INTERVIEW: The Lost American

Related Articles

INTERVIEW: Brooklyn’s indie folk/chamber pop outfit Low Tide

Monday, October 28, 2019

Shark Navigator Upright Bagless Vacuum Cleaner

Monday, October 28, 2019

Why John Hughes’ Films Offer Truly Terrible Relationship Advice

Monday, October 28, 2019

Kelley’s musical journey began when he was three years old when his parents noticed him playing along to a Temptations record on a toy piano. They enrolled him a Blair Academy of Music in Nashville, whereupon he suffered through a variety of classical composers. His older siblings introduced him to rock music; once he was old enough to wrap his hands around a guitar, he began playing in bands. He started playing Nashville’s legendary punk dive Cantrell’s when he was fifteen. Local college station WRVU started playing his band Chapel of Roses and they started to see some local buzz, releasing a 12″ single. Television’s road manager started managing them and they played all over the South, playing 40-Watt club in Athens, 608 in Atlanta, and hitting the New Music Seminar in NYC. (Kelley laughs: “I met RuPaul during his punk rock days, he’d driven up with his band from Atlanta.”) As the story goes, they eventually broke up. (More info about the band is in Rev. Keith Gordon’s book The Other Side of Nashville.) His band Saint Christopher had a productive period in the nineties in Los Angeles, creating demos, playing clubs, and even had a song featured in a foreign art film (“Not porn!” Kelley maintains.).

Lost American has certainly been inspired by a life off the beaten path, off the reservation, and off the map. The name Lost American suits Kelley well because he has been living out of the US for almost twenty years, trying to understand his homeland from abroad (and chasing handsome strangers). His wanderlust begin in earnest after the 9/11 attack on New York City: he was flying to Novosibirsk, Russia when the twin towers were felled. He soon decided he wanted to immerse himself in a life outside the United States to try to understand the often divergent opinions of his home country. Falling in love with a Bulgarian rascal sealed the deal.

We get to sit with Chris to talk about his latest new single and what else is in stores!

Hi Chris, welcome to VENTS! How have you been?

Great! Been back in the States for a week, love being in my hometown Nashville. It’s incredible how this town keeps growing; there is so much going on.

Can you talk to us more about your latest single “Let’s Stay Outside”?

Let’s Stay Outside is one of those songs that was effortless to write. It was as if another source was feeding me the words and melody – it just flowed. The idea came, I jumped on my laptop and in thirty minutes it was done. Boom. A day or two later, I wrote proper lyrics, then shared it with my collaborator Shorn Keld, who tightened up the percs and keys, then he mixed it. 

Did any event in particular inspire you to write this song?

Years ago I lived in Los Angeles. I was searching at that point in my life for meaning, for direction. Every month I would drive to Ojai and take part in a full moon ceremony. It was very simple – a bunch of folks would gather in a circle, meditate some, then chant “All the earth is sacred, every step we take.” It helped remind me that we are all connected. It felt so good to be out there in nature and feeling peaceful.

But I was also a young buck in my mid-twenties. One day I brought a friend of mine from the restaurant where I worked. I was so hot for him. I don’t know why it occurred to me that bringing him to the ceremony would get me in his pants; there are much easier ways… Anyway, so, that time, while I was supposed to be feeling the peace of the world, all I could think about was how much I wanted to be one with this guy. 

So, that is the mood for “Let’s Stay Outside” – balancing the needs of the universe with the needs of the body. Celebrating our humanity. Our core needs. Being naughty. 

Any plans to release a video for the single?

Yes, it’ll come out soon after the single. Videos are important to me; I’m from the first MTV generation. 

I cut the video in this huge space in Barcelona, where I live. It’s the first clip I’ve done that’s been just me – no band, no pretty boys writing playfully: just me. It’s an intimate song; I wanted the video clip to reflect that spirit. 

What role does Nashville play in your music?

Nashville is very much in my blood. I’m the seventh generation of my family baptised in our church. Deep roots. My cousin’s family started WSM radio, which made the Grand Ol Opry available throughout much of the US. Scenes from a Hank Williams series were filmed at my Grandmother’s house. Most importantly, my parents had a friend who worked on the “Hee Haw”, a really camp country music TV series from the 70’s. Heheh. Anyway, plenty of great bands toured through Nashville when I was young, exposing me to great performers and music. Since there were so many recording studios here, it was pretty cheap to cut demos and learn how to make records. There was a punk club called Cantrell’s that let us cut our teeth, and since there are so many colleges nearby, it’s easy to tour. Nashville’s a great base for a musician.

What is it about the 90s that you find so fascinating?

Actually, the 90’s were kind of a wash for me – it’s the 80s that are more interesting. Post punk! New wave! Alternative! Musicians, especially in the UK, were using the new synths and recording equipment to make really cool stuff. Pop music was being redefined. We actually had a “new music” station here in Nashville in the mid 80’s, I think it was called WKDA. Hearing the Cure, REM, Kim Wilde, and Kajagoogoo on the radio – such an education. 

Does the new single mean we can expect a new material – how’s that coming along?

Yes, I cut a demo right before I flew to Nashville from Barcelona, where I live. It was like the wind from Nashville was pushing me home; that wind influenced my vocals on it. I used the demo for a gig promo, here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uu1yi_qtLJM . I’m feeling a Southern Gothic vibe with it, seeing my music getting darker, a tad spooky. We’ve got a lot of ghost stories round here.

Any tentative release date or title in mind?

Not yet. I expect we’ll have a new single out late October/early November.

Any plans to hit the road?

I’m returning to Barcelona after our gig here. I’ll return to Nashville mid-October and we’ll look at more gigs. I’m really interested in playing in Atlanta.

What else is happening next in Lost American’s world?