Austin fixture - even though he's a relative newbie - Kalu James, described by one critic as possessing a "voice of an angel" - is set to follow up his two studio albums with a live one, unusually featuring mostly new songs. Indie Sounds got the low down.
Indie Sounds: So, why a live album?
Kalu James: We wanted to capture what you hear/feel when you come to one of our shows. It’s the kind of album that when you close your eyes, we hope it transports you to that exact moment/venue it was recorded. It’s a feeling that we want to convey through the music and even the loose chatters between songs.
Indie Sounds: So, why a live album?
Kalu James: We wanted to capture what you hear/feel when you come to one of our shows. It’s the kind of album that when you close your eyes, we hope it transports you to that exact moment/venue it was recorded. It’s a feeling that we want to convey through the music and even the loose chatters between songs.
I’ve been playing with the same band for three years now and I’m proud of what we do every night we are on stage but there’s a certain “magic” that happens when you are performing live that studio albums have not captured for me. The energy being tossed back and forth between the artist and the audience plays a major role, at least for me. Also, I tend to over-analyze things in the studio so just going for it usually works.
IS: Where was the album recorded, and who was involved?
Kalu: It was a free show for our fans to come enjoy that process with us. It was multi-tracked and recorded at Ruta Maya by sound engineer extraordinaire, Curt Ganem. We took it back to the studio (Still Recording) where Randall Squires (my bassist and studio engineer) cast his spell on the album. As a band, we came together to make sure that this was a clear representation of what we do and, irrespective of the event, It was important to play as good or bad as any other show.
I personally was recovering from a really serious cold and literally chugging cup after cup of throat coat tea on stage in between songs. I know the picture of holding a teacup on stage isn’t all that appealing but it worked.
IS: The album has a number of songs not on your previous two studio records yes?
Kalu: Actually, all but two songs in the album are new. I decided to re-record The Way I Feel and Listen To The Wind because, musically, they have grown so much from where they were in the first album. The last album (Dim The Lights) was two years ago and we have written so many songs since then so it felt right coming out with an album with new material, even if it was “Live”.
IS: You are releasing the album when and where?
Kalu: Friday, February 12th is the release party at Momo’s. The night starts at 9pm, we have Jack Valen and Josh Halverson before us, so really excited about that. We go on at midnight.
IS: How have you been liking Austin since you got here? A good move?
Kalu: Austin has been great to me. I look back at it all and sometimes I can't believe it. I am from Nigeria and moved to the USA in 2001, studied in Rochester, NY and I can truly say that the move from there three years ago was a defining moment in my life. Thank you Austin. Definitely a good move!
I’ve been playing as much as I physically can in the city (at Momo’s, Antone's, Saxon Pub, One2One Bar, etc.), doing national tours (Dallas, NYC, LA, Canada, etc. with friends like Jack Valen and Josh Halverson), and trying to go viral. Gotta get my twitter numbers up!
IS: So what's the plan for Kalu in 2010?
Kalu: My plan is to figure out how to efficiently spread my music to every house in the USA. Once it gets to them, then they could decide if they dig it or not. If it's touring/Youtube/Facebook, etc, then that’s what it takes and what I’ll have to do.
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