Craft is an artist straight out of a bygone era, the glory days of the sixties and seventies. A time when language itself was broken down on Greenwich Village street corners and heat-filled living rooms, to be cut and pasted together with rhythms and beats and instruments. Few can still create like they did, ‘cept Kyle.
Hello! Welcome to The Rodeo, How are you doing? How’s the band?
Hi! I’m flying down Interstate 35 in Texas inside of a van with no a/c in 100-degree weather! So pretty good and a little sweaty! The band is dandy, I think.
I just try to be me and honest, which doesn’t give people something to dig for, but hey… what you see is what you get.
I think the new record is superb, congratulations! Now, you mention that Showboat Honey is about rising and falling fortunes, what motivates you to keep creating? What gets you out of bed at night to write down a lyric?
Why thank you, glad you dig it. Yeah, my luck tends to fluctuate from one extreme to another these days… I’m not entirely sure why it is that I keep at it. Some internal nudge? Some search for the feeling of having arrived somewhere? I feel bound to it, not by chains, but by a love for it. As far as what gets me out of bed at night… a scratching at the door.
When writing the new record, you said at one point you had two separate records which then became the finished album, how did these two “records” differ from each other and how did you merge what I imagine was two completely different artistic visions?
Well, the first version of the record had maybe three or four tunes that were cut. They didn’t move the same way… there was a more country kinda tune butted up next to a “glammy” number and it just felt disconnected.
I love New York City. Those streets are full of music, but not the kind you hear with your ears…
Your approach to lyrics uses texture and sound sometimes over simple, explicit and literal meaning, what draws you to use the indirect or the abstract style of writing? Is there a sense of catharsis or escapism in creating in this way?
I just spent my late teens absorbing Dylan and the way he approached Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde… that has a lot to do with it.
One of the greatest things an artist should be is mysterious I think, which is ultimately refusing to give your identity to others, whilst maintaining and exploring yourself. Do you find change is something you strive for in your music?
Change? Sonically, sometimes… I try to keep the veil held back on my identity. I think idolizing anyone is silly and being intentionally mysterious is kinda cheesy too. I just try to be me and honest, which doesn’t give people something to dig for, but hey… what you see is what you get.
Dylan’s music is heavier than the Statue of Liberty and just as American.
What is your relationship to your image, I read that you have used masks – specifically a costume of the Grim Reaper – to perform before. What does the role of the ‘Mask’ mean to you? And, how do you use or view the role of aesthetics in your life?
I dressed as the Grim Reaper when I was really broke and busking on the streets of Portland because I was embarrassed. I just picked the Grim Reaper because I thought it was morbid and funny. When folks walked by and didn’t tip, I’d say things like, “See you soon!” As far as my relationship to my image goes… I don’t really think of myself in that way. That seems like creating a character or persona… I’m just me.
How do you view New York? It’s almost a character in your music on the new record, but what does it mean to you? And what’s your relationship with the place as an artist?
I love New York City. Those streets are full of music, but not the kind you hear with your ears. It’s in your head… trombones and backbeats round every corner. I’ve spent time around town and always leave with something to write about.
How would you describe Dylan’s music and its meaning to you on a personal level?
I’d say Dylan’s music is heavier than the Statue of Liberty and just as American. It means the world to me. I’m glad to be alive in his time. Very grateful… Also, if your friends aren’t fans, I think you need new friends.
Oh, and I have to ask, how was it like going to the Big Pink? Did you get to go inside the basement?
Big Pink was amazing. Really incredible… you could feel something in the air there and in all of Woodstock for that matter… unfortunately, we only got to see the front of the house.
Finally, what’s the plan for the rest of this year? Any plans to cool off and take a break?
I have no idea… may do a little bit of disappearing.
You can listen to Kyle Craft on Spotify and Apple Music.