We catch-up w/ KJ & The Fox ahead of this weekends Balcony Festival 7, kicking-off this Saturday in support of Carers UK, supporting carers around the country. They give us their take on new single ‘Perfect Moments‘ and their essential take on the ideal of perfection.
Thanks for playing Balcony festival GigSlutz stage. This week we are raising funds for Carers UK? What inspired you to get involved?
No problem! It’s great to be raising awareness for such an important charity and issue. The chances are we all become either carers or cared for in the end… so to have an organisation providing support for them, and campaigning for policy to help carers is a wonderful thing.
Why KJ & The Fox? How did it all come together?
I was asked to do a solo gig with friends and label mates Kenny Process Team in January at Servant Jazz Quarters in London, but being a bit bored with performing as the solo KJ Adams I asked Rhodri to join me on bass. Then we roped in Tom on drums and Chris on guitar, and as we’re all mates – the thing was a breeze. It went down really well at the show and seemed obvious this couldn’t be a one off. The name came from me making up lots of other names that the rest of the band said were terrible! It’s the path of least resistance. Actually that seems like a good name… Hello Austin, we’re the Path of Least Resistance…
Tell us about the new single ‘Perfect Moments’?
It’s a song about how the desire for perfect moments can end up a sort of prison. It was inspired by a chapter in Nausea, the novel by Sartre… and by inspired I mean that I nicked lots of imagery from it. We recorded the whole thing under lockdown… which was actually pretty easy in a way because no one has to wait around while another band member gets a good take.
Tell us about the live show? What are your top three essential ingredients?
An intense moment, a head bopping moment and a stupid mistake to recover from.
What kind of themes are running through your work?
People struggling to communicate because of some social or systemic block… lots of death… joy at a moment of commitment… searching for freedom… paradoxes and stuff… love…
Tell us about your ultimate version of perfection?
Ah well… I suppose I’m constantly in search of the opposite, which just becomes the same thing in the end. Well that’s an interesting conundrum for music makers in this era… the technology offers you a sort of perfection, so anything rough around the edges is now an explicit choice. Feels like this could be a whole other discussion.
What is your top lockdown survival strategy?
Take more pleasure in small things.
Who are your strongest inspirations and influences?
Oh the usual… Beefheart and Beatles, Thelonius Monk and the Monkees, Deerhoof and Stevie Wonderhoof… Louis Armstrong, Louis Prima, Louis Jordan, Louis van Beethoven, and the Kingsmen for the only single that really matters… Louie Louie Louie…
Who else do you recommend from this weekend’s Balcony Festival?
Looking forward to David Woodcock tinkling the ivories, Gris-de-lin… and I was checking out Vincent Bugozi and it was like a beam of sunshine filled the room!
KJ & The Fox play Balcony Festival, this Saturday @ 6-9pm Tune-in here:
Photo Credit: Keith John Adams
