Interview with Kenzie Alvarado of Negative Output and Sunset Riot

Interview with Kenzie Alvarado of Negative Output and Sunset Riot

It was not too long ago that I had the privilege to sit down and talk about all things music with Kenzie Alvarado, this young lady is in a couple amazing bands in the LA music scene, and a very wonderful friend. I always enjoy our time together. Check out our interview below…

What instruments & how long…
I picked up a guitar for the first time in May of 2021, which was gifted to me by my best friend, Hannah Cortez. About six months later, I had the opportunity to move my messy fingertips along the fretboard of a brand new Ibanez four string bass. Guitar and bass then became my wife and mistress. Keyboard and harmonica arrived shortly after, but I only give them a whirl once in a blue moon. Someday, I will be a proficient player of all four.

What genres…
I play guitar in a psychedelic/folk band called badsoma and bass in a hard rock band called Sunset Riot, as well as bass in a technical metal band called Kryølith (now Negative Output). However, despite all of that, my heart is with the blues. I believe that no matter what instrument or genre I dive into, my playing will have a touch of that bluesy twang and feel. My solo music dances its way through many genres, leaning toward a heavier psychedelic feel, often rolling low at a tempo that is slow, and with the occasional swing feel.

Biggest music influences…
Prince (as in Prince Rogers Nelson) is my mother’s favorite artist of all time. By playing his tunes on the radio she introduced me to quality music long before I was even aware of it. Multiple instruments, so many different styles, high class fashion, and glorious dance moves. Prince is the greatest, in my opinion. My father is a huge country music fan, so I grew up on that as well.

In high school, I was a track athlete trying to assimilate to the culture, therefore I acquired a taste for hip hop and rap. This is where I fell in love with poetry and rhyme. When the COVID pandemic hit, I had tons of spare time to dive back into my artistic side (which I had traded in for a few years in order to become ‘the athlete’). During this period of self-rediscovery, I explored every inch of Michael Jackson’s discography. His song “Give In To Me” featuring Slash led me into an obsession with Guns N’ Roses, which then turned to Mötley Crüe, and it was off to the races. Rock and roll then became my entire existence. Whilst my love affair with hair metal and its many adjacent genres, came some tough times in my life, which as cliché as it sounds, brought me to the blues which has occupied my essence as well as my playing ever since. I am influenced by Junior Wells, Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters, Big Momma Thornton, Albert King, John Lee Hooker, Etta James, and BB King, just to name a few. Long live black blues musicians!

Tools/tech 2 music…
My setup is not particularly special, but I am proud of it because I paid for it and it gets the job done. When I studied audio engineering, a baseline recording setup was provided as part of my tuition. I traded in my Dell laptop for the latest Macbook at the time (the fact that I don’t know the model shows you exactly my lack of gear-headedness).

I sing into my Shure SM58 (surprise, surprise), which gets converted to digital audio via the Motu M2, which is then routed to Pro Tools.The “Clearmountain Spaces” reverb is the only one I use since it feels vintage and has a prominent sound.

I often use the same mic to record my guitar through its amplifier, a Fender “Stage Lead” from 1984 (that I purchased off of Facebook Marketplace from a grizzled old man who wrote “SOLID STATE, IT GETS LOUD” in the description).

For recording bass, I usually plug it directly into the interface, and use the Sans Amp plug-in, as well as the stock EQ and Compressor.

My midi compositions are created in Logic Pro, then I transfer the audio files to Pro Tools.

I listen to the mix through KRK Rokit 6 speakers.

Stage fright and performance anxiety…
The very first step to combating stage fright and performance anxiety begins long before the show. I hate to sound like a dad, but proper preparation does indeed prevent poor performance. Knowing the songs, perfecting my parts, and practicing my dance moves takes an immense weight off of my shoulders on show day. The night before a show, I try on many different outfits to figure out a snazzy and flattering ensemble so I can feel comfortable being on display. It is also important to get as restful a night of sleep as possible.

On show day, I try to take it easy, wake up late (if I can), eat a balanced breakfast, maybe run through the set once in the morning, and then listen to podcasts to distract myself ‘till it is time to leave the house. When I arrive at the venue, I let loose and enjoy myself while I wait. I will hang out on the dance floor and watch the acts that go on before us. A pre-show shot of whiskey never hurts either.

Strengths as a live performer…
As I mentioned above, I really do make an effort to prepare, take care of myself, and take the gig seriously. At the end of the day, I am aiming to make music my full-time job one day. However, the seriousness of it all is not everything. I do think it is important to have fun. Whether I like it or not, my stage presence seems to be what people notice more than anything else. I love to dance, move to the music, let loose, release energy, and sweat. It can truly be nothin’ but a big party on stage.

I try my best to set my awkwardness aside and engage with the audience. Being an avid local venue attendee, I know how great it feels to be noticed by a musician during their set, so if anyone is singing along, dancing, or watching, I will always try to give them a nod, wink, or some form of acknowledgement.

Learning a new music style…
Learning (for me) is so difficult. I wish more musicians would talk about the process. When I find myself needing to take on a new style, I must spend hours learning cover songs. Which means finding tablature, listening and following along, then trying to play the music. Section by section, reversing the song by 15 seconds many times over. I wish I were the type of person who could listen once and know what to do, however, I am not. Repetition, repetition, repetition. Thank goodness for ease of playback on a computer. I can imagine having to reverse a cassette tape repeatedly or wearing out your favorite Rolling Stones original-press vinyl trying to learn a song.

I suppose that practicing, and learning the ‘rules’ makes it exponentially rewarding when I am able to be creative and cross boundaries. Also, my skills will improve and learning will become less of a challenge/task as time goes on.

(Interview and Photos by Denise Johnson)

Kenzie Alvarado on Instagram
Sunset Riot on Instagram
Negative Output on Instagram