Magic Angle Artifact: November 2008

Another angle.....

One night, two local shows
Seth Kauffman throws a free concert; Arizona releases an album. Bar hopping is looking good ...
by Alli Marshall

Seth Kauffman’s Floating Action
Even though local singer/songwriter Seth Kauffman’s next album is still a few months from release, he’s prepping fans in advance. Like many musicians, Kauffman plans to make online digital tracks available prior to hard copies of his upcoming disc, Floating Action. But this weekend, the musician test-drives his new material with a big band of area artists and a free show.

Going places: Seth Kauffman’s upcoming third CD promises to be his most fully realized to date.
“There are so many Asheville bands playing shows. You can play a show and nobody comes out,” Kauffman muses. His idea: put together a supergroup of local players from pretty much every musical genre (Matt Smith on pedal steel, Josh Carpenter on guitar, Jar-e and Molly Rose Reed on background vocals as well as a trio of Jamaican singers from Montreat College) to attract a wider range of listeners.

Kauffman, who spends much of his time on the road as the percussionist for Shannon Whitworth, has been quietly garnering his own fan base since the release of his debut solo album, Ting in 2006. He describes that funk-tinged travel-themed initial project as “just a big experiment”—his first attempt at songwriting since leaving the Choosey Beggars.

Research, Kauffman’s sophomore effort, came out a year ago and was re-released this summer by Park the Van Records (aka Dr. Dog’s label). “They’re an incredible label for sure,” Kauffman enthuses. He just finished a tour with Dog and is already planning his next road trip, in support of Action: “I’ll do South by Southwest in ‘09. I’ll start a tour here and go towards Texas.”

Like his first two records, Kauffman laid down initial tracks for Action at his home in Black Mountain. He says he likes to compose tunes on drums or bass. “An atypical instrument is where I come up with ideas. Usually I don’t write the words until I’m about to record. It puts a spontaneous thing to it.”

The multi-instrumentalist plays all the instruments on his albums, calling on friends to flesh out the vocal tracks. He notes that he plays pretty much everything, “except I’m not a keyboardist and I don’t play horns.” He adds, “I’d really like to play baritone saxophone.”

But as much passion as Kauffman brings to his music, he doesn’t mind recording in short bursts. After a full day spent laying down tracks recently, he recalls, “My wife came home and said my forehead was really red. It actually felt hot.”

who: Seth Kauffman with Theresa Andersson and Shake It Like a Caveman
what: Experimental singer/songwriters
where: The Grey Eagle
when: Saturday, Oct. 18. 9 p.m. (Free. http://www.thegreyeagle.com or 232-5800.)