What is your name and role within the band?
Kevin Koehler – guitar, vocals, and recording/production.
How did you start?
I started playing guitar when I was eleven. I wanted to be Slash.
Where are you based?
St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
Please give an example of your music writing process?
Generally one member brings in an idea and everyone adds their part in a live band environment, but for our most recent album we approached the process a little differently. We started out in the electronic realm, working off of some of the myriad beats composed by our keyboardist, Keith. From there we added some live instruments, and we think the result is still uniquely iLLPHONiCS.
What are you working on right now?
We are working on the rollout of our new album and promoting our upcoming summer tour.
What is your gear setup?
For most shows, I play a Fender Strat into a Fender Blues Jr. There are lots of pedals in between.
What do you like to do outside of music and does it affect your music?
I don’t do a whole lot outside of music, but I love yoga and the mentality behind it. It keeps me balanced for all the craziness that life in a band brings.
How would you describe your music genre?
I like to call it hip-hop fusion. We are all big jazz heads, and we borrow the term “fusion” because we incorporate many other styles into the hip-hop idiom, just like jazz fusion brought rock, funk, world/tribal rhythms and sounds into the picture.
Do you know any music theory?
Yes. I minored in Music Performance at Webster University, where iLLPHONiCS was formed.
What are your plans for the future?
The good vibrations of the music will carry me to the next destination, wherever that may be. The goalposts are always moving in the music biz.
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How did you get into music?
My older brother always played his favorite music around me, so I picked up on most of that. The Beastie Boys’ “Licensed to Ill” is the first album is remember listening to over and over again. I was around 4 years old.
What are you listening to at the moment?
I’ve been listening to a lot of my my ’90’s influences on account of Chris Cornell’s passing last week. The new Gorillaz album is interesting. That new Kendrick has been in steady rotation…
Who are your top 5 influences and icons?
Miles Davis
Jeff Tweedy
Brian Eno
Bjork
Kurt Cobain.
When are you playing next?
We are currently rehearsing for our summer tour. The dates are in the process of being finalized.
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