Chillin' Before The Show: Naama & Her Producer Cyrus Melchor
Last night Naama Kates took the stage @ Silverlake Lounge with her producer Cyrus Melchor and their awesome band to preview her upcoming album Souled. The show included video projected visuals that added to the ambiance and presentation of each individual song. Naama also threw in a couple tracks from her first two discs King For The Day and The Unexamined Life for good measure. The show was the first time Ms. Kates got out from behind the keyboard and danced along with her own tunes. The results were amazing, great job to everyone involved! All of the photos of the evening were taken by yours truly.
Once upon a time... Singer/Songwriter/Actress Naama Kates had a chance meeting with Cyrus Melchor, an award-winning producer/composer, resulting in the release of her first album, The Unexamined Life. The Unexamined Life was a critical success, earning rave reviews from national and international press. The single “Before You Lose It” was featured on the CW's drama Ringer, and heard on the hit show, CSI. Kates' self-produced second album, King for the Day, mixed and recorded by three-time Grammy Award-nominee Scott Fraser, was another critical success, which helped Kates earn a new following in South America and Europe. In 2014, she reunited with Melchor for her upcoming third album, Souled.
I recently got together with Naama at Intelligentsia in Silverlake, CA to discuss Souled, Kate Bush, her movie Reinventing Chloeand why we both hate flying. MS: Hey Naama, it sounds like you have more production value on Souled than you did on your previous efforts. NK: Well I'm glad that it sounds that way. A lot of things didn't cost nearly as much as my first record. It was a lot of myself and Cy working together on sounds, even though there are some bass players on it. The mastering job was a top new hot up and coming guy, The Unexamined Life was my most expensive effort Souled is a lot more electronic and done in the studio. MS: It sounds more produced than King for the Day. NK: I produced that myself. It was basically a really good live recording. I didn't really have the time or the means to do all of that production. I'm not really a Producer, I'm not sure how I end up in the Producer role all of the time. The musicians were great! The album was recorded by a real bad ass Producer, Scott Fraser, he did two songs on Souled - the last record since I produced it myself, how much could that have cost? (laughs) But The Unexamined Life in terms of how much it costs? A lot more than this one, it's my most expensive album to date. MS: Souled has a really awesome Kate Bush influence to it. NK: I love that!
MS: OK, since you are much younger than me, how do you know her music? NK: You know? I would be really miserable if the only music I knew, was the music that came out after I was in my teens. MS: I hear that! So how did you first hear Kate Bush? NK: Someone awesome, I can't remember who, did a great cover of Running Up That Hill. I was like, "Who did this bad ass song?" so I checked it out. MS: Too bad she only tours overseas, she is afraid to fly.
NK: Is she English? MS: Yeah. NK: Oh, I didn't know that. MS: Flying doesn't bother me. NK: Me either. Well it does now actually, because of all the nonsense you have to put up with before you board the plane. MS: That is annoying, but as far as the actual act of flying, no big thing. NK: I agree.
MS: The thing I don't like about flying is it is so claustrophobic. NK: It's sooooooo claustrophobic. I've actually flown a plane, it's really fun and it's really easy.
MS: Oh wow! That sounds fun, I would love to do that! Also I would love to parachute out of a plane. NK: I've done that a couple of times. It wasn't an adrenaline rush for me, maybe for some people it is, it for me was actually very peaceful. MS: For some reason I have really taken to the title track of your latest record, Souled. NK: That's not a bad thing, I obviously feel rather strongly about it, since it's the title track. Everyone has their favorites with this record and really strong opinions as to what song that is. Which is really great. it's not that one song is better than the other, it's a matter of taste. People's favorites from the album also change, certain songs are growers, not showers. (laughs) MS: Chat a little more about the song Souled. NK: Do you get the lyrics and what I am saying in that song? MS: Yes, the lyrics are below the song on the play list on Sound Cloud. NK: The play on words confuses a lot of people, but if you have the lyrics in front of you and have read them... MS: I did, I get it, it's a play on words. NK: Good for you! A lot of people don't get it even if they know what the explanation is. When it comes to my music it matters to me if the listener enjoys it. I don't write songs in that regard thinking about how others will like it, but when it's finished and they are hearing it of course I care. MS: Are you performing live anytime soon? NK: Yes, on August 6th at the Silverlake Lounge at 9 pm. It's going to be the first time with the new material, we're going to have projection, a DJ and a back-up Keyboard player so I don't have to play on everything, I can stand up and not be behind the piano all the time. (laughs)
MS: Awesome! I am so going to be there! What about your film Reinventing Chloe hows that going? NK: Reinventing Chloe is a movie I acted in, produced and wrote. The director is a friend of mine Princeton Holt. It's very autobiographical. It's about a singer that comes to Nashville, the songs I am playing in it are from The Unexamined Life - we submitted the film to a bunch of film festivals and it won nine jury awards, Best Feature, Best Actress and Screenplay. That was pretty awesome! It got a lot of attention and the film is getting picked up for distribution by a production company.Chloewill be released later this year. Get Souled with Naama at: https://www.facebook.com/NaamaKates http://www.naamakates.com/ Go Chloe at: https://www.facebook.com/ChloeMovie2014
Naama Kates is back, after her critically acclaimed debut "The Unexamined Life" and the hit single "Before You Lose It" Naama has recently released the CD "King for the Day" I highly recommend it! Ms. Kates has this to say about her latest: "I wrote it when I was working on"The Unexamined Life", it was the first song I wrote after that record, while it was in production because I felt like, I was kind of living this dream really that I didn't even imagine, having my record done by this amazing producer, its like a lot of musicians' dreams when they come to LA I think". I caught up with Naama during her album release show at The Silverlake Lounge on March 13th, where she and her band performed a flawless hour long set - It's Naama time! MS: How are you my dear? NK: I'm alright, how are you?
MS: Fine. You were so amazing tonight, The Silverlake Lounge has really great acoustics. NK: Of course I didn't hear what my band sounded like, but I heard what the other ones did, it can be a little loud acoustic wise in there. MS: I thought the acoustics for your show were dead on.
NK: You're right, I have seen other shows there and they have sounded really good. MS: When I go to a live show, I always expect a glitch here and there, but yours was like hearing the album, except it was live. NK: You know what that is? It's because that is the way we recorded the album actually. There are no overdubs on it at all, all the songs are just a take that we chose, we did maybe a couple on each one, and just chose one. We played them how they are on the album, partly because it was more time and cost effective, that we did it that way (laughs) Hey, it worked! MS: Very well by the way. I heard most of the album before I came to your show, my thing is I have to hear something a few times before I am super familiar with it. NK: I so get that. Especially with this album it's not like other things. The structure is kind of wandering and stuff. I know I have to listen to music, a lot, before I know it, enough to know it when I go hear it live. MS: What the Hell with that girl who was talking louder than your show? NK: Yeah, she was talking the whole time, I could hear the same voice, at the same frequency in my ear the whole time, but I couldn't see anything with the lights on me, but the TV in the corner. MS: I could not locate her either, I'm like "WTF is that coming from"?! NK: She was near the front I think. MS: Well I said something to Andrea ( Delesdernier Naama's PR person) She said "that happens with every show" I'm like noooooooo, that was really special, I mean I talk during a show, but you can't hear me over the whole thing! NK: Oh, I know, I know. My thing is, I don't mind people talking at my shows, people are there with their friends. But if I am at a show or whatever and I am sitting really close to the front, I won't talk. All I heard was "wa wa wa wa"
Myself & Naama Post Silverlake Lounge Show
MS: Yeah, it was really rude. What I would like to say about the music off of "King for the Day" is it is a lot more low key than the "Unexamined Life". NK: It's more down tempo. MS: The more uptempo songs were not as frequent on "King" as they were on "Unexamined". Is that where you are at right now? NK: You know, I don't really plan that when I write. Like, I don't ever have any pre-conceived ideas what I am going to write, period, when I do. All I know is I am going to write...I just sit down and do it, I guess it is a reflection of where I am. The things I am talking about on this album are a little more calm, it also has a lot to do with the arrangements. It was arranged with a four piece band, it was really organic. MS: I get that, that's the way I write, and I think all writers do too. But, even though you say "it's what comes out" it is not as random as we writers think. NK: There is definitely some driving force behind it, with the subconscious and everything...pushing the message out. But you are not calculating it or contriving it consciously at the same time. MS: I one hundred percent agree with that. Creativity is winged on it's own level. NK: Definitely! Life is not that deliberate. MS: BTW, since I turned you on to it, are you loving "Pretty Little Liars"? NK: Yes! Great characters and story, good call! Check out one of my favorite artists Naama Kates and crown yourself "King" at: http://www.naamakates.com/
Oh wouldn’t it be grand to be king for a day, everyday?
‘Stead of sitting around watching old patterns repeat
Nothin’s shakin; just makin’ ends meet"
- "King for the Day" Naama Kates
Naama Kates is back, after her critically acclaimed debut "The Unexamined Life" and the hit single "Before You Lose It" Naama has released the first single and video "King for the Day" from the album of the same name, which drops March 12...!
Ms. Kates has this to say about the song: "I wrote it when I was working on"The Unexamined Life", it was the first song I wrote after that record, while it was in production because I felt like, I was kind of living this dream really that I didn't even imagine, having my record done by this amazing producer, its like a lot of musicians' dreams when they come to LA I think".
As a fan, I am looking forward to the new album and seeing her perform live at The Silverlake Lounge on March 13th, coincidentally the day after "King for the Day" is released.
Naama's style is uniquely her own and it works! As Naama describes it:
"I think my music has a lot of sort of different time period sounds and styles in it
but mixed together to make something new:and a little humor, a little sexy, smart and simple. Its just perfect".
Here she is "King for the Day" Ms. Naama Kates...!
