Lanar “Kern” Brantley

On Tour with Destiny's Child

By Greg Rule

When it comes to touring, the MD is more like the MVP. The Music Director is the person who hires the players, arranges the music, leads the rehearsals, and guides the band from opening night to final curtain. From today‟s touring crop, few leaders possess the grace-under-pressure skills of Lanar Brantley, a.k.a. Kern. For well over a decade Kern has been laying down solid, deep-pocketed bass and serving as MD for a cavalcade of top stars, most recently for Beyoncé and now for Destiny‟s Child, whose current world tour is blanketing Japan, Australia, Europe, North America, and more. “It‟s looking like there will be over 70 shows,” Kern tells us. “We‟ll be out for at least six months. Should be fun. This tour is particularly exciting; we did Beyonce‟s solo tour last year and did a live DVD, and this year we‟re planning for a live DVD as well.”

TOUR PREP

To deliver the type of show that fans demand, Kern was tasked with recreating the sounds and signature parts from Destiny‟s Child‟s records “as closely as possible,” he explains. “The fans want to hear something that sounds like the record — they want to hear those familiar sounds and parts. But, actually, what I‟ve tried to do is find sounds that are a little bit bigger for the live shows, because some of the things they used in the studio don‟t necessarily translate to big arenas.” And that‟s where Roland and BOSS instruments have proven effective for Kern and his bandmates. (More info on the band below.)

V-SYNTH BASS

Onstage with Destiny‟s Child, Kern not only holds down the traditional electric-bass duties, he also plays synth bass. His instrument of choice? “The V-Synth. It‟s such an interesting keyboard. When I first saw one at Guitar Center in Detroit, I loved the fact that it‟s such a hands-on instrument. I like being able to program it from the front panel without having to go into a bunch of menus, and I love using the D Beam to change the sounds onstage.” In creating his synth-bass patches for the tour, Kern would often start “with a kick-drum sound, and build it up from there.” Kern routes the V-Synth through a 1x15 bass amp onstage, with supplemental reference audio coming from a pair of wedges. “I treat the V-Synth like it‟s a bass with keys,” he explains. “It goes through the same rig that my regular bass would.” Strap on a seatbelt. Some of his V-Synth sounds are guaranteed to rattle the rafters.

And not just for bass tones, Kern‟s V-Synth is used in other capacities during the show. “I‟m playing flutes on some stuff,” he says, “as well as some sound effects. There‟s a sound called „Broken HAL‟ that I use for the elevator rises. That‟s another thing I love about the V-Synth — it has stock sounds already in it that are show-worthy: openers, intros, interludes, sound effects, drum sounds. It‟s great to have a keyboard that‟s so versatile.”

Having great tone is only part of the picture. “For synth bass, I feel that you shouldn‟t approach it like a keyboard player,” he advises, “but more like a bass player. The way you phrase, the way you make it breathe. . . . My brother [Valdez Brantley] is a keyboard player, and he approaches synth bass more like a pianist, with fast runs and right-hand stuff happening. My approach is more from a bass player‟s perspective, so I‟m thinking more about the groove, making it bounce, and putting the slides in the right places. Another important thing to think about. . . . If you‟re a bass player who doesn‟t play keyboard bass, you‟re cutting yourself out of a lot of work. A lot of these records nowadays have heavy synth bass.” Kern is in the process of producing an instructional DVD for synth bass players, so stay tuned.

BOSS BASS

In Kern‟s electric bass rig is a BOSS OC-3 Super Octave, a TU-2 Tuner, and the CE-5 Chorus Ensemble. “I prefer the chorus designed for guitars, not basses,” he reveals. “For me, it‟s a little brighter, and cuts through the mix better.”

LAY LOW

Kern offers some sage advice for bassists who are playing large venues: “Keep it simple and solid. I don‟t like to play too many notes in these big venues — not a lot of fancy tricks, just heavy and solid.” Kern stretches on his jazz gigs, such as on previous tours with Earl Klugh and Grover Washington, Jr., “but for my R&B gigs with R. Kelly, Mary J. Blige, Puff Daddy, and Destiny‟s Child, for example, I take more of a foundation/support role with the bass, and leave room for the other guys to play.” Coming from a bassist who can burn with the best, Kern‟s unselfishness and “play for the song” attitude is one of the reasons he‟s remained in such high demand.

IN GOOD COMPANY

One of Kern‟s tips for keeping the show running smoothly is “to select the best musicians available. I admire Quincy Jones, and one thing I‟ve noticed about him is that he surrounds himself with the most talented guys, like Greg Phillinganes and Ricky Lawson, and lets them do their thing. Quincy keeps the discipline and order, but at the same time he allows the players enough room to be creative. So for me, if somebody comes up with a hot lick, a nice chord, or an embellishment that will work in the arrangement, then I‟ll most likely go with it.”

When it comes to constructing medleys, Kern starts with a roadmap. “I‟ll make a list of the songs, and what key each song is in, and then find the pivot chords to weave them together. What I like about Beyoncé is that she knows exactly what she wants. She might say, „Give me the chorus, the

bridge, then out and into the next song.‟ It makes my job that much easier, ‟cause I don‟t have to play a guessing game.”

OPEN AIR

The norm for most modern tours is to use in-ear monitors, but Kern and crew prefer to use open-air wedges for a more organic onstage environment. “A lot of that comes from my experience back in the day playing in church,” says Kern. “I grew up in Detroit in a gospel atmosphere where you were always surrounded by great instrumentalists in church, and you had to be able to hear each other and almost „grab‟ that sound live in the room.” Kern also credits his church-playing upbringing for his quick reflexes, musically speaking. “In church, you have to be ready for anything. You don‟t know what key they may start a song in — any key, any tempo.”

______Inte rview related playing with Lady GaGa

Bass player and keyboardist Lana „Kern‟ Brantley has played with some of the biggest names in music, including Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige and Destiny‟s Child. But there‟s no bigger tour in pop music right now than Lady Gaga‟s Monster‟s Ball tour, which features Gaga‟s chart-topping music and eye- popping visual effects. In the midst of music and mayhem, Kern holds down the tunes‟ low end, via his Steinberger Synapse bass.

The bassist recently took advantage of some rare downtime to discuss how he got hired by Gaga, navigating the stage show‟s effects and why his Steinberger is the perfect instrument for this tour.

Musically, what made you want to be part of Lady Gaga‟s tour?

Gaga plays piano and keyboards in the show, so this tour gives me an opportunity to play pop and rock music with such a great musician.

How did you get the job? Did you have to audition?

I first auditioned in New York for musical director Joe Wilson and then auditioned for Gaga a few days later in Weehawken, New Jersey.

You‟ve worked with some of the biggest stars in the world – Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Ne-Yo, among others. How is working with Lady Gaga different from the tours you‟ve been on in the past?

On this tour, the band is a featured part of the show. We are all on wireless units and move about on stage. With most tours, the band is in the background dressed in all black with low lighting.

This is a pretty spectacle-laden show. What kind of challenges do you face, playing amidst all the “special effects”? Do you have to make sure that you‟re not standing too close to pyro or moving set pieces?

On this show there are a lot of moving props and set changes, elevators, pyro, etc. You must stay focused and alert when on the stage and be aware of your movement and staging at all times

Is this the most elaborate show you‟ve ever been part of?

This is a very elaborate production. Also, when I worked as music director with the Destiny‟s Child tour, they had a waterfall on stage and motorized riser. It was pretty cool.

You‟re playing a Steinberger Synapse XS-15FPA on this tour. What do you like about that instrument? What do you like about the sound?

What I like most about this instrument is that it looks very cool on stage and the sound is solid and punchy. I like the tone for the round, rock and roll feel, with a very big and even, low-end sound.

Why do you think it‟s a good fit for Lady Gaga‟s music?

I think it fits this tour because the body design is cool and it sounds good. It‟s a fun bass to play. When I‟m playing keyboard bass, the Steinberger doesn‟t get in the way.

Have you played Steinbergers before? What first attracted you to them?

This is my first time playing Steinberger basses but I always was attracted to the body design and the weight of the bass. I saw some reggae artist using it.

Do you have a “dream artist” that you‟d love to work with?

My dream artist was to work with the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson, but I also would love to work with Sting or as a late night TV show musical director.

You‟re certainly busy (Lady Gaga‟s Monster‟s Ball tour continues through April 30, 2011), but do you have plans to work on any other projects in the coming year?

Yes, I plan to work with hip-hop artist Young Jeezy on dates soon, as well as an instructional DVD on hip-hop bass and bass keyboards.

Youtube links http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njVfvvZFLFM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiK6KUGR4hc&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYhOOnedNOk&feature=related