INTERVIEW – Eric Krasno Talks About New Project King Canyon and Debut Single

Eric Krasno, who we all know and love from his many projects including Lettuce, Soulive, Tedeschi Trucks Band, and Pretty Lights, has just released a new single “Keep on Movin.” It is the debut single from Krasno’s newly formed collaborative project, King Canyon. “Keep on Movin” is off the upcoming self-titled album due out Dec. 2. Check out the new song here.

The new band first connected mid-lockdown, when Eric Krasno came across Otis McDonald’s music on Instagram and immediately became a fan of his music. Months later, McDonald who had been working on music with his longtime friend, Mike Chiavaro, enlisted Krasno to add in some guitar to the mix and before they knew it, the trio had an album’s worth of material and thus King Canyon was born. Through most of the creation process, the trio worked exclusively online. We had a chance to send over a few questions to Krasno who filled us in about the new single and he shared his thoughts about the upcoming release and new collab.

The Pier: Thank you so much for your time, we are excited to talk to you about your new project!! Tell us about how you met Otis McDonald and Mike Chiavaro?

Eric Krasno: I met Otis through Adam Deitch and Wil Blades. Adam sent me his Instagram account and I loved all of the music he was making. I sent him a message and it turned out he was a fan of Soulive. Pretty soon after this we started making music remotely.

The Pier: We are interested to know more about the creative process for the new album “King Canyon” and how does this project compare to your others?

Eric Krasno: Otis and Mike sent me a few tracks and asked me to add guitar. I loved what I heard and was very inspired by the tracks. Once I heard the mixes I thought we should make a full album. So I started sending them some of my own ideas as well.

The Pier: How was the experience of working online and not having in-person interactions with the other band members?

Eric Krasno: The process was really fun. We all have home studios so we were able to use all of our own gear, this made the process very comfortable. We did some zoom calls and Otis and I often used an app called Pedal that enabled us to work on stuff in (almost) real time.

The Pier: Can you tell us a bit about the inspiration behind the title “Keep On Movin’?

Eric Krasno: “Keep On Movin” was one of the very first tracks we worked on. I just started creating such a great mood and had a very unique sound. It kinda set the path for the rest of the album.

The Pier: This record is coming out on Mixto Records; why are they the perfect label for King Canyon?

Eric Krasno: Oz and Dan with Mixto Records seem to really get the project and love what we were doing. I just love working with people that are passionate about what they do.

The Pier: The formation of the band and the creation process of the music seems like the perfect story for these online and very digital times, do you have any advice for other musicians and bands who are going through a similar process?

Eric Krasno: I guess the advice I would give is to not let what may seem like unfortunate circumstances hold you back. Although COVID & “lockdown” were obviously a huge blow to our community, it became a very productive and healing time for many of us artist/creatives.

The Pier: Where does King Canyon fit into the musical landscape?

Eric Krasno: I think King Canyon represents a mood. You can cook to it, drive to it, bob your head to it….. It’s all about the vibe and feeling good.

The Pier: What’s next for King Canyon? Do you have plans to meet IRL?

Eric Krasno: Yes we have actually met now lol. We will continue to keep recording and hopefully do some live shows soon!

“Keep on Movin” is out now, stream and download here: https://sym.ffm.to/keep-on-movin

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By Kailee Maguire