SC:What artists do you feel influenced you while you were making Two? This does not have to be specific to musicians either.
K: Any influences were subconscious for sure. I was in an uncomfortable position career wise while trying to sort out the root of my pursuits. I was exploring my frustrations and disgust with our culture, wrestling with the uncertainty that my feelings were warranted.
But, not everything on “Two” is completely factual. For instance, “What Have I Done With My Life”, there’s the whole 2nd half of the song that’s a downer about a breakup. Never happened. I had finished the first half of the song, my girlfriend approved, then I had the idea for the 2nd half. After writing it and playing for her, she said, “What the hell? That never happened.” Sometimes a song is just a song.
The idea to take it that direction, I thought, was completely unexpected, and that’s what excited me. I thought it was a cool idea.
I like surprises. Growing up, I’d mix my food in a bowl. Disgusting to most? Sure. But for me, it was like a fun game not knowing what I was going to taste. Even simple things like pie and ice cream. It’s fun when you think you have a bite of pie, but then realize there was a bit of ice cream under it and freezes your tongue.
SC: Two is my favorite record released in 2011 in any musical genre. What do you believe is the most influential record of 2011 thus far? Personal favorite? Guilty pleasure?
K: Wow, thanks! I’ve been really into The Mountain Goats new record.
SC: What are your thoughts on musicians’ control of their own promotion via the Internet?
K: The whole topic makes me want to barf in my mouth. Promo shmomo.
SC: Do you feel that record companies are still necessary? Do you think they will continue or will they crumble under the tide of technology?
K: It’s a case by case, and could care less if they succeed or fail. Obviously they’re not needed to make recordings and release them anymore.
SC: Many of the lyrics in Two appear to hint at frustrations with musicians and specific music scenes. Are you frustrated as an artist? If so, explain.
K: I grew up in Indiana mostly, where everything felt homogeneous. It made me feel claustrophobic, so I tend not to gravitate towards any one particular scene because they all feel a bit cult like to me. A strange dance between the insecure and arrogant and arrogantly masked insecure.
More so than a musician, I would say I am a frustrated as a U.S. citizen. Things like lack of universal health care and the greedy business practices of the top income bracket are what get me going.
That’s what I was loosely getting at with “We Don’t Need a Crowd”…to rob a banker back…while the other is thiefing a few ceo o o o o o o…
SC: “New Addiction” is one of the more insightful tracks I’ve heard discussing one’s social networking/online lives. What’s your take on the rise of social networking? What do you believe are the benefits (if any) or and drawbacks (if any)?
K: I love being able to keep up with far away friends and family, and the ease and real time of it all.
The drawback being it has really proved how self involved we all really are. The mundane things people tweet or post regularly, just confuses me. Do that many people really think the rest of the world is watching? Let alone care? It paints a picture of a very frail and malleable world to me.
But it’s all also new for us. We’ll grow used to it, and handle it maturely in time. But right now, we’re just a bunch of kids who got a brand new exciting toy and we can’t put down.
SC: You have already collaborated with the likes of Drums of Death, Starkey, and Yo! Majesty’s Shunda K, among numerous others. Have you got any new collaborations on the horizon?
K:Well, here’s the real world effect of the industry on my music. There’s no middle class musician, and since there’s no money for musicians like me, we have to get full time jobs.
I have very little time left over for music these days, so in order to continue my own artistic pursuits, it’s the collabs that I’ve really had to let go of.
SC:Are there any artists with whom you’d like to collaborate that you’ve not already?
K: Way too many to mention; and, probably, none of which will happen.
SC: When you were a junior in high school, what was your favorite artist & album?
K: All Led Zeppelin, Run DMC’s Raising Hell, Ice T’s Body Count and Smashing Pumpkins’s Siamese Dream. Oh, and Fugazi’s 13 songs. Those are what I remember.
SC: Finally, you see the power of the internet in relations to an artist’s control of his music as being a benefit or detrimental? I once believed that it forced artists to make better quality records, but I’m starting to arrive at the conclusion that it has oversaturated the market. As the record industry crumbles, giving the artist & the fans more control and access to the art, do you see this as a good or bad thing & explain further.
K: Over saturated for sure; but, it is equally beneficial. Super complicated, no doubt. The only thing I concern myself with these days is how to continue finding time and resources to keep writing and recording new music.
For me, the business, industry, promotional and “fan” related topics suck the life and soul out of music. For the sake of my creative sanity, I dont’ pay attention to these issues anymore. Right now I’m working on a few new songs pushing myself to grow, and I couldn’t be more excited. That’s my focus. Period.
