INTERVIEW
RECKLESS KELLY
by Christer Davidsson, May 2006

You’ve been touring a lot since the release of your latest record "Wicked Twisted World" (Sugar Hill 2005). Getting tired of it yet?

Jay Nazz: We are still having fun. I can say that music and performing original music is like a drug. Although its the same, the high each time is just as great. There is always a new exchange of energy each night between band and audience. And ultimately as a performer, you can only hope that you get the opportunity to perform your songs for a lifetime. We've played these songs a lot, but when you think about how many times someone like Bob Dylan has performed his songs, it puts it in perspective.

How has the over-all response been of that record?

The response to our latest album has been great. We had our video for the single Stick Around do really well on CMT and GAC. Those are country music tv stations here in the states. We also had a lot of radio play. Our fans have really embraced this record as well.

In what way is it your latest album different from “Under the Table & Above the Sun” (Sugar Hill 2003)?

Well, for one, we didn't do as much pre-production for this album. We were working on the arrangements and such while we were at the studio. We wanted to go in with a fresh approach to the songs and without having everything mapped out, we were able to do that. I think that was most different about it. It's what we maintained that was most important. Keeping the songs genuine and performing them with honesty.

What song of that album do you like the most, and why?

My favorite song on this album is Wicked Twisted Road. Which is funny because its the tune without any drums. I just think the song is so honest and the feelings that inspired the song are translated so well...”My first love was a wicked twisted road”.

Who is the average Reckless Kelly fan?

The average Reckless Kelly fan wants to know what the song is about and what we're trying to say. They want us to lay it out for them and not for any commercial value. The are committed and get so much out of sharing our music with other people. They are always so excited be at our shows and  and it's always an honor to perform for them. I hope every performer is fortunate enough to have the fans that Reckless Kelly has. We are truly grateful.

Out of all the shows you’ve done, what’s the strangest thing that has happened to you guys on tour?

It's not easy to just pick one so I'll go with the most recent. We showed up to a gig and the sound company had pulled out of the gig because of differences with the club. So the club called in a favor to a friend and had a sound system delivered. However, the sound system belonged to an Elvis and Beatles Tribute band. So we walked into the club and you can imagine our surprise when we walked in and saw Elvis and John Lennon setting everything up. The looked so much like them. So when we did our sound check we played Day Tripper and John was singing through his mic by the sound board. We got a long really great because we are such big Beatle fans.

Where does the name Reckless Kelly come from?

Reckless Kelly is the nickname for an Australian bank robber named Ned Kelly. Yahoo Serious and Mick Jagger have both done Ned Kelly movies. He used to rob banks with the Kelly gang wearing garbage cans for armor. We just liked the name. And it sure doesn't hurt our Australian fan base.

For how long have you guys been playing music together?

We will celebrate our 10 year anniversary this June. We are really proud of that.

How did you get together in the first place?

Willy and Cody grew up playing in a western swing family band. They experienced some early successes and performed twice on The Tonight Show. They decided to start their own band and moved to Oregon and formed a band called the Prairie Mutts. I happened to be out there on vacation and went to an open mic night in Bend, Or. They were setting up and I realized there wasn't a drummer. I asked to get up and play with them and afterwards they told me their drummer quite that day. I played with them for the entire summer and then they asked me to join the band and move to Texas with them. Once we were in Texas, our old guitar player and bass player winded up leaving the band and we found Jimmy Mcfeeley and David Abeyta down there. This is the longest formation of the band. We are very much a family. Matter of fact, all of our parents are friends and all support us very much.

What other bands/artists have influenced the band?

We have been very influenced by Son Volt, Steve Earle, The Beatles, Billy Joe Shaver, Joe Ely, and many more. We have really gotten into Richard Thompson in the last couple of years. We are now covering two of his songs. 

Tell me about the band’s song-writing process.

Reckless Kelly's song writing process is fairly simple. Willy Braun is the main song writer and will come into a rehearsal with a new song and we will play it until we come up with an arrangement that we all like. These arrangements sometimes happen quickly and sometimes they develop over time. we know we've got it when we are all smiling.

What are you all doing when you’re not playing music?

When we have time off we all do different things. We like to golf, go see live music, go out to our favorite bars, catch up with our friends, and watch baseball. We have our own honky tonk in our back yard called the Shed. We have restaurant style tables and booths, a full bar, and we only play vinyl in the Shed, sorry no cds. Its great for us cause when we have our friends in other bands in town we can just hang out there without having to be in a crowded bar. We'll sit and drink, jam, and just catch up. Austin especially has an incredibly close music community. Not much competition, just loads of respect.

Tell me about the collaboration you had with Steve Earle.

We were recording our Wicked Twisted Road album with producer Ray Kennedy. He shares ownership of the studio with Steve Earle. Steve was asked to do a couple of tracks for two different tribute albums. His band was out of town so he asked Ray if we'd be interested in recording these songs with him. We of course said yes before Ray even finished asking us the question. So Steve showed up at the studio in Nashville and we sat in the kitchen and he played us the tunes. We went into the studio to begin recording and jumped right in. We started the tune and then when Steve started singing we were all pretty moved. It was like holy shit, that really is Steve Earle and we aren't just playing along with one of his albums, we are the album. We are really proud of those tracks. Most of all, it was just so amazing to be in a room with his energy and conviction.

What’s the best thing about being the drummer in a band?

The first best thing about being a drummer in this band is I love playing drums to Reckless Kelly songs. I also am very thankful for my friendships with these guys. They are real. Willy is such a talented front man without all the ego usually accompanying that. I've also become a better player by sharing the stage with such a talented bunch. So there are so many things that I love about being a part of this band but if I had to sum it up in one word it would be 'unity'. 

What are you guys planning to do next?

We have a pretty full summer schedule that will bring us to all sides of the US. We just finished a live cd/dvd recorded in Austin in March. That should be released in August. Our fans have been pretty much begging us for a live album. We do covers that we haven't ever put on an album before so we were able to pick the fans favorite RK songs and their favorite covers and give them what they've wanted for a long time now. We had Elliot Schiener mix the album. He has done The Eagles, Sting, Toto, and Steeley Dan to mention a few. The dvd came out great too. 
The dvd will also have some extra footage which will feature RK's tips from the road. We really enjoy filming little shorts. We have a page on our website called RK TV where we feature our own little short films. I have a cooking show called 'What U Got?' I basically go into a strangers kitchen and take a look at what they have in their fridge. Then I make a dish with whatever they have. Sounds simple but when your main cooking ingredient is Gin, things get hairy. The other guys have their own shows like Jimmy Jam June which has clips from the everyday life of RK bassist Jimmy Jam Mcfeeley. We have a lot of fun with this. We especially like it because it gives the fans a chance to see us off stage and get an idea of our personalities.   
We aren't on some pedestal. We are a band that takes pride in being available to our fans. They are actually more like friends except they pay to see us. Thats a pretty good deal I think.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Thanks for supporting the band!


Links:

http://www.recklesskelly.com

http://www.myspace.com/recklesskelly