Clay Hughes

Clay Hughes grew up in Waverly, Kansas, a small town near enough to Lawrence that he could pick up the tail end of heyday-era KLZR 105.9 (the Lazer) on his radio dial.

"Hearing bands like Nada Surf, Spacehog, Ben Folds on the Lazer in junior high, that was when I first really got into music," the 28-year-old singer-songwriter says. "That station was all we ever listened to. I think everybody sort of has a story about when it changed formats overnight and went Top 40."

Hughes is tall and solidly built. In a February 2001 Topeka Capital-Journal high school basketball article — in which he's recognized as Player of the Week, averaging 20.7 points per game with an impressive 96 blocks on the season — he's listed as 6 feet 9 inches, which means he's likely closer to 6 feet 8. His imposing physical presence would be more daunting if not for his humble demeanor and his gentle, low-toned accent, both of which can probably be traced to his country roots.

He has owned a guitar since his 16th birthday, but he didn't start playing music seriously until about five years ago, after a roommate urged him to start gigging as a way to pay rent. Judging by the music Hughes has written and released since, it would be fair to assume that in the years following the Lazer's changeover, he took in a steady diet of easygoing stoner folk music. His vocals evoke a kind of mellow melancholy that's much more Pacific shore than Midwest rural blight.

"I really like singer-songwriters like Ray LaMontagne, Amos Lee, Martin Sexton," he says. "But, you know, I like a lot of different stuff. Old country. Hip-hop. There's a lot of current hip-hop that influences what I do."

This essentially is what sets Hughes apart from other sensitive folkies lugging acoustic guitars around town. His recent album, The Whether Machine, is a collaboration with Rich Lester, a producer who goes by the name JKR70. It fuses Hughes' California coos with a variety of hip-hop beats and samples. Lester first saw Hughes perform at Davey's Uptown Ramblers Club, with his band, Clay Hughes & the What — Hughes on acoustic guitar, Zach Haddock on bass and Tony Baldassarre (Tony Beats) behind the decks — and the two soon began sending each other tracks they were working on. Eventually Hughes asked Lester to produce his new album.

"We approached the writing from a lot of different angles," Hughes says of the album, which also features guest spots from local rappers Mac Lethal, Irv Da Phenom and thePhantom*. "I would write something and send it to him, and he'd cut it all up and change it around. Or he'd have samples, and I'd write music on top of that. He puts samples together from 15, 20 different beats. It's crazy watching his process; he has, like, 2 terabytes of samples he's pulled off the Internet. I've never seen anybody work how he works."

"Lots of times, Clay would send me an a cappella version of a song he'd written to a basic metronome, and I'd craft a beat around it," Lester says. "And then, through my interpretation of his vibe or where I felt like he was coming from lyrically, I'd try to best back him up."

Lennon Bone, a drummer who recently started the local label Sharp County Records, met Hughes a few years back when his band, Ha Ha Tonka, played in Emporia with Clay Hughes & the What. They became friends, and Bone has played drums on some of Hughes' recordings.

"I knew his material with Rich was strong, and I knew that the band was willing to hit the road, so it seemed like a perfect idea to have the first band on the [Sharp County] roster be good friends who write good tunes and who would be willing to put up with getting this whole thing off the ground," Bone says. "Clay and those guys are as much staff as they are a band on the roster."

It is easy to see why somebody who runs a record label would be interested in signing Hughes. His sound hews closest to singer-songwriters like Ben Harper and Jack Johnson — festival-headlining millionaires. "Clay's demographic is pretty varied. It can go over well with a lot of different people, but I see a lot of college-age kids at his shows," Bone says. "He and Rich made something very special together, for a first attempt — hip-hop, pop and even 'indie,' whatever that means nowadays."

Hughes' touring ambition is also considerable. He has more than 20 shows — both solo and with the What — scheduled through the end of the year, and he'll spend the entire month of January traveling up and down the West Coast in a large, modest, gray van that almost seems an extension of his personality.

"Honestly, I think Clay is still honing in on what's going to fit him best," Bone continues. "That's a really exciting thing to see and be a part of as a friend and as a business partner. He already writes some really strong tunes, but I think he's got some even better ones coming down the pike."

"I'm always trying to find new ways to approach my songs," Hughes says. "And I just end up mixing a lot of things together, I guess." - The Pitch (Kansas City, MO)

Sometimes it takes a concert to make one appreciate a band and their talent. Recently I attended a show with the band Clay Hughes And The What? and not only was there more appreciation for the band, but there's a complete infatuation for their album.

With the name Wrong Side Of Crazy one can only assume what's in store with this record. Relax, this isn't any kind of screamo that's going to rip your face off and leave you wishing you had your ear drums back. Rather it's three fellas taking a bass, a guitar and a set of turntables and having an absolute grooving time.

The opening track "Homeless" starts off very simple. Acoustic guitar strings set an almost lullaby level, but soon enough Tony "Beats" Baldassarre brings out a tempo that instigates a head bob in any listener. And when Clay souls out a few notes near the end of the beat break, it acts as a great dynamic for the whole band to bust out the bass-like strums.

If you want a song to officially kick off a party, then start with the title track "The Wrong Side Of Crazy". Some fun samples mixed with an 80s' dance groove gets the energy level set high from the beginning. If you listen closely you'll hear the insane finger moves that bassist Zach Haddock plays out. It's this kind of work that makes me want to go back to the show and just watch Zach work through this song. The best part of this number is the attitude. From the vocals to the notes, it's a strong thread that makes it that much more entertaining.

The first single off of the album is the strongly blues-inspired "One Long Day". You wanna hear a classic blues bass groove? Listen to this song. And when the keys add their two cents, you're instantly transported to a dark lit venue filled with patrons gently swaying and dressed in styles from circa the 1960s. To keep it in this decade, Clay asked fellow musician and rapper Reach to add just a little somethin' somethin' to the song. Placed nicely near the end, if you know its coming then you're waiting in anticipation. If not, it's a pleasant surprise.

For me the other stand out track on the album is "Ex". Similar to "The Wrong Side Of Crazy" it's a song that takes those first few minutes and uses them as a chance to get your booty shaking. As a sucker for the electric guitar, naturally, John's work in this song stands out drastically. Its rock as it's finest and definitely shows that those notes near the bottom of the guitar neck should not be ignored. Zach's still there sashaying through, but it feels like the turntables might be the key in this selection. With a little flick of the wrist, it was Tony to do that shaking in the beginning. And just as you get comfortable with the stringed instruments, another flick is what brings everyone back to the hip-hop aspect to the band. So many different elements of music come together in this song, that this is where the infatuation.

The beauty of this album is that it makes me want to have a party, just to play it loudly for a room full of grooving bodies.
- Hybrid Magazine (Kansas City, MO)

Clay Hughes is a Kansas City based singer-songwriter equipped with syrupy vocals that easily melt over any type of production. Mix Citizen Cope with Ben Harper and a collection of ear rattling hip hop infused drums and you got Clay Hughes and The What, Hughes' side band that released an incredible debut EP at the beginning of the year called The Wrong Side of Crazy. Recently, Clay teamed up with KC hip hop producer JKR70 and created one of the most interesting records I've heard so far in 2011. Their album, The Whether Machine, seamlessly combines hip hop, downtempo, acoustic rock, blues, and pop featuring Clay on every track along with help from The Phantom, Mac Lethal, Jabee, Johnny Polygon, Lucid, and Irv Da Phenom.

This wild blend of genres was inspired by JKR70's lack of response from co-workers when playing his other music projects for the office. "A lot of time I play the music I've produced for my co-workers at my day job, and they are supportive, but seem unimpressed or alienated," JKR70 said. "I think 'The Whether Machine' is far more appealing to people from various walks of life. Bridging that gap between hip-hop and contemporary, as well as styles bordering on emo or adult alternative. Musically the album is as diverse as the group of people involved, a testament to the sum of its parts. It gives the listener the opportunity to openly claim whatever genre they choose to hear while still presenting a cohesive whole. Select tracks could instantly be pegged as some of the Midwest's best hip hop ("Gotta Soul") while others ("Walking, Understood"/"This Is Beautiful") could just as easily find themselves on an indie pop playlist.

Clay Hughes and JKR70 are onto something with this record. Not only does their chemistry bubble on every song, but their ability to blend various accessible genres into one cohesive project is a revelation. The mystery in Hughes' voice is the perfect accessory to JKR70's murky landscapes and, unlike other acts who attempt to blend numerous styles, Hughes and JKR never stray from their smoky signature sound making their first attempt at bridging genres a flawless success. - Whiskey Teeth (Austin, TX)

Clay Hughes has a voice kind of like Jack Johnson’s – soothing, and always sounding like it’s not in much of a hurry to get anyplace. It’s the kind of voice that, if not layered on top of instruments and recorded into little internet players, might belong to a hypnotist or some kind of youth mentor who could calm even the most hyperactive of our generation’s troubled children.
What sets Clay Hughes apart from the kind of acoustic singing-songwriting mush that you hear in sterile coffee shops is a Citizen Cope-like edge, thanks in part to producer JKR70 (pictured on the right). With a voice like that and the subtle sharpness provided by the production, Clay Hughes is like a hypnotist with a switchblade. You know what I mean, right? Right. - Pigeons & Planes (New York, NY)

Clay Hughes is a mix of Citizen Cope, Jack Johnson and something else I can't quite put my finger on. No joke, I owe you lunch if you're not diggin The Love I Gave Ya. It's that good. With features from Mac Lethal and Johnny Polygon, among others, you should definitely hop on over to Clay Hughes bandcamp page and grab his new album The Whether Machine. - TheJourneyThroughLawSchool.Com (San Diego, CA)

Solve this musical equation: Add rap, alt-country, reggae, turntables, and a Dave-Matthews-meets-Hootie croon. What do you get? You’d think it would be something close to a train wreck in front of a dance bar in Kansas by a road that leads to Jamaica. It’s not. The actual solution to the equation is Clay Hughes’ new album, “Burn.”

Clay Hughes, a musician from Kansas City with comparisons to Sublime, Jack Johnson, and Citizen Cope, has a vast supply of tools in his musical tool belt. He showcases each with his varying styles on “Burn”. Clay teams up with a host of guest artists that drives the album, giving it swing, twang, and flow all at once.

“The Truth” (track 2), features OKC rapper, Jabee, who contrasts the comfort of Clay’s voice with sharp lyrics that cover war, politics, society, and relationships. Wait 2:40, and you’ll hear the southern slide of the lap steel guitar and Lennon Bone's (Ha Ha Tonka) precocious percussion on “Pointless.” “Burn” continues in this unpredicted fashion, and its shining moments include “Some People,” with a combination of whistling, clapping, and a smooth reggae groove and “Passing Through” with liberating sounds of the banjo, trumpet, and singing high-hat. “Burn” peaks late with “Sunday Stroll,” the most rockingest song on the album, and closes with a southern sound and smooth, clear vocals on “Take Me Home.”

Though the genres seem to differ from track to track, “Burn”s strikingly cohesive elements are Clay’s crooning and the graceful incorporation of talented musicians. These elements form the theory behind the “Burn” equation, and it makes finding the complex solution utterly enjoyable.

Kristin Russell
Station Manager
KSDB-FM, The Wildcat 91.9
www.wildcat919.com
Kansas State University
Manhattan, KS - The Wildcat 91.9, KSU