Karl Blau is an American
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...
and
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...
vocalist, producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist based in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
, previously based in
Anacortes, Washington
Anacortes ( ) is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The name "Anacortes" is an adaptation of the name of Anne Curtis Bowman, who was the wife of early Fidalgo Island settler Amos Bowman.[K Records
K Records is an independent record label in Olympia, Washington, founded in 1982. Artists on the label included early releases by Beck, Modest Mouse and Built to Spill. The record label has been called "key to the development of independent mu ...]
collective, he is known for his musical output, live shows, and self recording and distribution. According to
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
, "Blau's sounds include grafting
folk and
country-rock
Country rock is a music genre that fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal sty ...
onto hazy
blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...
,
rocksteady
Rocksteady is a music genre that originated in Jamaica around 1966. A successor of ska and a precursor to reggae, rocksteady was the dominant style of music in Jamaica for nearly two years, performed by many of the artists who helped establish ...
reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...
, '70s
soul
The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...
harmonies, and ceremonial-sounding flutes,
bossa nova,
dub, and
experimental drone in an unpredictable, shape-shifting mixture of elements."
Career
Blau grew up on
Samish Island, Washington, a peninsula across the bay from
Anacortes (where he later came to be based).
In the 1990s, Blau worked at The Business record store in Anacortes. His solo career began in 1996 with the release of the cassettes ''Doin' Things the Way They Happen'' and ''Blue Nomad'' on Knw-Yr-Own Records. ''Shell Collection'' came out the next year.
Blau has played in several bands over the years, such as
the Microphones,
D+, Brothers Blau, Lovers Without Borders, Captain Fathom and
Your Heart Breaks. He also has collaborated extensively with other Washington-based musicians, including
Phil Elvrum of
The Microphones and
Mount Eerie,
LAKE
A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...
and
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...
. In addition, he has toured and recorded with
Laura Veirs
Laura Pauline Veirs (born October 24, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter based in Portland, Oregon. She is known for her folk and alternative country records and live performances as well as her collaboration with Neko Case and k.d. lang o ...
.
In 2003, Blau began a service called Kelp! Monthly, via which he released a series of records and mailed them to subscribers. The releases came out often, but not necessarily monthly. By 2008, it had been renamed to the Kelp Lunacy Advanced Plagiarism Society (KLAPS) as new releases were not being made with enough regularity to justify the original name.
KLAPS contains a total of 32 issues (see list below).
Blau was referenced in a song carrying his name by the London punk band Video Nasties. The Microphones' album, ''
It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water,'' also has a song titled "Karl Blau".
Discography
LPs
*''Doin' Things the Way They Happen'' (Knw-Yr-Own 1996)
*''Blue Nomad'' (Knw-Yr-Own 1996)
*''Shell Collection'' (Knw-Yr-Own 1997)
*''A Second Culling'' (Knw-Yr-Own 1999)
*''Clothes Your I's'' (Knw-Yr-Own 2001)
*''Beneath Waves'' (
K Records
K Records is an independent record label in Olympia, Washington, founded in 1982. Artists on the label included early releases by Beck, Modest Mouse and Built to Spill. The record label has been called "key to the development of independent mu ...
2006)
*''Dance Positive'' (Marriage Records 2007)
*''AM'' (Whistler 2008)
*''Nature's Got Away'' (K Records 2008)
*''Zebra'' (K Records 2009)
*''Introducing Karl Blau'' (Raven Marching Band/Bella Union 2016)
*''Out Her Space'' (Bella Union 2017)
*''Scream Time'' (Self-released 2022)
*''Vultures of Love'' (Otherly Love 2024)
Singles
*"Slow Down Joe" b/w "Lake King's Daughter" (K Records/OnPurpose Records 2006)
*"That's How I Got To Memphis" b/w "Forest" (collaboration with Mount Analog) (K Records)
Kelp Lunacy Advanced Plagiarism Society series
Kelp Lunacy Advanced Plagiarism Society (KLAPS, formerly Kelp! Monthly) was Blau's "monthly (sometimes) music service" that had released a series of records.
The following is a list of all releases:
#''Dark, Magic Sea''
#''The Coconutcracker''
#''Turning Tutu, Turning Leaves''
#''Dunkel Blau''
#''Purple Heart''
#''Deep Sandwich''
#''Remember Tomorrow''
#''Lore of Ears''
#''Dubble Dooty Booty''
#''Trust in Sirens''
#''It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water''
#''Welsh Phantoms and Other Ghosts of Western Europe''
#''Sea/Saw''
#''Stereoearrings''
#''If I Knew Zen What I Know Now''
#''AM''
#''Sing Together/Lonely Under the Covers''
#''Beer & Chai''
#''Flotsam & Jetsam''
#''Let It All Out''
#''Sigh Lens''
#''Bread-n-Grease''
#''Trunkal Howl''
#''LAKE''
#''Free The Bird''
#''Dance Positive''
#''Good Lovin' County''
#''In Return From Ghost Country''
#''Baby Nettles''
#''96''
#''Questions For Moon''
#''Songles''
References
External links
Karl Blau at BandcampKarl Blau at Allmusic.comKarl Blau at K RecordsKarl Blau at Bella UnionKarl Blau on NPR Live Sessions
KEXP Interview with Karl Blau
SPIN's Artist of the Day
Secretly Important Interview with Karl Blau
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blau, Karl
American male singer-songwriters
Living people
People from Anacortes, Washington
Year of birth missing (living people)
Musical groups established in 1996
Singer-songwriters from Washington (state)
Bella Union artists
The Bundles members