"Something In The Water" Podcast; Episode 65
Watch David talking and performing in-studio as the live guest on this podcast out of Gram Parsons' hometown of Waycross, Georgia...
https://youtu.be/CzZrYUv7P8Q
"Woodstock Jams" on WDST (100.1FM)
David Kraai swings by WDST's "Woodstock Jams" as a special guest co-host to promote his new album North Mountain Rambling, which was recorded in the basement of the legendary Big Pink! David joins Brett to spin tunes from the new album and other cuts from his collection...https://www.davidkraai.com/woodstockjamswdst.mp3
Chronogram Magazine
North Mountain Rambling is the first album to be recorded at Big Pink since the bootleg Basement Tapes were made there 50 years ago. This legendary abode in Saugerties was home to members of The Band and became known for the hundreds of songs recorded there with Bob Dylan while he recovered from a debilitating motorcycle accident.
David Kraai's music continues in a similar tradition of feel over formality, rawness over refinement - as he croons in "Shotgun Rider": "Let's roll them dice sister and just let it ride." Due in no small part to the accompaniment of Fooch Fischetti on pedal steel and fiddle, Chris Ragucci on drums, and Amy Laber on backing vocals, Kraai's catchy tunes and down-on-his-luck antics have a way of sticking in your head for days. Dylan alumni Rob Stoner, on bass, and Eric Weissberg, on banjo, complete the historical music circle.
Read an in-depth analysis of David's work by Damian A. Carpenter
author of Lead Belly, Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, and American Folk Outlaw Performance (Routledge 2017)
Chronogram Magazine
For nearly a decade, New Paltz's hard-core troubadour, David Kraai, has honed his own brand of "Cosmic American Music," a blend of country, rock, folk, and soul originally distilled by artists like Gram Parsons, The Band, and Leon Russell. After incessant gigging, writing, and globetrotting, Kraai now shares stages and makes recordings with standard-bearers of the genre: Country Dreamer, his third and finest CD, features contributions from members of The Black Crowes, Gov't Mule, and Emmylou Harris's band. While these guests add stellar musicianship, Kraai's own Saddle Tramps are no slouches, either; of particular note is frequent duet partner and banjoist Amy Laber, Country Dreamer's not-so-secret weapon. When Laber's barefoot-angel harmonies entwine with Kraai's sad-'n'-sexy twang especially on the rollicking "Old Oak and Chicory" and the country-soul nugget "Home Sweet Home" the vocal combo goes down like overproof whisky on a cold Catskill night.
Lyrically, Kraai's got some potent neo-hippie zingers: "Cigarettes and prescription pills can't keep you from going crazy / You'll find out just who you are when you get the chance to be lazy." Country Dreamer offers a wide range of lean, hooky, honky-tonk-friendly fare; raunch-rock on "Gettin' Dirty," Memphis balladry on "Dreamin' With You," and Allmans-y raving on "That's Just the Way We Roll." Whether he's bending those blue notes or shouting to the cheap seats, this Catskill-billy delivers deeply refreshing exuberance, awakening the unashamed flower child in us all.
I am Ulster County: David Kraai; Ulster Magazine
Occupation: Musician
Where I'm From
New Paltz.
What I Like Most About Ulster County
The scenery, the arts scene and the down-to-earthed-ness of the people.
The Ulster County View I Never Get Tired of Seeing
The vista point past Minnewaska, heading toward Kerhonkson, where you can really see it all.
A Key Event in My Life & the Impact It Had on Me
Living in Los Angeles, which made me realize who and what was really important to me. It's no surprise that I moved right back to Ulster County after that.
Latest Accomplishment
Finishing my new album, which includes guest appearances by members of The Black Crowes, Gov't Mule and more!
Quote I Try To Live By
If it's funny, say it. And on a more serious note: Don't ruin someone else's good time just to have one yourself.
Favorite Local Band
Levon Helm Band, without a doubt. But, Phelonious Phunk and The Big Shoe are excellent and fun as well.
Best Foreign Place I Have Ever Visited
Prague is beautiful, very old. Their art is phenomenal, especially Alphonse Mucha. But the French Alps win. I'm French, so I get a little jingoistic regarding all things French... eating Brie on a baguette can really push me over the edge in a good way!
Three Things I Dislike Most
Snakes, mayonnaise and what in my opinion is bad music. All three just make me really uneasy.
Star Who Would Play Me in the Movie Version of My Life
Vincent Gallo could work.
Favorite Worthy Causes
Keeping arts programs in schools, animal adoption and, of course, helping with any natural disaster.
My Favorite Website
It's www.davidkraai.com, but I suspect I'm biased.
Five Firsts: David Kraai; Nippertown Magazine
Name: David Kraai
Band Affiliation: David Kraai & the Saddle Tramps
Instrument: Singer, songwriter, guitar, harmonica, mandolin & stumbling through a few more...
1. The first album I ever bought was...Something by the Monkees on vinyl. I was quite young and didn't even know how much a record cost, but I wanted one by the Monkees (I had seen them on television and loved their show). No one was home, so I took all of my money and walked a ways to the local department store. They only had one by them, and I had just enough loot, so I bought it, and the rest may or may not be history...
2. The first concert that I ever saw was...10,000 Maniacs, and the tickets were a gift. I just wanted to go to a concert, but these family friends didn't know what music I liked, and they chose the act. The whole time I was wishing I was at a Guns N' Roses concert, but, hey, it was 1989 or something and Appetite is a great album!
3. The first musical instrument I ever owned or played was...A recorder. And I still have it...
4. The first song that I ever performed in public was...I think it was "Dark End of the Street" by Dan Penn and Chips Moman, but it is hard to remember for sure...
5. The first band I was ever in was...The Old States. A short-lived, great little country outfit from mountains of New York State... and what a nice hallucination it was!
Hittin' the Note Magazine; Issue 60
To say that David Kraai would be right at home jamming alongside a latter-day Gram Parsons would, while accurate, tell only half the story. It's true that his country-rock leanings make him a prime candidate for such a comparison, but Kraai has a few more tricks up his sleeve, a fact evidenced throughout the course of his latest release, high & lonesome. His second record (but the first to feature backing band The Saddle Tramps) finds the singer/songwriter delving into some really magical material that stretches well beyond the country-rock moniker.For such a young artist, Kraai is remarkably adept at blending his influences with his own voice. After all, beautiful balladry like "Rings Cannot Hold Them In" and "Cornflower" would be at home easily on either of Chris Robinson's solo records, yet Kraai manages to make them entirely his own. Similarly, "Tin Roof Star" recalls elements of both Workingman's Dead and American Beauty, yet the listener never gets the impression Kraai is ripping off the Grateful Dead. Instead, Kraai again sounds completely original, a testament to both his songwriting and his delivery.
high & lonesome is a beautifully subdued record that should definitely be garnering more attention than it has received thus far. Make no mistake about it: David Kraai is an artist the music world will take further notice of in the near future, especially with more records like this one on the way.
WNCW (88.7 FM)
high & lonesome is named #79 out of the Top 100 CDs of 2008 by WNCW!
Notes From The Edge: Interview with David Kraai; UpstateLIVE Magazine
David Kraai is one of the great talents that has been born into the Upstate music landscape. A superb musician and lyricist, he grew up near the legendary town of Woodstock. The experience sent an educated student of the craft out into the field to do his work. He has gained some exposure on the national scene and is well respected by musicians, peers and a choice few national icons. Neil Young recently praised David for having one of the top 10 war anthems of our time with his great song, "Things of America." Things have been going well for Mr. Kraai and his band The Saddle Tramps. David Kraai & The Saddle Tramps have been performing to larger crowds and are gaining respect on the touring circuit in New York and beyond. I recently caught up with David to talk to him about his rising star in the U.S. of A. If you are a fan of the high and lonesome sounds of Gram Parsons, you will definitely dig this cat!
Who are your biggest influences musically?
Gram Parsons, Bob Dylan and Neil Young are surely the biggest. But, old blues, folk and country music are always creeping in there showing their continual ideological roots. Not to mention some good emotional R&B stuff like Sam Cooke or Delaney & Bonnie.
What does Woodstock mean to you? How did this town aid in your musical education, so to speak?
Woodstock is still the name which symbolizes and epitomizes the hippie movement. That idea of community and peace and tranquility is what the hippies wanted and what actually exists in the town of Woodstock. I grew up just down the hill from Woodstock and my parents were hippies who lived in San Francisco during the heyday of Haight Ashbury. It's hard to get away from those ideals when you grew up with them as truths. So, it's no surprise that I would label myself a hippie at heart, or a beatnik or, maybe, just a plain old alternative person living outside of the mainstream scene. Anyway, growing up in the shadow of that music, and those musicians, is huge. I grew up always listening to good music; some would say the best music! Definitely music that changed the face of music and the world in general. Hearing that every day is an education, and having Dylan and The Band and so on as teachers is one of the best educations ears can find. I wouldn't say Woodstock aided in my musical education, it created it. And like all good educators, it sent me out with a solid foundation seeking, wanting and capable to find out more.
The Old States were an amazing band! What led to the demise of the band?
Just artists pulling in different directions and having different priorities. I still see those cats sometimes and it's like no time has passed. True friends are like that. We just had to move closer to what we each needed and wanted and that wasn't mutual - which is pretty realistic, when you think about it.
When your solo album, 'A Denim Fall', started to get national exposure, how did this affect you? Did you think that everything that was happening to you was a bit surreal?
Not surreal, just the start of something. I was happy that people were enjoying it and feeling it and more than happy to be out hitting the road with it, meeting folks and playing shows with artists I respected. I had already had a lot of the ideas and songs on our current album in mind and was excited to be making a name for myself, knowing that soon people would get to hear the next step in my overall vision.
How humbling is it that Neil Young credited you as writing one of the top 10 anti-war anthems of the times?
That was a huge compliment and something that fully proves what a generous, big heart Neil has. I'm just hoping we can get these wars to stop sooner than later. Until then, I think people like me are just living in one big anti-war anthem known as that internal pulse called day to day life.
How did you come to gather the group now known as The Saddle Tramps?
Well, in a simple twist of fate, these four great guys just fell into my musical lap. Our drummer, Chris Ragucci, and I grew up together and have always wanted to find the right band to play together in. This was it and the time was right. He brought our bassist, Jon Stern, into the fold - as they had played together in a couple different bands prior to this. They have a great rhythm connection and that, mixed with my rhythm playing, makes up a huge part of the Saddle Tramp sound. Our pedal steel player, Marty Hodulick and I had connected years ago, and via random chance found each other again. It turned out he was looking for a way to drag that old pedal steel out of the barn and I was looking for a way to look stage right and see that beautiful instrument humming. Then, after we had been gigging together for about four months, a gentleman, whose previous band had shared some bills with The Old States, came up to me and said he would like to join our gang. We tried him out and Sean Powell joined on as our lead guitarist. I guess that's just a long way of saying, "A minor case of destiny." Maybe.
How did you become part of some of these great tribute tours such as the national Daniel Pearl tributes, as well as the several Gram Parsons showcases you have been involved in?
I was approached by FODfest, which stands for Friends of Danny and is an annual concert tour honoring the life and ideals of Daniel Pearl. They heard my music and liked it and the fact that I was not only a guitar-slinging, singer/songwriter, but that I also played harmonica, mandolin, banjo and dulcimer, and could back up the other performers to help flesh out their songs. That's what Danny liked to do. Stretch his playing prowess, listen to other performers, and find a way to enhance their songs tastefully. Now, the Gram tributes: I have always loved and been heavily influenced by Gram Parsons. I wanted to be a part of these concerts. I wanted to be a part of helping his legacy continue and grow. So, I got in contact with the various booking agents for all of these different tribute festivals and they obliged. They understood what I was doing, how it was Gram influenced and how I was continuing his legacy by delineating the borders between genres in music. Specifically between country and rock, but other styles as well.
Do you have any current touring or recording plans in place?
I am always playing shows solo and with The Saddle Tramps. The dates are on the website. We'll be taking off on a Southern tour at the end of October and I will also be down South playing solo in late September. Early October hopes to see me touring around nationally all by my lonesome. As far as recording, we will most likely start tracking our new album in the early fall. We've got the material and want to start laying it down in a relaxed fashion, so the album will be ready just when everybody has fully digested this one - which only came out this past October. Now, that I think about it, it sounds like the fall is going to be really busy! Definitely can't complain about that though... I'm living one dream and the others can only fall into place with time, appreciation and no expectations.
Our Favorite Musicians Review Their Favorite Albums of 2007; Alt Country Netherlands Website
Gram Parsons Archives Volume One:The Flying Burrito Brothers Live at the Avalon Ballroom 1969
by David Kraai
I was very happy to hear that soundboard recordings of the Flying Burrito Brothers' sets opening for the Grateful Dead on April 4th & 6th of the year 1969 were finally going to see the light of day. I had had a bootleg copy of the April 6th show for years and always loved the song choices in this loose, yet heart-felt performance by the original Burritos line-up. The second disc of this set (which is of the aforementioned show) never sounded better and it is oh so very nice to hear Gram's heartbroken and heartbreaking voice coming through my speakers loud and clear. But, despite how much I've loved this show for so long, it is the April 4th show which shines through like a beacon of country rock salvation. This particular show has never hit the masses in any format, bootleg or otherwise, and on the versions of "She Once Lived Here" and "Long Black Limousine" Gram doles out such gut wrenching vocals that only the hardest heart could not be moved. Chock full of plenty of classic Burritos and Gram cover song choices (as well as some brandy new home demos), a beautiful hardcover book styled packaging, fun, informative & insightful liner notes and previously unpublished photos, this 2CD set is sure to please any fan of Gram, the Burritos or quality music in general. But, it is the fact that this set comes to us now, in this day and age of pop music and instant gratification, that brings hope for Gram's music and voice reaching new fans and that ever elusive return to substance in our daily culture.
David Kraai & The Saddle Tramps: High & Lonesome; New York Waste Newspaper
They say that sometimes that you only have to look next door to find talent.
My next door neighbor is this guy named David Kraai. A nice, friendly chap and very much known around here for making people dance all night to the sounds of his guitar with his band The Saddle Tramps. I am not specialized in country rock or folk music, which is quite popular here in Upstate New York, but I have to tell you that it usually hasn't been good news to me... until I first heard Mr. Kraai at a local bar.
Now there was someone who belonged onstage. Influenced by his elders, for sure, but neither copy-cat nor cover band. Never trying to be anything else than himself. In my book... that's punk.
So, I became a regular at The Saddle Tramps' gigs... and will certainly remember the good memories. Like the one time that power went out in the entire town and David - forced to stop playing his show - ended up doing an acoustic set outside to a dancing crowd who stayed all night.
As a good neighbor, I was granted an advance copy of David's new album, high & lonesome; a CD filled with very nicely crafted songs. If I often joked about how long it took David to produce it, I have to admit that it shows. high & lonesome is one fine record.
Of course I attended the CD release party, which was another great evening as the band played for a thrilled audience - giving everything they had and more.
Ever since the release of the album, The Saddle Tramps have been played on the radio and David left on a tour. Things are going pretty good for this neighbor of mine and his talented musicians.
high & lonesome... that's a title I can relate to. If, like me, you are high on music, then you are not so lonesome. For music is our shelter in the good and bad times. They say that sometimes talent can be found right next door; my neighbor proves them right. Maybe Mr. Kraai will think the same after he reads these few lines. See you at the next gig!
An interview with David Kraai:
So David, first things first, what are your musical influences?
Gram Parsons, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, The Band, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, The Beatles, mostly sixties and seventies stuff; old folk, Delta blues and gospel too. But, I like it best when artists stretch the boundaries of genres and make a potpourri of sounds come out of them. A great example of that is Delaney & Bonnie and Friends. What a great band, that not so many people know about.
When did you start playing?
After a failed attempt in high school, I started playing very casually when I was 18. Then seriously when I was 23. They say, "Hindsight is 20/20" and via my own presonal hindsight, I wish the serious playing had started earlier. But, you can't change the past; at least I haven't seemed to be able to figure out how to. Yet.
Why did you start playing?
To get closer to an art form that had been giving me quite a large and visceral release for as long as I could remember. It seemed to me that the only way to get even closer (and an even more visceral response) from music was to learn how to make it. Then, there could be a full-circle understanding and submersion within it.
How would you describe your sound?
Labels can be limiting, but also helpful to get someone interested that might not know what you do. A basic answer would be: country rock. But, we've got elements of funk, blues, jazz and gospel in there too (at least). It all comes back to that potpourri of sounds. I guess we are American music. Meaning that America is a melting pot and a place where that is accepted and expected. And we make make American music which surely adheres to those rules and regulations whole-heartedly.
What inspires you into writing music?
First, real life. Paul McCartney once said something like, "A good song is 90% imagination." I completely agree with that, even though that percentage may not always be accurate in my writing. But, I like to take 10%, say, of a real situation, event or emotion and build a song around that. It is naive to think that the way something actually happened is the most interesting, universal and best way to relate and pass it along. Things and stories need embellishments and de-bellishments. So, I am inspired by my life and then, hopefully, create a universally understandable song that makes people think about things and emotions that have happened to them or could happen to them.
What is the "idea" behind your new album?
To cross genres. Getting people to really listen to music and words again while having an emotional response and some fun along the way. By the way, did I mention an examination of the human condition?
Can you tell me more about the CD?
It took a year and a half to make and that equals a lot of work! But, a lot of fun too. We had some friends help us out with some vocals and fiddle and that was great; it is always nice to get together and make music with your pals - especially when they are people you also respect musically. We recorded the album only about a half hour from our homes (not down in New York City), so it was nice to be up in the country making a rootsy affair like this and still get to sleep in our own beds and go to our own homes at night and still get to hang out with each other plenty when we weren't at the studio. And, because of that living well while working well vibe, the album (although it was work) never really seemed like too much work. Maybe some stress! But, families do that to each other, right? And that bunkhouse, homey vibe is what we needed and wanted. Plus, we still got to play a bunch of shows and get the new songs out to people; get new ideas and have them gel along the way.
What has been the response so far?
Great! A lot of radio stations have been very good to us; some of them AAA, so that never hurts. The first round of reviews are just coming in now and they are all extremely good as well. Everyone is liking and appreciating and understanding what we've done and are trying to continue doing... and that is a great feeling! As far as shows and tours: we've already gotten a lot of new interest and offers from advance copies which were sent out. Two days after the CD Release Show, I left on an East Coast tour of singer-songwriters as a solo artist... that was because of the record's reception. It is a big compliment to be noticed and rewarded on the merit of your ability to craft a song. That was a big honor. But, all is good; we've just got to keep the gigantic ball of snow rolling until it hits the ski lodge and blows up. In a good way.
What's next for the band?
Lots of shows and promotion of the album. Just doing whatever it takes to get these songs into people's hands and hearts... while having fun, of course. We've also got a bunch of new songs, so, maybe there's a place and space to get those out and in there too. Not another new album just yet, though.
What do you love about music?
Its ability to bring hearts and minds together and always do new things to them. It really has no boundaries.
Pulse Magazine
David Kraai is a songwriter with an uncommon twang in his throat, a gift for sentimental imagery and his album, A Denim Fall, is full of juicy American allusions and down-home country heartache. On "Chuck's Song," Kraai establishes the predominant attitude of A Denim Fall, a laid-back, drowsy nonchalance that apotheosizes blue-jean cowboys who spend their days leaning against wooden fences, chewing hay, adjusting their 10-gallon hats. Kraai's guitar is sad and reflective, and the first time we hear him sing, there is an aching simplicity in his sentiment that will immediately endear listeners. "I might be a strange you, you might be strange too, she might be stranger than you, I might be a stranger too." There is a startling sense of alienation in these opening thoughts, but when you combine the words with Kraai's emphatic vocal, it's clear that this is one cowboy who also likes to revel in his misery. It is this sort of emotional complexity that makes Kraai an appealing artist, one who has seen enough sorrow to know the difference between what is bittersweet and what is truly tragic.