– Fenton Wright, Web Services Coordinator
For our first Pick of the Week for the new year, Web Service Coordinator sat down with Kashus Culpepper to talk about his song, “Believe,” and upcoming album Act I. This rustic, authentic blend of country and rock is the perfect way to start the year off right!
Characters of the South
Culpepper describes his music as “Sounds of the South.” Each song reveals a story that Culpepper experienced in his upbringing in the South. Culpepper is from Alabama and makes his music in Nashville.
Culpepper said, “The South has so many characters; once you get to writing about the South, it’s like living and breathing.” “There are so many things you can talk about, so many characters and environments.”
Understanding this, it is obvious how this comes through in “Believe.” One line in particular stuck out the most to me, “I’ve never been the same/ Since I lost my best friend/ Somehow, he’s still holding me from the edge.” Culpepper described this line as not about a singular person, but about the many people he has met and lost in his life. Whether it be from his military background or the people he grew up with, Culpepper memorializes them and plants them at the heart of his music in this line.
Drawing and Using Emotion
In the live performance of “Believe” that Culpepper has on his YouTube channel, you can see the emotion that he has to draw on to perform this song to his best. As I mentioned before, this song is about the belief that Culpepper will be ok, because of the people guiding him whether alive or dead.
In the video, you can also see the emotion that his music brings out of others.
Sounds of the South
The song also blends genres and goes between rock, soul, gospel, and country with ease. The overt themes of gospel music can be seen right there in the lyrics with the mention of angels.
Culpepper said, “I think it’s a great mix between me and my producer Brian Elmquist and the players. It is, in a way, a gospel song in the sense of the lyrics. We also did a little bit of rock and country influence, but then also made sure you can hear the gospelness of it. I’m not trying to preach at anyone, but it is an uplifting song, and I just want to showcase a little bit more of the gospel and the rock.”
As I mentioned before he describes his music as “Sounds of the South” and with the South comes this mix of rock, soul, gospel, and country.
Just the Beginning
On the horizon for Culpepper is his debut album, Act I. To him, he is using the album as an introduction to his music. He said, “I wanted to call it Act I, because I feel like it is just the introduction.” Act I releases on January 23.
Following the release, on February 7, Culpepper will be performing at The Sinclair in Cambridge! Be sure to check out “Believe” and Act I and get tickets to see Kashus Culpepper when he makes his way to Boston!
