Kenny Koulabouth plays drums in Jambi and Elite, which means on any given weekend he could be running TOOL's odd meters or Deftones' tonal weight — two rhythmic languages that share almost nothing besides the kit they're played on. Kenny got there the way a lot of drummers do, by being a kid in the room when older relatives were rehearsing. His uncle's family had bands constantly, and any time Kenny went down to the rehearsal space he'd mess with every instrument in the room. Every time, he ended up sitting back down behind the drums. Instinctively, he says, every time.
What Kenny brings is intensity, and he is honest about why it matters. He never played team sports as a kid, so the sense of brotherhood he found on stage with his bandmates filled a space nothing else had. That gratitude shows up in how he plays. The drummer is the guy in the back, sitting down, doing the most physically demanding job in the room — and Kenny's standing instruction to himself is to play with enough intensity that you want to watch him anyway. The line that probably says the most about him is one he uses to describe Echo Play Live: even if these weren't his bands, he'd want to hang out with these guys.
Read the full interview with Kenny
What first pulled you into music?
I've been around music ever since I can remember. My uncle's family — they always had bands, always performing live, and I'd always go see them. I'd go down to the rehearsal room and mess around with all the different instruments. And every time, I always just sat down behind the drums instinctively.
What has music given you that nothing else really has?
A sense of brotherhood with your bandmates. I never played a lot of team sports as a kid, so that wasn't really a thing I had. But then once I got on stage, that feeling of accomplishment — of showing something you've worked on to people who want to appreciate art — that was it.
What do you feel like you bring to the band?
Probably most: intensity. One of the things about playing drums for me has always been — yes, I may be back there sitting down, but I'm going to have the intensity to make you want to watch me play.
What do you care about most when you're performing live?
That the crowd is having a great time.
What do you want the crowd to feel when they watch you perform?
Honestly, I want them to feel like they're sitting in their most comfortable place, enjoying music and just feeling it, vibing to it. Like when you're at home with the headphones on — I want people to get that feeling, but in a live setting, because it's just so much more intense.
What is one song you always look forward to playing live, and why?
"46 & 2." For the majority of my life I've listened to that song and never learned it. But now that we play it live and I've had to really dissect it — and pull off that drum solo every time — it's the thing I look forward to the most.
What separates a decent show from a great show?
The crowd, I would absolutely say. But it doesn't matter if it's a big crowd or a little one — because even a little crowd can give you as much energy and love as a big crowd can.
What makes a great cover or tribute performance?
Number one: they have to sound like the band they're trying to pay tribute to. Too many times we've gone to see bands being real hopeful, and all of a sudden you're watching a Fred Durst wannabe try to sing Maynard, and it just throws the whole thing off. It kills the vibe. They have to sound like the band.
What is harder than people realize about playing this kind of music well?
Everything. Time signatures, technical ability, the way it's written, and trying to keep all of that straight in your head while listening to three or four other people on stage and cueing off whatever craziness they may be having to do.
What does being part of Echo Play Live mean to you?
It means a lot — and we've actually talked about this before. It's such a blessing to be in a group with a bunch of really good people who are motivated and want to put in the effort, the money, the time. Even if we weren't in bands together, I would want to hang out with these guys. That is the most important thing for me.
What can people expect when they come to one of our shows?
Fabulous music, fabulous visuals, and fabulous dudes — staying true to the essence of the art and the bands, but putting our own intense spin on it. I really enjoy that, and I hope the people enjoy it too.
What would you say to someone who has never seen one of our shows before?
You need to go to one as soon as possible — wherever it is closest to you. And hopefully it's a big venue like Legacy Hall or Tower Theater, where the sound and the visuals can really be as prominent as the music itself.