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Interview by Jordan Kirkland: Live & Listen
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The time has finally come, and Atlanta-born four-piece King Baby has reunited for a brief run through the southeast over the next week. Many music fans in the Southeast will remember the formation of this band roughly seven years ago. The lineup features Matt Slocum (Railroad Earth, Jimmy Herring, Aquarium Rescue Unit) on keys, Kevin Scott (Jimmy Herring, FORQ, Wednesday Night Titans) on bass, Rick Lollar (Jimmy Herring, Jamison Ross) on guitar and vocals, and Mark Raudabaugh (Donna The Buffalo, Sierra Hull) on drums. We recently caught up with Kevin to learn more about this project and their upcoming run of shows. Check out the full conversation below, and head over to the band's official Facebook page for more information!
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Let's start with the basics. Who is King Baby? How and when did you guys get the band started?
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Kevin: King Baby technically started in 2014. Basically, Rick (Lollar) booked a gig with me and Mark (Raudabaugh) at Smith's Olde Bar in Atlanta. We were basically playing all of Rick's original music from his latest album at the time. Soon after that, we started playing as a trio at Elliot Street Pub in Atlanta, and King Baby was born. We started booking Matt (Slocum) as the fourth member whenever he was available, but Matt was also touring with Aquarium Rescue Unit, Jimmy Herring, Magpie Salute, and who knows what else at the time.
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We had this chemistry that was undeniable as a four piece. It was just a different vibe once we brought in keys. Matt made everything that much more cohesive. We started gigged more as a four-piece, and then Matt calls us and asks if we wanted to play the first-ever Jazz & Blues Festival in Dhaka, Bangladesh. We actually headlined on Saturday night, and we really consider that to be the first official King Baby show.
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You guys released your first full-length album, The Big Galoot, back in March of 2017. Tell me about this material and how it all came together.
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Kevin: After the Bangladesh gig, Matt linked us up with Abstract Logix, which is one of the top instrumental/fusion labels in the world. Everyone agreed that this band had some serious potential, and we needed to get an album recorded as soon as possible. We booked studio time at Diamond Street Studios in Atlanta. We all brought in different ideas. For example, Matt had a tune called "Matt's Funk" that had never been recorded. That ultimately became "Dhaka Strut" on the record. Everyone basically brought in sketches, and we spent that time in studio filling those in and creating an album's worth of material.
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I know y'all are excited to finally get some dates back on the calendar. This run of shows includes stops in New Orleans, Mobile, Birmingham, and Roswell. How long has it been since King Baby's last run?
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Kevin: I think it's been since 2017 or 2018. We did about a nine-day run up to the northeast with Oz Noy opening. Back in 2016, we played Candler Park Music Festival alongside Chris Robinson Brotherhood. It's definitely been too long, and we're very excited about getting the band back together this week.
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Watch King Baby's music video for "King Junior" here:
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You guys are obviously involved in a a bunch of different projects. Has there been much talk about trying to do more dates in 2022?
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Kevin: Absolutely. We're hoping to record our next album as well. We've got to find the right time to make it all happen. Matt's currently touring with Railroad Earth. I'm staying busy with FORQ and my latest project: Wednesday Night Titans. Mark is out on the road with an amazing artist named Sierra Hull. Rick has been staying busy with Jamison Ross, who is an incredible Grammy-nominated drummer from Snarky Puppy.
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For those catching their first King Baby show(s) on this run, what would you say that they can expect? How would you best describe what this band brings to the stage?
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Kevin: I think the King Baby sound is an accumulation of rock-based funk. Everything coming out of Atlanta is an extension of the legacy of Col. Bruce Hampton, as far as we're concerned. That's definitely true for King Baby. Bruce taught us to always have one foot in tradition, but also to destroy tradition and do your own thing. I feel like that definitely applies with every bit of music you hear from this band. All of our originals are vehicles for improvisation, so anything can happen. We've got a mixed bag of covers that we make our own. Rick's vocal prowess certainly adds a nice soulful punch, as well.
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For those familiar with the King Baby catalog, can we expect any new originals or covers mixed in to the upcoming set lists?
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Kevin: Absolutely. We're going to have roughly 40 songs in the bag. There's a whole new list of covers that we plan to incorporate. Those who have seen King Baby before will have plenty of surprises in store.
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What's the overall outlook for the future of King Baby moving forward?
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Kevin: We're going to do a multi-track live recording of our show at From The Earth Brewing in Roswell on Monday, December 6th. That will ultimately make its way onto all of your major streaming platforms. Hopefully a vinyl release, as well. The plan is to also get back in the studio this spring to record a brand new album. We're hoping to do more touring and definitely some festival appearances next year as well.
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