Exclusive interview with Ted Kirkpatrick (Tourniquet)

Ted has mastered the art of giving vague answers but those were mostly softball questions.

He doesn't deserve any criticism for making band member changes.  I get tired of those charges against him and other band leaders.

That's the most I've ever seen/heard Ted say about band member changes, though he avoided specifics. Some people don't realize that every band is different in terms of the "balance of power." Sometimes this is even spelled out in legal documents, though I have no knowledge of Tourniquet's arrangement.

Typically, the biggest issue is songwriting. The person(s) who write(s) the music has the most at stake and usually holds the most power, earns the most $$$, etc. Since Vanishing Lessons, Ted has written almost all the songs. On the latest album, he wrote everything. If you read between the lines of his comments, this is his basic point: "I write the songs, so I'll be the main person to decide who performs them." 

Plenty of other bands operate similarly today - Megadeth and Iced Earth are two examples. I think Michael Sweet writes almost everything for Stryper these days and thus has the most "say" in the direction of the band.

Pretty good interview.

Here's a part that interested me the most:
"If we did a show near where Tim lives, he might be up for joining us onstage for a Tourniquet song or two he already knows from Gazing at Medusa, plus we throw in a Judas Priest song or two… Same for Chris Poland – who I know would be into it. Play a song or two from GAM, plus a couple Megadeth songs. Look for this to maybe happen sometime!"






Here's another good audio interview with Aaron Guerra and Les Carlsen. Aaron sounds SUPER likeable guy!
https://starworldwidenetworks.com/episodes/les-carlsen-and-aaron-guerra

Airola wrote:Pretty good interview.

Thanx!

Black Rider wrote:Ted has mastered the art of giving vague answers but those were mostly softball questions.

I don't think his answers were vague.  I think they were terrible.

1.  He compares himself - without any sense of irony or humility - to Mozart.

2.  He completely disregards the value of his former bandmates.

3.  His answer for why there isn't a permanent lead vocalist is wordplay that Bill Clinton would shake his head over.  

I think those answers are pretty clear.

5minutes wrote:

Black Rider wrote:Ted has mastered the art of giving vague answers but those were mostly softball questions.

I don't think his answers were vague.  I think they were terrible.

1.  He compares himself - without any sense of irony or humility - to Mozart.

2.  He completely disregards the value of his former bandmates.

3.  His answer for why there isn't a permanent lead vocalist is wordplay that Bill Clinton would shake his head over.  

I think those answers are pretty clear.

1.  I'll compare myself to Mozart.  We're both human beings.  So what?  Ted in no way said/suggested he was the musical equivalent or any such nonsense.  He was inspired by Mozart and tried to learn from the way that he made music.  More Christian artists should be as teachable and focused on quality.

2.  No he didn't, but I will.  Very few of them hold a candle to Ted's ability.  And this is coming from a guy who isn't even close to being a huge Tourniquet fan.

3.  He answered.  He looked hard but didn't find one, so he settled on studio vocalists as many bands have done in the past.  It's not hard to understand.

You're welcome to your opinions.

5minutes wrote:You're welcome to your opinions.

5 is alive! 

Sabbatharian wrote:

5minutes wrote:You're welcome to your opinions.

5 is alive! 

(Checks pulse...)

48 beats per minute...  yep.  Alive.  Slow, but alive.

Lucid Hysteria made some very valid criticisms.  Ted blocked them. 




Ted's welcome to block whatever and whomever he'd like, but most artists understand that criticism comes with the territory.  To me, his getting rid of comments like these comes across as petty.  But that's just me.

I'm just shocked that TqT is that relevant these days, Ted never seems to have any problem raising big money for a new album.

Sabbatharian wrote:I'm just shocked that TqT is that relevant these days, Ted never seems to have any problem raising big money for a new album.

Especially when there are so many other bands that are doing it better.

I mean - I get the popularity from back in the day.  They were really good and unique - a very big fish in the very small pond of Christian metal.  Over time, they explored their boundaries...  sometimes successfully (Pathogenic)...  sometimes, not so much (Crawl to China).  When they returned to their roots in the early 2000's, I was pleased and  I really liked the next 3 releases.  They were consistently solid players and were producing quality music, and while the members shifted, TQT was still a band with members who can better each other via iron sharpening iron.

Fast forward to 2018.  Another album of decent, if uninspired material.  The band is gone.  If Ted doesn't accept external criticism (a la Jared's comments above), do you think he accepts criticism from the people who are in the band?  I know for a fact that no, he does not.  But fine - whatever.  He wants to put out a solo album, slap the Tourniquet name on it - a la the Tourniquet Ark project, and then make the album with a bunch of hired guns while he promised fans who funded the album that he would hire a new lead singer (he said there would BE a new lead singer...  not that he would look for one).  That's his prerogative.  

But the thing to keep in mind is that TQT's position as a very big fish has diminished.  While there are still plenty of die-hard fanboys for whom Ted can do no wrong, there's a lot of people who can do what he's been doing - if not better - has increased because he's been around long enough to influence them.  Ted's no longer The Greatest Drummer Who Ever Lived® because there are drummers who were influenced by him, who took what they learned from him and grew it even more.  Meanwhile, the fanboys of the 80's and 90's and 2000's have grown up and matured.  They don't care about band wars anymore.  They just want to hear music and enjoy it.  So the number of die-hard fanboys are decreasing.  


How does this affect sales?  Well...   no one knows.  One of the big advantages of self-publishing is that you can maintain the illusion that you're selling a crap-ton of albums using a number of techniques that range from the scarcity principle (we don't have many in stock now...  or there's only going to be a limited number available...  or my favorite that may sound familiar: we just found a few copies laying around that we're going to make available so hurry and act now) to simply not telling anyone what sales look like.  I'd wager, tho, that album sales are down overall.  Hence why Ted likes to use gimmicks like an album full of guest musicians to get the fans excited.  There's nothing wrong with it...  except when you promised those fans that you'd have a full band.


And why doesn't Ted have a full band?  That's a good question.  I mean, it's not that hard to find a musician.  The bass player slot's been open for 10 years.  Now he's gone 3 years without an actual lead singer.  You could easily find a bass player - a good one who could really bring something new to the table - pretty easily.  A singer may be a little more challenging, but it still shouldn't be able to find one, especially if TQT is as big of a shining star as Ted and the fanboys claim it is.  So, why can't he find anyone?  Why did he have to turn to a hired gun for the studio and an old friend for the upcoming live show?


Let that question marinate in your head for a while and I'll wait to see if anyone can answer it.

I really don't care. Never was a big fan, but I have enjoyed most of the albums, CtC being one of my favorites. I did order this one, first one since the Rusty Moth lp. A bit intrigued by Tim on vox as I knew him from the area here long before he got in Priest.  The only beef I've had w/Ted is his hyper animal "rights" agenda that he pushes in his albums, one of the reasons I passed on the last few.

Sorry for my responses in all caps, it's just easier to insert and locate that way. 

Especially when there are so many other bands that are doing it better. YOUR OPINION - COMING FROM SOMEONE (JARED TOO) I HAD TO DELETE AS A FRIEND, BLOCK AND BAN - NOT BECAUSE YOU DISAGREED WITH ME, BUT BECAUSE YOU WERE REPEATEDLY POSTING AS A JERK. BTW - MUSICIANS, COMICS, ACTORS, ARTISTS, PASTORS, ETC. WAY MORE POPULAR THAN TOURNIQUET - BAN, BLOCK, DELETE, ETC. - ALL THE TIME, FOR OBVIOUS REASONS. RE: "SO MANY OTHER BANDS DOING IT BETTER", WE'RE NOT TRYING TO OUTDO ANY OTHER BAND - IT'S NOT A CONTEST. WE'RE JUST BEING TOURNIQUET - AND THERE'S ONLY ONE. WE NEVER STOP HEARING THAT PEOPLE CAN INSTANTLY TELL IT'S TOURNIQUET, EVEN AS WE EXPLORE DIFFERENT SOUNDS... 

I mean - I get the popularity from back in the day.  They were really good and unique - a very big fish in the very small pond of Christian metal.  Over time, they explored their boundaries...  sometimes successfully (Pathogenic)...  sometimes, not so much (Crawl to China).  CRAWL IS NOW ONE OF OUR MOST POPULAR ALBUMS AND PEOPLE HAVE DISCOVERED IT FOR WHAT IT IS. When they returned to their roots in the early 2000's, I was pleased and  I really liked the next 3 releases.  They were consistently solid players and were producing quality music, and while the members shifted, TQT was still a band with members who can better each other via iron sharpening iron. ON THE NEW ALBUM, IRON SHARPENED IRON AS IT ALWAYS DOES ON OUR ALBUMS - NO MATTER WHO'S PLAYING. CHRIS POLAND WAS VERY INSPIRED BY THE MUSIC AND REALLY PUT HIS BEST EFFORT TO MAKE THE SOLOS AWESOME - WHICH THEY ARE. DITTO FOR AARON,TIM, AND DEEN. OF COURSE, YOU WOULD HAVE EXACTLY ZERO INFO ON HOW THE FIVE OF US INTERACTED EXTENSIVELY DURING THE RECORDING PROCESS.  


Fast forward to 2018.  Another album of decent, if uninspired material. HAHA!! AGAIN, YOUR ANGERED, VERY JADED OPINION FROM SOMEONE OUT TO CRITISIZE ME AND TOURNIQUET ANYWHERE YOU CAN GET AN AUDIENCE. MEANWHILE, EVERY SINGLE REVIEW SO FAR SAYS THE TOTAL OPPOSITE. (SEE BOTTOM OF POST) EXCITEMENT HAS NEVER BEEN HIGHER FOR A NEW RELEASE AND PRESALES ARE, BY FAR, THE HIGHEST EVER.   The band is gone. PLEASE REREAD INTERVIEW FOR MY EXTENSIVE THOUGHTS ON THIS.  If Ted doesn't accept external criticism (a la Jared's comments above), do you think he accepts criticism from the people who are in the band?  I know for a fact that no, he does not.  FOR A FACT? LIKE THE INTERVIEW SAID, 5% OF THE FULL PICTURE - AND ALL 5% FROM ONE SIDE. PLUS HUUUGE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN "NOT ACCEPTING CRITICISM" AND ACTING AND POSTING LIKE A TOTAL JERK. I ACCEPT CRITICISM ALL THE TIME FOR MY STANCE ON ANIMAL WELFARE. But fine - whatever.  He wants to put out a solo album, slap the Tourniquet name on it - a la the Tourniquet Ark project, and then make the album with a bunch of hired guns MOSTLY FRIENDS, AND I MADE A FEW NEW ONES - BUT "HIRED GUNS" FITS YOUR CRITICAL MOTIF MUCH BETTER while he promised fans NEVER PROMISED, AS I SAID IN INTERVIEW who funded the album that he would hire a new lead singer (he said there would BE a new lead singer...  not that he would look for one).  That's his prerogative.  

But the thing to keep in mind is that TQT's position as a very big fish has diminished.  While there are still plenty of die-hard fanboys for whom Ted can do no wrong, there's a lot of people who can do what he's been doing - if not better - AGAIN, YOUR OPINION. has increased because he's been around long enough to influence them.  Ted's no longer The Greatest Drummer Who Ever Lived because there are drummers who were influenced by him, who took what they learned from him and grew it even more. UM. OK. JUST FYI, DRUMMING ON NEW ALBUM IS 3X MORE DIFFICULT THAN MANY PREVIOUS TOURNIQUET ALBUMS, INCLUDING STB, PATHOGENIC... I'M ALWAYS THRILLED TO HEAR FROM DRUMMERS RE:THAT.  Meanwhile, the fanboys of the 80's and 90's and 2000's have grown up and matured.  They don't care about band wars anymore.  They just want to hear music and enjoy it.  So the number of die-hard fanboys are decreasing. OH HOW WRONG YOU ARE - BUT I WOULD NEVER USE THE TERM "FANBOY" - AGAIN, FITS YOUR CRITICAL SPIRIT. THERE ARE MORE DEDICATED FANS NOW THAN EVER - BY FAR. AND NEW ONES ALL THE TIME.  


How does this affect sales?  Well...   no one knows.  SIMPLE LESSON FOR YOU: SALES NOW - FOR THE LAST DECADE OR MORE - ARE MEASURED IN UNITS, NOT "STOCK" LIKE SIMPLY CDS OR VINYL, AS DOWNLOADING AND STREAMING ARE SALES, NOT TO MENTION "SALES" FROM YOUTUBE VIEWS. WE MAINTAIN NO ILLUSION AT ALL - BUT OH HOW TACKY IT WOULD BE TO POST STATEMENTS FOR DIGITAL SALES FROM TUNECORE OR CD BABY. WHO DOES THAT? NO ONE WITH ANY CLASS, THAT'S FOR SURE. SO FUNNY THAT YOU AND A VEERRRY FEW OTHER PEOPLE THINK ANY OF THIS IS ANY OF YOUR BUSINESS. IT'S NOT. I THINK ALMOST EVERY FAN REALIZES THAT. TO MAKE A GENERAL STATEMENT OF TOTAL SALES FOR A BIO IS FINE, BUT BEYOND THAT, NOT SO MUCH. One of the big advantages of self-publishing is that you can maintain the illusion that you're selling a crap-ton of albums using a number of techniques that range from the scarcity principle (we don't have many in stock now...  or there's only going to be a limited number available...  or my favorite that may sound familiar: we just found a few copies laying around that we're going to make available so hurry and act now) to simply not telling anyone what sales look like.  I'd wager, tho, that album sales are down overall.  Hence why Ted likes to use gimmicks like an album full of guest musicians to get the fans excited.  AGAIN, TOTAL BITTER CRITICAL VIBE USING THE WORD "GIMMICKS" YOU ARE 100% WRONG ON EVERY LEVEL. REREAD INTERVIEW WITH MY THOUGHTS ON MOZART. There's nothing wrong with it...  except when you promised those fans that you'd have a full band. NEVER PROMISED. PLEASE REREAD INTERVIEW. 

And why doesn't Ted have a full band?  That's a good question.  I mean, it's not that hard to find a musician.  The bass player slot's been open for 10 years.  Now he's gone 3 years without an actual lead singer.  You could easily find a bass player - a good one who could really bring something new to the table - pretty easily.  A singer may be a little more challenging, but it still shouldn't be able to find one, especially if TQT is as big of a shining star as Ted and the fanboys claim it is.  So, why can't he find anyone?  Why did he have to turn to a hired gun for the studio and an old friend for the upcoming live show? YOU'RE PRETTY SURE "I CAN"T" FIND SOMEONE?? HAHA! AGAIN, 5% OF INFO USED TO MAKE YOUR CLAIMS... 

I RARELY RESPOND TO SUCH SILLINESS (INCLUDING JARED'S POST), BUT SINCE IT MAY INFLUENCE OTHERS WITH SO MUCH INCORRECT INFO, I DID - NOT OUT OF DEFENSIVENESS, BUT TO CLEAR UP A FEW GROSS INNACURACIES. NOW BACK TO POSITIVE STUFF. THANKS FOR READING, CMR!  - TED

P.S. - IF YOU'RE INTERESTED, HERE'S THE EARLY REVIEWS ON OUR NEW "DECENT, UNINSPIRED MATERIAL" ENJOY!!

https://heavymthunder.blogspot.com/2018/10/tourniquet-gazing-at-medusa.html
http://www.metal-temple.com/site/catalogues/entry/reviews/cd_3/t_2/tourniquet-gazing-at.htm 
https://conexionrockhn.weebly.com/tourniquet-gazing-at-medusa.html
https://christianmoltenmetalbands.weebly.com/tourniquet-2.html
https://aminoapps.com/c/metal/page/blog/tourniquet-gazing-at-medusa-newalbumreview/KWkC_Mu0r1pMP2NgoBv8mYprvd0XkVJ

Hey Jared, I actually had on my heart for a little while to somehow touch bases with you at some point, intended it to be a private message but now that it has come to this, I have reluctantly decided to do it here.

Unfortunately, criticisms like yours DO reflect on me – as a member of Tourniquet for the past 24 years I am in the heart of all this.  So, am I a mindless puppet, a hired hand, no spine, unable to think for myself through these years in the band?  If I as a fan or outsider read your “thoughts” as truth I might possibly think “Aaron may be worse than Ted – how could he continue in a band or even worse in a friendship with someone this terrible?!?!?!?”

So much you do not know, and do not have a right or need to know, and I would never bad mouth or air dirty laundry in public about any past band member - even if it were speaking the absolute truth.  The details are NO ONES business, and it does the fans a huge disservice when ANYONE speculates, and hurls accusations publicly based on gossip, partial one-sided story, innuendo, how things “appear”, etc.  We have always kept the intimate details to ourselves, for one: it is NOBODY’S BUSINESS, two: airing laundry and the subsequent replies from the other side often makes all parties eventually appear unfavorable, and three: it is not the way mature adults should act in these circumstances.


These facts I will share:

When Ritter was out, ALL band members at that time (4 people) agreed that it was best for the band to move forward without him.

When Mendez and then Macias were gone, again not one band member at that time was against the split.

Lenaire was no different when we parted ways with him, we (3) were all in agreement.

Vince, Steve - just like the others had their own unique reasons/details as to why they are no longer with us – again……NOBODY’S BUSINESS BUT OURS.


There is not and never was a tyrannical dictatorship that hires and fires, pure nonsense and quite sickening to see that just because you think you have connected dots “G” and “L” and “Y” that it somehow makes an accurate picture of something that you then decide to stretch out into a very crazy kind of conspiracy theory.  You have zero clue on all the other dots.  The true picture with ALL dots connected is nowhere even close to your speculative nonsense.  

When we parted ways with Luke it was a long carefully thought out process to get to that decision, and it most definitely was NOT “The almighty Ted with his edict thrown down from the top of mount Kirkpatrick”.  All parties involved agreed to the announcement, half was written by the band and the other half written by Luke - any and all details beyond that are no one’s business but ours.

On another note - look at your STB CD and tell me if any of the "members" listed and photographed were actual Tourniquet members?  Erik Jan James? – NOPE - did not play a note of bass live or in the studio, and Mark Lewis? – NOPE - just did leads on the album, original & amazing one's too. The decision was made to show a "band", to present this new musical group in the best way possible, and to bring in a musician that would GREATLY add to the songs.  Nothing new in the music and arts scene.  The way you see things you should be upset about this so called “hired gun” mentality from the very beginning of Tourniquet!!  Is what we have done over the years with Friedman, Franklin, Poland, Ripper, all guests on OTF really any different?
 
Please rethink your actions on posting about this subject.  Accept the fact that you do not have nor are you entitled to know all the details of the inner workings of Tourniquet, and therefore should stop your false public narratives.  Also realize that this kind of thing happens way too much – negativity and bashing without the full story – and then do something about it!

Aaron

This is one of my favorite Tourniquet releases! Subject change I know but I can't stop listening to it!

OK...   Let's talk about marketing for a moment.  

Let's say you have a company called "Our Band" and your company produces a product called "Our Latest Album".  You put work into it and put it out and expect the market to adore your product.  However, reality comes along and slaps you with a cold fish as some of your fans aren't fans of your latest product and have disagreements with how you run your organization.  

Now, from a marketing and management point of view, you have a few options.  

Option 1: You can listen and adapt.  Some companies choose this route.  Their customers complain about the quality of their product and those companies listen to their customers and discover that there may be correctable issues.  And so, they make adjustments.  A good example here would be Domino's Pizza, who listened to their customers complaints about their pizza and made adjustments to their long-established sauce and crust recipe to compete in the modern market.  As a result, their market value soared from $150 million in 2010 (down from just over $1 B prior to the recession) to over $12.5 B in recent years.  This is called "good marketing".  It's a gamble, but more often than not, listening to your customers pays off.

Option 2: You could ignore it.  Basically, someone comes along and criticizes your product and you simply don't respond.  You let your product stand on its own.  While the potential downside is that your company ends up looking a bit snobbish, this approach shows you have confidence in your company, your product, and your abilities.  You don't let a few vocal detractors get in your way.  They're welcome to their opinions and to go find another product. A good example of this kind of approach is Apple.  Apple rarely responds to criticism because they are focused on what they are doing, with faith that their product adopters will come along for whatever ride they take them on.  Products that fail just kinda go down the memory hole and are forgotten - or they take the things that did work and then use those things to build new products (e.g. the Apple Newton which eventually became the iOS device product line).  

Option 3: You attack.  You go on a diatribe about how your customers who are complaining don't know anything, don't understand your greatness, and how you are fully justified in giving them the middle finger.  You take every bit of criticism personally, presume emotions and motivations about those customers, and coordinate with your employees on ways that you can scratch that nerve that someone just touched.  Finally you try to game the system to ensure that those complainers are unable to voice their complaints in your presence.  

I can tell you that this approach is not one I'd recommend.  It tends to backfire pretty badly and your company comes across as petty, vindictive, and generally unpleasant.  A good example here would be Amy's Baking Company, who notoriously attacked anyone who left negative reviews about them on social media after their hateful behavior was shown on national TV.  Where's Amy's today?  Closed.  Not even hiring a nationally-recognized public relations firm could save her butt.  

In the future, I'd suggest you do some research before responding to negative customer complaints.  It may help your brand image.  Here are a few website to help you in that regard.

https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/how-should-you-respond-to-negative-online-reviews/

https://www.helpscout.net/helpu/customer-complaints/

https://www.upyourservice.com/blog/say-what-five-quick-scripts-for-responding-to-customer-complaints

5minutes wrote:OK...   Let's talk about marketing for a moment.  

In the future, I'd suggest you do some research before responding to negative customer complaints.  It may help your brand image.  Here are a few website to help you in that regard.

https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/how-should-you-respond-to-negative-online-reviews/

https://www.helpscout.net/helpu/customer-complaints/

https://www.upyourservice.com/blog/say-what-five-quick-scripts-for-responding-to-customer-complaints

Really, dude? You post multiple critical "attacks" toward people, even mustering posts from other people to try to sharpen the blows, and then this is your response? To claim that Ted and/or Aaron are "attacking" their customers in their response to criticism is preposterous, and I can't imagine that you actually believe that's what's going on here.

Frankly, I'm surprised that Ted and Aaron have been as reserved in their responses as they've been. They're more gracious than I'd be in their position.

You're welcome to your opinion.

I've had my questions but I figure it's between the people involved so I don't get too worked up about it. Too much crap in the world to get my undies so twisted I get as nasty as you have 5. 
Thanks to Ted and Aaron for their measured responses.

And you're also welcome to your opinion.

5 minutes has never released an album or never tried to hold a band together for any amount of time that it takes to actually do something.  Despite any of that relevant experience, he is highly opinionated about a topic he knows virtually nothing about and is convinced that Ted had only the most sinister motivations with his lineup changes and interview responses.

His assessment of the talent of past Tourniquet members and opinions about music in general are laughable and largely fact-free.

And as with the others, you are welcome to your opinion.  Also - your opinion is completely wrong.