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other fave current singers are Carly Harvey (who is about to release her first full-length album),
and Annie Mack.

LL: Let’s talk about your latest release “It’s Time To Shine”. Would you tell us about where
it was made, how that came together please?

DK: In November 2022, we recorded the album in a friend’s log cabin, in the Adirondack
mountains, in northern New York. A very peaceful place, quite cold, next to a lake. It gave us the
freedom to play all together live in one big living room with a high ceiling, without headphones
or barriers separating us. I really wanted to capture that live feeling of interacting with each
other naturally.

The engineer, Huck Bennert, has been Ronnie Earl’s engineer for
the past 20 or so years. He’s an old friend of mine, so it was very
comfortable having him there. And he’s a genius with the recording
and mixing. So basically, it was just the five of us holed up in the
cabin for about a week, hanging out, making meals together,
relaxing and going for walks in the snow, and then recording when
we felt inspired. I picked a dozen of my original songs, which we
had been playing frequently on tour, so everything was very
naturally tight.

LL: Could we get a fun inside story from the experience?

DK: While we were recording, there was a huge flock of Canada geese gathered on the lake, just
a couple hundred yards from the cabin. Very loud and boisterous. I feel like they really added to
the energy of the album. Our drummer, Jay Gleason, is into doing cold plunges, and actually swam
in the lake, not far from the geese. Very, very cold!

LL: With 9 albums already under your belt, you seem pretty shiny to me! Why that title
and what was your concept and vision for number 10?

DK: It’s technically album number 11! My first album was a cassette-only release: “Deep Down
In My Soul”. Acoustic Blues originals and covers. Long out of print.

I felt like after the pandemic, all of us humans were ready to come out into the light and shine.
So, the album is my way of encouraging folks to be strong enough to follow their hearts and their
dreams, and be the people that they are here on Earth to be.

On a personal level, I have been busy balancing being a working musician and a parent for the
past 21 years. This fall, my youngest daughter headed off to college, so I now have a lot more
time for touring. I feel like all the seeds I’ve planted, musically and career-wise, are now finally
able to get enough light to grow to their full potential.

LL: Do you have a favorite track from the album?

DK: The title track is my favorite. I love the groove, and the sound of the guitar. But it’s the lyrics
that make it the album’s centerpiece.

LL: Please tell us a bit about the personnel who contributed to the work.

DK: I’m blessed with an incredible band. Ira Friedman has played keyboards with me for over
16 years. He’s a super soulful and deep player. Jay Gleason was my original drummer from
1996-99. He rejoined the band 7 years ago and is even funkier than ever! Alex Budney is the
newest member, and is such a creative bassist, really giving the music a ton of energy and forward
movement.