Ah, The Nice Guy. The one you put immediately in the friend zone. The Chandler. Musicians can also get dumped into this purely platonic area of music. Like The Nice Guy, they may entertain you briefly, but they aren’t ever getting to second base.
I asked Seattle-based musician Kris Orlowski to describe himself in three adjectives other than nice: “conscious, a little dangerous, and adventurous.” His next move — a full-length album — is all of the above.
On Saturday night at Bumbershoot, Orlowski moved away from the singer-songwriter (i.e, Nice Guy) category and into the sounds of a full band. It was dangerous and definitely adventurous, but most importantly, it showed he’s now performing to the utmost of his vocal ability. The flawless exchanges between the acoustic and electric guitar were met with complete assurance. He possesses the talent to shake things up.
I sat down with him before his performance to discuss the upcoming album, and how age has added a new perspective to his music.
You’ve said Bumbershoot this year is your “coming-out party” — but it isn’t your first time playing here. Why is this year different?
I’ve been playing music in Seattle for about eight years. It’s been a steady growth both in my abilities and in the stages we’ve been through. Last October, when we released our record we sold out two shows at the Triple Door, and in February we played at the Showbox Market and sold it out with Ivan & Alyosha. But this is the biggest show we will have played yet. We haven’t played at Bumbershoot in two years, so for us it seems like we’re finally at a breakout point where people are discovering us on a bigger level than ever before. In a different way, it’s also a coming-out party because I’m releasing some new songs. I’m curious to see how those are received.
For your upcoming album, you’ve said you’re shifting away from a folk sound to more of a full-band sound. Were you hesitant at all to move away from the genre people associate you with? And why did you decide it was time to record a full album now? Why not release another EP?
It just gets stale if you do [one thing for] too long. You need to evolve. I’m not really that afraid of it, especially because I’m confident in what we’re putting out.
We’ve got a great team behind us, and we’re now at a point where we need to put out a body of work that we can really stand behind. Not just a piece of a puzzle, but who we are right now. Putting out an EP I thought would be really fun, and more in line with my expectations of where the industry is going, but there’s still a lot of people that want the full-length and won’t look at you or give you publicity if you don’t have one.
Was it daunting at all?
Oh, yeah! I started writing songs in January, and recently, in May, I went through some heartbreak. It was such a bittersweet moment, but I was able to finish the record.
In your tour journal, you mentioned the John Lennon quote: “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” How does that relate?
There are so many ways it could relate to me right now. I feel like we have this immediate gratification thing going on where we’re always on our phones, Facebooking, Tweeting, or texting. Life is still happening as all of these instant-gratification things are going on. I feel like I get caught up so much in my day-to-day — and not just the social stuff — but “What am I doing today? What’s happening tomorrow?” Pretty soon I’m so locked in to what I’m doing tomorrow that I’m forgetting what’s happening around me.
It must be hard for a musician, though, because you always have to be looking ahead.
I know! I wish I had somebody managing all of my social media stuff, but that’s not authentic either. Who’s really talking to your friends and your fans? Not you, and that’s what it’s about. So right now, we’re in the studio working on our new record, and we just got done with an 11-day tour. We’re going out again in two weeks for another eleven days, and then touring again in October with Little Green Cars from the UK. It’s nonstop right now. We also just finished a Pledge campaign. There’s just a lot on my plate, and I think it’s easy for me to get lost in the shuffle of just do-do-do rather than enjoying what’s happening in front of me.
On the Pieces We Are EP, you covered “In Between Days” by The Cure. That song has themes of aging, fear, loss…
And a love triangle. (Laughs)
That too! But how has age and getting older provided a new perspective to your music?
I’m so glad you asked that. That’s what the new record is all about. Half of it is just about me getting older. I’m 31 now, and I’m starting to feel 31 even if I may not look it. Some people start to treat you differently when you’re in your 30s, and as an artist you’re perceived a little differently.
Good or bad?
Both. It’s tough for me to adjust to, which is the bad part, I guess. Just feeling like, “oh, he’s only got so many years left.” Sometimes it’s like a ticking clock to me. You know, sometimes it’s like, I’m getting older, I want to have a family. But this lifestyle doesn’t necessarily allow for that very easily. It’s more of a struggle. Which is good, it’s good to struggle. That’s how you change. That’s how you get better.
