Indie Rock Hit Parade Live Session: Kyle Craft + Showboat Honey

Kyle Craft + Showboat Honey | Photo by Makena Duffy for XPN

Joining us for this Indie Rock Hit Parade live session is an artist who’s done it all in a relatively short amount of time. Previously appearing on World Cafe (twice!), Free at Noon, and the stage at our annual NonCommvention, Kyle Craft reemerged this year with a new album and a new permanent band, both dubbed Showboat Honey. Rolling into our studio with the entire crew (drummer Haven Multz, bassist Billy Slater, keyboardists Kevin Clark and Ben Steinmetz, and guitarist Jeremy Kale), Craft transformed our modern-day studio into something resembling the fabled Young Americans sessions at Sigma Sound.

Just like on the new album, our session begins with the churning “Broken Mirror Pose.” A buzzing organ riff underscores Craft’s tale of mystic encounters and late-night paranoia. Next is the guitar-driven “2 Ugly 4 NY,” which served as the album’s pre-release single. Barroom honk and shimmering glam collide in this (somewhat) autobiographical tale. Up next is “Deathwish Blue,” whose sweeping mellotron recalls Magical Mystery Tour while the stinging guitar is right out of “All the Young Dudes.” Though another song on Showboat Honey bears the title “Buzzkill Caterwaul,” that description could easily apply to Craft’s uninhibited howls in this song’s chorus. Finally, there’s “She’s Lily Riptide,” which also acts as the album’s rollicking closer. With a rambling, shuffling rhythm and (perhaps) the first instance of the classic ‘big ending’ in our studio sessions, the song packs some of Craft’s most evocative lyrics and features the whole band firing on all cylinders.

Listen to Kyle Craft + Showboat Honey’s Indie Rock Hit Parade session below, and check out Makena Duffy’s photos from the studio…