| Keb' Mo Chats with TS.com |
| Written by Cecily Van Horn | |||
| Tuesday, 13 September 2011 01:16 | |||
 Kevin Moore, also known as Keb'Mo, is a multi-talented artist, political activist and three-time Grammy award winner for Best Contemporary Blues Album. He was also a key figure in PBS' series Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues. He was introduced to music in California by playing steel drums, the upright bass, and was part of a calypso band. While he was just starting his career as a musician, he was a staff writer for A&M Records. According to the Playing for Change website, Keb'Mo believes that it's important to get up in the morning and let the inspiration take care of itself. Which is quintessential Keb'Mo; he lives, breathes, and is his music. His inspiration guides him to great things and almost nothing can stop him from reaching his dreams. Keb'Mo moved from California with his family to Nashville where he built a state-of-the-art home recording studio and founded his own record label, Yolabelle International. Times Square talked to him about his life, his recording label, his new record, and upcoming show in New York on September 20th, 2011 at B.B. Kings Blues Club. Times Square (TS): Who introduced you to Blues and Gospel music? Keb'Mo (KM): My people, myself, everybody in my life. TS: Tell me about growing up in Compton. How did you keep from being pulled into the "bad boy" lifestyle? KM: I'm not a bad boy. I didn't grow up in the bad boy Compton. I left in 1959 when I graduated high school. That Compton wasn't the Compton you hear about in the hip hop thing. We wore blazers and neck ties, so kind of square. There wasn't much trouble at all. So I can't take credit for growing up in a rough neighbourhood because I didn't. I grew up in a Compton that was a middle class, working class community. But had I been born 10 years later I probably would have been in that [the bad boy lifestyle]. TS: You relocated from California to Nashville. What drew you to Nashville? KM: I knew the community there and it was prompted by my wife wanting to get out of L.A. She wanted something saner, and L.A. to me is sane because it is my hometown, but she wanted something different. When I got there I fell in love with it and it has been a great time. TS: How does it feel to have released "The Reflection" after being on hiatus since 2006? KM: It feels good. The 5 years or 6 years just flew by it wasn't that long to me. People were waiting for a record, but I was kinda just doing stuff...Killing time. But I was having fun putting this record together. It took a lot more to pull this one off. It took time...a lot of work, but you can't release a record until you've got it as good as you possibly can with what you have. It's gotta be the best you could. TS: I know what you mean; I am the same way with my articles. It's got to be the best before it leaves my hands. KM: Yeah, but people and their deadlines. But I don't really care about deadlines, haha. Once you put something out there it's a work, you can't take it back. So my dedication to my craft makes me do the best that I can. It's really important. TS: How did you go about recruiting people like India.Arie, Marcus Miller, and Vince Gill and so on for the album? KM: I didn't really recruit them so it wasn't like a recruitment process. They were my friends and relationships that I had created over the years. TS: What inspired the name "Yolabelle International" for your record label? KM: Well that's a good question; probably one of my favourite questions to answer. I wanted it to have a certain feeling to it. I wanted it to be very spiritual in nature. So I looked up to the heavens...and called it yolabelle. And the international part was added to give it a broadened domestic feel. TS: Of all the guitars you play with, which is your favourite and why? KM: My favourite is just to play my acoustic. Because an acoustic guitar you can carry it around with you, play a song, it can sit next to you. You don't have to plug it into anything. It makes its own sound. It's a very personal instrument. TS: I heard that you lost many guitars in the Nashville flood, any plans on replacing some of them? If so, which ones? KM: Well I'm in the process gradually. I mean all those guitars were collected over several years. Once I handled that [losing them] I just had to survive and start over. Over the next years I probably get some more guitars, they'll come to me and be collected. They'll find me and I'll find them. I mean those guitars were a part of my life...which was pretty cool. TS: Yeah I'm just learning to play and mine, Lady Cash, is becoming a part of my life. KM: Having an acoustic and just playing is one of the best things, I think. TS: Can you tell me more about "Playing for Change." Why do you feel it is a good cause to support? KM: I've been around Playing for Change before it started, so it's not like I am supporting a cause...It was my engineer for my records. We had this idea and just went with it which is great. It's like the guitars... you find people that can play the guitar, like the people on my record...They're all in my life... all that [comes together to] perform to be used for the greater. TS: What advice would you give to young aspiring musicians? KM: Do what you love. Follow your heart. Do the best you can at it. TS: Tell me about your connection to NYC. What can people expect from your live show? KM: We're gonna play some songs from the new record; I have some new band members with me and we're gonna have fun. TS: Thanks for the great interview! I love your music and your style...especially the fedora. You definitely have some kick ass soul for the blues and music in general. KM: Thank you so much. I really enjoyed your interview. You keep doing what you're doing and we'll cross paths one day, I hope. Take care. For more articles like Keb' Mo Chats with TS.com, please visit the Music Interviews Section of TimesSquare.com
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