Portugal. The Man has been enjoying a robust return to live music. On the heels of a welcome back tour with Alt-J, the band has continued to play live shows and will continue to do so through the fall, all while supporting their latest record release.
Jason Sechrist, the band’s esteemed drummer, and Kyle O’Quin, the group’s keyboardist, hopped on a call with High Times earlier this spring to chat more about their passion for cannabis, their musical trajectories, and the creative inner workings behind the Grammy award-winning band’s upcoming new album.
High Times: Starting from childhood, did you guys always know you wanted to be musicians?
Jason Sechrist: Music seemed to be everything to me. It was just kind of this thing. I would take pencils and pens and bang them on books and pots and pans when I was six years old. Fast forward to the ‘90s, and I got my own drum kit, and [then things continued on from there].
Kyle O’Quin: I started playing classical music at age six. I remember I learned how to read music when I learned how to read English. I’ve never understood not being able to read music. It’s like being bilingual.
High Times: So music was a “way of life” for you both.
Jason Sechrist: My parents did a good job of raising us on pretty good tunes. I listened to David Bowie, Yes, Pink Floyd—all the “greats” of that era. But when it came to pot, I wasn’t a stoner until a little ways back.
I dabbled in it in the teenage years, but for some reason, man, where I was growing up and the people I was hanging out with… It was always a bad trip for me.
High …
Read More
Author: Stephen Laddin / High Times
