Carrying the Torch of 1960s and 70s Rock n Roll with Zenith
Interview ★ Kenzie Gay ★ @kenzwrites ★ 1k Words
“Real rock music is from the heart and the soul. It isn’t something you can type into a computer and make for yourself” says Kaiya Morgan, the lead singer and frontwoman of Zenith, a rock group from Pottsville, Pennsylvania. Aside from Kaiya, the young band is derived of rhythm guitarist Jace Morgan, bassist Dakota Blankenhorn, lead guitarist Dominic McGee, and drummer Kyle Lipp.
The five piece has marketed themselves as “psyched out” and “blues driven” with a vibe and style comparable to the rock revolution of the 1960s and 1970s. As they prepare for their first formal release (TBD), they sat down to answer some insightful questions regarding the music, the journey, and the future of rock as we know it.
Zenith members (left) and Kaiya Morgan (right) via Tristan Reiser
You’ve been quoted as crediting the likes of Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Grand Funk Railroad, and The Allman Brothers Band as heavy inspirations. Who are some others including some that many wouldn’t expect?
We draw heavy inspirations from more psychedelic sounds like Jefferson Airplane and bluesy sounds like Janis Joplin. We also love Funkadelic and Parliament and many other 70’s funk bands, and we draw inspiration from them as well. Kaiya sites a lot of her singing inspirations from soul music, people like Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone, Roberta Flack, Carole King, and Etta James.
What do you aim to do with your music whether it be the covers you perform or the originals you’re working on?
With the covers we play, we want to expose the world to the music that we love. Classic rock music has been on the decline in recent years and we want to bring that sound back, and especially get people our age listening to the music we love. With our original music, we really aim to channel the sounds of the 60’s and 70’s but in our own unique way. We don’t want to just copy the music that’s already been done, but that’s where we draw our inspiration from to create something that’s completely our own.
Can you carry us through some trials and tribulations you’ve experienced as a band that is more diverse (women, POC, etc.) than the stereotypical rock band portrayed in the media?
The rock revival that’s happening now is dominated by young white men, there’s no doubt about it. Having a female lead singer does present challenges in the way of receiving comments at shows. Regarding our lead singer, Kaiya, there is no shortage of overt sexualization that is done to her at our shows. This being done usually in the form of comments just from older male patrons, and even comments online from the same demographic. Dominic has received a lot of racial profiling and racial stereotypes from people as well, being that the area we are from is very conservative and right-leaning. He’ll often receive comments like “you’re a black version of (insert white guitarist here)” and other racial stereotypes.
To the naked eye, it’s clear you take style inspirations from the 1970s and 60s eras of fashion. Are there any particular people, movements, magazines, or even designers that influence your wardrobes?
Kaiya sites a lot of her fashion inspiration from rock n’ roll women such as Stevie Nicks, Janis Joplin, and Grace Slick. We are all definitely inspired by the late 60’s Woodstock, and the Summer of Love movement as well as the early 70’s rock styles similar to Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Grand Funk Railroad. The mixture of being laid back and also having flashy elements is intriguing and fun to play with, and we really all lean into the 60’s element of our outfits being eclectic.
What are your thoughts on the ongoing debate of AI and its place in art, specifically music?
Regarding music creation and songwriting, we feel that AI has no place in the matter, and it shouldn’t at all. Rock music, real rock music is from the heart and the soul. It isn’t something you can type into a computer and make for you. It’s something you have to really feel, something you want to convey- a story, a feeling, an emotion, etc. AI devolves all meaning from that entirely, and gives you something generic. Ones and zeroes can’t replicate human thoughts, emotions and experiences and turn it into something that really reaches people and connects to them the way music should.
You recently performed at the Pottsville Film Festival. Can you walk us through that experience and perhaps discuss how film/movies/tv impacts you and your work?
The Film Festival was such a surreal experience. Having the privilege to play that event was such an honor, being that it is the first time our town has done that event, it was amazing to be a part of that. Plus being in the same room as Dan Grimaldi and Artie Pasquale from The Sopranos was insane! We were very honored and had such a great time.
Definitely music biopics and films like Almost Famous inspire us to the life we want to lead and watching old concerts on YouTube and other streaming services inspire us musically and our stage presence as well.
Who are some fellow modern rock acts that push you to be better musicians everyday?
Modern rock acts such as Marcus King, Greta Van Fleet, Sweet Desire, and The Velvet Daydream inspire us greatly.
As a band of musicians who weren’t alive during rock n roll’s prime in the 1970s, what is your perspective on the genre and how it’s going/changing?
We all feel that rock music is having a comeback. We think Greta Van Fleet is really the most recent example of a rock and roll band that really pushed that authentic 70’s sound and feeling into the mainstream again. Rock is definitely changing in terms of its sound and it’s more about what is catchy and playable for the mainstream, and what will get you views on social media especially. We just hope to be carrying the torch in some way to keep it going and bring rock music back in our own way.
What can fans old and new expect from you guys this coming Summer and beyond?
We are working on original music and have our first original “Silver Door” mastered. We hope to release it in the near future. We have more music on the way, as well as many gigs lined up for the remainder of the year. We hope to have an album out by this time next year, some merch as well, and just continue to travel to neighboring states and beyond to share our music with the world.
