K&A with King Post Kitsch

Back in February, the mysterious Charlie, a.k.a. King Post Kitsch released his debut, gem-of-an EP, which I proclaimed "an absolute treat". Five months on, he's back! And he's brought his brand, spanking new EP "Monomaniac" with him. Before we hear from the man himself, and before I start raving on about how good it is, have a listen to the lead track "Walking On Eggshells".

It really doesn't get much better than that! Bear in mind, that's just the first track. Have a listen to the other two songs and it'll be hard not to agree that this is a pretty amazing EP. If his debut didn't already mark King Post Kitsch out as one-to-watch, then "Monomaniac" most definitely will. Outstanding stuff!

Here's what the Charlie had to say when I asked him a few kowestions...

Kowalskiy: How would you describe your music?
Charlie: I'm not really sure, I guess others can describe it better. I've always thought it was like folk music without the folk arrangements. I like a bit of noise, I like a bit of pop and I like to occasionally rub people up the wrong way.

Kowalskiy: Who/what/where are your main influences?
Charlie: I think my main influences are probably movies, books and wherever I happen to be living at the time I'm recording. I tend to think more in themes so i guess John Fante, Knut Hamsun, John Cassavetes and Alfred Hitchcock might be influences. Musically some favourites of mine are Tom Waits, Neil Young, Beefheart, Bert Jansch and newer bands like The New Pornographers, St Vincent, Yeasayer, Neutral Milk... I'm not sure I sound like any of these folks though!

Kowalskiy: You recently released your second EP, "Monomaniac" for free! What's the story behind the EP, and what's the idea behind giving it away for nowt?
Charlie: With the first EP I had no band to tour or promote the release, and I didn't pay any money to record it so I thought I'd put it out there for free and get some feedback. I got some kind support from bloggers like your good self and a lot more downloads than I anticipated so I thought I'd do the same again.

Kowalskiy: What can fans expect from a King Post Kitsch gig?
Charlie: Good clean fun.

Kowalskiy: And when can Scottish fans expect to see you up here for some gigs?
Charlie: I've had a few offers, so hopefully soon. I'm gonna try to put together a little tour for a few months time - a few shows in England and Scotland. So if anybody wants to put us on, get in touch.

Kowalskiy: What would your ideal gig be?
Charlie: A slot in the Last Waltz line-up would have been nice: Muddy Waters on form and Van the Man in a purple jumpsuit. Magic.

Kowalskiy: What else can we expect from King Post Kitsch in the future?
Charlie: Another release very soon hopefully. Maybe another EP, maybe an album...

Kowalskiy: What up-and-coming band would you advise people to look out for?
Charlie: There's a band called The Chimeras in Philadelphia I'm a big fan of. They make really concise, scratchy, noisy pop music. A bit of Nuggets, a bit of The Kinks, a bit of everything really, and great vocals. The two albums I've heard are pretty strong.

Cheers Charlie! Just to recap, "Monomaniac", along with the debut King Post Kitsch EP are both available for FREE over on his bandcamp page. If the first was well worth a download, the follow-up is essential download material! The sooner we have the album in our grubby mitts and a Scottish gig (or two) the better.