Photo credit: Imashoot

Kalu and the Electric Joint are considered one of the best bands on the Austin music scene right now. With their distinct sound, they have a vibrant live show that enhances their dynamic and uplifting songwriting. Kalu James sits down with Tom and shows his off stage persona as the two share stories of when they met, how their pandemic experience shaped them, and how their experience of moving to Austin has aligned (or misaligned) with their expectations.

Texas Monthly has said Kalu and the Electric Joint “pulls Austin’s sounds into the global diaspora: this is psych rock with more than a dash of Jamaican dub, Southern soul, and Nigerian funk.”

Kalu James grew up the son of a village chief in Nigeria and moved to Austin to enmesh himself in the live music scene. He’s been on the scene as a songwriter for years, and when he began a month-long residency at the Continental Club Gallery with another Austin mainstay, guitarist JT Holt, they both knew there was chemistry afoot. Their weekly shows would last nearly three years and along the way, drummer John Speice joined the party, officially forming Kalu And The Electric Joint.

The Joint was originally an only-in-Austin conception. Now, they have released their debut album, to introduce the world to the blues-rock, American soul and African polyrhythms. Time Undone, recorded over the period of a year out in Driftwood, Texas, and produced by Brett Orrison (Black Angels, Widespread Panic) include guest stars from members of Widespread Panic, War On Drugs, The Sword and Grupo Fantasma, who all contribute to a soulful world groove.

Enjoy Kalu and the Electric Joint’s single Garden of Eden at the end of the podcast.