Introducing June’s Artist To Watch: Karl Blau

WXPN’s June Artist To Watch is singer-songwriter Karl Blau, a multi-instrumentalist from Anacortes, Washington. His 20 year career boasts over 40 recordings, many self-released in handmade packaging and mailed to subscribers and others released through iconic indie Northwest record labels like K and KNW-YR-OWN label. Blau’s collaboration list is also pretty impressive, having toured and recorded with Laura Veirs and other Pacific Northwest bands.

But 2016 sees the country-soul musician branching into a wider audience with Introducing Karl Blau, a collection of long-lost tracks written by artists like Townes Van Zandt, Tom Rush, Waylon Jennings, Barry Gibb and more. The record, which was produced by Tucker Martine and features Jim James and Veirs on backing vocals, was released last month. Blau’s nontraditional interpretations of the songs earned the album immediate critical acclaim for the warm country-soul sounds of the album, and WXPN listeners have fallen in love with his version of “Fallin’ Rain.”

Watch the video for “Fallin’ Rain,” below, originally written and recorded by Link Wray.

You can purchase Introducing Karl Blau here.