2nd June, 2023

How did Keyan Houshmand, content creator, get the coveted Animals As Leaders support slot after only playing his first live show a year ago? That must have been an amazing honour, and experience?

It’s pretty wild, I still can’t believe it actually happened! The tour was organised under Destroy All Lines Touring Agency, which I am an artist for along with a lot of other heavy acts around Australia including Polaris, Parkway Drive, Thornhill and many more. They were the ones booking this tour, and after what seemed to be every star in the sky aligning at the perfect time, I was fortunate enough to be selected by both the band and DAL to support them on their Australia run for 2023.

Did you get to spend any time talking shop with the guys in Animals As Leaders?
Were you able to test drive one of Tosin’s own Abasi guitars?

Truthfully there wasn’t that much time to sit around and chat over the jam-packed 4 straight days of shows. However, whenever there was some calm in between soundchecks or post-show, there were good times to chat with the guys a little more. I didn’t end up playing one of the guitars despite being offered, I was afraid that I would break something!

Demoing, recording, editing, uploading… what’s a ‘normal’ work day look like for you?

Every day is different, it really just depends on what is the most pressing matter at that moment in time. Every weekday starts with guitar lessons, as I teach online classes to my followers. It’s very cool to teach people around the world from all different countries and backgrounds. The strangest combo I ever had was teaching a French-man who was living in Japan, that was very cool hahaha. These days, YouTube has taken a little bit of a backseat out of necessity. Touring, planning shows, writing songs, organising interviews with my ‘Guitar Chat’ series takes up a lot more time and that is where I would rather be at this point in my music career. Whether it’s writing, recording, demoing, mixing, mastering, filming, teaching, shipping merch, writing tabs, there’s always something to be doing at any given moment.

How would you personally describe your style?

I would say that my style is an amalgamation of all my major influences growing up from more recent inspirations like Periphery, Plini, and Meshuggah, going all the way back to Fall Out Boy, Paramore and Michael Jackson! I love heavy music, but I’ve also always enjoyed melodic passages in music and the emotions they evoke, so combining the two is a constant in anything I try to create.

Why heavy music? What is it about this style and sound that attracts you to it?

I’ve always wondered this and truthfully I’m not entirely sure! I think I just love the energy it evokes, it’s very cathartic to just give in to the heavy undertones of high gain guitars and powerful drums.

How did you first discover and get into metal?

When I started learning guitar at the age of 5, I quickly spiralled into learning ‘guitar songs’ which at the time were all the classic bands that you can think of straight away. However as time went on, it evolved into more radio based pop-punk music that still had guitars. Eventually I stumbled upon Killswitch Engage, Bullet For My Valentine and Slipknot, and now we’re here. I’m certain that the Guitar Hero Franchise had a big role in those discoveries.

Who were/ are your guitar heroes? Who inspired you to want to play metal?

I never really had any guitar heroes growing up, I always admired a lot of different bands and the guitarists within them but I never really modelled myself over anyone in particular. However, as soon as I started getting into home-recording and progressive metal, it’s no surprise that Misha Mansoor became a mainstay inspiration. Misha along with the rest of the band really opened my eyes to what was possible on a guitar and how far I could take it; I really owe that band everything.

Was there a defining moment that made you decide to play guitar?

I was handed a guitar on my 5th birthday and never put it down. That was my defining moment! I’m honestly glad that I took it up that early because I’m not sure if I would be as motivated if I had started later in life. However, I think the fact that I never put it down or took a break just goes to show how in love I was with the instrument, which obviously still rings true to this day.

Do you just play guitar, or dabble in other instruments??

My brother plays piano so there’s a piano in our house. I don’t know exactly what notes I’m playing but I use my ears to figure out passages and play around. I can’t read music so I’ve always used my ear to play and the piano is no different. I also played trumpet throughout high school (which I hated), but at least now I can say that I know how to play a little bit of that too!

How did you learn to play guitar? Formal lessons, self-taught, online?

I had formal lessons from the ages of 5 to about 10, and then from there I stopped and just started teaching myself. I’m grateful for those early years because it really got me accustomed to the instrument and how to navigate it, to the point where I could then just take it in whatever direction I wanted.

Were your parents supportive of your choice to play an instrument?

My parents have always been supportive of my choice to play guitar, they signed me up for lessons the second I received that guitar on my birthday.

How often do you get to actually practice guitar? When you do, is it practicing your own songs, working on specific techniques, etc…?

These days I don’t get to practice as much as I would like to. I genuinely can’t remember the last time I sat down and ran a scale or practiced my alternate picking. However, constantly recording to a metronome, recording myself and demoing things is practice in its own unique way. I believe that it’s all of those things above anything that have built up my way around the instrument more than anything else in recent years.

How are Keyan songs conceived? Improvising, working on specific themes or concepts, playing over an interesting beat or rhythm, etc…?

Most of the time it always starts with a theme, or a word, or an emotion. Once I figure that out, I try to write something that best describes that word musically. 99% of the time, the songs always start with one riff and a lightbulb ‘a-ha’ moment. After that I try my best to follow it up with the rest of the song, even if it’s not my best work. I will always try to revise an idea until the song is done, I never really throw anything away.

What artists, old or new, are you listening to currently?

Right now I’m really into Sleep Token as they just dropped their new album, ‘Take Me Back To Eden’. I’ve been a fan of Sleep Token since they put out Jaws in 2018, so hearing how everything has come full circle is very cool and very exciting to be a part of. I’m a big fan of their choruses and hooks, and right now I’m trying my best to analyse them to the best of my ability in the hopes of using those techniques in my own songwriting.

Is your YouTube channel a fulltime gig, or do you supplement it with other work?

YouTube is definitely not a full time gig, but all the other work is still music-related. Guitar lessons, touring, Patreon, affiliate links, my online webstore,
commissioned sponsored videos and many more are all ways that I am able to support myself as a full-time musician. These days it’s almost impossible to just make a living off releasing music and touring, so I’ve had to find other ways to support myself.

Who would be your bucket list artists to tour with?

Periphery, Periphery and Periphery again. Plini and Intervals would also be
awesome!

Which other metal and guitar-related content creators are doing work you admire?

I’ve always been a fan of my good friend Joao Medeiros and his ability to fully cover songs that in some cases sound better than the actual song. Zach
Munowitz is also a criminally underrated guitar content creator on Instagram, his stuff is awesome!

What would be your perfect concert to see – headliner, and supports?

My perfect 4 band bill at this moment in time would be a Periphery headliner with Meshuggah, Plini, and Spiritbox supporting.

Any pre-show rituals?

The only pre-show ritual I have is to try my best not to spiral into a nervous breakdown, hahahaha. Jokes aside, it’s more so just making sure that everything is working, in tune and ready to go. Once I know that everything is exactly the way it’s meant to be, all of my troubles and anxieties go away.

What’s the last show you saw that you weren’t playing at?

I recently saw the South Australian run of UNIFY 2023 which included Thornhill, Ocean Grove and Alt. I really enjoyed that show; it’s awesome to celebrate and recognise Australian heavy music on that big of a scale.

What do you do in your free time? Any other hobbies outside of music?

Whenever I get a moment, I try to just relax and do something that’s not related to music. Going out to eat with friends, watching a show on Netflix, or even firing up the PS5, are all ways that I enjoy my time outside of music.

What new artists should people check out that deserve some recognition?

They aren’t really new but Jakub Zytecki, and Inertia, are the two main ones that come to mind. I’m a big fan of both and it baffles me every day how they don’t receive way more recognition than they currently get, Jakub especially.

Specifically, what gear do you play? Any endorsements?

As of right now I proudly endorse Jackson/Fender Guitars, Neural DSP plugins, and Quad Cortex, The String Source guitar strings, Horizon Devices pedals, and GetGood Drums drum software. I was a fan of these products long before I became endorsed by them so I am thrilled to be a part of their artist rosters and showcase their products on a global scale.

Thoughts on multiscale fretboards?

I’ve owned one multiscale guitar in my lifetime, the Ibanez RGIF7. The multiscale itself didn’t bother me, but the drawbacks of pickup selection and bridge selection kind of put me off. I’d much rather just have a straight scale guitar that is long both on the bass and treble side, with an Evertune bridge to combat the tuning stability.

Thoughts on Evertune bridges?

Literally couldn’t speak highly enough of them, they are my favourite thing possibly ever, in the history of the entire universe. Ever since using one for the first time, I am now using them both live and in the studio. Absolute game changer in the guitar world and for a metal, hardtail player like myself, it is an absolute no brainer to have in most guitars.

Thoughts on 9 string guitars?

I’ve never played one. I can see their use but I don’t think I would ever get one personally. 8 string guitars are already both chunky and hard enough to play, adding all that room for another string might just be my tipping point hahaha.

What would a Keyan signature model guitar look like; brand, body shape, headstock orientation, hardware, pickups, finish, etc…?

It wouldn’t look too different from the Jackson Juggernaut guitars I play now. I love everything about those guitars and all of their appointments. If I’m being really picky I guess they could be a little lighter, but I’m sure that the Evertune system within my guitars weighs it down just a little bit. The only things that would change are the finish and the scale length. I would love a 28” 7 String signature, that’s something that isn’t really attainable unless you go custom. I feel like these days with how low bands are tuning, it’s almost necessary to offer guitars with a scale length that long in a 7 string orientation.

What is some of the gear you have demoed that impressed you the most?

Anything that Neural DSP does has always blown me away. To me, they are the highest quality sounding amp sims that you can get your hands on. There’s almost no excuse to sound bad when you use their plugins because it’s so easy to get such a good and authentic sound.

Cats – lovable family members or Satan’s spawn?

I am slightly allergic to cats, which is a shame because they’re all so cute when they’re not trying to scratch you to death!

What does the rest of 2023 have in store for you?

The rest of 2023 is looking to be a big one, lots of writing and touring. Keen to keep the ball rolling as best as I can!

Keyan Houshmand : @keyanhoushmandlive