Hi, everyone! I have been doing an email interview with Kyle Rausch, one of the founding members of the Kansas City-based pop group Shy Boys. Since their genesis back in 2012, the band has dropped two full-length projects and have gone on various cross-country tours. Additionally, they are signed to indie giant Polyvinyl Records and recently collaborated with the records' masthead group, STRFKR on their song "Budapest." I was very excited to hear about Kyle's journey as a musician, and there's a lot of story to be told here in this exclusive interview!
bazzreviews: I don't recall specifically being inspired to start a career, it was just always there. Our (Collin and I) parents are musicians and pretty much infused our lives with music as far back as i can remember. I will say though, when i was in college, I had been playing football and basketball at Missouri State. I had a bit of a "come to Jesus" moment after my junior year and dropped out, moved home and started a band with Collin and a few hometown friends. That was the first time I chose to sacrifice a more comfortable future with less music for another with more. It wouldn't be the last. As far as inspirations, its too long to list, but there are obvious bands like The Beatles and The Beach Boys. 60's pop and early 90's christian contemporary and gospel are what formed my first experiences with music.
br: I hear you’re quite a good basketball player, tell me a little bit more about your skills!
K.R.: I used to be pretty good! I'm surprised you heard that, lol. As mentioned above, I played in college at a pretty good D1 program. By no means a star. I did kinda drop out before i realized my potential, though. Sometimes on sadder days there will be some moments looking back and wondering what could have been. After my first band fizzled out I did eventually go back to school at a smaller local school to finish my degree. The basketball coach there found out about me and offered me a scholarship to come play. So I was able to get one last hurrah. I really appreciated that second chance after growing up a bit. My senior year I was name to the All-America team, something few people know about me now. I don't really go around on tour talking about my athletic career but am proud of the work i put in to become good.
br: I know that both you and your brother, Collin are in the band, but how did you meet the other members that make up the group?
K.R.: I had also been playing with another great local band The ACBs. We recruited Konnor from The ACBs to lend a hand on an EP we had been working on. Konnor was immediately a perfect fit. We were actually planning on being an oldies cover band, just for fun and parties. We worked up a few renditions of songs like "Kathy's Clown" and "Never My Love" and recorded them on our cellphones. They were shitty but we sang so well together. It wasn't long after that that we decided it would be fun to go ahead and make an album together. Shy Boys were the 3 of us for the next 4 years. Kansas City has a fairly small music community so most of the bands around here are made up of people who were friends before becoming bandmates. Thats how Kyle Little and Ross Brown found their way to us. Kyle came something like a year before we released Bell House. We had played with his former band, Palace Neapolitan a few times and had become friends. If I remember correctly, we brought Kyle in because we knew we wanted to do more on our second album than what we could accomplish as a 3 piece. So after a few test hangs and jams he became a real Shy Boy and has been a clutch addition. Ross was also a member of The ACBs, and had recorded our first EP, and actually had recorded the first attempt at our self titled album. (we ended up doing it again at no fault of Ross') He also did some engineering on Bell House and mixed the album. He knew our music inside and out, and is such a talented musician that we just asked him to join because only a fool wouldn't want Ross in their band. Honestly its hard to put it into words. The members of Shy Boys are very close friends. We've lived together, played in each other's bands, been in weddings. We will still be friends when Shy Boys is no longer active.
br: What’s the significance behind the band’s name?
K.R.: Shy Boys as a name came from Konnor. We were originally called The I'ms, but Konnor thought it might be too confusing because its a pet food brand. Someone pitched High Boys, as a homage to the beach boys. We landed on Shy Boys. I'm pretty sure we all regret it at this point.
br: I hear the live show is a big part of the band’s image, would you say that you prefer playing live or working on new songs?
K.R.: I think we all enjoy playing live. That being said, its safe to say we all prefer recording. There's just no better feeling than getting that sweet take down and hearing it back on the good speakers
br: What can you tell me about getting to go a on a sailboat on the Oregon Coast with Wave Action after a show in Portland!
K.R.: Sailing was so special! We had played the night before with Wave Action and had become fast friends. The show was a blast and one of our better headlining shows from the Bell House tours. We had the next day off for travel so we decided to stick around and hang with the band in Astoria. We spent all afternoon on a sailboat passing around sandwiches and beers. It was a really special day for us Midwesterners.
br: Can you describe the process for making a Shy Boys song?
K.R.: The songwriting process for us has changed as the band has changed. it started as just Collin and I, then Konnor. We lived together, and our living room was our practice space for years. We worked up songs together as a team. Lately Collin has been sort of taking the reigns more than he used to. Now with the five of us most every song starts from a demo that Collin writes. Then we get together and over the course of excruciating months we whittle them into songs. I'm very proud of the fact that we act as a band in today's indie culture. It feels like everyone is just making music by themselves and hiring players because its the only way to make money. No shame, the industry has forced our hands. I do think people miss out on a lot of joy that comes from building something together, though. And you can hear our individual voices and styles on the songs, which is hopefully something that helps keep the songs interesting as they age.
br: What element do you guys focus more on lyricism or production value?
K.R.: Maybe not production value, but melody. We structure our songs around melodies and the last component is lyrics. I actually like a lot of the lyrics from our songs but they aren't the essence of the music.
br: Tell me about getting to work with STRFKR on their song “Budapest”.
K.R.: Working on Budapest was a real treat. We have become genuine friends with the people in STRFKR and crew over the years and tours together. They are a big part of our story with polyvinyl. Josh Hodges sent us the track with some demo vocals and basically let us sing as much as we wanted. Myself, Collin, and Konnor sang over the track over the course of a couple sessions at home here in KC with Ross. It was really generous of them to give us a feature. Josh is probably a better singer than any of us so it wasn't really necessary. However It's a lot of fun to be featured on a STRFKR single that is actually a really good song. 10/10 would do again.
br: What are some your favorite songs to have made with Shy Boys? Are there any fun stories behind them?
K.R.: Its hard to pick a favorite song because they're all so intertwined in the time that they were written and recorded. Keeps my on my Toes off our first record is maybe the first song that became a Shy Boys song, so there's a lot of nostalgia there. I remember Collin showing me a demo of just his voice with a nylon acoustic. He asked if I would give drums a try. I sat down and the first take became the arrangement. Its not a flashy drum part but it gave the song momentum and an arrangement. It would be close to the end of an era of Collin and I putting the songs together just as brothers. The song Bell House is another special memory but with the group as a five piece. We got together in the last few months that we lived together at Bell House, took some acid, and jammed for hours on what would become the song Bell House. I just remember smiling and laughing and playing that progression over and over. We all bonded that day.
br: Do you guys have any projects in the works for the band right now? If so, can you tell me a little bit more about what they’re going to have in store?
K.R.: We actually just finished recording our 3rd LP! We flew out to Portland to record at Jackpot Studios this past February. There will be more details on that front very soon. We're pretty excited with the way it turned out. It doesn't sound like either previous LPs so prepare yourself.
br: What music goals would you say you have for the future?
K.R.: I think for us the focus will be making good songs and recording them. I know that sounds cliche' but theres so much more to being a band than just the songs. We aren't really the types to beg for attention so i think we'll be happy with whatever fan base sticks with us. We'll be releasing our next album during a pandemic, so its very likely we wont play shows for quite some time. Which is a whole other can of worms. I think all of us are committed to being musicians for the long haul, but we are all also pretty realistic about our chances of doing it as a job. Hopefully I'm wrong about that. Sorry this is a convoluted answer, i don't think we really have goals per se, though it has been brought up that it would be nice to break through a little bit before becoming old and labeled as a legacy act. Nothing too fancy.
I want to thank Kyle for taking the time to respond to these questions, and I wish him and the band the best of luck! In the meantime, thank you so much for checking this out, and I hope to see you back here soon reading more bazzreviews content!
To support the band amidst COVID-19, go to https://shyboys.bandcamp.com/
