Before we could even start our interview, Kyle Hertz rummaged through his ipod trying to find the songs we “needed to hear.” He played Regina Spektor, Jack’s Mannequin, and, of course, NWA. His favorite two lines out of any song in the entire world are “Here’s a murder rap to keep you dancing/ with a crime record like Charles Manson,” and “It’s good to be alive,” the last of which is one of his personal mantras. He let us in on the secret that and his set up crew inscribe the saying down their spines before every show.
A self proclaimed “ghetto-fabulous-indie-rock” musician born in Texas and raised in New York, Kyle spends his time not only writing lyrics and music, but organizing his upcoming “Finding Alice” tour, in support of a new album that he plans on recording in a professional studio in February. This album, thus far untitled, will feature nine original songs – all composed by Kyle – and one cover. The first single off the album is planned to be “Alice,” a song that Kyle describes as being a commentary on “the struggle to find connections with people.” He currently has played one live show, and has one planned for every other month – the next of which will be in March. During these concerts, he collaborates with exceptionally talented musicians within the school district community. For his January show, he worked with vocalist and PAVE theatre student, Naima Thomas, and multi-talented guitarists Sanjay Persaud and Mamaroneck High’s Nick Frasier. They covered songs in every genre from pop to rap, including Britney Spears’ recent hit ‘If You Seek Amy,’ ‘Str8 Outta Compton’ by NWA, and ‘Kids’ by MGMT. He had the idea of selling artistic photographs, taken by NRHS’s own Daria Wiegand, as tickets for the show. When asked if he has any assistance in all of these endeavors, he says that he has a team composed of his “hand fulla biddies, and [his] hand fulla kitties.” For more information, like music samples and contact information, and to see some samples of the current ticket artwork, you can visit his self-maintained website, [link].