The Eclectic Sounds of KP And The Boom Boom Are Revealed In This Q&A!

According to their Facebook page, KP And The Boom Boom describe their music as  “Highly innovative & effortlessly danceable. It’s music for the mind & the body.” I would have to say that that is very accurate so I jumped at the chance to interview these 6 talented musicians about their music and what’s up next for them.

Based in Austin, Texas, KP And The Boom Boom members include: Kate Priestley ‘KP’ (Vocals), Bryan Sunderman (Guitar & Percussion), Carolyn Trowbridge (Vibraphone, Keys & Percussion), Nick Wong (Bass), Anthony Ortega (Drums), Nick Balleza (Trumpet) and Carlos Kirk (Saxophone).

First things first, what is that band name all about?

KP is the name of the front woman Kate Priestley and the Boom Boom is the sound explosion that our music creates.

Do all the band members live in Austin? How has living in that musical town helped influence you as a musician and the band’s music as well?

Yes we all live in Austin. KP-Kate is originally from the UK, she likes to make lots of tea for us in rehearsals. Living in such a musical town it’s so easy to connect with other musicians and professionals and we love seeing other bands perform. Performance wise we’ve definitely taken inspiration from many bands in Austin who we’ve been impressed by. Any front person who owns the stage wins Kate’s admiration, it gives her confidence to do the same. It’s little things, observations, crowd responses..it all gets the brain ticking on how we can develop and grow. For our musical inspiration we look globally, we all have a wide range of influences that come from all corners of the world. We take people on a journey.

How did you all meet? Does everyone get along really well?

By a series of serendipitous experiences. Kate came over for a visit to the US and was introduced to our guitarist Bryan who knew the other members of the band through school and other musical projects. We all get along so well, it seems so lucky really. Bands break up all the time because personalities collide. I think our personalities are well balanced, we know how to read each other and we know not to get too sensitive when we give each other musical advice.

Take me on the career of musical journey so far? What has got you to this point?

We’ve been together for 3 and a half years and during that time there’s definitely been a lot of growth and evolution. It’s the bond and the hard work we’ve put into this band that has brought us to this point. We also have a great manager Jenny Dugas who is helping us develop great connections. Sometimes you may have a not so productive practice but then the next one’s amazing and it makes it all worth it!

Who does the songwriting? Do you take turns? Do you take part in it at all? How often are you creating new music?

At the moment we are concentrating most of our time writing brand new material for our debut full length album which will be released in early 2015.  Song writing is a collaborative process. The music behind Kate’s lyrics is written by every band member.

How often do you guys tour? Describe what it’s like being on tour.

We’ve played out of town gigs but not an extended tour yet. That’s the dream! Right now we are concentrating all our efforts into writing and recording our debut album. We’re hoping after that to tour, we’d love to!

Who are some of your and the band’s biggest musical influences?

We all have a very wide mix of influences that we draw from. Our
musical influences range from: Hiatus Kaiyote, Herbie Hancock,
Jamiroquai, Jose James, 4Hero, Luiz Bonfa. I’m sure if we reeled off more it may seem quite confusing how all these inspirations comes together…we make it work, we’re creating a distinct sound.

How have social networks and sites such as Facebook, MySpace, YouTube and Twitter affected the way you promote your music and interact with your fans?

We love being able to communicate and keep in touch with our fans via social media. We just hired a really great intern to help us with all that too, it seems the younger kids know what’s going on with the latest platforms more then us!

If you had the opportunity to work with any act/artist from the past, present or future, who would it be?

Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Nitin Sawhney, now if we had the
opportunity to play any venue! The Royal Albert Hall for sure…the band could finally get a taste of England in it’s glory, KP’s home country!

What music are you all listening to right now? Do they inspire your music today?

We’re listening to Snarky Puppy, Herbie Hancock, Ravi Shankar, 4Hero and Rudimental. We also listen to the radio too, local Austin radio station KUTX is really great for variety and keeping us in the know. Sometimes you get so wrapped up in writing your own music that you have to step away and make a conscious effort to check out new stuff.

What is your favorite song to perform live? And so far, where has been your favorite place to perform? Do you have any great road stories you’d like to share?

“Feel It” – we love playing that song. It’s got good vibes and we have a badass music video for it too which you can view on YouTube. We always LOVE playing our newest material too. I think its the freshness and progression in our sound that gets us excited.

Do you have any advice for upcoming musicians?

Be yourself , Work your ass off, communicate with each other, Floss and eat your vegetables.

Is there anything else that you want potential new fans to know about you and the band?

It’s something fresh and it’s something inspiring. Take some time to check us out. Go check us out and follow us on Facebook!

For more on KP And The Boom Boom:

www.facebook.com/kpandtheboomboom www.kpandtheboomboom.com