Ain't nothing new about a good southern guitar-slinger. Find yourself at the right bar at the right time and you just might find a good one - Robert Johnson circa 1937, Chet Atkins circa 1952, Les Dudek circa 1973, Kevin Post circa 2004. Sure, fame eventually catches up with guitarists such as these. But the real question here is one you must ask yourself - did you see Stevie Ray Vaughn perform at a sold-out 15,000 seat venue, or did you see him do his thing in a smoke-filled 60 seat bar on the outskirts of town?

These days you will usually find Kevin Post touring with country music superstar Terri Clark, comfortably performing his duties as her bandleader and steel/slide guitarist. But the next time you show up at that smoke-filled bar just outside of Nashville, Macon, or San Antonio, make sure to take a quick look around. You may just get a little more than you bargained for.


XMFan: When did you get your first guitar?
K'Po: I begged and begged for a guitar. My next-door neighbor was the same age as me, about eleven years old, and had this acoustic guitar. He couldn't do anything with it - but was taking lessons - and I would've just killed to take lessons. I told my neighbor that and he said, "I don't think you could do anything with it anyway." I thought I would really show that guy, so I begged my mom for a guitar. She finally split the cost of one with me - I had to mow probably a hundred yards before I had enough money to get a Yamaha acoustic guitar.

Of course, once I got a hold of it I had to take lessons. I quickly realized I needed an electric guitar to play the kind of blues I wanted to play. My guitar teacher was a blues player, and taught me some really cool stuff right from the start - at twelve years old. I went out and got a Stratocaster about three months after the acoustic guitar, so I've pretty much been a lifelong Strat player.

XMFan: You must have really mowed lots of yards for that Strat!
K'Po: Oh yeah! (Laughs) I took to it so fast, I think my parents realized this was going to be something I was serious about. They were just a little worried at first that I wouldn't put any effort into it. (Pauses) I was kinda known for that as a child.

XMFan: As you learned to play, what were some of the styles you were interested in learning?
K'Po: It started with blues and rock. I wanted to play things like Stevie Ray and B.B. King. Then I got into country music, because I grew up in Texas and, you know, it's a prerequisite that you play a little bit of country and western swing.

By the time I was seventeen I was playing in several different bands - one was a country band, one a rock band, there was a blues one also. Of course we had new names every two weeks. We'd change a couple of members, change t-shirts. The one that was doing the best was the country band so I had to learn some extra country licks. It wasn't too long after that, maybe about a year or so, that I went out and got my first pedal steel guitar. That's what started me on this journey of playing slide instruments - steel guitar, dobro, any and all the slide-type instruments.

XMFan: When someone thinks of "Texas Blues", names like Lightnin' Hopkins and Albert Collins might come to mind, whereas with "Chicago Blues" one might think of artists like Muddy Waters and Little Walter. Do you enjoy listening to many different styles?
K'Po: Yes, I don't discriminate based on geography when it comes to blues. I come from Texas and think my music could be described as Texas blues, but when it comes to what I listen to my favorite singers are probably the Delta and Chicago blues singers. My absolute biggest influences are people like Muddy Waters, B.B. King, and even some west coast guys that have influenced me a tremendous amount.

XMFan: How did you meet K'Po member Reese Wynans?
K'Po: That's an interesting story. He has lived in Nashville, like I have, for most of the '90s. After Stevie Ray passed away he moved to Nashville to pursue a session career, which he's been very successful with. I met him a couple of times but never really sat down and talked with him until about six or eight months ago. There's a fantabulous guitar player named Jackie Pearson (Allman Brothers, solo), who is one of the greatest undiscovered blues guitar talents I know of. Jackie has a band with Reese, and of course they change their name every two weeks as well. I had gone to see these guys play, and they were just the ultimate blues jam band. I was really enjoying it.

I had talked to Reese before the set started at nine p.m. He told me to just hang around, and after the set gets done we'll talk some more about this blues thing. Well, the set was five hours long... It got to be about two in the morning and I was still really digging what they were doing but getting a little tired. And I think I was out of cigarettes. And I might have been getting a little drunk. So just when I was thinking about leaving, they finally stopped. I was finally able to go over to Reese and talk about it, and he seemed genuinely interested. That was the start of things for sure - even though I had already spoken with the other guys this brought it all together.

XMFan: Has Reese mentioned how it was working with Stevie Ray and Double Trouble for several years?
K'Po: One thing I can mention - and I've heard so many stories about him - is I wanted to cut a song I had no idea Stevie had cut. There's a song on my record called You'll Be Mine, which must be on the one SRV album I don't have. (Laughs) I asked Reese if he knew the song and he looked at me like I was half-crazy. We did a different kind of version for it, and after we were done cutting it in the studio Reese said, "I don't think that's going to be too much of a problem. It's not too much like Stevie's." I was like, "What do you mean, not too much like Stevie's?" He answered, "Well, we cut that with Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble." I felt like such an idiot, I had no idea they had cut that song. All I knew was I liked the song and Reese felt like Stevie wouldn't mind our version too much.

XMFan: How about the other members of K'Po?
K'Po: Keith Horne is an incredible bass player. He played in a band with Carter Beauford (Dave Matthews Band) in a jazz-fusion, blues-based jam band in the late '80s, early '90s. I think Keith is one of the greatest bass players of all time. He wound up doing sessions touring with a lot of country artists like Trisha Yearwood and Lonestar, as well as Peter Frampton. He's just this left-handed, upside-down playing, monster bass player. Our record just starts to show what he can do - I kept trying to push him and push him - but there's only so much bass you can do on a blues tune. You get him going on a funk song; you won't believe it.

The drummer is Chuck Fields, who played with me in Terri Clark's band. He also toured with Martina McBride and blues artists Mark Selby and Big Mike Griffin. He is the blues. Man, when he gets behind that kit - he's got the coolest blues style I think I've ever heard. Blows me away every time.

XMFan: What has the initial response been on your new album, Downside?
K'Po: It's been out now for about a month, selling online and at Terri Clark shows. We haven't done much promotion on it yet, kind of being an indie project, but have had a really good response. As far as feedback from the fans and people involved in the music industry goes, I have really been surprised by their reactions. We've turned quite a few heads and are getting a lot of interest in the music business. There are a lot of closet blues fans in the music business - and they are really digging it.

XMFan: Which musical direction did you guys have in mind when you decided to record the album - what can fans expect?
K'Po: We really wanted to pick some tunes that showcase not just my voice, but everyone's playing. We also wanted to showcase some songs that, from a lyrical standpoint, will either make you laugh or make you cry. One or the other. We wanted to make you feel something, not just have the songs go by you. A lot of people have described the music as being king of a "smart/smart-ass." We really wanted to go in the direction of extended instrumental breaks that just don't let up, you know, and grooves that just don't let up. We definitely wanted to have an intense sound, which was the idea from the start, and I think we accomplished that.

XMFan: How long have you worked with Terri now?
K'Po: I've worked with Terri Clark for almost nine years. We've done the biggest country tours you can imagine, and it's been a very rewarding experience. She's a fan of the blues and is a really good blues singer and guitar player. We cut a song for the Patsy Cline tribute project and it's pretty bluesy (Walkin' After Midnight). She loves this project too, and actually wanted to be a part of it - she was going to do a duet with me, but just couldn't fit it in to her busy schedule.

XMFan: Would you tell us what you do in her band?
K'Po: I play slide guitar and pedal steel guitar, and am also her bandleader. The slide guitar is a big part of her sound - many of her songs feature it - and of course the steel guitar is the sound of Nashville. You really can't have a country band without a steel guitar.

XMFan: Tell us one thing most people don't know about Terri.
K'Po: Oh, there are so many things I could say right now... Her dog's name is Oscar - Oscar Meyer the wiener dog. He's kind of our bus mascot. The dog is featured in Terri's video for Girls Lie Too.

XMFan: Do you prefer the pick or the slide?
K'Po: I enjoy playing both! Here on my album, you'll hear more of the "normal" blues guitar work, with a lot of slide playing as well. When it comes to blues, I'll just play what comes to me based on how I feel at the time. I love to get as many different sounds out of a guitar as I can.

XMFan: Instead of using your well-known names to score a record deal with a major label, you decided to release your album with indie label Sevenpost Music. Any special reason?
K'Po: The big-time record deal requires you to quit whatever else you're doing and I wasn't ready to quit my work with Terri. I thought it would be a better idea to go with an indie deal so I could do both. I can promote my record in my spare time when we're not on the road touring. Plus, Terri's having just a hell of a year and I've been on this rocket-ride for along time. To quit now would be like Neil Armstrong bailing out before having a chance to walk on the moon! The music business always swings different ways, and is swinging her way right now - swinging into what she does - and I'm just tickled to be a part of it. We also have a great business relationship that is only second to our friendship.

One of the reasons we put the album out in the first place was because of her fans that have been watching us all these years. They wanted to hear me, and just really encouraged me go ahead and do my first project.

XMFan: Favorite guitars and equipment?
K'Po: Anything vintage - anything Fender, anything Gibson, and my absolute favorite is my old Strat. I've got a couple of old Fender amps that I use, and I'm kind of a purist that way. I just like to have some older vintage gear - at the minimum all my guitars are at least twenty years old. I do have a custom guitar I built about ten years ago, which is the only exception. As far as specific brands, I'm definitely a Strat man.

XMFan: Are you a fan of XM Radio by chance?
K'Po: Are you kidding? We've got it on the tour bus - we couldn't live without it! I'll often drive the bus and listen to Bluesville all night - exit 74 on my XM dial. I listen to quite a bit of country also. Terri's favorite XM stations are - well lately she's been listening to the jazz stations and world music, oddly enough.

XMFan: How about some wise parting words for the many XMFans?
K'Po: Well, the journey is long and in the end you'll find your only competition is with yourself. Quite literally, I enjoy the road and love it more than anybody I know.

Please visit the Official K'Po Blues Band website at www.kpobluesband.com.