Caroline Sessions Interview #4: Andrew Karnavas

The fourth in my ongoing series of Caroline Sessions interviews; this one features Runaway Sun and Tim Qualls, along with the standard free BBQ and beer. It’s sure to be a great show with these two, and probably one of the last good-weather days available. So why not come out and join the good Caroline Sessions folks for a glorious Texas afternoon of music at Caroline Collective this Sunday?

I had a few questions for Runaway Sun’s Andrew Karnavas about his many, many, musical projects, including his most recent album, Welcome to the Andyrooniverse. You can find out more about Andrew’s music and upcoming tour here.
 

SCR: Seems like you’re wearing a lot of musical hats these days, between your band Runaway Sun, your solo album, and your latest family-oriented addition, AndyRoo and the AndyRooniverse. Why so many creative outlets?
Andrew Karnavas: I’m constantly writing songs, and rather than force or limit the process to one particular style, I let the songs filter into where they belong. Having many outlets keeps my brain active and all of the projects fresh. I also get the opportunity to play anywhere and in front of many different audiences, and each project is a foot in the door for those new audiences to hear all of my other projects.

It’s kind of like a chef who keeps opening new restaurants, each one with a different menu and different ingredients to make a unique experience. The recording process has been different each time, too. For Runaway Sun, we work out most of the song structures ahead of time, then record the instruments simultaneously in the studio; for my solo LP, Film Noir, I recorded my parts first at SugarHill and hired various local musicians to play on the album without rehearsals; and for the AndyRoo album, I played every instrument, and we did some location recording at the Children’s Museum of Houston.

What motivated you to start making kids music?
I got a call from my sister Vanessa telling me that my niece Andrea and nephew Aiden were learning the Runaway Sun and Film Noir songs, and it made me want to write some songs specifically for them. “Silly Sal the Salamander” and “Hopscotch” were the first two songs I wrote, and they loved them. I had so much fun writing those two songs — the process brought back a lot of childhood memories, and so I decided to write a whole album.

So, you’re teaching a summer music camp for kids this summer with Kids J.A.M. Have you taught before? Any plans on doing more classes/camps in the future?
In college I worked for several years as a camp counselor, but this is my first time teaching a music camp. I’ve been doing free classes this month to spread the word, and the response has been great. I’m thinking of ways to create year-round programming that I can do when I’m back from touring.

What are you working on now? Are we going to hear some more AndyRoo next, or something entirely different?
Runaway Sun is currently in the studio working on a new album, which we’re planning on shopping around to various independent record labels this year. In September I’m hitting the road on a two-week tour from Washington DC to Chicago with AndyRoo and my solo project.

Where/when can we see you play next?
AndyRoo at the Children’s Museum of Houston — Saturday, May 14th at 2PM.

Runaway Sun is doing a taping for The Caroline Sessions on Sunday, May 15th, at 3PM at Caroline Collective. END