Chris Kinkade on Mortality, Meditation and the Healing Power of Music
Punk Head: ”She's in League with Angels" feels almost like a meditation. Where did the first spark for the song come from?
Chris Kinkade: Playing the harp is in and of itself kind of a meditation. for me personally. When I sit down to play I never plan anything, I just let whatever is going to flow out of me appear and I try to be as open to whatever inspiration is manifesting as I can. It is most likely some form of "channeling" that guides me. Having said that I survived 2 near fatal health events in the past few years so I was probably feeling very close to the "awakening" that both of those events created for me subconsciously. I felt calm and not desperate each time and felt like perhaps there was some spiritual presence that "carried me through" a lot of it. Some bit of comforting knowledge that the healing power of love transcends the trials and tribulations of our mortal life in this dimension. I think perhaps this song that appeared in my hands one day was informed by that awareness.
Punk Head: This is your third release in eight months. Has this been a particularly inspired period, or are listeners finally hearing music you've been carrying for years?
Chris Kinkade: I think what has been inspiring me is that after my own personal "near extinction events" I am not wanting to "leave anything on the table" creatively speaking. I was given an opportunity to stay here a little bit longer and I have so many ideas I want to put into motion because you never know when you are writing your last song, your last poem or your last video creation. I am hoping when I am about to leave this world that i can be satisfied that I didn't waste my time watching TV or sitting on my ass counting the minutes, hours and days go by. A sense of one's mortality can be a great motivator.
Punk Head: You're known for rock projects as well as your solo work. Do those different musical worlds feed each other, or do you keep them separate?
Chris Kinkade: In the sense that they follow the mantra my late friend and mentor John Cassavetes who once told me "Chris, success is living a creative life and surrounding yourself with creative people" they do flow easily from one to the other. My solo stuff is based on my songwriting with my celtic harp while my R&R stuff is me collaborating with outstanding musicians. The drummer for my project "Elsewaves" is Rock and Roll Hall of Fame drummer Michael Derosier with Rick Knotts on lead guitar and Lynn Sorenson (formerly of "Bad Company" and "The Paul Rodgers Band) on bass. My guys in my new project "Parked Outside" are all from Houston and are such wonderful and creative guys: Slayden Clarkson on bass and guitar, , Brett Busch is our killer lead guitar player and Mike Brown crushes it on the drums.We have w new single coming out on July 17 called "Sex Cliche'" and it's crazy fun! So I have my two worlds, my solo stuff which I create, record and produce myself and my R&R stuff where I get inspired by really great musicians and composers who totally "get me" which makes for a wonderful creative experience!
Punk Head: The accompanying video is as atmospheric as the song itself. How important are visuals in completing the experience?
Chris Kinkade: I love making videos for my songs. It is so much fun for me so yes , for me this is a very important part of releasing a new song. I have been around filmmakers for most of my life so I have absorbed a lot by just watching a production give life to a story. I also spent 3 years (from 1985-1988) as the anchor of a music video network called "Hit Video USA" (many clips of me doing this gig are on YouTube) so I have seen my share of music videos and understand about how effective a 3 or 4 minute video can be in terms of serving a song.
Punk Head: If someone only knows you from your rock bands, what do you hope surprises them most about your solo music?
Chris Kinkade: I have been a pretty successful massage therapist in Hollywood for close to 40 years now. My solo work has the vibe of someone who works in quiet spaces in contemplation with healing energy present. I think since I am so comfortable "holding space" with others in need that I am equally comfortable allowing "breath" to appear in my solo harp music. I play a lot of my own stuff but also specialize in playing music from the 1300s to the 1600s. I have also played my harp in many healing spaces as well, hospitals, hospice, yoga centers etc. When anyone sees or hears me play they are probably going to feel some of what that energy feels like because after all these years it is second nature for me to feel like a part of me is in Ireland in the 17th century playing to candlelight while the sea crashes onto the cliffs keeping time for me. That part of me might have people who don't know me a bit surprised but the people that know me know my essence is basically of someone born 400 years too late and someone who knows that life is just a vacation from the very serious business of being dead and who tries to make every day a Saturday. Hopefully that intrinsic joy comes through in anything I create musically because that would make me very happy.
