featuring Kevin Palmer, which goes too far into emo territory, sounding like some lost Dashboard Confessional outtakes. I’ve never been able to get down with the chorus-y pop punk vocal style, try as I might.

This is no deal-breaker, as Stretch show great potential. Their production is old school, stripped down, and to the point, reminding us of the joys of an MC, a microphone, and two turntables, like on the track “Awkward”. They’re also capable of moments of genuine beauty, like the pretty string sample on “Glass House”.

Stretch encourage us to be ourselves, to say it loud and proud. You don’t need to pretend you come from somewhere else, to have something to say. Speak your truth, with head held high, and people will take notice. Substance over hype, every time.

Awkward At Its Finest @ Spotify
Stretch Facebook
@helloimstretch
Stretch YouTube
Stretch Reverbnation - The Drainage

One of my favorite parts of the current independent music landscape is the fact that there is no longer a need to always try fit into the pop radio world that the masses are always pushed to. The freedom has been created to make music for yourself that truly expresses your own personal style. A group that expresses this perfectly is The Stretch.

Stretch

The duo of Stretch is based in Toledo, Ohio and consists of Kyal Randolph and Dillon Koprowski. Their unique personal sound blends through many different genres to create something that is truly their own. The music still remains incredibly catchy no matter which style they focus on. They come off as very relatable and non-imposing with lyrics that put them on the same level as all their fans. Stretch wants to be even and connected to their listeners and it comes off very well.

The last day of 2014 say Stretch deliver the full length album Awkward At Its Finest. The 14 track record reaches all styles with a professional yet down to earth feel. The opener “Cardigan” is a self-depreciating rap song that brings to mind early Eminem with its fun lyrical flow. On “Love Potion #9” the duo shares a strong pop punk song with a driving guitar beat that builds to a full on pogo-dancing ready assault. The crowd must go wild to this one. The rock, funk, and rap all come together on “Run, Run, Run”. The vocals tell the story of doing what you love and always succeeding even if it is just for yourself. The distorted guitars in the background give that raw energy a lift. The exotic sounds of “Bringing Down The House” explains exactly where Stretch stands and keeps the listener guessing where will these guys go next. The album closer “Sound Of Silence” incorporates the talents of Kevin Palmer to add to the strong hard rock tone of the track. These guys seem to be able to do anything they want in any genre they want. This is modern music for the modern music loving fan, (like us).

Go get a listen and find out more about Stretch at:

www.facebook.com/helloimstretch

Album on Spotify at: https://play.spotify.com/album/3sJ1vJMge6ILC5xRqePPG0 - Indie Band Guru

We had the chance to have a chat with Stretch, who recently released “Awkward at Its Finest”, en explosive record with crazy lyrics and an eclectic, yet appealing blend of sounds. Read on to find out more and find the band on facebook!

I love how you manage to render your tracks so personal and organic. Does the music come first, or do you focus on the lyrics the most?



Answer:
K: Most of the time it’s the lyrics first. I write a lot, then will try to either mold something musical with certain musicians or go searching online for an instrumental depending on if it’s a more hip hop influenced track, or rock/instrumentally based track. There have been a few times where I found an instrumental though that I absolutely wanted to use and sat down and wrote something that I thought would go with the beat. Bringing Down The House was one of them and that turned out to be one of the best tracks on the album.





Do you perform live? If so, do you feel more comfortable on a stage or within the walls of the recording studio?



Answer:
D: I feel way more comfortable on stage, it’s a lot more free; it’s like total chaos, and its my chance to let out all the built-up emotions of daily life, whether they be positive, or negative.
K: A year ago I would have said the studio, but I think it’s evenly matched now. Obviously in a studio it’s just you in the booth so there’s not much to be uncomfortable about, but when I’m on stage that’s one of the few times I can be myself in front of other people and not be self conscious or nervous at all, for some reason I’m completely me on stage and it just comes natural.





If you could only pick one song to make a “first impression” on a new listener, which song would you pick and why?



Answer:
K: Love Potion #9. It’s got wit, satire, rap, rock, everything that defines us.
D: Same here, it’d be Love Potion #9. That track is not only funny, but it’s upbeat fast and totally rocking, as well as dirty…that’s everything that we are.





What does it take to be “innovative” in music?

Answer:
D: Being innovative in music to me would be to have that “it” factor; you have to bring something new or refreshing to your style and presenting it in a way that will drive people crazy in a positive or even in a negative way.
K: You can be innovative even by taking something old and revitalizing it. The genre blending we do has been done before but not in the way that we’ve done it. You get two different experiences when you listen to us on CD and when you listen to us live. That’s innovative to me.



Any upcoming release or tour your way?



Answer:
D: We just released an album a month ago, “Awkward at its Finest”. Tour wise, we are talking about going on a mini tour later this year.

K: What Dillon said. Some other surprises as well but those probably won’t be til late 2015.



Anywhere online where curious fans can listen to your music and find out more about you?

Answer:
D: The easiest listening wise would probably be Spotify.
K: If you want to interact and find out more about us, our facebook would be the best option. Facebook.com/helloimstretch. We also have our album streaming on Youtube as well as our music videos. Youtube.com/helloimstretch - Band Camp Diaries

Audio Interview and single premiere on FM Radio. - 100.7 FM "The Zone"

On this week's show, Mike Bauman returns to Bauman's Breakdown with not only his very own production studio (We still love you Mike Jameson! And really, "studio" is a bit of a stretch, pun intended; it's pretty much a nice little soundboard, a good mic and sweet headphones), but also a fun conversation with Kyal Randolph & Dillon Koprowski of Stretch! Hailing from his hometown of Toledo, Ohio, Bauman chats with Stretch about its debut album "Awkward at its Finest," the duo's live show and recording its first song ever with Jahred of (Hed)p.e. The show also features the latest single "Sky is Falling" off Stretch's debut album!

https://www.facebook.com/helloimstretch
https://www.youtube.com/user/helloimstretch
Stretch story in Toledo Free Press
https://twitter.com/MikeVBauman - Mike Bauman

Stretch is a band straight out of Toledo, Ohio. The band drops their debut album July 7. It’s called Technicolor and it’s a gem.

Stretch is made up of Kyal Randolph, on vocals; Kevin Palmer, on guitar; D.J. Garrett, on bass; and Hunter Elmore sits in the pocket. The band is tight and plays with dynamism, all while having fun and striving to connect with fans on an emotional level.

Stylistically, Stretch fits into the alternative rock category. But there’s more to their sound that just alt rock, as their sound glows with influences of punk, hip hop, metal and pop, along with tasty tidbits of electronica tossed in here and there.

Technicolor contains twelve tracks. The first track is called “Put One Up,” and starts out with power chords and a blast beat that rockets off into the dynasphere, when the vocals kick in. There’s a punk/thrash feel to the tune, with rapid-fire, almost rap-like lyrics that flow like a fire hose spewing liquid lava. A nasty guitar solo sits in the middle of the song, as well as great background vocals and a screeching halt finish.

“Karma – This Song Is For You” is another hard rocking song with a heavy punk flavor, mixed with some pop elements. The song reminds me of Blink 182 on steroids and coke, or maybe Offspring. The melody is infectious and the vocals (including the background vocals) are stellar. This tune is chock full of energy.

Good stuff!

“Cats.Giraffes.Hammerpants” carries an electronica influence, along with a burlesque feel that really sets it apart. It’s rock, but it sounds like the Kinks snorting helium in some places, which makes it fun. The lyrics go from sounding pop to sounding rap and then back again. An electronica intro sets the stage for “Falling Down,” along with a cogent hip hop tang that goes all pop on the chorus.


PHOTO CREDIT: NICK AMRHEIN
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“Hate My Job” begins with heavy power chords and a metal flavor, and then takes off into a punk-like guitar-driven melody that emanates ebullience, even though it’s about the mundanities of working in retail. “When The Red Light Changes” begins with a Who-like, “Baba O’Reilly” feel, and then segues into a pop influenced number that’s innovative and brisk. I love the chorus, which is light and contains a Welsh piquancy.

Good stuff!

“Sweat” is a choppy punk number, with a jouncing melody and nice guitar harmonies, initially; then it flows into a smooth alt rock melody on the chorus. The transition is especially good and gives the song structure. “Auxillary Echoes” is a combination of hip hop and electronica, with an exotic feel to it. The whole song rides on the vocals, which are resonantly high-pitched and affected.

“Straitjacket” is another tune that exhibits a definite hip hop influence, along with a bit of electronica. On the chorus, the song throws off the hip hop influence and assumes an alt rock zest that is very effective. “Rival’s Vitals” begins with smack rap lyrics, and then takes on a punk/thrash feel as it zooms off and really ramps it up. Randolph’s vocals make this song work.

“Eight Years” slows things down a bit, establishing a nice groove that makes you think the song is going one way, but then the lyrics savor of rap so you wonder. At that point, the song escalates into an alt rocker that soars. And then back down again.

Good stuff!

The last track on the album is the title track. An alt rock number, it features some nice guitar harmonies and strong drumming, along with Randolph’s vocals, which soar.

Technicolor is a stellar debut album from a band whose sound should get lots of airplay. The songs are original without being experimental; the lyrics are catchy; the melodies contagious and there is beau coup power in their brand of rock and roll.

I liked it a lot. Stretch has it going on!

Find out more about Stretch here.

Download Technicolor here. - Huffington Post

I recently had the opportunity to preview the new album by Stretch for Huff Post. The album is called Technicolor, and it drops tomorrow, July 7. The album blew me away. It blends influences of pop, punk, metal, hip hop and even some electronica into a hard rocking, unique sound.

The band is tight and plays with beau coup energy and enthusiasm. When they agreed to an interview, I was jumping up and down pumping my fist because these guys have it going on. So you know who is who, Stretch is made up of: Kyal Randolph, on vocals; Kevin Palmer, on guitar; D.J. Garrett, on bass; and Hunter Elmore sits in the pocket.

What is the most trouble you’ve ever gotten into?

Kevin: One time in high school, a friend and I would take his old beat up car and run into shopping carts at 40 miles an hour in a parking lot. Eventually we toned it down to full trash cans that were put out on the curb the night of trash pickup. Hunter: Getting caught smoking pot in a baseball dugout my sophomore year of high school.

What’s your favorite song to belt out in the car or the shower?

Kyal: Anything off of MCR’s The Black Parade. I sing along to it horribly though. Kevin: Whitney Houston. Sometimes old school Linkin Park on my happier days. Hunter: All the old school pop punk, pop rock music like Blink or Fall Out Boy. Stuff like that. Dj: Anything that’s got a sick breakdown, ha ha. But in all seriousness, anything by Killswitch Engage.

What kind of drums and cymbals does Hunter Elmore play?

Hunter: I play a black 4-piece Yamaha drum set with Sabian dark crash cymbals.

What kind of guitar does Kevin Palmer play? And why?

Kevin: Schecter Hellraiser C1-FR. Beautiful guitar that caught my eye one trip to Sweetwaterin, Indiana, when my wonderful girlfriend surprised me for our anniversary and bought me the guitar. Sustaniac, floyd rose, sounded unreal. Still think I have yet to unlock it’s sound 100% and that’s a great feeling when you have a guitar like that.

What singers/musicians influenced you the most?

Kyal: Everything from Eminem, Hollywood Undead, and Limpbizkit, to Good Charlotte, My Chemical Romance, and The Used. Kevin: Muse, Linkin Park, One OK Rock, Foo Fighters, Twentyone Pilots. Hunter: I wouldn’t say my drumming is directly influenced by anyone in particular. I try to take different styles and fills and elements of all sorts of different music and keep those in the back of my mind when I write. Dj : Killswitch Engage, Bullet for My Valentine, Breaking Benjamin, Miss May I, etc.

How do your influences affect and shape your music?

Kyal: We all have some pretty different influences, I think. That’s why our music is so eclectic. I’m (Kyal) influenced by artists like Eminem and Hollywood Undead, yet Kevin is influenced by artists like Muse and Foo Fighters. They’re totally different but we manage to mesh those influences into cohesive tracks that come out sounding pretty signature. Kevin: I think that you listen to bands that you look up to or deeply admire, and you don’t aim to copy their sound or melodies; you aim to replicate how their music makes you feel and reflect that onto the people who listen to your music and hope it gives them the same feeling.

How would you describe your style of music?

Kyal: A melting pot of music. Kevin: I think it’s pretty safe to say that we cover a lot of the corners in Alternative Rock. I’ve heard “a heavy Twentyone Pilots” from people more than a few times, and I could see that, but I think this album goes in too many different directions to say “this is our box (style).” Hunter: A mish mash of all sorts of styles. I think at our core we could be described as alternative rock. Dj: Like Kyal said, we all are extremely proud of this and I’m extremely excited to finally be able to share what we worked on for the past two years with everyone!

Where do you find inspiration for your songs?

Kyal: Most of our songs are specific. I try to draw from heartbreak, friendships, and even just things that I experience on a daily basis. For example, “Hate My Job” is actually a pretty specific song. Hunter and I used to work for a company that treated their employees like garbage and got away with a lot of illegal things. The song has a lot of inside jokes that former and current employees can catch on to. Everybody who we worked with and works there today has heard it. I don’t think we’re allowed to step foot in that place ever again, to be honest. Kevin: I used to write a lot of the lyrics for old bands and projects I was a part of in the past, but Kyal is just such a lyrical genius and has so many clever one liners, that it’s actually helped me to tie riffs and melodies to those feelings I ‘write’ about instead. So an opening riff for a song will remind me of what I was feeling when I wrote it, and it ends up matching what Kyal’s written about, so without even trying, what I write and what Kyal writes end up being on the same subject without even trying. It’s pretty special.

What is your songwriting process? Do the lyrics come first, followed by the music? Or vice versa?

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Kyal: It really depends on the song. There are certain songs like “Sweat” where the lyrics came first, and there are other songs like “Eight Years” where that instrumental was thought up years before the lyrics were. There are even cases where I’ll come to the band with lyrics that I had written, and someone will have already written something that they think would fit the lyrics. That happened with “Technicolor.” Kevin had a really sweet instrumental for the lyrics I showed them, and it turned out being one of the best songs on the album. Kevin: What Kyal said. We had a very abstract writing process for this album. There was no structure as to what came first, we simply did whatever felt right for that song. Sometimes Kyal would come to us with lyrics and already have a melody in mind too. Hunter: Most of the songs come from practice. Kevin, DJ and myself will jam to a riff that Kevin starts and take it from there. Kyal has a major arsenal of lyrics already written. Overall, Kevin writes the music, I will compose the song, and Kyal brings lyrics to throw it all together.


PHOTO CREDIT: STRETCH
How have your fans and reviewers responded to your album Technicolor? Has the response been positive?

Kyal: We haven’t really let many people listen yet and since it’s unreleased as of this interview we don’t have many opinions. We have let close friends and family and a few members of other bands listen though, and from what they’ve heard, it’s a great record that has something for every music fan.

Are you happy with the way the album came together?

Kyal: Extremely happy. We honestly could not have predicted we would be this proud of what we created, and we can’t wait for everybody to hear it. Kevin: I think I’m most happy about getting as many people who already have heard of us to hear this album. I think we’ve grown so much as a band in the last two years and this record is a culmination of all of that evolution and growth. Out of any record I’ve ever been a part of, this is easily the one I’m most proud of yet. Hunter: Better than I could’ve ever imagined. This record more than exceeded my expectations for our band.

Who produced the album?

Kyal: We actually went with a couple different producers; Pat Shekut of Underhill Recording did the majority of recording and mixing, and he did all of mastering. Nino Chavez of Little Butter Records produced “Auxiliary Echoes,” Tim Smith of Soundscape Recording did “Cats,” and our friend Jared Gaines produced “Sweat.” Hunter: Pat from Underhill Recording was so amazing to work with. Being our main producer, he took any and all ideas we had for all of these songs and brought them to life. I really don’t think the record would be nearly as good if not for his great ideas and the great sound he gave us.

Will you be touring any time soon?

Kyal: We’re currently trying to book a few gigs in some neighboring states of Ohio for late summer. We would love to do a little mini-tour as well later this year or early next year.

Are you working on any new songs?

Kyal: Not since recording Technicolor. We’re always jamming though. It’s become a running joke because two of the songs that are on Technicolor, we came up with them after we had already said we were done with the album; now every time we jam and come up with something cool it’s “I know the album is printed but we should add this to it!” Dj: Anything we have jammed since Technicolor we have kind of put it on the back shelf so to speak and when we begin to write the next album in the future, we can draw from the jam session stuff. Which is kind of what we were doing before we officially started recording Technicolor.

Did you study music in a formal setting or pick it up on your own?

Hunter: I was in band in school from 5th grade all through high school. That really helps with music theory and basic musical knowledge. As far as drums specifically, I was completely self- taught. Just drummed to songs on a kit that my buddy owned until I really picked it up. Rock band helped too, ha ha. Kevin: I picked it up on my own. I come from a somewhat music family, but it was never pushed on me. I guess maybe I’m one of the few who wishes that it was. When I was twelve, my friend wanted to start a band. He was going to learn drums and told me I should buy a guitar. So I did. Dj: I mainly picked it up on my own with help from my Dad. I learned how to play guitar when I was fourteen or so and that was when I was influenced heavily by Avenged Sevenfold. Like I actually learned to play bass when I first joined Stretch and from our beginning as a full band to actually writing a full length album, I can definitely say that I’ve grown from this.

Find out more about Stretch here.

Download Technicolor here. - Huffington Post