Greetings folks! Matt here with another fantastic interview with a bona-fide celebrity! Not only is she smart, talented, and dedicated to her music, Lynda Kay is fine as frog-hair! (I think that's what Texans say.) Some of you may remember Lynda Kay from her days with the Lickity Splits, the "Ragtime, Swing, Old Country, and Bawdy Blues Band." Well, she's back with a new group and a stripped down sound - The Lonesome Spurs! Like the name implies, the duo consisting of Lynda Kay and guitar legend Danny B. Harvey, plays Sun Studio-style, "honkey-tonk garage" music, reminiscent of the rowdy days of country with a sultry, female-voiced twist. I got to talk with Lynda recently and this is what she had to say.

ME: You obviously have a very diverse musical background. I know you play a guitar and the Samsonite kick-drum, and I saw a Buck Page video where you play the violin (or is it “fiddle?”). What other instruments do you play?

LK: Mainly I think of myself a singer who tells stories to music, but I like to play instruments, too. I play rhythm guitar, and preferably tenor guitars. I tune it like the top 4-strings of a regular guitar (DGBE). They were very popular in the 1930's for banjo players who wanted to switch to guitar, but they are seldom seen today. I have several, but two of my favorites are 1935 Gibson Brazilian Rosewood for recording and James Trussart custom metal-body electric tenor for live shows. I really like the sweetness of their sound—and sometimes you can hear a chorus effect from the high-overtones. Plus, I sing low for a woman, so I think it has a nice balance. My suitcase kickdrum was born out my ability to tap dance which I've done since I was about 3 years old. As a matter of fact, my singing, stomping, and strumming requires quite a bit of energy, so my favorite rhythmic exercise is to do "tap laps" to Carl Perkins. I'm learning bass guitar, but it will be a while before I incorporate that in the Lonesome Spurs.

ME: With such an elusive background in acting, improvisation, and other music projects, why the Lonesome Spurs now?

LK: It was just a natural progression for me. Although I enjoy acting and improv, I am truly a Texan and I felt the need to get back to my music roots. I've had a number of different musical collaborations with some very special people, but I must say that the Lonesome Spurs is my pride and joy. The Lonesome Spurs allows me the chance to incorporate all the things I love like old-school country, singing, and story-telling through music. And the nice thing is I don't have to audition to write or play my music. The trouble with acting as a career for me was that it turned into a series of auditions. Yes, I had some success in acting and I'm very proud of that. I still do acting if I am approached about a role that I think is right for me, but music is closer to my heart. But you know I would kill to play Wanda Jackson in the movie about her life!

ME: Your music is deeply implanted in rockabilly and swing with an old-fashioned country and western sound. What do you feel about the current state of country music?

LK: I gotta be honest with you, I'm not a fan of modern pop country. That's not to say that the folks doing it are not talented, but its just not my cup of tea. I am firmly rooted in the old-school country style which for me is from about 1920-1970. I was raised on the darkness of Cash, the smoothness of Patsy, the pain of Hank, the charm of Elvis, the stories of Willie, and the growl of Wanda Jackson. These were and are my biggest heroes of music.

ME: How do you define your sound?

LK: Honky-tonk garage. That includes a combination of all my favorite genres: country, roots, blues, rockabilly, garage, bluegrass, punk, and rock. The Lonesome Spurs is a duo with me on vocals, rhythm tenor guitar, and suitcase kickdrum and rockabilly guitar legend Danny B. Harvey on electric lead, background vocals, and foot shaker. Because of our non-traditional instrumentation, we don’t really fit in to any one genre. We tried to create a brand new sound that's reminiscent of the past. Someone once said "its like honky-tonk garage" and it stuck.

ME: The lyrics to your songs deal with topics such as broken hearts, partying, and alcohol. Are your lyrics autobiographical? If so, I want to hang out with you.

LK: You forgot to mention that I have songs about fighting, too but I'm usually pretty sweet. And I sure like to kick up my heels now and again, that's for sure! But I'll admit that I've had my share of rough times, so there's a lot of emotional truth in my lyrics. I like to keep my lyrics a little vague sometimes so listeners can relate to it in their own way. I also tell stories in my songs and some of those are just loosely based on fact with fiction added in. Truth or fiction, I try my best to sing every song with sincerity, so when people listen they can believe that honesty in music still exists.

ME: On your Myspace page it says that The Lonesome Spurs record live in the studio with no overdubs. Explain your embrace of this stripped down approach.

LK: Well, actually Danny B. is the better half of the duo to answer most of the technical questions behind the recording. Danny produced, engineered, mixed, and mastered our new album we recorded it live in the Lonesome Spur Studio. If you’re a real technical kinda guy, you can read the article all about our recording process in Electronic Musician that’s coming out in October.

ME: What are the advantages/disadvantages of being a duo?

LK: The advantages: its only two people. That makes things a lot simpler in every way with performing, scheduling, traveling, rehearsing, writing, (I could keep going here.) I will say that as a duo, it requires us to totally focus on each other on stage. But that’s not hard with Danny. Honestly I can’t think of any disadvantages, except that I have to work-out more than I would normally care to, but I guess that’s probably good for me.

ME: What is it like working with Danny B.?

LK: Danny is by far the most talented artist with whom I’ve collaborated. And he and I really connect musically. I think we work so well together because we utilize each other’s talents. He’s a great guitar player, so he’s always teaching me new tricks. He’s amazing producer and handles everything in the studio, while I do the graphic designs and write most of the songs. And did I mention that he’s just a damn funny guy?

ME: With the debut of your first major-label release around the corner, what kinds of things are running through your mind?

LK: Is anybody gonna buy it? I mean, yeah, I’ll say it, I love this album and I’m so proud of it. But in some ways, I really don’t care if people buy it at all, I just hope they find some enjoyment out of it (don’t tell my label I said that!) The good news is, we’ve been getting a great response to the CD and we’ve got some pretty cool stuff coming up, so I guess we’re doing something right. I must say, it sure is nice when people ask where they can pick up our new CD, we can say: Everywhere!

ME: Why is Cleopatra Records a good fit for “The Lonesome Spurs?”

LK: “You guys are on Cleopatra??” is a very common question, and I really like that! They did put out the newest Wanda Jackson record (Danny produced and played on that, too) but Cleopatra is an interesting label. For years they’ve been known primarily as a goth label, but Brian Perera (the pres.) likes what he likes, and signs what he likes. And he took quite a liking to us after seeing just one show. In fact, he’s flown out to every show we’ve played since he signed us! They also gave us total creative control over the album, which is really unheard of for a debut major-label release. They see us as “The White Stripes of Country” so Cleopatra is a perfect fit for the Lonesome Spurs because they get it.

ME: After the release of the album, what can we look forward to from The Lonesome Spurs in the future?

LK: Well, after our debut album comes out on August 29th we’re going to be touring and playing festivals all over the world so look for our red suitcase of fun to kick through a town near you real soon! For more specific info, you can check out our news and tour dates at www.lonesomespurs.com

ME: I see that you’re playing a concert at Corcoran Prison soon, and it also says this is the first of many. What is the inspiration behind the prison concerts?

LK: We were actually invited to play there. There is a library of music at Corcoran Prison and apparently the Lonesome Spurs’ CD made it in there and became quite popular. We were contacted by the prison, and they asked us if we would be interested in performing--of course we said yes! We’re not sure exactly when and which prisons we will be performing (there’s a lot of red tape involved in making this happen), but we’ll be sure to have it on our website and record every single one. The first album I remember listening to in its entirety was Johnny Cash’s Live at Folsom Prison. We had it on 8-track in our ’68 Scout--in fact it played constantly because it got stuck in the player!

ME: Corcoran holds some pretty infamous people, including Sirhan Sirhan (who killed Robert F. Kennedy) and Charles Manson. How will that affect your performance?

LK: I’m not gonna lie, I’m terrified! Especially if they let Manson out of his cage and he starts doing that weird little hand gesture around the swastika tattoo on his head. I’m sure there are a number of people who think I am completely insane for going into a maximum security prison, especially because I am a woman. But the reason I’m doing it is because not all of the prisoners there will be locked up forever, and I like to think a little live music from the outside world might inspire them enough to hold ‘em over until they can get out. (Don’t worry, I’m not going soft, I’m still a tough Texan and I ain’t becoming pen pals with Manson.)

ME: Tell us about Mora Devoura and your relationship with Coffin Case.

LK: Besides being endorsed by Coffin Case, my husband is Jonny Coffin (founder/owner). We love working together and helping each other as much as we can. It’s a little tough when I’m traveling because we’re apart, but we have such a closeness that time and distance don’t really matter. He’s so supportive of me in everything I do! I’m not sure if you’ve had the pleasure of meeting my wonderful husband, but I’ll tell you, I’m a very lucky woman :) Oh and by the way, Mora DeVoura, the Official Spooksmodel of Coffin Case and star of “The Mora Show” contrary to popular belief is not me but my evil twin sister. I can’t be held responsible for her actions.