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“I just keep being myself,” Kashus Culpepper stated. That simple confession became a common thread that unfolded onstage at Radio Milwaukee Friday evening as Culpepper joined us in between tour stops, heading to Milwaukee from St. Paul. Despite the weather being goofy (torrential rain and tornado watches), a hefty crowd showed up and sat in rapt attention. And for good reason - Culpepper’s soulful and raw voice and simple setup to emphasize it (acoustic guitar, keys and pedal steel) brought an ease of heartfelt intimacy.
Those heartfelt qualities have gained Culpepper notoriety for his recent album, Act 1, where he guests with some of country and blues rock’s biggest stars like Sierra Ferrell and Marcus King. The release has also brought him to the TV stages of Kimmel and Clarkson, helped him climb to number one on Americana radio, secured him opening slots on tours with artists like Leon Bridges, and earned him praise from pop/rock icons such as Elton John.
Talking about the magic formula for that hit single, “Believe,” which he wrote with singer-songwriter and friend Foy Vance - that theme resurfaced. “Just being myself works the best,” Culpepper underlined. “I wasn’t trying to be nobody, wasn’t trying to sound like nobody [when I wrote it]. I was just trying to be myself.”
And that exact message is making an indelible mark on listeners. Coming out of the tender and poignant broken-hearted love song “Broken Wing Bird” at our studios on Friday, Kim Shine agreed. She remarked that listening to Culpepper sing “Broken Wing Bird” was an “out of body” experience; one that put her “not in a space of here.” The audience echoed that sentiment, going from near trance state to thunderous applause in the moments between the song’s motion and pause, startled back to reality.
Talking about a key layer of the heart behind his songs, Culpepper spoke to recording in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, a place shaped by the strong roots and traditions of Black soul music, Culpepper shared about wanting to follow in the footsteps of the great musical giants like Wilson Pickett and Aretha Franklin. “I just wanted to go down there and put my stake in it,” he said of taking his turn at soul. And it shows in his songs. Shine agreed that he achieved that authenticity with what he’s written and recorded - that she could hear that soul “spirit” and the “lineage” easily in his sound.
To send us off into the wild world of weather outside the studio walls that evening, Culpepper brought forth a brand-new, unreleased song that he literally wrote the week prior (and could barely remember the name of because it was so fresh.) “How Will I Know,” he shared, was about being scared to move forward in relationships - is it just love or lonely? (as he sang.) It was bittersweet and real. And Kashus was again just being himself, reminding everyone listening that that’s when you can shine the most.
Enjoy the broadcast portion of the session using the player at the top of the page.
Studio MKE: Kashus Culpepper set list
- “Broken Wing Bird”
- “How Will I Know [Radio Milwaukee exclusive]”
