Interview
(Progressive Newsletter Nr.44 05/03)
excerpts from an interview with Kerry Livgren (Guitars), Lynn Meredith (Vocals), John Bolton (Saxophon, Flute) and Dan Wright (Organ)
Kerry: I have had the original tapes in my possession for many years. I have always been somewhat of an archivist. I knew that we had made some pretty interesting music in the early 70's, and I had thought about releasing them some time in the future through Numavox, but Cuneiform Records convinced me that this was the time and that they were the best label to do it. In retrospect I’m glad because they are doing a good job with it, and it didn’t really fit the context of my label.
What were the reactions concerning this release so far and weren’t a lot of people surprised that Kansas sounded so much differently in these early days?
Lynn: The reaction has been fantastic, especially in Europe! We have received excellent reviews - no bad ones yet!! - and have read many positive fan evaluations. It seems the music has a life outside of Kansas fans…most of the comments have been from prog rock lovers and they really like the music. It’s been very strange to receive positive comments on your work of 30 years ago. We sought it out it back then, but now we’re just going with where this lead’s us.
In which way was Kansas II or Proto-Kaw musically and stylistically different to Kansas I? Where did the jazz, the more experimental influence came from?
Dan: A Topeka band called "White Clover" and a Topeka/Manhattan band called "Saratoga" got together with a guy whose Dad owned a music store to form the first "Kansas". We had NINE pieces! This was back when a "big" rock band was 4 or 5 pieces. You should have heard us do "Down by the river"....pretty awesome.... Differences over musical direction and personalities - imagine that! - led to a split between the White Clover and Saratoga guys. The Saratoga guys kept the name "Kansas" and the White Clover guys went back to using the name "White Clover". The main differences between K1 and K2 were that K1 was more "rock" and K2 was more "jazz" intertwined with all the other "juicy weirdness"....
Lynn: I always felt the Kansas I influence was traditional American hard rock. That was the influence by the White Clover guys and it showed when they were in the famous Kansas. I felt Kansas II had a definite influence from British style music and American progressive/jazz. We liked specific bands, but still had our own flavor…and purposefully stayed away from sounding like a traditional American rock band.
Was it easy to get gigs in those days, with only original material, not playing cover-versions or typical dance music?
Dan: Not really but we played anywhere we could...we played a lot of clubs and heard the words "play something we can dance to" ad nauseum. When we threw our own concerts we were in heaven, but none of us was much good at "business" and eventually it became harder and harder to get gigs that paid anything.
John: We played wherever the would have us. Proms, Frat houses, Clubs. We put our own concerts on, which was always fun. Always playing original music, you can imagine some of the respones we got...well maybe you can't imagine. It was rough at times. We didn't play dance music. Kerry did not write a lot in 4/4 either.
Lynn: Most gigs were dance places and we tried to mix in a few “danceable” songs, but we were pretty unwilling to compromise with our music. Most club owners were upset with us because our fans would take over the dance floor and make it a sit down concert….which meant no dancing and then lower beer sales because people weren’t dancing.
Are there also other recordings available from the years 1971-73? And will they ever be released in the future?
Dan: Yeah...but the quality of the recordings are not very good. Anything is possible though. We all still play somewhat in some form or another. I was just really pleased at the reunion party to hear the guys sing/play once more. I personally think we still have "something", but I'm not sure what. :-)
Kerry: Yes, lots of them, but many of the recordings are just not adequate. We haven’t made any definite plans and everyone has other “gigs” now, but it seems that there is a bit of interest in this music. It might be fun to re-record some of the earlier music that didn’t make it on to the CD.
Two songs - „Belexes“ and „Incomudro“ - appeared on Kansas albums later. Where there also other songs from the early period proposed to Kansas or can some elements be found in other songs?
Kerry: There are bits and pieces of "ProtoKaw" material all over the Kansas albums - in some cases complete songs, and in most cases phrases, themes and melodies. That early period of my composing is a well I still draw from.
With the first Kansas line-up - Kansas I - you played in 1970 as an opener for the last concert of The Doors. Do you have any memories of this concert, from which you could find out afterwards that you were the last band to play together with the Doors?
Lynn: I don’t think any of us remembered it being their last concert until we were recently contacted by someone affiliated with the Doors, who told us that. They asked us if we had any recordings of that gig…and we didn’t. I do remember Jim Morrison borrowed my mike stand and broke it…he never paid me for it either! We also went on with them and jammed at the end of their set. They were all very pleasant to us.
What happened to the band members of Kansas II after the split up? Are some of you still active in the music business?
Dan:. I did play in a cover-band with Zeke and Don after K2 broke up. That lasted about a year I think. We were pretty darned good but musical differences and personalities - where have I heard that before?? - broke that band up too. Everyone except Kerry and Zeke have "real jobs" and I think we all envy them for that. We have a couple of VPs of marketing, a photographer, I am a television engineer, and my dearest friend and companion for all those years, Don, passed away in the early eighties.
John: Only Kerry is into music full time. The rest of us have non musical careers. I am a VP of sales, Lynn Meredith has the same title in a different field. Seems like we all are successful in our personal live and careers. This project has certainly helped fill a void in our lives that walking away from music creates. With the exception of Kerry, for quite a few years we all played in Cover bands which helped us financially. Speaking for Lynn Meredith and me, we had a band that helped put us through college. Kerry is the only one that always played original music. It has not been in the cards for the rest of us, but...never say never.
You already mentioned a kind of reunion gig of Proto-Kaw. How and where did this happen and are there also additional plans for the future to play together again?
Kerry: Yes we did have a reunion and release party - it was wonderful, and great fun. Over 200 folks attended. There was a surreal quality about the whole thing. We did do a bit of jamming, though we all agreed we would not even attempt to play what we did 30 years ago.
Lynn: A friend of ours, Tom Ptacek, owns the Westport Coffee House and he offered to let us have the party there. It was great…another friend, Dewayne Bailey - guitarist for Bob Seger and Chicago - showed up and he played all night. Both of those guys kept the evening going as we all jammed and reminisced.
John: Some of us had not seen each other for 30 years. We caught up with each other and jammed, along with playing the CD for 200 friends and family...It was wild.
Kerry, are there any plans of working with Kansas again in the future?
Kerry: We have had some discussions but there are no specific plans. It rather depends on what I am able to compose for them.
Kristian Selm © Progressive Newsletter 2003