Catch Kiefer Sutherland in a way you never have before this Saturday at The Taft Theatre Ballroom. He is touring in support of his debut country album, Down in a Hole set to be released this summer.
Sutherland states, “It’s a huge thing to come and ask an audience to listen to 12 songs they’ve never heard before. Those 12 songs are very personal to me. They’re actually about my life. So I take moments throughout the show to kind of explain this is where I was when I wrote this song, this is why I wrote it, this is what was happening in my life, and hopefully by the end of the show people will realize that my life experience and my human experience is not really that different than theirs, and there’s a real commonality between us.”
Kiefer Sutherland’s love of country music started in 1992 while on the road as a competitive cowboy in the USTRC team roping circuit. The storytelling of Merle Haggard, Kris Kristofferson and Johnny Cash drew him in. According to Sutherland, “It’s the intimacy of country music that I’m attracted to.”
In 2002, Sutherland began a small record label, Ironworks with his music partner, Jude Cole. The purpose of the label was to record and distribute local music in the L.A. area. At that time, he says, “…so many artists were not being signed. Many venues in L.A. were pay to play.” Some of their artists included Rocco DeLuca and the Burden, Honey Honey and Billy Boy On Poison. The goal for Ironworks was, “…to help new artists make the first couple of records and move on to bigger and better from there. And they all have.”
When asked if he had advice for local musicians, “Get ready. There really is no end, no finishing line. Have goals and question if this is really what you want to do for the rest of your life. The second you relax is when it will all come undone.”
The songs on the album Down in a Hole are personal to Sutherland. The lyrics come from his life and are the closest thing he has ever had to a journal. Sutherland says, “Being on stage at a rock show is probably some of the scariest moments I’ve ever had. It’s made me feel as alive as I’ve ever felt.”
“But,” he adds, “the truth is, I’ve gotten to a point in my life where I’m not as concerned about what people think. I’m not trying to sell a million records, and I’m not trying to play stadiums. I wrote some songs that are really personal to me and have been really grateful to have the opportunity to play them out.”
Kiefer Sutherland is playing Saturday, April 23rd at The Taft Theatre Ballroom with Austin Plaine.
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