Blues music isn’t your average college campus music style, but Kilborn Alley wants you to learn about its true greatness. The band has made a name for themselves internationally as a great blues band, but they hail from the old CU to bring us some old rooted blues grooves.
buzz: Being your 1,000th show at the Iron Post, is it your favorite venue in the CU?
Kilborn Alley: Well I don’t think that we can have a favorite, because we have a lot of friends who are the owners of the bars around here. But let’s just say that it is up there. Up there really, really high.
buzz: Being just about the only blues band on this college campus, how do the students respond to the different musical style that you bring here?
KA: Throughout the years we’ve had lots of kids follow us around. Some of them may be just looking to drink, but some of them may be looking for something a little different. I have always said that we have to physically bring the blues to them. The way that I describe it is that people don’t realize that they actually like the blues until it’s right there in front of them.
buzz: Are you happy with your most recent album Tear Chicago Down, and what kind of success has it brought you?
KA: This last album that we did was nominated for best contemporary album of the year Blues Music Award, which is an international award provided by the Blues Music Foundation, based out of Memphis, Tennessee. We like the songs, we like what we did, and the reviews said the same. With this, we were contacted by a lot of festivals all over the country. The recognition in the publications and the award got our name out there all over the place.
buzz: Are there any other modern artists that you have seen or worked with that have influenced your own styles?
KA: There are a lot of people out there who we do admire, but one is a cat out of London named James Hunter who put out a kind of R&B album with 50s and 60s influences. Also, a guy named Kurt Fletcher who is a great guitar player, but he’s a bit older than our band.
buzz: Where would you like to see the band in 10 years?
KA: Well first and foremost I’d love to see us still together and maintaining our friendships. But I’m sure that we will be fine, so I really want to see us make more albums and grow from there. I love the recording process, and I like creating new music, which is the best thing for us. Playing shows of course is important, and I think that we will continue to play place like the Iron Post and smaller. That is basically the staple of blues bands, and how they make a living.
buzz: For those who don’t know too much about the blues, what classic listens will give them a good base; which one of your tracks best represent you?
KA: Okay, I would suggest BB King Live at the Regal, the original Paul Butterfield Blues Band album, something Muddy Waters, Junior Wells featuring Buddy Guy. These are your basic introduction to the blues bands. I’m Spent is a boogie of ours on MySpace that people should check out, and is something that will get them to want to listen to the rest.
buzz: Any crazy stories from any of your many shows at the Iron Post?
KA: Well, I don’t know, we’ve had some pretty interesting times, but I just don’t know if we want to tell them.
Related Posts
