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Karl Blau

For the Microphones song, see It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water.

Karl Blau is an American indie rock and country vocalist, producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, previously based in Anacortes, Washington for over two decades. A member of the Knw-Yr-Own/K Records collective, he is known for his musical output, live shows, and self recording and distribution. According to AllMusic, "Blau's sounds include grafting folk and country-rock onto hazy blues, rocksteady reggae, '70s soul harmonies, and ceremonial-sounding flutes, bossa nova, dub, and experimental drone in an unpredictable, shape-shifting mixture of elements."[1][2]

Karl Blau
Blau in 2017
Blau in 2017
Background information
OriginAnacortes, Washington, United States
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer-songwriter
  • multi-instrumentalist
  • record producer
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • bass guitar
  • drums
  • keyboards
  • saxophone
Years active1996–present
Labels
Websitekarlblau.com

Career

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Blau grew up on Samish Island, Washington, a peninsula across the bay from Anacortes (where he later came to be based).[3] In the 1990s, Blau worked at The Business record store in Anacortes.[4][5] His solo career began in 1996 with the release of the cassettes Doin' Things the Way They Happen and Blue Nomad on Knw-Yr-Own Records. Shell Collection came out the next year.[1]

Blau has played in several bands over the years, such as the Microphones, D+, Brothers Blau, Captain Fathom and Your Heart Breaks. He also has collaborated extensively with other Washington-based musicians, including Phil Elvrum of The Microphones and Mount Eerie, LAKE and Earth. In addition, he has toured and recorded with Laura Veirs.[6][3][1]

In 2003, Blau began a service called Kelp! Monthly, via which he released a series of records and mailed them to subscribers. The releases came out often, but not necessarily monthly. By 2008, it had been renamed to the Kelp Lunacy Advanced Plagiarism Society (KLAPS) as new releases were not being made with enough regularity to justify the original name.[3][1] KLAPS contains a total of 32 issues (see list below).[7]

Blau was referenced in a song carrying his name by the London punk band Video Nasties.[8] The Microphones' album, It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water, also has a song titled "Karl Blau".[9]

Discography

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LPs

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  • Doin' Things the Way They Happen (Knw-Yr-Own 1996)
  • Blue Nomad (Knw-Yr-Own 1996)
  • Shell Collection (Knw-Yr-Own 1997)[10]
  • A Second Culling (Knw-Yr-Own 1999)
  • Clothes Your I's (Knw-Yr-Own 2001)[11]
  • Beneath Waves (K Records 2006)[12]
  • Dance Positive (Marriage Records 2007)[13]
  • AM (Whistler 2008)[14]
  • Nature's Got Away (K Records 2008)[15]
  • Zebra (K Records 2009)[16]
  • Introducing Karl Blau (Raven Marching Band/Bella Union 2016)[17]
  • Out Her Space (Bella Union 2017)[18]
  • Scream Time (Self-released 2022)
  • Vultures of Love (Otherly Love 2024)[19]

Singles

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  • "Slow Down Joe" b/w "Lake King's Daughter" (K Records/OnPurpose Records 2006)
  • "That's How I Got To Memphis" b/w "Forest" (collaboration with Mount Analog) (K Records)

Kelp Lunacy Advanced Plagiarism Society series

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Kelp Lunacy Advanced Plagiarism Society (KLAPS, formerly Kelp! Monthly) was Blau's "monthly (sometimes) music service" that had released a series of records.[3][6] The following is a list of all releases:[7]

  1. Dark, Magic Sea
  2. The Coconutcracker
  3. Turning Tutu, Turning Leaves
  4. Dunkel Blau
  5. Purple Heart
  6. Deep Sandwich
  7. Remember Tomorrow
  8. Lore of Ears
  9. Dubble Dooty Booty
  10. Trust in Sirens
  11. It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water
  12. Welsh Phantoms and Other Ghosts of Western Europe
  13. Sea/Saw
  14. Stereoearrings
  15. If I Knew Zen What I Know Now
  16. AM
  17. Sing Together/Lonely Under the Covers
  18. Beer & Chai
  19. Flotsam & Jetsam
  20. Let It All Out
  21. Sigh Lens
  22. Bread-n-Grease
  23. Trunkal Howl
  24. LAKE
  25. Free The Bird
  26. Dance Positive
  27. Good Lovin' County
  28. In Return From Ghost Country
  29. Baby Nettles
  30. 96
  31. Questions For Moon
  32. Songles

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Karl Blau". AllMusic. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  2. ^ "ABOUT". karlblau.com. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d "Interview: Karl Blau". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  4. ^ "About". The Business. October 15, 2010. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  5. ^ "Anacortes Magazine (Issue 2, August 2012)". Issuu. August 15, 2012. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  6. ^ a b Segal, Dave (October 8, 2009). "Toil and Stripe". The Stranger. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  7. ^ a b "K.L.A.P.S. Issues Index". K.L.A.P.S. Archived from the original on June 27, 2015.
  8. ^ "Are London's Video Nasties the most self-sufficient band in the country?". Loud And Quiet. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  9. ^ "Phil Elverum Speaks About the Microphones' 2000 Masterpiece It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water". www.kexp.org. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  10. ^ "Shell Collection - Karl Blau". AllMusic.
  11. ^
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  19. ^ "Karl Blau – Vultures of Love (Album Review)". KLOF Magazine. October 18, 2024. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
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