Karl Blau
Hey! Made it finally!
Josh Brown
Hoorahhhhhhhhh!
I just queued up introducing Karl Blau.
Karl Blau
noice
Josh Brown
So to preface this interview I'm going to be like
It was 2006
and I had just moved to nyc
for school
and immediately started working at shows
and back then
people had
FOLK FEVER
Karl Blau
hehe
Josh Brown
And you came out with
Beneath Waves
and were doing batshit insane live shows with a looper
Karl Blau
that's right! the looper was in effect
Josh Brown
right
and they were much simpler back then
Karl Blau
true
Josh Brown
you used to do stuff with layers and layers that would come in later in the songs
Karl Blau
yep, it had the "take it away" and "bring it back" function - the Boss LoopStation XS or XL or something
Josh Brown
what material were you doing back in the loop days? I remember you doing stuff from dance positive
That was definitely my favorite of your early records. "Put Me Back" struck a chord with me.
Karl Blau
I was doing the Beneath Waves album mostly with the looper. "My Johnny" and "Crashing Waves" and then yeah, hot on the heals of Beneath Waves - K album - was Dance Positive which came out on Marriage Records. And most of those tunes from Dance Positive were loop-able.
Karl Blau
I was touring a lot with Laura Veirs, basically being Robin to her Batman and opening shows. Using the looper in her set even to create beats through the guitar.
Josh Brown
oh wow! Tell me more about Laura Veirs!
What would be a good Laura Veirs track to start with?
Karl Blau
Galaxies is a good one.
Karl Blau
I played synth and bass on this recording
I met Laura through the Business - Anacortes record store. Her parents live on San Juan Island, so visiting them from Seattle she would pass through Anacortes which is where the ferry leaves to the San Juan Islands. She eventually played a show at the Business and I really loved her album "Triumphs and Travails of Oraphan Mae." She invited me to play some shows with her in Seattle and eventually asked if I would play guitar and bass with her, at the time Steve Moore (First Aid Kit, Earth, Sunn0)))) and Alex Guy (Led to Sea). Another connection through Laura was Tucker Martine who produced all of her albums.
Josh Brown
i remember some really good loop shows you did. i looked up some footage of you live from 2008.
Josh Brown
Josh Brown
This was a cool time period for music, I thought. And you were in the thick of it.
But jump back here, to the beginning. I know you're from Anacortes, Washington!
How did you start making music?
Karl Blau
I started making music as a kid, I grew up in a family of music and musical instruments. My parents met in high school band, Mom is a French horn and alphorn player and my father played trumpet and baritone. They were both into classical and jazz music. We had music lessons (forced piano lessons but we wanted to mostly) - me and my 4 brothers. We all had to choose a horn to play in band - I chose saxophone, the rest of my family are brass players. When I wanted to play electric guitar in 6th grade, I had to get a classical guitar and take classical guitar lessons which I did up through high school. At the same time as I was fully immersing myself into multi-track recording and playing bass guitar in a jam band at about 18 years old, my classical guitar teacher put his foot down and said I had to choose between classical guitar and everything else which I couldn't.
The jam band continued through the 90s, we played grange halls and bars and outdoor festivals, wherever really. The band was called Captain Fathom - it was a lot of fun and we played songs sometimes for 30 minutes each.
Josh Brown
Wow!! Thrilling! 4 brothers?
Karl Blau
yeah! You can hear them on past records. Especially Ed and Pete aka The Horny Brothers.
Josh Brown
Ha! Do you have any attachment to Phish or the Dead?
Karl Blau
not really. We had fans into those bands, I mean, I love the Dead, and we all did, but we were going for our own thing, it was louder maybe, but lots of dancing at our shows.
Josh Brown
Nice!
Josh Brown
This is great
Are you the vocalist?
Karl Blau
I am the vocalist, also Jacob. Mostly me on this record I think. My brother Eddy has his own music too, really great songwriter and recording artist.
Jacob Navarro
Josh Brown
Whoa!
Karl Blau
Yeah, and check out Jacob's stuff when you get a chance, he's amazing.
Josh Brown
This is good. Very laid back even for the 90s.
Karl Blau
I can't even remember what this sounds like...
Josh Brown
Its sort of like Eyes of the World
but with you singing
Karl Blau
hehe
Josh Brown
instead of a couple of surprised uncles
Karl Blau
haha
love that description
Josh Brown
i've been working on my dead disses
Karl Blau
right on
Josh Brown
so what happens after this jamband?
This jamband is great. The production is so good for jamband fair.
Karl Blau
Captain Fathom is performing and recording right alongside my solo 4-track albums
Josh Brown
whoa! i did not know that
Karl Blau
Bret Lunsford from Beat Happening asks me and Phil (Elverum) to be in his band D+
this is like 1994-5
Phil's star is already rising at this point
D+ tours with Dub Narcotic on the east and west coasts after releasing Dandelion Seeds which features a couple tunes of mine and Phil's.
Josh Brown
i saw a mount eerie, D+, karl blau and other people folk super show at a warehouse and i think that was my first live exposure to that whole scene
that was in nyc, maybe 06'?
But this was throughout the 00s?
Karl Blau
yeah, I remember that too. I
Josh Brown
or the 90s?
Karl Blau
Yeah, it started in the mid 90s and d+ was probably most active in the 90s and oughts.
Josh Brown
what is your favorite D+ song?
Karl Blau
I really like Rusted or Mistake
Josh Brown
,
Oct 5, 9:57 AM
now were getting folky lol
Karl Blau
yeah man!
I started recording at Dub Narcotic in about 1998, doing some 4-track recordings and eventually making my first full length there "Clothes Your I's" which is my first studio album as a more matured songwriter/recordist.
That connection to K thru D+/The Business/Bret Lunsford
Josh Brown
i haven't heard this in forever. you into todd rundgren? he made some of his albums autonomously.
Karl Blau
The 4-track album I recorded there became a tape - Musar/Musard which is very obscure out on Dead Turtle records. there used to be a shitty sounding bandcamp release of it maybe thru Dead Turtle
Josh Brown
You've always been a big inspiration cause your constantly working on music autonomously.
Karl Blau
Making music for me has always been about esoteric connection.
Josh Brown
elaborate
Karl Blau
independent of any external
diving into my soul and seeing what happens.
Not thinking about what the outcome should sound like whatsoever, just trying to be authentic to the moment and what wants to happen
Josh Brown
Lightning in a bottle!
Karl Blau
And I never compared myself to anyone while making recordings, never cared about having it sound like something in context with what anyone else is doing.
Josh Brown
That's brilliant
Karl Blau
And sort of a way to shoot myself in the foot always because it was hard to follow as a fan.
Josh Brown
I think your voice is the key factor
Karl Blau
sure, that's the common thread
Josh Brown
You have an honesty to your voice most other singers don't have
Karl Blau
albeit I like to do "voices" and change that up per song. Thank you Josh.
Josh Brown
Nice.
So going into the 00s.
You had some more records.
Nature's Got Away
and Zebra
Karl Blau
yes! also the year 2000 was a huge year for me, personally. In 2000 in the same weekend, my first daughter is born and my father slips out of consciousness and dies from cancer.
Josh Brown
Oh. That is intense.
Karl Blau
I started working back at Blau Oyster, the family business to connect with my dad and have a steady job for a while.
Josh Brown
Wow.
Karl Blau
In the early 2000s I start touring with Laura Veirs. Also AM comes out and I started the Kelp series. The first 14 albums came out in the first 14 months of starting that project which was going to be an album a month club. cause why the heck not.
Josh Brown
I remember that.
Kelp Lunacy was serious.
Karl Blau
,
A bunch of instrumental music, solo albums, compilations of friends and producing friends music
Josh Brown
jamming on dance positive
so dubby
Karl Blau
noice - have you heard D+ much? I think you said you did
or 96?
Josh Brown
i think i saw them a few times in the 00s
im not sure how much of the recorded D+ ive heard
whats the album to check out?
Karl Blau
right, you saw the candlelit brooklyn loft show
Josh Brown
rightttt
Karl Blau
oh, anywhere, they are all pretty different except Bret's crazy voice and lyrics being the thread
Josh Brown
3rd ward i think?
Karl Blau
right
Josh Brown
yeahhhhh
Karl Blau
I like What Is Doubt For
Josh Brown
there were some really stupendous unbelievable shows that went on there
Karl Blau
nice. that's the only time I was there, but it was cool
Josh Brown
here's a live version of the song?
Karl Blau
nice
Josh Brown
can i ask a broad question?
what was 90s-00s washington state like? there's a lot of different music coming out of there in that window
i mean, what was it like for you?
(threw on what is doubt for by D+)
this D+ is amazing
never heard a D+ album before i dont think?
the songs, the production, the lyrics, and the vocal delivery are very raw
Karl Blau
they are all pretty good in their own special way
amazing lyrics
the Dance Positive is all songs written by Bret
Josh Brown
damnnnnn
Karl Blau
you knew that prob
Josh Brown
did he write the music too?
Karl Blau
,
Dec 20, 9:14 AM
The 90s for me was all about Skagit Valley, spurred by being at ground zero of the grunge explosion, my band took that feeling of “fuck you” to the grange halls and Eagles pancake feeds, you could hear a metal band alongside pretty boy pop along side freak jam bands - freak jam bands being what we did like Grateful Dead with distortion. This is talking about Captain Fathom which was the band I had with 3 other valley boys give or take a few dudes from 1992 to about 2002. We rarely got down to Seattle, and more often north to Bellingham. We liked to see the bands known for having a hard live edge like The Posies and Sage. Built To Spill, Mytslplyk, Bright Brown, Can’t Understand Normal Thinking, Gravel, Fluid Flow Alarm, Stagnant Water, Swirving Birds, Kruster’s Kronomid. Bands were very loud in the NW in the 90s.
Of course, for me the 90s was also getting out of Skagit Valley and connecting with Olympia through the K bands, being in D+ and with Phil’s connection to K, I was exposed to a whole host of a touring circuit of “punk” music.
That may be the biggest difference I would say is it seems like in the 00s the singer/songwriter thing with more dynamic shows, people sitting down to listen to music.
Josh Brown
Whoaaaaaaa
That's awesome
I'm reacquainting myself with the Posies
Karl Blau
they're amazing. hehe, look at this kid John!
Josh Brown
lol
I got a good one
What was your favorite/most memorable live show you've ever played?
and what was your favorite tour you've been on?
Karl Blau
The 00s in terms of music for me was getting out into the touring circuit and being exposed to seemingly random music night after night. The genre was so open of “touring punk”. It could mean a performance art or noise band or ukelele.
Josh Brown
That's awesome
Are there any cool or notable people you came across on tour?
or bands
I've never even heard of this band; i was thinking of something else
Karl Blau
Nightly!
I've played so many memorable shows, they almost erase one another they are so full of energy and emotion
I was just dreaming of opening up for Jenny Lewis yesterday.
that was such a trip because I was playing to these huge (for me) crowds. And people were giving their attention, strangely enough. She has a very open minded crowd base I'd say. But not like I sold very much merch after the shows. hehe.
Josh Brown
haha
Her music is great
this is definitely my favorite song by her
Karl Blau
We played a show in California alongside a river in a deep cavern. The lights were pastel and magical
nice.
Josh Brown
whoa, sounds dreamy!
How did you end up going country western?
Karl Blau
That happened through a series of accidents
I was asked by Tucker Martine after he tried other people maybe or was waiting for the right voice to come along - to sing on his backing track That's How I Got To Memphis.
Josh Brown
whoaaaaaaa
thats a classic
Karl Blau
He'd been sitting on this track for years
and it was at a Laura Veirs session I believe when he asked if I would take a crack at it
Josh Brown
Karl Blau
so I rehearsed it for an evening and then the next day we cut it
years later it comes out as a single on K. Years later from that it spurs Tucker to think we should do a whole record like that of classic country tunes
or what we could make into a classic country-ish music. Like the BeeGees cover.
Josh Brown
Whoaaaaaaaa
Karl Blau
He sent me about 40 tracks we could possibly do which we narrowed down to like 12.
The song "Ribbon of Darkness" never came out - was it Marty Robbins who sang that?
Josh Brown
it is! i had to look it up
Karl Blau
Josh Brown
beat me to it
listening now
did you/do you do any roger miller songs?
who are some of your favorite country western artists?
Karl Blau
I've done King of the Road a lot live. whenever its someone's birthday I launch into that as a continuing proposition to change the birthday song nationally.
Josh Brown
lollll
Karl Blau
I love Roger Miller.
Gonna learn more of his tunes for sure. I love Lefty Frizzell, of course Willie. I did a whole live tour/album of Waylon Jennings tunes. You gotta sign up for my bandcamp thingy to hear that.
Dang Me is such a classic Miller tune
Josh Brown
yeah! dang me is hilarious
roger miller did the original version of me and bobby mcgee
except kris kristofferson wrote it lol
Karl Blau
yeah! Kris Kristofferson was amazing. there's a great comp that I was on of Kristofferson's music. PIAPTK records put it out.
Josh Brown
link?
who are some of your other non-country western influences? both musical and otherwise
Karl Blau
,
Dec 20, 9:42 AM
all i could find is a discogs link
big question, yeah, I do have a short list
I fell in love with Japanese underground music through some chance encounters and what would be an inevitable connection.
Have you heard Reiko Kudo's music?
Josh Brown
Karl Blau
Josh Brown
i have not heard of reiko kudos music but i love quite a bit of japanese stuff
Karl Blau
this album changed my life in like 2004 or so
Josh Brown
this is amazing
Karl Blau
I bought it randomly at a tiny record store in Brussels
after listening to it every day sometimes all day for like 6 months, I decided to look her up because you know, the internet!
Anyways, long story but then i found out about her husband's music Maher Shalal Hash Baz.
Then a year later I come across one of their albums in a tiny, tiny record store in Sydney, Australia. And low and behold, it was recorded by one of my dear friends Arrington de Dionyso in Olympia, WA. And my head split open.
And then a couple years later I would be on tour in Japan with Maher Shalal Hash Baz and Arrington and playing with Keiji Heino and Yumbo and Tenniscoats and Moooools.
Josh Brown
Whoa! Like Old Time Relijun?
Karl Blau
Yep! Maher's Blues Du Jour also a huge album for me in my growth as a creative.
Josh Brown
Love me some old time relijun!
Karl Blau
Josh Brown
oh sweet i was about to link that lol
Karl Blau
yeah! did you ever hear the Malaikat Dan Singa?
Josh Brown
noooooo
i have now! sick! throat singing!!
Karl Blau
I recorded the first two albums, can't find a link to them tho...
here it is
Josh Brown
this is amazinggggggggggg
Karl Blau
here's the 2nd
there was a sweet era where I got to record a bunch of stuff for K. LAKE, Angelo Spencer Et Les Haut Sommets
I think around 2009
Josh Brown
sweettttt
Karl Blau
Josh Brown
Nice! Cool guitar tone
Karl Blau
love his guitar!
Josh Brown
can you tell me more about your studio process?
Karl Blau
Dub Narcotic studio was so fun to record at. The console was in the same room as the performers/amps/ drums. one big room. In both its incarnations - the Cherry Street Loft was a huge space, people would go skating around it it was so huge. And just in one part of the room, along a window, it was all windows on 3 sides - was the mixing board and speakers and recording deck.
The process for me was about capturing the band live together - getting a real feeling from a performance. Always recording to tape at Dub Narcotic. Sometimes 8 track half inch, sometimes the 16 track 2 inch machine. Depending on the project. One time for Maherican Dream I recorded to a 4 track where only really 3 of the tracks worked. On that one LAKE was the backbone of the band and we improvised different passages recorded to 4-track and then later I took about 6 months to write the lyrics and melodies.
I guess I'm explaining this last story just to illustrate how different the process can be.
Josh Brown
interesting!
Karl Blau
In fact in this era I tried to almost never do the same thing twice with recording.
Josh Brown
Awesome!
Karl Blau
Josh Brown
What does music mean to your spiritually?
Karl Blau
Music is a balm for me. I literally can heal myself with singing. If I relax and just sing for one hour, if I was sick, it's gone. It calms my soul which wants to leap out of my face otherwise.
hehe
Josh Brown
Hahahaha
How many instruments do you play and which is your favorite?
Karl Blau
I took piano lessons for 3 years as a youth. Then classical guitar for 6 after that. During studying those instruments I was playing alto saxophone in school band, then jazz band, then metal drums in high school for a band. In high school I also started playing bass in the jazz band, baritone sax. I like to play flutes, percussion instruments, synths. I'm not so good at brass, but then I have 3 brothers who have that covered.
I'm going to take some lessons on Brazilian tambourine.
Josh Brown
niceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Karl Blau
I like guitar and piano a lot
Josh Brown
so what was it like being in EARTH?
that one sort of blew my mind...do you have the magazine article to put here?? lollll
Karl Blau
hehe, you mean the Bass Player Magazine?
Josh Brown
yeahhhhhhhh
thats official!
Karl Blau
I think I talk about my distortion pedal which was a tape deck, Phil Elverum style
Josh Brown
LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
Karl Blau
I loved playing with Dylan and Adrienne and Lori. They're amazing people. The music was challenging and fun. super zen. Talk about healing modes.
We got to tour a bit on those records.
Josh Brown
Wow!
From jambands to Earth
Karl Blau
played with Celtic Frost and Sunn0))))
Josh Brown
youve done it all!
WHOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
thats a departure lol
Karl Blau
hehe - nah, plenty more to do!
Josh Brown
Is there any new music that appeals to you?
Mainstream/underground?
Karl Blau
I love the Memory Boys out of Langley. Their last two records are really hitting the spot for me. Hermit Thrushes are talking about a new record. I need to get out more...
Josh Brown
What does the future hold for Karl Blau?
Karl Blau
,
Dec 20, 10:22 AM
I helped start a music organization in Anacortes a few years ago and it has been building a head of steam - Anacortes Music Project. I really want to help this group create a Harry Potter/Shaolin temple type of music school/mental playground/studio/all things music space. It may be a little down the road. After that, I will become Santa Claus.
fin.
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