On Black Friday, after some pretty intense shopping, your TVD Chicago writers headed out to the Subterranean to check out multi-talented musician and rapper, K.Flay.
Kristine Flaherty, AKA K.Flay, has played shows all across the country and shared the stage with groups like 3OH3!, Snoop Dogg, and MC Lars. Taking the stage with a live drummer, and a small stand of equipment, K.Flay put on an incredible show that featured a mix of music from across her discography.
Before the show, we got a chance to sit down with K.Flay and chat about vinyl records and her upcoming EP.
Mp3 or Vinyl?
I think it depends on the occasion; on the daily, obviously mp3. If I had a record player in my Honda Civic I might utilize that, but I think vinyl is great for when you’re at home and you’re trying to create an atmosphere because there is something very old fashioned about the way a record plays and the fact that you can’t skip a song super easily after twenty seconds. I think it promotes more of “album as concept and experience.” It’s like being home and making dinner, and then mp3 is the after party.
What is one record that you think everyone should own?
Not to sound cheesy, but I kind of feel like The White Album. There’s a reason it is a classic. I used to listen to it as a kid on vinyl; my dad had a record player and pretty much strictly listened to vinyl. It’s just such a warm sounding album that it kind of lends itself to that.
Your new EP, Eyes Shut, is due in January, can you tell us a little bit about it?
My previous projects were ones I did in complete isolation, essentially. I recorded them and wrote them on my own. This EP is sort of a shift in two senses. Number one is that I worked with a couple producers who collaborated on it and helped me co-produce the album. I think I was a little reluctant at first to opening up the project, but I think that both people I worked with were very much in line with what I was trying to do and the aesthetic of it and the DIY vibe of it. Keeping it sounding like me but just to the next step, and pushing me to be better by writing stronger lyrics and stronger hooks.
The second thing is that I feel like I am really starting to find my voice and what I want to say. When I started doing music I was kind of trying to be clever and just having fun with it and to be honest just fucking around. As time went on it became a more important part of my life and what I wanted to say and be about. I think this EP is more of a statement about who I am.
As you mentioned, you’ve done albums alone, collaborated on the upcoming EP, and done a joint album with MC Lars – do any of those dynamics work better for you?
With Lars, he’s a friend of mine from college, so we’re like brother and sister. With that album [Single and Famous] we were up in a cabin like “Let’s just do something,” so it was born out of a very innocent and fun energy. That was really fun and something nice to be able to do with a friend and someone you care about.
On the new EP I was working with Dave McCracken who did a bunch of stuff with Depeche Mode and this chick, Oh Land, who’s an electronic artist; the other person is Liam Howlett from The Prodigy. They are my friends, but they are not my childhood close friends. I think there is something powerful about being a little bit of a stranger to somebody, but still connecting. I think it pushes, or at least pushed me, to challenge myself instead of just falling back into something fun and easy.
Who do you listen to when you’re looking to get inspired?
When I was working on this EP, I was listening a lot to the new Little Dragon album. It’s obviously very different, but there’s something very strange about their music in a really good way. It sounds a little bit different and her voice is just so distinctive. One of my all time favorite bands is Metric. I love girl-fronted bands that just rock the fuck out, so I listen to Metric pretty much non-stop. Live It Out was on pretty heavy rotation for me.
Would you ever consider pressing your albums to vinyl?
Definitely. I’ve got an EP coming out January and that’s something that I am definitely planning on doing. I know with an EP, its short, but with it we might put out 7”s. I was talking to a friend about how labels are saying “we’re just going to get rid of CDs all together and just do vinyl and mp3,” and there’s something really interesting about that. I think I definitely want to start putting out vinyl products.
K.Flay Official | Facebook | Twitter
You can currently catch K.Flay on the On The Rocks Tour with Grieves & Budo.
12/1 – The Studio @ Webster Hall – New York, NY
12/2 – Pearl Street – Northampton, MA
12/3 – The Met – Pawtucket, RI
12/4 – Johnny Brenda’s – Philadelphia, PA
12/5 – Middle East – Cambridge, MA
12/6 – Arch Street – Hartford, CT
12/8 – The Rock and Roll Hotel – Washington, DC
12/9 – Local 506 – Chapel Hill, NC
12/10 – The Masquerade – Atlanta, GA
12/11 – The Social – Orlando, FL
12/12 – Jack Rabbits – Jacksonville, FL
12/14 – House of Blues – Dallas, TX
12/15 – Stubb’s JR – Austin, TX
12/16 – El Rey Theatre – Los Angeles, CA
