Linda Bracamonte & Matt Kaiser Interview

the bo ely interview: with matt kaiser, keyboardist — the linda bracamonte band

What types of music and/or bands were you performing in prior to
Linda Bracamonte?

First of all, we'll skip right past the Blues Brothers tribute performances, OK! (Be quiet now Elwood, er I mean Brock.) I've played as a solo act... ballads, jazz, in cocktail hour and wedding-type settings. Most of my energy in the past few years has gone into putting together bands for churches. My most recent with a very rock-oriented band at Bayside Church in west Roseville. So yes, I have some gospel in my blood, but gospel lives in the same neighborhood as the blues and rock, doesn't it? My nightlife the last four years has been DJing in the Sacramento area, but I just had to return to my roots and my love, playing with a band. Thank you to all fans, patrons and supporters of LIVE MUSIC in Sacramento.

You play keyboards and alto sax, tell us a little about your background with each instrument?

Well, similar to Linda, my mom had a Lowry Genie organ at home, and I taught myself how to play it when I was 6 or 7. But I'm not as smart as Linda, I learned by color, not by number. To this day, my brothers say that headphones are the greatest invention of all time! I was hooked on making music. I played that organ all the way into high school, and even used it in a band - lugging it in the back of a pickup to gigs. I finally convinced my parents to buy something portable - props to Farfisa! When I got old enough to play a band instrument in 5th grade, I started hacking away on sax - props to Music Education in the schools! Took a forced break from sax playing when all three of mine were yanked from my vehicle. Feed the kids or replace the axes - had to choose. Really happy to be playing again.

So what’s it like being the new kid on the block and how was your first band practice?

When you see a beautiful woman, someone who looks like Eva Longoria, and she's hanging on the arm of a guy who looks like, well... ME, you wonder what he did to deserve that. How fat is his wallet? Mysteries of the universe are easier to understand. I kinda feel like that guy. I mean, Linda is an awesome talent, and so are Ema, Lance, and John. And beyond that they seem like the very best of friends. Together they are one tight band. So I'm very honored to be a seedling in their redwood forest. The first practice was great for me. We were right in each others ears, so the process of fitting in was enhanced. I really enjoyed the challenge of playing music I'd never heard before.

What contributions do you hope to make to the band?

You mean I have to pay to play?!?! I love to cook and bake, so maybe I'll add to the collective waistline. But like the fine meal that is already the Linda Bracamonte Band, the best thing to add is "more," seconds. I'll play second keyboard to Linda. I'll bring more flavors and spices to the songwriting process, I'll offer a vocal dessert. And after dinner sax! Yes, I said S-A-X.

What inspires you and gets your creative juices flowing?

People. People being brave enough to experience life. To throw themselves in. To dismiss the mess and achieve to their potential. Those people create wonderful art, perform incredible acts, and instigate profound thought. I think God is the ultimate "People," and has given me tons of inspiration along with my wife, my children, my friends.

Describe the challenges of performing original songs versus cover tunes?

Simply put, playing a cover is like playing to thousands of people, at least a good handful will love it. Everybody has memories associated with that song, and they are all different, so you are bound to rekindle a few. Playing an original is like playing to an audience of one: the artist. Linda. It's her song, no, it's HER. She owns it. I'm driven to make the song sound like it does in the auditorium of her mind. If she loves it, she'll sing like it, and YOU'LL love it too.

What are your favorite pastimes or hobbies?

As mentioned before, I love to create in the kitchen. I constantly choke up watching things my kids do. I never got over taking things apart and putting them back together. When time or nature (I know, too much info) allows, I enjoy reading. I can't play enough basketball, although my passion for the KINGS has dwindled a bit. But it's kindled for TV shows like The Office which we watch faithfully as a family.

If music is the medicine, who are your doctors?

Did you phrase that question because of my last name? Wow, so many. Let's start by giving it up for the hospitals and the scalpels, you know the VENUES and the amplifiers, 'cause I like volume knobs! And I like people digging us. One of my heroes is Paul Shaffer. He makes everyone around him better, and genuinely appears to "serve" them with his extreme talent. He'd be my chief of staff. Some of the many I'd trust my life with, and my children's lives... my childhood faves, Chicago, Earth Wind & Fire, Styx, Steely Dan, Genesis. On the sax side, Tom Scott, Wayne Shorter. And definitely Herbie Hancock. Today, Joss Stone is the cure-all.

All musicians have nicknames. What is yours and the story behind it?

I've always been the "geek." I guess that comes from the marriage of computers and keyboard instruments in the 80's. I'm still on the honeymoon with them!

What do you consider the best decade in music and why?

The best decade "for" music had to be the 30's when electricity, phonograph, and radio were kings. Musicians could be heard by more than the immediate audience. More people were inspired to nurture their sense of music. But since I wasn't around then (my parents loved it!), I'd have to say this one, because we're alive in it. It's ours to shape and experience.

linda bracamonte official website | www.lindabracamonte.com
ema roberts • lance davis • matt kaiser • john swanson

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