Interview with Rock Professor Michael Kelly

by Mick Michaels

I had the pleasure of recently interviewing my good friend and mentor Michael Kelly - an accomplishment classical and rock musician, touring artist, college professor and industry-thinking innovator. During our time together we chatted about his working with KISS' Gene Simmons, designing signature bass guitars and the current state of Rock n' Roll...
COSMICK VIEW: Hello Mr. Kelly! Welcome to the COSMICK VIEW. Thank you for taking some time out of your day to chat with me, it is always a fascinating and learning experience.

As a young native of Manhattan, what was your initial introduction to music?

Michael Kelly:  I’m actually a Native of Buffalo NY and moved to NYC the day after graduating SUNY@Fredonia School of Music….Since I’m from the Paleozoic era…AM radio during the 70s actually played music back then…I would listen to music at night and ultimately started asking my parents to buy me records…first the hits on 45rpms…then albums. “Down on the Corner” was a huge hit then and I asked my mom for the Creedance Clearwater Revival record…she bought the wrong one…COMSMOS FACTORY, but it didn’t matter…every song was amazing on that album…after that…it was LED ZEPP II, and then FRAMPTON COMES ALIVE…GENESIS SECONDS out  THE LAMB, TRICK OF THE TAIL by GENESIS…and I was off. I also had a deep love of classical music which I listened to constantly…Gustav Holst the PLANETS and Arron Copland’s stuff was always on my turntable. I started playing cello at age 8 with the ultimate goal to play string bass when I could actually carry it. Started guitar at 11 and was jamming in garages with friends playing HEY JOE, cuz I knew all the chords…just that one song over and over. Our parents hated it for very good reasons, we sucked, but they never shut off the power.

Music was always on TV…late shows like Johnny Carson and Midnight Special and Don Kirschner’s Rock Concert were things my mom would call me down at night from sleepy time to watch. It was a different era…lots of fossils still available, but it was magical discovering things like that at an early age, which I guess is why we got hooked into so much.

CV: Paul McCartney and Geddy Lee are listed as influences. Who else has helped shape and inspired your playing early on?

MK: Pretty much anyone who slung a guitar in the neighborhood. The emphasis then was learning songs…note for note. Chris Squire of YES was a huge influence….FRAGILE was always on my turntable and Squire’s parts were something I worked on just because of how amazing they are and how they play such an integral part of the songs…not just thumping away at the roots…not that there is ANYTHING with root thumping…I’m a huge fan of John McVie of Fleetwood Mac..I mean..the song DREAMS is driven by the drums and bass. I learned Jeff Beck’s album BLOW BY BLOW in its entirety for fun as well. Being in Jazz ensemble in school…we were playing tunes by Maynard Ferguson and Chuck Mangione…and had all of those albums as well, learning the parts off of the records, and playing Beethoven and Bach in All State competition orchestras…all of that opened my ears up to the function of bass and how music works.

CV: Any modern day artists that you find particularly inspiring?

MK: All day long…mostly stuff I find by accident on Youtube: Pomplamoose…Adam Ben Ezra, Thundercat, Snarky Puppy… a lot of artist I just find on YouTube or discover from streaming and grabbing my ear. The idea that “they don’t make great music like they used to” is total BS.

CV: Being a classically trained musician, what was the allure to play rock music?

MK: The Babes…Oh wait…when I was 12, it was the urge to be a part of ‘that music’ you heard on the radio. It’s hard to imagine at all today, but the outlets for music were severely limited by today’s standards. FM Radio was just coming on line…and DJ’s on stations were the tastemakers of the time. There was no visual to go along with the music, it had to be stellar to be on the air. Listen to any song by Led Zeppelin from that time…it’s just 4 guys…as a kid we wanted to find out how to do that...have that kind of control over the instruments to create that sound.

CV: You have a pretty hefty resume of music successes including the Ronnie Gent Band, Rolling Stone magazine acclaimed, Wide Right and the psychedelic 60's ensemble, The Grip Weeds, which garnished notoriety when CBS used one of their songs to promote their hit TV series Criminal Minds. What has been the secret to your stream of successes?

MK: No secret. Not quitting, and knowing how to be a contributing member of a team. My career is taking off again without really ‘working’ at it, but it only seems that way. Decades of performances, writing, touring, constant practice and growth, learning about the current state of the music business and not whining about the past, falling on my ass and getting up. People like to say the music business is a ‘tough’ business. I disagree. Most come wanting to get into the industry with severely limited knowledge of what the business demands. There are requirements, skills you need, language you need to understand. It’s a profession, like any other. But unlike most professions, musicians accept the idea of learning some riffs on YouTube is enough to get them into the game. Would you feel the same way about your Doctor if he learned surgery from watching videos to learn his skills.

CV: Your path also included musical software development and a period working for Gene Simmons of Kiss. How did you come to work for the legendary bassist?

MK: When working with the Ronnie Gent band we were signed to Simmons Records. He heard a demo of our work and went nuts…loved Ronnie’s voice with was like a harder version of Michael Bolton who was HUGE at the time. House of Lords was also newly signed at that time as well. I remember getting the contract in the mail…FEDEX…the Logo was a ‘bag’ of Money with a dollar sign on it.

CV: What was it like working for the Demon?

MK: He was just like you would see on his TV show. The knower of ALL...I remember him giving me shit when he called the house and I didn’t have a pencil by the phone to write down his message. Anyways…he was big on image. He always said “this is SHOW BUSINESS, you SHOW YOUR BUSINESS”… Corny as hell but that always stuck with me. He had us reworking song demos all the time...Finding great songs…and Michael Bolton was one of the writers submitting material for the project, which was ironic to me. RCA dropped him soon after and that was the end of that.

CV: Were you involved in any notable projects during that time?

MK: In New York City, the “RECORD DEAL” was always in play. There were countless showcases, A&R guys scouring the clubs, studio sessions, and tours for years as I remember. The most notable was working with Keith Diamond, one of my biggest lessons from that time. The Ronnie Gent Band had been around for a long time and after the Gene Deal fell through, Keith discovered us at a showcase and wanted to get involved. He actually produced Michael Bolton’s first album (again the irony) and helped Donna Summer reinvent her career. He produced Sheena Easton, Mick Jagger but his claim to real fame was co-writing Billy Ocean's "Suddenly" and "Caribbean Queen". It was a real wake up as to what was required to be in the studio with someone like that. The expectations were incredibly high. Money and studio time became a factor and if you didn’t have your shit together you were OUT. Fast. And we were a band. One by one the members got replaced, including me in the end. That project eventually fizzled as well and the original band got back together. It was all about creating a product.

CV: Since 2007 you have been a Professor of Music at Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell, PA…most recently appointed head of the Sound and Recording Technology degree program. The decision to teach relocated you from New York to Philadelphia. What lead you to the decision to teach?

MK: Teaching was never ever on the radar. My wife was pregnant with our second kid…no shit. We were living in Park Slope Brooklyn at that time and were looking to get another apartment. There was a position available at the Community College of Philadelphia. The Chair of the Music Department was someone who knew me quite well and needed someone to teach music technology, music theory, music business, and multiple instrument lesson classes. There were plenty of people who were qualified to do some of it but not all of it. I did have that skill set so it was a perfect fit. We made the decision over the summer and moved within a month. It was total culture shock. Just getting an apartment 4 times the size of what we lived in back in Brooklyn was amazing! Getting back to your question about my success and teaching, I’m a well-rounded musician who never turned my nose up at ANY style of music or how to make it. I can appreciate the laptop musician who only knows how to create on Ableton to the Metal-head that knows 4 chords but can slam a groove so fast and so hard thousands of people lose their minds to it. Steve Vai or Steve Aoki…it doesn’t make a difference…and I have to relate to all of those students who want to learn about music and how they make it, so ultimately it’s something I really grew into and grew to love. Plus the Masters Degree in Composition and Theory helped a little too.

CV: How did such a move affect your professional music endeavors at the time? Was there a big difference in the music scene of Philadelphia compared to that of the Big Apple?

MK: Well…I didn’t know ANYONE here. 25 years in NYC allowed me to make a lot of contacts and a lot of friends and it was like starting over, without a band. I’m a bassist and it’s a lonely job without a gig.  The scene in Philly was and still is a lot like the scene in NYC YEARS ago before all clubs closed by the hundreds to become coffee shops, vegan eateries and drug store chains…The joke I heard the most when I moved here is PHILLY was the 6^th Borough of New York. Once you get over the multitude of plaid shirts and facial hair in the hipsterhoods…Philly has its own vibe and music scene which I’ve come to embrace and love. Musically, the scene here is just as organic as it is in New York. Small clubs in Brooklyn have become the cool place to play and there are some cool places that capture the Vintage Village vibe over in the East Village as well. Over here, in Philly the parking is worse…A LOT worse...the parking on the sidewalks is a new thing for me.

CV: How do you feel teaching has influenced your musical career?

MK: It’s changed in that I have to constantly re-invent and challenge myself with the same assignments I give my students. There are artists of a certain age, constantly bitching about the past, and how hard it is to be an artist now. To them I say…QUIT...please go away, no one cares and get the hell out of the way. I’m working more now than I ever have in my long career as a musician, and this is specifically because I have taken responsibility for my success by understanding what the market needs and wants and adapting to it. It never stops. My mantra for success to my students is….”If you’re not uncomfortable, you’re not growing”…Change is constant, embrace change. Or…again…shut up, or quit.

CV: Your career and success demonstrates that those who can do and also teach. What is it that you finding so rewarding with teaching? Does it inspire you?

MK: I’m very lucky here that I have full support from the school administration to “DO”… I have to tour, I have to perform and work and succeed in the business in order to teach it, otherwise it’s just bullshit, of which there is plenty in the music business. ‘Do as I say…and as I do’ is a much better inspirational teaching example. What is rewarding is watching students ‘wake up’ to the facts that you CAN have a career in music. People come to this industry with fantasies…based on no real idea of facts of what the industry requires. An example is the question I get from students who want to produce: “do I need to know about Music Theory to produce music?” My reply is “would you go to a dentist or a doctor who learned his craft from watching YOUTUBE Videos?”…Some get it…some don’t. What inspires me are the ones who do “get it”, and watch them move forward exponentially just by opening their minds to the idea as to what is possible and taking the action needed to get there. It’s not easy…but nothing is.

CV: Your teaching methodology is centered on molding young artists for the new music industry. What do you find to be the hardest obstacle to overcome while presenting to the next generation of artists?

MK: The lack of self-directed study and discovery. This to me is about the comfort zone. Do you love Hip-Hop and hate Heavy Metal? Everyone in my class, generally HATES Country Music…When I ask for a specific reason, it ends up being a discussion about the IDEA of Country Music and not the genre itself. With the advent of the hand held computer we call the Smart Phone…more knowledge and information and MUSIC is available anytime, anywhere and to anybody than any other time in history, yet…we as a society are split into smaller and smaller demographics that only ‘like’ certain things and are unaware of incredible things that would open our minds.

Ironically, most students want to PRODUCE music. My Hip Hop students barely, if at all understand the real history of HIP HOP…Ask a student where the word “LOOP” comes from with regards to music and you’ll mostly get references to Ableton. That’s fine, but not accurate…obviously this shows no understanding of where the references come from, and history always repeats itself, and gives the student the illusion that what they are doing is original and new. Understanding history as well as the present technologies is a jumping off point to originality and coming up with new ideas. I’m NOT an advocate of Old School is better, but half the lawsuits that involve copyright infringement would go away if writers knew the history…the rest are intentional of course!

CV: Have you come across a student whom you felt was destined to be the next big thing?

MK: You Mick…However the ‘next big thing’ is now a thing of the past. We are split into so many tribes there would be no ONE universal Musical Messiah that could unite demographics across the board. There are plenty of opportunities for Niche artists for sure. Pomplamoose is an example, as is Adam Ben Ezra.

CV: Tell us about the signature bass model from Waterstone Musical Instruments you had designed. What's it like to have your own bass line and how much hands-on input did you have in your signature model’s design? 

MK: That came about after taking the time to develop a relationship with a vintage guitar aficionado/designer and brain surgeon Robert Singer in Nashville who created the brand “ModGuitars…also known as Waterstone. I have always been interested in pushing the envelope of bass and its function and he had just built a 12 String Bass for Tom Petersson of Cheap Trick, (of which I am a big, big Fan). While on tour heading to SXSW, we stopped in Nashville and Gruhn’s Guitars had the new Waterstone 12 on display. I played it…and fell in love with it right away and hatched a plan to get one to play live with The GRIP WEEDS. Bob had hooked me up with the 12 string and a 4 string version, and during that time the visibility of the band was on the rise as well. He approached me with the idea of what I would love to see in a bass as a possible signature model. I was thrilled to go through the design and manufacturing process with him. We traded ideas back and forth, over several email and skype sessions until the prototype was delivered. It was an amazing experience.

CV: What were you looking for that you felt other models and brands lacked?

MK: The bass incorporated everything I thought was needed for live work and recording without the aid or dependence of the amp or pedal. As a bass player, our sound check experience is usually the shortest and most overlooked until we start playing and the soundman is running up to the stage yelling to “turn it down” or your OUT of the house mix. What actually works live is very specific for bass…so the pickup choice and how many pickups I wanted was key to getting there. I also wanted it to be a platform for modification, and easy access to part it out if you wanted. So I chose the 51 Precision bass controls, so you don’t have to take off the damn pickguard to get at them. The bass was also semi-hollow, which reduced the weight. I used the prototype for several shows and thought we hit it out of the park right from the start.

CV: There was a limited production run on the model, only about 40 units produced at the time.  Is the signature model still available to the public?

MK: Not that I know of.

CV: You also play a Waterstone TP12 model, which became the backbone of The Grip Weeds’ live sound. A 12 string bass is not very common. How did you come to wield such a robust instrument?

MK: Cheap Trick. I made the decision when seeing Cheap Trick live in Austin when I was with the Grip Weeds. The songs we play live have a much different vibe than the album cuts...some of that is due to the multitracking that was done during recording. The 12 filled things out nicely, it was like adding another guitar player. Rock musicians in general have tunnel vision when it comes to sound; the old “only this kind of guitar and amp” mindset is hard to overcome. 66 Years have gone by since the advent of the commercially available electric guitar. Leo DID get it right the first time…however; no one takes a horse to a gig anymore…so.

CV: Talk about your solo releases Mystories and Mystories 2: Truth… Can we expect a Mystories 3?

MK: MY Stories are a compilation of music I did while doing my graduate composition work at the SUNY@ Fredonia School of Music, back in the previous century.  The technology for creating music on computer was evolving so fast, but some of the outboard Synthesizer gear was amazing and I still use it today, especially the ROLAND JV 1080 with the Orchestral Card. I wanted to document everything I had done to “CD”…even when I listen back I really don’t remember how I did it, as the music includes a concerto for Double Piano and Orchestra. Mystories2 was more compact, still orchestral…but shorter suites. I’m working on 3!

www.youtube.com/user/mkwaterstone/videos

CV: Your latest venture has you performing as the exclusive East Coast bass player for the electrifying FEMMES OF ROCK starring Bella Electric Strings. How did you find yourself in such opportunistic position? 

MK: It’s who you know, and being ready for ANYTHING when the phone rings, including, skills, talent, attitude and an open mind.

Watch the FEMMES of ROCK Trailer:

www.youtube.com/watch

SEMI SHORT VERSION: My best friend from High School, Drummer Michael Licata has been a force in the entertainment industry for over 25+ years. As a drummer, writer, producer and musical director, he has been involved and responsible for multi-million dollar projects for major recording artists including Chris Brown, Blues Traveler, Plain White T’s, Ricky Martin, Ringo Starr, Rodney Jerkins, Jermaine Stewart, Lil' Wayne, T-Pain, Savage Garden, Rhino Bucket, Rihanna, Bang Tango and BLAH BLAH BLAH.

So he moves to Vegas, meets and hitches up with the amazing Nina DiGregorio. She was the solo violinist in Toni Braxton’s band for 2 years and also played with Cheap Trick, Josh Groban, Smokey Robinson, Andrea Bocelli, Deep Purple, Mary J. Blige & Jay Z, blah blah blah… and she created BELLA STRINGS in Las Vegas and the FEMMES of ROCK show - a huge live production.

They tour ALL OVER THE WORLD doing Classic Rock Shows with full backing band with 4 gorgeous amazing Violinists up front.

http://bellastrings.com/portfolio/nina/

almost done:

They are both from BUFFALO…and they go home every year to do this big blowout hometown show. I asked for an audition just to do the BUFFALO show the following year. I already knew all the songs…Zeppelin, Rush, ELO, Deep Purple, etc….I flew to Vegas, auditioned and did the Buffalo show, which sold out and was one of the most Amazing performance experiences of my life…really it was that great.  Even more amazing they keep calling me. I’m doing a big tour with them this summer.

CV: Is Rock really dead... or is it just lying dormant somewhere in time?

MK: Rock, is many things, an art, a musical style of expression a genre. It hasn’t died for me. I don’t expect a 13 year old kid today to give a shit about the Beatles, of Led Zep, or Lemmy, and why should they? The Beatles music IS special, but was music of a “time”...Sgt. Pepper did NOT take off when it first came out, it was NOT a commercial success…only NOW, years later it’s revered for many, many reasons. What is dead it seems the genre itself being used by a younger generation. And, it seems only Old People talk about Rock dying…talk to a kid…the Kids are Alright.

CV: What have you found to be your strengths?

MK: A Sense of Humor. And…the understanding, the true deep understanding that there is a Yin and Yang in ALL things in life. There is no finish line, there is NO “Aha Moment” when all becomes clear and you’re happy. Accepting that for me is what keeps me moving forward.

CV: What do you think aren’t?

MK: Forgetting that there is a YIN and YANG to all things and chasing happiness…

CV: Best advice you can give to a young artist…

MK: Go Deep: A quote

“All the time. It is miraculous. I even have a superstition that has grown on me as a result of invisible hands coming all the time – namely, that if you do follow your bliss you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. When you can see that, you begin to meet people who are in your field of bliss, and they open doors to you. I say, follow your bliss and don’t be afraid, and doors will open where you didn’t know they were going to be.”

…..Joseph Campbell

Or LISTEN to STEVE VAI : www.youtube.com/watch

CV: What’s next for Michael Kelly?

MK: The Tour this summer, the building of the Mix Studio at Montco with David Ivory, and some beer.

CV: Is there anything additional you like to add?

MK: Thanks for letting me do this. You’re an inspiration to me actually, that’s the way the world works best.

Thank you again Mr. Kelly for spending your time talking and sharing with our readers. I wish you all the best and continued success!


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