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We’re very excited to have some time today with acclaimed Indie pop singer/songwriter/guitarist Kurt Hagardorn; greetings and salutations, Kurt! Before we dive into the Q&A mosh-pit, how is the freshly-minted New Year treating you and yours?
So far it’s all gravy. Thanks for asking!
Major congratulations on your recently released LP An Analog Man In A Digital World! Starting at the tip-top, what’s the VH1-Behind the Music origin story on this beautiful new LP?
Well, first I wrote “Caveat Emptor”, the second song on the record. It has lightness and fun to it, and more songs with that fun vibe began to follow.
Who was your producer on An Analog Man In A Digital World and what did the collaboration between producer and artist look like while in the studio working on the LP?
Jeanot Lewis Rolland (JLR Productions) here in Portland is the Co-Producer and Engineer. He really made everything sound as good as it could. I’d record the drums, bass, and guitars at my house and go to his studio do to vocals and for the horn sessions.
In your humble opinion, what differentiates the new album from the rest of the music on the 2023-2024 music landscape?
Songwriting, I hope. A lot of new records have a great SOUND, but in service of what? To me great sounds are just icing on the cake of a really good Song.
Can you introduce our ever-inquisitive readers to some of the other talented musicians who lent their skills to make this record?
Old friend Seth Timbs is a top-notch piano player in Nashville who did all the keyboards. Paul Brainerd is a Portland musician who played trumpet and some lap steel guitar. They really added sauce.
We’re big admirers of the tune “High in the Shadows” off of the new LP! What’s the story behind this gem of a ditty?
“High in the Shadows” is either a song about a life philosophy or about smoking weed. History will decide.
Who inspires you musically?
For this album? Rockpile , Nick Lowe early AC/DC were big influences.
You grew up in New Orleans and now hang your fedora in Portland, Oregon. How do those seemingly disparate roots inform you as an artist and as a person?
Portland is nice but not a musical influence per se. For obvious reasons New Orleans is a big influence and that’s where the syncopation comes from.
In the wake of the recent release, can fans look forward to catching you on the touring/performing circuit?
I’m more of a Harry Nilsson in a bathrobe kind of musician these days. I play local though.
When working on new material, what does your creative process generally look like? Is there method to your creative madness?
I sit around with a nylon string guitar and just mess around. A little riff or chord figure will come up and a lightbulb just goes off and I start singing. It’s a pretty rapid process. I wrote “High in the Shadows” in about 15 minutes.
At the end of the day, what do you hope listeners walk away with after giving many-a-spin to your brilliant new album An Analog Man In A Digital World?
I hope it makes them feel like it makes me feel; happy, light-hearted, and makes them feel like driving fast.
Final – SILLY Question: Favorite movie about the music scene – This Is Spinal Tap, 8 Mile, Walk the Line, Almost Famous, That Thing You Do or The Buddy Holly Story?
“This is reefer, and you don’t want no part of this!” scene in Walk The Line is hard to beat!
