Kieran Robertson, Musician (Geoff Tate’s Operation Mindcrime)

You know that moment when you realize the thing you’ve worshipped as a fan is now your actual job? That’s where this conversation with guitarist and recording artist Kieran Robinson begins, and it only gets wilder from there. We talk through how a young musician goes from growing up on Queensrÿche and classic rock to performing alongside Geoff Tate, learning songs with serious technical weight, and walking the tightrope between confidence and imposter syndrome.

We get into the real mechanics of making a legacy project work. Kieran explains how he approaches writing and demo-building for Mindcrime III, why the goal is to keep the music in the same sonic universe as Operation: Mindcrime, and what happens when Geoff takes a draft and transforms it with melody, synths, and arrangement choices. If you’re into songwriting, producing, or progressive metal composition, you’ll hear a practical workflow you can steal, plus the mindset required when the fanbase knows every note and expects the music to be played with respect.

Then we shift to the live world: the iconic Viper Room night, the nerves of performing in front of other pros, and why playing Mindcrime feels more like theatre than a standard rock set. Kieran also shares what touring really looks like, from dividing time with Faster Pussycat to the unglamorous truths of backstage riders, band pranks, and recording on the road with portable studios in hotel rooms. We wrap with gratitude, perspective, and the reminder that rock is still a community built on craft, feel, and showing up ready.

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Episode Links

• Geoff Tate: https://www.geofftate.com/

Transcript

Welcome And How To Join

Jay Franze 0:00

Welcome to the Jay Franzi Show. Your stores for the latest news, reviews, and interviews. With insights you can't pay for, and stories you've never heard.

SPEAKER_04 0:11

Just so I can right next to Punch and Gars turned out to be the most royal artist of all the most we with Willie.

Jay Franze 0:24

Now, here's your host, Jay Franzi and Tiffany Mason. And we are coming at you live. I am Jay Franzi, and uh with me tonight, the lead it to my Aussie, my beautiful co-host, Miss Tiffany Mason.

SPEAKER_05 0:41

Hello.

Meeting Kieran Robinson

Jay Franze 0:42

And if you are new to the show, this is your source for the latest news, reviews, and interviews. And if you would like to join in, comment, or fire off any questions, please head over to jfranzi.com. All right, my friend. Tonight we have a very special guest with us. We have a musician and a recording artist hailing from the great state of California. We have Kieran Robinson. Kieran, sir. How are you? I'm good. How are you guys doing? We are doing fantastic. We are looking forward to this. We have a lot of questions for you. So we're just gonna go ahead and hit and hit hard. You, my friend, you my friend, are still fairly young in your career. And you're getting to perform with a legend, you're also performing with Faster Pussycat. You're doing a a lot of work with some incredible people. What does that feel like?

The Call That Changed Everything

SPEAKER_03 1:34

It's an honor, man. Um, it's great. Yeah, still getting posture syndrome over all of it. You know, I um I grew up on like Faster Pussycat, Queen Drake, not like all those bands. So, you know, when I grew up, I was like, I want to be in a band like that. I didn't think I'd be in that bad. I think I think uh yeah, it's um it's just it's just nuts. It's still nuts to me. So I'm just super grateful to be a part of it and um continuing on that legacy as just you know, from a fan's perspective. I'm just a kid that grew up loving fucking rock music, man. So I'm just just super grateful to be a part of it.

Jay Franze 2:07

Well, Jeff Tate performing with Queensrake for all those years, that band was different than any other rock band at the time, being as progressive as they were. It was very impressive. So you mentioned imposter syndrome. How does it feel to not only step into one of the biggest artists around, but then step into the technically proficient music like that?

SPEAKER_03 2:28

Yeah, I definitely became a way better guitar player very quickly when I started working. I think some of the genius about some of those songs is that a lot of music that's really technically difficult can sometimes sound kind of unpleasing, like the way Queensrike made the Gamo and the guitar parts and Jeff, it still sounds like almost like a pop, you know, pop sound, but with these really intricate guitar parts. So um it changed my whole whole approach to guitar playing. And we really tried to work out sort of why they did things, so I can then when I write with Jeff go, okay, well, let's try and kind of use some of these techniques. But yeah, a hundred percent. I I was like, I don't want to be that guy that comes in and like, like, I'm not gonna fucking change the Jet City Woman solo. I'm not gonna I want to play the music the way it deserves to be played, you know. That's one of my favorite songs, too. Jet City Woman.

Jay Franze 3:17

Great song, man. So let's uh step back for a minute, let's talk about the relationship itself. How did it come about and what did it feel like the day you met him?

SPEAKER_03 3:27

Yeah, man, it's a crazy, crazy story. My dad is a booking agent and the tour manager and stuff in the UK. So he booked Jeff and uh I went along as a fan to the show. I was like 18, and uh I met him and um you know I wrote some music for him, uh wrote some music, and he ended up liking it. I was I was a Queen Drake fan, you know, I was a Jeff fan, so it was cool to meet him. I got a picture, and then like a week later, they needed a guitar player. I got the call, it was so last minute. I was kind of doing my own thing in Germany at the time, and um yeah, man, it was just a crazy, crazy turn of events, and I just flew out there and never never turned back. And I just always wanted to show that you know, like I I deserved to be here and you didn't make a crazy mistake hiring me.

Jay Franze 4:06

Well, I mean, again, it it's crazy, right? So you get this phone call, and at that point, did he even know how good of a guitar player you were?

SPEAKER_03 4:14

You know, I think the first it was an acoustic tour, so it wasn't super, it wasn't like I had to do all the solos, and it was like your rhythm guitar for the acoustic tour, which still you have to be a good, good enough guitar player to do it. But I you know, I think they liked the music and the vibe, and I got on with the guys, so it was last minute as well. But then when I when I got in the band, Jeff had said he then saw me playing some of his songs and I'd I'd put the time in to learn, and that's when they were like, Okay, we really appreciate this kid's actually showing up and tried. And so um then I got the offer of would you like to now join the band electrically? That I was like, Yeah, totally. That's tomb come true.

Jay Franze 4:52

Was this the the biggest thing to date then?

SPEAKER_03 4:55

Oh, a hundred percent. Man, I mean I had um had a solo album out in Germany, I was like 16, and I did my own thing. But I mean, when Jeff called me, did I was a bartender at the hard rock and I had to quit my job and be like, I'm going on tour, man.

Jay Franze 5:08

So and they're like, Yeah, sure you are. Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_03 5:11

They're like, All right, buddy, we'll see you see you in a couple of weeks, you know. Because I was a terrible bartender as well.

SPEAKER_05 5:16

So like good thing you play guitar better than you make a drink.

SPEAKER_03 5:20

Exactly, yeah. They had uh the hard rock, it was actually the hard rock, I fucking tell you, but they had um you what's it called where they have like a tester come in, like somebody pretend to be a customer, right? And like that guy come in and secret shopper, and one the guy comes up after, and he's like just the manager's like the secret shopper was in today, and he said that he's been doing this for 10 years, and that was the worst mojito he's had this dialect as the fuck. I just want to play guitar. That's all I mean.

Writing Operation Mindcrime III Music

Jay Franze 5:46

I play guitar and I'm going on tour. Bye. Exactly. Yeah, man. So you do this acoustic tour and then you start writing songs with Jeff. I mean, I know you said you you sent him some material ahead of time, but now you you're actually writing songs with him and you're preparing for the next stage of Operation Minecrime. Talk about the actual writing process for those songs.

SPEAKER_03 6:07

Normally when I write with Jeff, the sort of process is I write all the time for a bunch of different artists. So I'll try and write something for an artist. So I'll go, I'm gonna write something with Jeff in mind, and I kind of do everything. I'll program the drums, the bass, the guitar, I'll sing a vocal melody that Jeff will 10 times out of 10 change, you know. But it's just to give him an idea of where my head's at and where the song or the vibe is. So Jeff was like, Well, throw some songs at me if you like. So I submitted a batch of songs, and then those songs slowly morphed into what became became the album. But it's great, it's super collaborative, and and Jeff is great because I'll give him something, and then maybe I won't hear from it for a few months and I'll get something back that it's something I wrote, but then he's come in and he's made it 20 times better with all the stuff he's added, and um you know he's great with synthesizers as well, and he'll chop up my guitar parts. So it's yeah, it's really fun, collaborative.

Jay Franze 7:01

I didn't realize he actually played instruments in addition to singing.

SPEAKER_03 7:05

Yeah, he plays saxophone as well, he's an incredible saxophone player, plays piano and sings, and actually enraged for Audrey played some guitar back in the day. You can find some old videos of him.

Jay Franze 7:15

That's awesome. So you're writing these songs, and it's not just writing songs. I mean, we're writing the third stage of Operation Mind Crime. So, how much of that did you take in mind when putting the songs together?

The Viper Room Release Party

SPEAKER_03 7:28

Yeah, I mean, Jeff Jeff's great. I mean, the story of the album, the story of Mind Crime and everything, that is all Jeff. I have absolutely no claim to any sort of story concepts on this album. You know, it's all Jeff's. I just musically tried to put put the songs in the same sonic universe as Operation Mind Crime one. I tried to paint the picture of you're in this world and Jeff can tell a story through through this this sound. So I I tried to not focus too much on the story, and then when Jeff came in with the lyrics, I can see oh, I understand this is falling together, and it kind of just naturally, naturally kind of progressed. I mean, we've been playing the Operation Mind Crime one album on tour. I've now been playing with Jeff for like six years, so I know that album inside and out, I kind of know how it flows. So we're trying to stay on the same mindset as that.

Jay Franze 8:18

So you're getting ready to play your first performance of the tour, and I know you just played at the Viper Room, so let's let's go back to the Viper Room for a second. Iconic venue, and not only are you performing with Jeff and you're getting you know the the debut of Operation Mind Crime 3, but you have a crowd full of heavyweights. Were you nervous at all?

SPEAKER_03 8:42

Dude, man, that was like the fucking coolest night of my life, man. It's called Jeff and Susan. We're like, we gotta put on a party for the event. And um uh I'm I'm really close, close friends with the diaper room and um Tommy Black, the manager. And uh definitely when I first moved to LA slept there, you know what I mean? Like Jeff. So I uh I caught us like we gotta do it. The Viper room, it's iconic, we don't know how much longer it's gonna be there. And immediately the Viper room were super on board, they were like, That sounds great, they saved the day. So I was like, I'll I'll throw I'll throw the event, I'll put on the party. So took the risk, and then obviously Jeff sent out his texts, and I sent out my text to rock star friends, and we'd we'd such an amazing group of people came, and um the reception was amazing, you know, to have John Moyer there as well, and all my friends and Faster Pussycat came. It was it was such a cool night, and the reception was really good. People, people, people really liked it. So uh yeah, night I always remember, always remember that night.

Jay Franze 9:40

Well, I get more nervous performing in front of people I know than people I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 9:44

Dude, terrifying. You know what was great though when I walked on stage, because I walk on stage and I'm like, oh, there's the disturbed bass player, the five-finger death punch guitar player. Fucking I walk on and I start talking to host tonight, and I see Tamy, the faster pussy guy, and he starts shouting subtitles so you can't understand my accent. Right. So it was good. I burst out laughing, and then I was like, ah, fuck it. It's just friends. So everybody was super supportive, can't say enough nice things.

Jay Franze 10:10

Well, they are awful nice people, but let's get to the more important question. What flavor was the cake?

SPEAKER_03 10:16

The cake, you know, it was a great company called Dark Craft Desserts. They do all these amazing cakes for like uh all these different bands. Jeff's wife, Susan, requested the cake be a coconut cake. So the Minecraft cake was coconut, it was wonderful, and made a bunch of the Dr. X cupcakes. Yeah, they they killed it. Everybody definitely left the event fat and happy.

unknown 10:38

Nice.

SPEAKER_05 10:40

Well, I'm thinking that you joined this band that you're idling after for so many years. Now you're like in America, in California, in the Viper room. Like, how many times did you ask somebody to pinch you when you already thought you had reached the pinnacle? Who who topped that?

SPEAKER_03 11:00

That's that's such a good question. Yeah, I mean, all the time there's moments like that, and then I always think I'm just really grateful, you know. I always think, like, oh, this is the moment, and then there's a cooler moment. There's moments I can't even talk about because there's NDAs that are fucking so cool, you know. Um, but I mean, I think every time I meet like a somebody I look up to that's and turns out being a really nice, like cool person, that's always really cool for me. I mean, like Brett Michaels, we play a bunch of shows with him, the nicest guy in the entire who doesn't have to be, you know, and um takes time to be cool. I met Paul Stanley outside the Viper room, and that was pretty cool. Yeah, it's there's there's so many moments. I think standing on stage at the Viper Room, and I'm like, I'm hosting it's an album I co-work with Jeff. I've got all these rock stars here, and just a kid from Scotland. Yeah, it's a lot of that, but um, you know, I do I do work really hard and just just hope people like like the final outcome. Have you thanked your father? I have. He's uh he actually he came out to the Viper Room show as well. He's actually wrote to me just now tour managing, he's tour managing this this Jeff run. So it's a family business. Wave dad.

SPEAKER_05 12:09

Hi dad.

SPEAKER_03 12:11

Hi dad. I get the airpods in, but yeah, it's just a family, family business. That's right. It's fine. My girlfriend and my dog are coming tomorrow as well. So it's like we got a whole family fucking bus.

Jay Franze 12:24

So you're playing tonight and you're playing Operation Minecraft. Are you playing one and two, or are you just playing three?

SPEAKER_03 12:31

We are just playing one in its entirety, and then when the album comes out on May 3rd, we're still playing one all the way through, and in the encore, we'll play a couple of songs from the new one. But this set list is Operation Minecraft one in its entirety, and then some hits at the end.

Jay Franze 12:47

Well, let me ask you this then. So when you're playing Operation Mine Crime one, are you doing any of the performances that Jeff used to do?

SPEAKER_03 12:55

Totally, yeah. I mean, we were very theatrical, and Jeff, especially, if you watch any of the performances, he's Jeff goes into his own. I don't want to speak for Jeff, but from for me, when I when I see Jeff, uh when I notice a difference when we're playing this album than when we're playing a hit set, and he's told me before he gets into a mindset for this album. He's definitely a character. Yes, uh, it's really interesting to watch.

Jay Franze 13:19

Because it is, it's a it's an actual play versus just a concert, so it's a little bit more detailed than your typical concert. Totally. Is there somebody playing the female role?

SPEAKER_03 13:29

There is, yeah, an amazing artist called Cloda McCarthy. She's in a band called Fire and Water. She's playing Sister Mary, she played Sister Mary on this upcoming album as well. Oh, that's cool.

Jay Franze 13:41

So you get the full experience when you go to your show.

SPEAKER_03 13:43

Full full show, Mary comes out, big lasers. It's uh it's something to something to behold.

Jay Franze 13:49

You mentioned lasers. Let me ask you if you've ever burnt yourself with that guitar you're playing.

SPEAKER_03 13:55

The the smoking smoking V with the smoking. Yeah, man. It's not it's actually not bad. It's like just a little thing. I've definitely before though had light guys that have like I've been standing on stage and like my shoulders burning, and I've looked and they've focused it wrong and they pointed a spot, and that we've I've done that abundantly. I've scars from that. But yeah, the guitar's not burnt me yet. Yet, I bet that'll happen tonight, though.

SPEAKER_05 14:20

That's absolutely amazing. I just can't get over it. I just I really like can't even think of anything else to talk about. Like just the fact that like you were such a fan, and here you are on the stage, just living that out. What is that like? I mean, what is that like the fan base?

SPEAKER_03 14:36

Yeah, it's great. I mean, Evda's Evdi's, I don't see Evdi. Most people are really supportive. Uh obviously it's very big shoes to fill, and I'm not trying to fill them, I'm just trying to do a do a job. You know, if it's not me, it's gonna be somebody else. So yeah, I really like it. It's always cool to me when I see like a like a 13-year-old kid or something that plays guitar and comes to the show, and I can give him a guitar pick, and he's he's stoked and you know, keep playing guitar because it dreams do come true. I think that's sort of what it's about if we can keep people playing guitar and keep it going.

Fans, Pressure, And Generations

Jay Franze 15:08

Well, the fan base for Queens Reich was diehard. They had a diehard fan base, and now you have Jeff out there. I'm curious about the fan base that is now with Jeff. Is it the same fan base? Is it a new fan base?

SPEAKER_03 15:23

You know, it's cool. Obviously, Queens Reich's definitely like I always I always joke like I'll like uh it's like uh like Queens Rike in Rush, it's a very like type of type of fan base, you know, so die hard, super, super into it. But recently we're sort of seeing younger people because you know they're they're like my dad was the biggest Jeff Tate fan ever. So people start bringing their kids and then they'll then turn their 20s and then they start bringing their kids. So you know, hopefully that just keeps going with the new album as well. Um, but yeah, we're definitely seeing it, it's all ages, all all walks of life come along to to to shows.

Jay Franze 16:01

I have three daughters, but my oldest is 16, and she listens to the music with me. Yeah, totally, man. What's the craziest thing that you've seen on the road?

SPEAKER_05 16:12

Uh oh and the A's, Jay, remember?

SPEAKER_03 16:16

Craziest thing I've seen in the road, man. I don't even there's so many, like shit just morphs into one. You know what I mean? You're like, oh, that happened, and then then it's just the next thing, you know. But well, maybe can you tell us this?

SPEAKER_05 16:29

What is the difference between concerts in the States versus concerts maybe in Europe? Are the concerts here more risque? You know, I don't know. What is what is the difference between the the crap?

SPEAKER_03 16:40

Absolutely. Um yeah, Americans, nuts. You guys are crazy. You guys uh yeah, you guys definitely are really loud and in a good way, you know. Um you let let people know you like it. I love playing Europe as well in the UK. Europe sort of sing along to the guitar parts more, which is cool. They kind of oh to the guitar parts. Americans are more jumpy, and um the UK kind of stands and watches and vibes. It's a whole different, you know, then Japan as well. They sort of cheer like this, and then still it's all different everywhere. I love playing America though. I feel like that's really my you know. I I like the the whole showmanship of you guys love a bit of panto. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_05 17:20

We love a what?

SPEAKER_03 17:22

A bit of pant like a bit of theatrics, you know, Americans.

SPEAKER_05 17:27

What did you say though?

SPEAKER_03 17:29

Panto, like um, like pantomime? Is that that maybe a Scottish thing?

SPEAKER_05 17:33

Um it may be.

SPEAKER_03 17:34

Maybe it's funny. I was just trying to mine.

SPEAKER_05 17:37

Yeah, yeah, pandemic, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 17:39

Like theatrics, I guess.

SPEAKER_05 17:41

Yeah, yeah. So what kind of pressure do you feel knowing that like the fans know every note?

SPEAKER_02 17:48

Terrifying, right?

SPEAKER_05 17:49

Yeah. To have to recreate to step into those shoes. I know you were saying, you know, they're big shoes to fill, and you're just trying to do it justice, but what does that pressure feel like?

SPEAKER_03 17:59

You know, it's got better as I got older and doing it more. I mean, at first it would like it would ruin my week when I'd like I'd come off stage and some guy would be like, that was actually meant to be a diminished third. And I was like, all right, man, sorry. Like, I you know, but you know, now I'm I'm pretty confident in my abilities of playing this material. I've played it for long enough now, and um, you know, I've really really worked on it, so I'm pretty confident. But uh yeah, I I'm and it I I always take guidance. I've I've had people say to me before they go, I actually think it's this, and I go, Oh shit, maybe you're right. You know, I didn't I didn't write it, so I just want it to be the most pleasing for people to hear.

Balancing Jeff Tate And Faster Pussycat

SPEAKER_05 18:37

Jay's from engineering world, musician world. I am not, okay. So I'm the lay man. So, how does it work with you having the tour with Jeff Tate and then also being a part of Faster Pussycat? How do you divide your time? How does that work in your life?

SPEAKER_03 18:55

Yeah, um, increasingly more difficultly. Um no, it's um it's been good. I mean, they're both both great bands and both been really really understanding and and respectful. I'm super grateful to be part of both of them. So it's just worked out pretty well so far, timing-wise. Jeff is an array of guitar players though, so if I have to do another tour with with Fasu, or you know, it's it's good. It's just a nice sort of rock and roll family.

SPEAKER_05 19:20

That's awesome. Nice that they share, they have uh joint custody of you.

SPEAKER_03 19:24

Yeah, joint custody of it. Yeah. When one gets sick of me, they can be like, all right, you take him, you take him for a bit. It's like sending y'all. Yeah, we can't leave let him go home, he'll kill himself. Let's just make it with it.

Jay Franze 19:36

Well, you're sitting backstage for tonight's performance. Tell me what's on the rider.

SPEAKER_03 19:41

Rider tonight's actually not too bad. We get packs of chips, sprite, coke. Um, I don't drink anymore, but they get some Jameson and beers, salami meets, man. Backstage, just lots of lunch meets, and I get dinner coming later. It's funny, everybody thinks what's backstage? It's always just lunch meets and bread. You ever seen that spinal tap moment where he folds the that's it every backstage?

Jay Franze 20:04

So the band members. So you're out with the band. Are they jokesters at all?

SPEAKER_03 20:09

Oh, yeah. All characters of these of these great. We have a whole international array of musicians. So right now, the guitar players, I'm Scottish. We got a French guitar player, Amory, an Italian guitar player, Dario, the drummer Baker's from Seattle, the bass player's Scottish, we get Cloda from Ireland, so it's just everywhere.

Jay Franze 20:28

So tell me about the relationship backstage, what's going on?

SPEAKER_03 20:32

Yeah, just lots of lots of hanging out joking. Jack, the bass player, is a big prankster. He loves to put on masks and try and try and you know, fuck with people. Lots of just hanging out drinking, and we have a great support band. Um, we have James Keegan and Fire and Water, they're uh Irish musicians. They always have acoustic guitars and we're always jamming and singing songs. It's just one big party, you know.

SPEAKER_05 20:56

One big songwriters festival.

SPEAKER_03 20:58

One big songwriters festival. Yeah, everything's going right.

SPEAKER_05 21:01

Exactly.

Jay Franze 21:04

The new single, power. Can you tell me about the recording process?

SPEAKER_03 21:09

Yeah, totally, man. We um I actually just found a demo for that last night. I I wrote the initial idea for that like during COVID, and I'd sent it to Jeff. And again, you know, it's like, yeah, I like this one, and we're gonna work on it. And we kind of went back and forward and changed it a while, and we got it a bit fun, and I didn't hear anything, and then I heard a couple of months it got given to John Moyer, and then I heard back, and I was like, Oh my god, this is incredible. So it definitely took time, it was maybe over like over like three or four years to get that song to come together.

Jay Franze 21:41

So Jeff has said nothing but great things in the press about you. How does that make you feel?

SPEAKER_03 21:47

I I guess I owe him twenty dollars or whatever about to say that not that. I don't know, forty, yeah. No, that's really kind. It's it's so sweet, it's still really insane to hear hear that from him. You know, like when I'm sitting there recording, I definitely had a couple of moments where I'm you know, I'm engineering him recording vocals and I'm like fucking Jeff Tate sit singing, you know, a hotel room we're recording. So I mean it's just such an honor that he even let me be a part of this. I mean, there's so many other people as well. So I'm just just super grateful and um him and his wife, Suze, and everything they've done for me.

Recording On The Road And Mixing

Jay Franze 22:22

And yeah. Well, he could have easily gone in the studio with session players and pulled something out. But he's giving you that opportunity. And you mentioned in a hotel room, and we know rock bands record in the craziest places. So are you recording when you're on the road? Are you recording when you're doing shows? I mean, how's it work for you guys?

SPEAKER_03 22:41

Yeah, man, we record everywhere. This whole album is recorded all over the world. Uh, both me and Jeff travel with portable studios, so we can set up any day in the venue. We also stop at studios on the road, literally everywhere. Hotel rooms are great. Normally, if we have a hotel room, we'll be like, This is a recording room, and I'll set up the studio, and we'll get the you know, sound booth with the bed frame and the covers, and um you know some of the best albums are it's not always about sound quality, it's about feel, and even just getting the idea down. If you go, this is a great part, and then okay, we're in Nashville next week, let's go to a proper studio.

Jay Franze 23:17

Well, that that is cool. It's definitely more about the feel than it is perfection. And you mentioned Nashville, that's where I work. And Nashville is all about perfection for sure. You get the best players in the world sit in those rooms and record the most pristine music you'll ever hear. But rock music is about feel, and you know, I like the fact that you're out in hotel rooms and you're recording, but you mentioned being in those hotel rooms. What time of day are you doing this? And are you ever you know getting complained?

SPEAKER_03 23:46

All the time, all the time, dude. And sometimes we're like cool about it, sometimes we'll come and be like, like, I know you guys in a band, and this is cool, but you can't, no problem, man. We'll keep it down. Um, but sometimes it's Jeff Tate. Uh yeah, dude. I'm like, you're a Queen Dreck. Like, yeah, I didn't know.

SPEAKER_05 24:02

How many times do people freak out and just come in and watch?

SPEAKER_03 24:04

Yeah, I know nobody's ever done that. Nobody's ever showed up and been like, Oh man, I do have a good Jeff. Jeff got me out of nearly being arrested one time. I was uh I was outside the venue years ago when I was drinking, and I was doing beer bottles against the wall, me and a couple of guys, just drinking, being dicks, right? And the cop throw up and I'm like lights up, I'm like, ah, if that's it, we're all done. Cop gets out, he's licensed, all that stuff. I'm like, hey, we just played a show, not having it. He's like, start license, and he goes eventually he's like, Who did you play for? And I go, I don't, you won't know Jeff take Queens right, and he goes, Queens right, puts his notepad away and he's like, Clean up, have a good day, guys, and just left. So, um, yeah, but not out of hotels yet. I've definitely been in trouble with with being too loud for with Jeff screaming vocals.

Jay Franze 24:46

Like, I can only imagine, right? So you guys, so you guys say you take turns engineering for each other when you're out on the road and you're recording your different parts. When it comes time to mix the album, are you guys mixing it or are you hiring that out?

SPEAKER_03 25:00

Yeah, we get an amazing engineer to mix it called Juan Ortega. He mixed Locust by Machine Head and a bunch of other great. Um I mean, I always say I'm a songwriter, producer, guitarist. Um, I do mix, but sometimes my ears like when you're close to a project, I I need to give it to somebody else if it's my song, because I'm just gonna until I die, be like that's an eardrum needs to come up down, you know. So um, but he did it, it's incredible. I'm I'm blown away by how it sounds. I couldn't be happier.

Jay Franze 25:30

I definitely know that feeling. I'm a mix engineer, and when I sit here in the studio and mix mix songs, my wife's like, You've listened to that song five thousand times. I'm like, Yes, but that's just a hair off.

SPEAKER_03 25:43

Right, exactly. My girlfriend, she's like, Why don't you just take one snare drum you like, and then that and I'm like, because then every song it's different, like yeah, it's a nightmare. It's a nightmare.

Jay Franze 25:52

The tone of this song is different, it's in a different key. We gotta do it.

SPEAKER_05 25:55

Examine, we just don't get it.

Jay Franze 25:57

That's what I'm saying. That's all I'm saying.

SPEAKER_05 25:59

I saw you on social media. You have amazing blue eyes. Are you gonna take your sunglasses off?

SPEAKER_02 26:05

Oh, yeah, that look like blue eyes. I appreciate that. That's nice. I was actually hiding my pimple that I got before the tour. That's what I was hiding, but uh yeah, there's that, there's no blue eyes.

SPEAKER_05 26:17

They're amazing, they're electric in all your pictures. They look beautiful.

SPEAKER_03 26:20

Thank you. I've been they're really common in Scotland, like like blue eyes, and then I do get confidence in them over here. So I appreciate it. Thank you.

SPEAKER_05 26:27

Yeah, yeah, yeah, of course.

Thanks, Final Words, And Sign Off

Jay Franze 26:29

All right, sir. Well, we'd like to give you the opportunity to thank somebody who works behind the scenes or somebody who may have supported you along the way. Is there anybody that you'd like to thank?

SPEAKER_03 26:38

So, so many people. Um, my mum and dad for always supporting me and and and doing this, my dad for coming out, Jeff and Susan for always believing in me and doing this. My girlfriend Heather, she's fucking dealt with me being a complete lunatic for this fucking whole getting this whole album together, and um uh she's great. So, yeah, just fucking every my life's been great. Um, all the crew as well, the band behind the scenes, every that getting it together. That we have a great crew on this tour, so it's really just a team effort. Uh John Morrier as well from this from for fucking producing this all. That's awesome.

Jay Franze 27:15

All right, well, we have done it. We have reached the end of the show. If you've enjoyed this show, please tell a friend and Miss Tiffany if you have not.

SPEAKER_05 27:21

Tell two.

Jay Franze 27:22

Tell two. You can reach out to both of us. You can reach out to all three of us over at jFrenzy.com. We will be happy to keep this and any other conversation going. Kieran, my friend, we would like to leave the final words to you.

SPEAKER_03 27:33

Hell yeah, thank you guys. It was a pleasure. It was great. I had a lot of fun. Looking forward to doing that again sometime. That's awesome. On that note, folks, have a good night.