CATCH UP'S WITH KYLE LIONHART

CATCH UP'S WITH KYLE LIONHART

1. At what age did you start surfing? And tell us about your first surfing & surfboard memory? 

I was 13, I’d packed my body board and flippers to go stay the night at a friends house in Burringbar. When I got there I met his Dad “Jim” his dad was a was an old school surf fanatic, I'm pretty sure he used to shape and paint Maddog boards. Anyway's the little cheeky digs at my “Shark Biscuit” escalated through the evening as he sank more beers until eventually, he asked me to come with him down to his shed, he pulled up the roller door to reveal wall to wall of boards he’d shaped and handed me (from memory) this 5’10, pintail  thruster with fixed fins and said “no ones putting an “Esky Lid” into my car haha”. We got up early the next morning and headed down to Cabarita beach where I spent my first day standing up on waves & remember seeing him on the shoulder giving me shakas and looking genuinely stoked for me. At the end of the day when my mum came to pick me up, he told me to go grab the board I was surfing and put it in Mums car. I didn't get a new board until I was about 17.

2. And the guitar/singing?

I started playing the guitar around the age of 14 or 15, my main motivation was to get girls. My earliest memories of playing guitar to other people were me bringing it to parties (yeah I was that guy) sitting around the fire and playing Jack Johnson, Ben Harper & Donovan Frankenreiter covers.

3. Your go-to pre & post surf tunes on your playlist?

I've usually got my boys (7 & 5) with me and our little pre-surf ritual is either ‘Surfing USA’ ‘The Beach Boys’ or ‘Come Together’ ‘The Beatles’  then post surf lately its been ‘Billie Eilish’.

4. Your ultimate surfboard?

I like an all-rounder board, something with a little more volume than I would usually surf, thruster set up something like  Emery’s ‘Tiny Terror’. Shop Tiny Terror

5. All-time favourite gig venue to date?

A venue called DE OOSTERPOORT in the Netherlands

6. If you were to make a soundtrack for a surfer, which surfer would it be for?

Kelly Slater

7. Favourite all-time surf movie soundtrack?

‘The Endless Summer’, ‘Thicker Than Water”, “September Sessions”  to name a few.

8. Did you always want to be a musician from when you were a grom?

Yes, but pressure from parents and teachers to give it up and get a ”real job” made it very delayed.  

9. What do you get the most out of going for a Surf?

Being present with myself and nature.

10. What’s a day in the life of Kyle when you're at home look like? 

Life gets pretty mundane and grounded (in a good way) when I'm home.  Wake up, meditate, stretches, surf check with my boys, get them ready for school, drop off, sneaky surf, reply to all the emails I've ignored from my manager, try and write a song, pick up kids, take them for a surf, dinner, bed.

11. If you weren’t a musician what would be doing?

Trying to be a musician.

Kyle is kicking off his "So Close" Australian Tour this month. Tour Dates & Tickets >

 

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