When Kai Killion recorded his solo album Mermaid Legs & Getaway Dogs, he played all the instruments on it himself. Last year, he wanted to perform the tunes in a live setting properly, with a band, and had to come up with a group name.
“At the last minute, we realized we didn’t have a name. I don’t know if it was me or one of the other guys that suggested it. It made sense—the band was a continuation off of that album,” Killion says. “I recorded the entire record on my own, but playing just the guitar live wasn’t cutting it so much anymore. I wanted to be able to make people dance.”
Killion has gone through a few lineups since. The one constant is vocalist Samantha Stone, who creates gorgeous harmonies with Killion. So far, Getaway Dogs has released one single, and hopes to put out their debut full-length next year.
Killion’s influences include jazz, indie rock, and Brazilian music—a style of music he grew up with as a child. His mother is a Brazilian immigrant, and he spent a year in Brazil when he was a kid. He cites Seu Jorge and Rodrigo Amarante in particular as influences. His music, while leaning heavily in the indie rock realm, has a subtle bossa nova groove in the guitar and drums, which he got from listening to these Brazilian songwriters.
“I like to make sure I stay true to my roots, try to channel that whenever I can,” Killion says. “I don’t know how it all meshes together. Radiohead has also been a huge influence for me. It’s pretty much all the music that I listen to just combined into one thing. That’s how it comes out.”
INFO: 9 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12. Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $8. 429-6994
