Kendall Schmidt on Heffron Drive, First Dates, and Jared Leto

Action. There we go. Great to have you back.

Great to be back. Great to be here.

Well, it almost it almost like a beatbox, which is came out of here. Great to be back. Great to be here. It's like drum and bass actually. There we go. You've been here many times. I've never interviewed you before, so I'm excited.

Well, you know what? There's a first time for everything.

There is. I'm sure people have told you you like have a comedic side. People are like you're naturally funny. Do people tell you this a lot?

Thank you. That's a big compliment. Um, I'm glad cuz it helped with with the TV show for for so long. I think maybe being on the show maybe like increased it.

I'm talking like stand-up. Really?

Yes. I don't know. I think I would if you want to see me nervous, put me on stage doing stand-up.

Really? That's two totally different things, doing a comedic show and doing like actual stand-up, right?

Yeah. I mean, yes. I think that would just drive me absolutely insane.

Really?

Yeah. It would be not a job you'd be a fan for. You you'd be surprised I can like perform for people musically, but I think doing something well, that's just I guess I'm not used to it.

Yes. So, congrats on the new music.

Thank you.

How have people reacted? I know the album dropped today. Yeah. Is it like releasing your child into the world? Is it is it nerve-wracking? Is it your solo?

Absolutely. It's uh, how is it? It's great. I've been getting a lot of cool like texts from people that wouldn't necessarily, you know, have reached out before and like saying like, yo, this song is really great.

Right. And especially like doing it independently, like you're looking at the A&R team. You're everything. You're everything now, right? So So

Well, yeah, pretty much. I mean, I have a team of people that are working with me, but it's an independent team. You're not totally so. Yeah, people tell me their favorite songs and I'm like, mhm. And, you know, which one so there's like there's patterns patterns are emerging.

Interesting. Is it does it surprise you or is it what you thought it was going to be? Are they happy mistakes? Oh, you should do stand-up, actually.

Thank you. I wouldn't do that joke. Uh, yes. Yeah, I am surprised, actually. Cuz the ones that I was like, oh, that's a shoo-in single. There you go. That's a hint.

Yeah.

Well, and and they say they like that one, too. Yeah. But there's just I guess ones that I thought maybe were too message-y are actually standing out to be like people really like them. You know what I mean?

I've never heard that term either, message-y.

Well, cuz, look, I there's happy mistakes, for instance, the title song has a message. And if you listen to the song, you'll get it. But I wanted to I wanted to write it in a way that wasn't like, you know, you should think more positive because, you know, like we don't need anyone preaching to us, you know? So it's like it I guess it's not too preachy. Everyone seems to really like it.

Right. Do you you must have a favorite? I know people I really like that one. You do. That's your favorite song on the album?

Probably. That one has Honestly, like, I'm a sucker for uh, the instruments used in certain songs and like happy mistakes, I have this Hofner bass that I I got a long time ago that sounds amazing. It's like the one Paul McCartney plays. And when I produced the song, I used that bass. So now, like, for me, nobody else knows that. But for me, when I hear the song, I'm like, man, that bass is heavy. And I know that like I did it. You know, so it's like.

Right. I know I saw something. Was it your Twitter or something you were talking about? I'm means on the hunt for the perfect sound now.

Yes.

Cuz you're sort of like when you're on your tour that you're going on, you want to hit that perfect, I guess, acoustically or whatever it is.

I want the show to be awesome sounding. And and I'll tell you that like my goal to getting there is like I bought my own mixing board for front of house. So that it's always the same thing. And I've I got all the I brought the drum microphones. Like things you don't even like there's eight microphones on a drum kit. And like I was very specific about which ones. And then I I ordered custom cords so that everything is going through the same cord. And it sounds really like nerdy and stuff.

But No, it sounds like a real musician talking. He actually knows what he's talking about. Which is good.

I have I have this dream of like opening a I want to have a venue one day and just make it acoustically awesome. Like. And just have different artists come in.

Yeah, and not like a an arena. Like I want to have like a uh not Troubadour size, but like a small theater that's like epic sounding. So, who would be your first artist? Would it be Khuan, what do you mean? I don't know why Khuan. I don't know why. Exactly. Khuan is. Can you say Khuan is like five times? Khuan is. Tingo la camisa negra. Um.

I always for some reason say Foo Fighters. I feel like Foo Fighters would appreciate being in an acoustically tuned place. I don't know.

Do you think that is achievable? Do you think the perfect or or is it one of those things you'll be like, no, it's not good enough yet. I still have to work.

Well, it's gonna be as good as it's gonna get. And it's gonna be a mix between a proper rock venue and like a theater cuz I played at a theater recently that had beautiful wooden sound baffling and it was like where a symphony would play, basically. Yeah. And there's a great acoustic capabilities to that. But there also is it's missing certain things like a rock venue has, right? So you want to mix the two and have like an awesome sounding place, but a place that's really cool and the VIP section has to be cool but not overzealous and like all those kind of things, you know?

You're an entrepreneur these days.

I sure. I like the title. That's cool.

So not that I'm not embarrassing you enough. Let's talk about your tats. Your back tats.

Sure.

You have been showing them off lately. My tats. Yes. Your tats. Um, yeah. Well, I I on Huffington Post of all things, I lifted up my shirt on Huffington Post. So, listen, if you're gonna lift up your shirt on Huffington Post, what are you gonna do at Young Hollywood?

Oh, man. That sounds like a lot of pressure. Maybe I should get a tattoo here.

Ooh, would you would you put our logo? On your body?

You know, I think I might I might do my due diligence on that one, actually, and think about it.

You've been here so many times. You practically own the place. Yep. You could just, you know.

I'll tell you what, the tattoo artist that I really like is a traveling guy. And he might be up for doing a tattoo being filmed.

On Young Hollywood?

On Young Hollywood. Whoa. This is your next visit. I mean, call me crazy, but that sounds like a cool thing.

So you would do it?

Yeah. I mean, it's not graphic or anything. It's You don't squeal and scream and It's painful, but I mean, there's you can imagine it's not that painful. There's so many people with tattoos. Obviously, it's not the most excruciating thing on on Earth.

I know people always ask you about who your celebrity crushes are and things like that. And and I would normally not bring it up, and you said Lucy Hale at one point, and then she tweeted today, you retweeted it. Yeah. She said something like the first like guy who I went on my first date ever with released an album today. So you were her first date ever?

First date. I was probably my first date, too.

Was it really?

First proper date. I mean, we went horseback riding.

Wow, was that was that your idea?

Yeah.

Smooth. True. Was there a kiss?

No.

Okay. I was like I was I think I was 13. I think I was hoping for one. You're old enough. But you were a gentleman or you were just shy or

Of course, it was a gentleman. Come on. Chivalry is not dead.

No, I think girls love that. There's no such thing as too much attention. I hope it's flattering. I mean, you know, I think she's a cool chick and everything. I mean, you caught her off, right? I think I'd be happy if I were her.

Well, yeah. I mean, I gave you a couple compliments earlier.

You did. And you said thank you, which is I that's so nice. People don't know how to say thank you anymore. Can we talk about your beard?

Sure.

You said in an interview something about Jared Leto that like someone asked you about whose style you like as dude and you said Jared Leto kind of has cool style.

Yeah, didn't I say but with the exception of he goes total robe sometimes.

He goes total robe. Yeah, yeah, he goes a lot. He goes full robe. Which is fine. You can only be Jared Leto and go for. You want to know what he was I what actually was really funny, what he was wearing at Coachella this last one? I saw him walk by a couple times. Huge, overly large Hawaiian shirt with with like shorts, like jorts, and um like a shirt wrapped around his waist and stuff.

You're teaching me so many new words here today.

Jean shorts. Jorts.

I love it. Come on. To take you out. To take you out, not take you out.

When? When?

the interview.

I'm only here for one more day, though. Oh gosh. Yeah. Sorry.

Hey, yeah. This interview was going so well. It wasn't a joke. All right. Go get happy mistakes. I don't know. This might have been a happy mistake or my

Oh, it always is.

I'm gonna go out with a compliment. You can just say thank you. That's how you keep your skin looking so good. Exactly. Thank you. You don't And don't irritate it. Hydrate your skin, guys. Lesson you just learned here. Pick up some moisturizer and happy mistakes while you're at it. It sounds so crazy. So bad right now. Just go get the CD because it's awesome. Forget the moisturizer.

Yeah, leave that at home.