Audra Kubat "Since I Fell in Love With the Music" (Times Beach)
By Peter A. Holden
Friday. Jun 17, 12:22 AM
Genuine down to the very marrow of her bones.

Recently I got a chance to sit down with singer songwriter Audra Kubat and ask her a few questions about her up and comingness. Yes, I made that word up, but – well – it seems strangely appropriate in this case. The “-ness” as a suffix because she has made a leap to a new town (NYC) to see where her natural talent for soul bleeding can take her. To give a brief and musically relevant back-story, Ms. Kubat has built herself up quite a fanbase of devoted listeners in her hometown of Detroit. But having gone the road of the toured and the treaded, she felt the need to test her mettle, and experience what so many others of us have experienced: the soul of New York. And she left a steady fanbase simply, as she says in her own words, “just to do it.”

Sweetly and quietly, but firmly defiant, she embraces opposition at every turn.

And this is where we meet up with her. Her newest release, Since I Fell in Love With the Music, is a touching and seriously soul-bleeding endeavor. Every inch of which reminds you of what it means to feel the music you create. Having spoken to her in person, I can attest that she is one of the purest and most honest souls I have ever met. And so we begin…

There’s a real natural, kind of organic quality to the songs you’ve written. At the risk of sounding cheesy, it’s heartfelt. So, what made you want to be a songwriter?

For me, writing music and writing songs became what I needed to heal myself, the things I had been through, in my life. It was just a way of purging all of that. I don’t write songs to have fun or to necessarily entertain. I hope the music works for other people the way it works for me. The verses are always the problem or what is going on; the choruses are the hopeful place to go with that. I want it to be clear and straightforward. A lot of musicians want there to be some mystery and I’m not like that. I want the message to be clear and beautiful, calming and healing.

At what age did you first start playing and writing music?

I played piano when I was very young. I would just sit at the piano and make up stuff. Then I went to the Montessori school, which was this really alternative learning situation. I played the glockenspiel and I was always singing. After that I went to public schools, and a lot of stuff got stomped out of me. The environment was always “be quiet, stop making so much noise, stop singing in your head, stop tapping your pencil.” So it really got stomped out of me until after high school. Then I moved down to Florida where my roommate had a guitar. I started really playing when I was about 18 and just got very into it from there. So, I think it was something that was always in me, but that kind of was hiding for a while. I was always a late bloomer.

You’re Czech by descent right? In what ways, if any, has that impacted your life?

I’m 50% Czech, yes, but just by my family. I don’t think it really affected me other than how my parents and grandparents affected me. My father was always very musical and my grandparents would occasionally play us some traditional music. But I don’t know if it really affected me in any other ways. I would love to visit Prague and I do have family there, somewhere. I’m not necessarily connected to my heritage as much as I feel like I’m connected to people in general. I feel like I have kind of been brought up by everybody around me. My school was about 25% White or whatever, and everything else was mixed. So I was always in a situation, especially living in Detroit, with so many different cultures being around.

Your press releases all speak of your home being in Detroit, but your new home is New York. Simple question: why the change?

Being in Detroit – doing very well there for what I was doing – I’ve been able to sell records, get a label, and be embraced by the community with my music. You can only sort of do that for so long before, you know, you need a change, like coming to New York for even a year or whatever. Going out and challenging yourself, putting yourself out there. I know good’s going to come from it, even though I’m very fearful about it. You know, “did I make the right choice by coming here.” I don’t have any real support or anybody to count on, but that’s what’s going to make me strong and powerful. And when I left Detroit I never said I was going to New York forever. In that way, I don’t necessarily feel like I have left anything behind at all. If I have to go home, then it was all just sort of more of a trip. (laughs)

If you had to pick a single most influential event in your life that affected your music, what would it be?

Hmm, that’s a hard question. When I was in Detroit I decided to go to this African Dance class. I was really scared to go because I would be the only White person there, and I was sort of insecure about it. My friend pushed me to go and said “just go, nobody cares, it’ll be fine.” When I first went I got some weird bad vibes from people. So I just kept going back. In the class they always did a bit at the end where people would demonstrate all that they have learned so far. And I always shied away from doing it. Then, during maybe like my 10th time, I was starting to get the balance because I love to dance. And then I just remember getting pushed out. And when I started, they all cheered and clapped. And everyone embraced me. It made me realize how much we all have inside us and what power we have. It was really great to have all those people embrace me. It felt really good. And that’s what I want. I just want everybody to embrace each other, their beauty and strength.

This is the question most musicians – well, the humble modest ones anyway – shy away from: how would you describe your music?

The first word for me would be “healing.” Honest. Stark. When I play by myself I always play solo. Producers are always pushing for more production. But I really prefer it stripped down. I feel the energy and feel where it’s coming from. And remember that it often gets channeled through you. That is when you get cocky, when you think it IS all just you. Heartfelt is a good word. I like that.

What has been your favorite performance to date?

(without hesitation) Well, there is this old theater in Detroit that is from about 1879 I think. It was a men’s only theater for many many years. It was a CD release show for Million Year Old Sand. What is strange is they still don’t have many female performers come there, it’s still very much a men’s only club. All of my friends came out, and all the fans I have made as well. It was a really great mix. People from the city were there, folks from the offices in the suburbs, everyone. It was this great old concert hall and it was FULL, there was like 3-400 people packed in there. I got to play on a big beautiful stage and it was a very emotional experience for me. I almost started crying toward the end because I got a standing ovation. I made sure at the end to run out to the main entrance as everyone was leaving and shake hands and hug people even if I didn’t know them. I just wanted to show them how much I appreciated them, and get a chance to say “I’m so glad you’re here.”

What would you like listeners to take away from your music and concerts?

Hope. (looks down and smiles)

Finally, and this one’s a personal one for me: if someone were to take away your outlet for music, what would you do?

Hard to imagine. (long pause) I mean there are a lot of things I would like to do. I’d probably die. There’s just so much I get from it. The vibrations, everything. I can’t imagine not having that in my life. I guess I’d just spend the rest of my life trying to get it back.

Okay this last one isn’t quite as heavy. So what are you listening to right now?

Bowie Hunky Dory, Leonard Cohen The Best Of… I just read the Neil Young biography and it’s really inspiring. It’s amazing how crazy he is like me. (laughs) Bruce Springsteen. Crazy enough I never used to listen to him, but somebody burned me a disc. It’s really beautiful.
www.audrakubat.com
www.timesbeachrecords.com

Peter A. Holden

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