Along with some guy named Jack Black, Tenacious D’s Kyle Gass has given the world musical treasures like “Inward Singing” and “Cock Pushups.” Gass has also spent the last eight years praising the rock gods with with his other band, Trainwreck. The five-man act does rock and roll with Skynard flair and, duh, a comedic twist. Trainwreck’s first album, The Wreckoning, was released in December.

Calling from Sherman Oaks, CA, Gass talked with Stranger Dance about his fondness for flute solos, distaste for M.I.A and plot to create a Trainwreck nation.

Stranger Dance: Trainwreck’s John Shredman [guitarist John Konesky] said ‘the situation with Trainwreck was never going to result in a completed record.’ What was that situation and how did it resolve itself?
Kyle Gass: Wow, you just go right to the dirt. We had the producer of the Tenacious D record, a friend of mine, and we were working on it for a long time, but it was kind of that side project…because we were playing gigs. And then it just sort of went on for a long time… and we just thought ‘well, let’s just start over and do it ourselves.’

It had taken so long with actual personnel changes and the like and we had new songs and we didn’t like some of the old songs so we just started fresh and just decided to take the bull by the horns and do it ourselves, in that Ani DiFranco spirit. And then we just did it. We new we’d finish it if we just did it ourselves.

SD: You guys have been together for eight years.
KG: I think so. We’ve been through a lot of changes. When we started it was just me and JR who plays Lee in the Tenacious D show, when we used to do TV shows. He’s and old friend, so it was just me and JR and then we kind of moved into a more full rock band, kind of the full lineup, and hooked up with these guys in Columbus, Ohio, very talented guys that now play behind us for Tenacious D if we’re  playing stadiums or something like that. We play big venues and we wanted a whole band onstage. We’ve been together a long time. This is our first album. We work slow.

SD: Was it always your intention to record an album?
KG: Yeah. I think we always wanted to. I think probably every band wants to. I think it makes it seem kind of more official, kind of more rea. Just yesterday I signed a deal with online Ioda. They’re kind of the newfangled record company only they don’t deal with hardcopy CDs anymore, it’s just kind of an online thing. So it’s good. So we’re going to be available on there. And I just want to say go to www.twreck.net to get the full story, for all you computer people

SD: Who is Trainwreck’s primary audience?
KG: I think Trainwreck’s primary audience is people alienated by electronic music. I think people that like their music real, based on real guitars and old-style amplifiers, but also like the music and the presentation with a comic smile, if you will. I think anyone who enjoys having a good time. So I guess that covers everybody. No. I think though probably not everybody. But, yeah, I think it’s a pretty good cross section. It’s almost like a classic rock kind of vibe, a sprinkling of country, a little rockabilly, some really good dancing, with tasty guitar solos. I like to call it a train wreck of genres, really. That was kind of the original idea of Trainwreck. Do a little pop, a little rock, a little of this, a little of that.

SD: Who would you cite as your main influences and who would you be most honored to be compared to?
KG: Wow. I’d say The Band, the old Robbie Robertson outfit. I think with a sense of humor we could kind of be in that ilk. And it has kind of a Lynard Skynard vibe and also kind of a Tenacious D vibe going on as well. In fact, I’d be honored if we were compared to Tenacious D, but way more successful.

SD: Are there differences between your studio sound and the live show?
KG: Yeah. In the studio we’re all playing really in tune, really well. And live, you never know. We kept it pretty real in the studio though. We captured the live sound. We kick it out pretty good. I actually think that our strength might be the live show, because it’s pretty high energy, and a lot of times there’s some really funny banter coming out of my mouth, especially. You just never know what my character Klip Calhoun is going say next

SD: What does your Trainwreck alter ego Klip Calhoun bring, and why choose that name?
KG: Klip Calhoun I don’t know where it came from. I think Klip reminded me kind of an easy-going, fun-loving guy. Klip’s just a tremendous individual. He’s kind of the leader of the band, but he’s kind of a mascot too. A lot of times he doesn’t do much, but he’s kind of the ringleader of the party.

Also, Klip’s been playing a lot of flute, so we’re kind of getting a Jethro Tull vibe — we’re getting some Tull in there. And it just so happens that I’m an almost-virtuoso flute player. And I don’t use it on all the songs, because you don’t want that much flute, but we have a couple of mystical explorations, like in “Rock Bolder Mountain.” It’s kind of an epic jam, and there’s some pretty awesome flute playing on it. It’s an alternate universe, that Trainwreck lives in, so everyone has a character. It’s like a comic book come to life. It’s probably the most entertaining show you’re likely to see ever.

SD: You’re from outside SF and you live in LA. Do you take part in the rivalry between the cities?
KG: Here’s how it works: people from San Francisco hate Los Angeles, and in Los Angeles nobody knows that northern California exists. So it’s not a real rivalry. People in LA just live in their own little world and don’t even realize there’s an outside world. But the Bay Area they’re all about hating Los Angeles thinking that it’s hedonistic, shallow, smog ridden. People in the Bay area, they like the fine wines. You know what I’m talking about.

SD: Could you pick one if you had to?
KG: Since we’re touring the Bay area, I’m going to pick the Bay area. It’s really the greatest place on Earth.

SD: You were there in August for Outside Lands. What was that like?
KG: It was really cold; it was really fun though, and it was a really nice, big crowd, although we were filling in for the Beastie Boys, so the pressure was on. Everyone loves them, and they’re a huge act. Adam Yauch got ill and couldn’t do it, and so we were the replacement. So there was bound to be a backlash. I made the mistake of reading some of the blogs and people were not happy with us. I think we rose to the occasion. In fact the opener, M.I.A., she was not happy at all with the replacement, and she let it be known. It was kind of a little battle.

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