East Coasters. They've got a lot on their mind, a lot in their heart, and a whole lot to say.
As screen acting major from a small town in Connecticut, Winston Salk moonlights as KLAS: an L.A.-based musician with a poetic flow alongside meaningful, refreshingly raw lyrics. His debut album 'When We Decide To Move" dropped earlier this month: featuring a tracklist of nine songs and 42 minutes of lyricism and gritty East Coast beats.
Recently, The Collective had the chance to sit down with KLAS and talk about his first album, live performance, moving from East to West, and what it really means to grow up.
I was super impressed with your album "When We Decide to Move", and I first off just wanted to know what the process of creating an album was like, especially your first.
Yeah! So I've been working and really focusing on music since my junior year of high school. And I found this style of music just, you know, fits my voice and my style of writing. And then from there, I worked for a couple of years on some songs and at the start of quarantine, I released this little, small project on SoundCloud. But it was just a very minor thing. And after I'd finished that, I was so hungry to do a legit album that was on Spotify and Apple Music. Something that I kind of always dreamed of.
My process is just like, sometimes I'll sit down and I'll write a song in five minutes. But sometimes, it'll take me three months to write two lines. But nothing really clicked into gear until last summer: I just got word out of the blue that my parents were splitting up, and it was like, completely random. I was just out in California–I'm from Connecticut–and I was just out in California by myself. Completely took me off guard. And so, everything really clicked into place because art is kind of inspired by those shittier moments.
It's like when you turn 20. You know, and you're not a teenager anymore. But then there’s also the times when you experience something, or you do something, or you live through something, and that's when you really become an adult. I felt that switch immediately that I had to let go of my childhood. And that idea shaped the project moving forward.
You mentioned you were from Connecticut. I'm an East Coaster, too! And there's obviously a lot of East Coast rap influence in your music: like there's some Mac Miller in there, and then also some 90s vibes in there. It's very gritty. So, I was wondering if you had any opinions between East Coast and West Coast rap music? Not necessarily which one is better, but any of the differences between the two that you've noticed?
Absolutely. That's a really great question. You know, I've loved rap ever since I was a little kid. So I've always had an opinion on this, but it's really been shaped since I came out here. I don't know if you agree with this, but it feels like everybody's a little more like "bang bang, let's get this done" back East. And then out here and everybody's more lackadaisical and they obviously still get things done and they complete their tasks, but it's just different.
I always compared it to the weather. I mean, it's like...back home in the East, when it was cold, you walked outside and you had to have a destination. You had to go somewhere. You had to have that end goal. Here, you can kind of just step outside and you can wander, you can get where you're going, but you can wander. There's that East Coast attitude that goes into that, but also the music as well. I feel like there is a little bit more of a punch and a grind. Some of my favorite artists right now are this group called Griselda: Conway the Machine, West Side Gun, and Benny the Butcher. And all these guys are from Buffalo, New York. And you can just hear the rawness of living in Buffalo. The brutal winters, the edge.
So, it's definitely played an interesting hand into my own music and my own process. I like the groovy West Coast thing, but sometimes it's just that's not who I am. I'm amped up. I got a lot to say. I got a lot on my mind, I got a lot to do, and I think that's such an East Coast aspect of me.
How was it coming out West? I know you're an acting major, so obviously L.A. was the move.
It was certainly weird. I come from a town of twelve hundred people, which is very in the country. Like, I live in the woods. So it was a big, big switch up. But you know, you spend years dreaming of it, coming from a place like that, and trying to start to fulfill these tasks that you've set for yourself in your head. I'm not saying I love it down here too much, I just miss my home and I miss the East Coast. But there's something so appealing about moving West and just chasing that dream. And when you start to have things come to fruition, when your work is starting to pay off slightly, it feels incredible.
I saw you had your first show ever in L.A. before you even released an album. Getting a show in L.A. is already a big deal. Getting a show in L.A. as your first show ever? Is like, crazy. How was that performing in front of like people for the first time?
It was just unbelievable. I spent so many years and countless hours just doing it in my room myself, for my cat, or for my dad, or something. So I reached the point, where years and years are going by, and I was working every single day on my music. Then I realized like, "Wow, only I know this." And nobody knew how hard I was working, I wasn't posting on social media at all. I was just thinking myself, "damn, I'm not doing myself any justice, like I can't be working this hard and just not sharing it in any way."
And to be able to really take hold of that idea and perform...I mean, it was just the greatest thing in the whole fucking world. It was a beautiful venue, but it wasn't a crazy crowd or anything. Just my friends. But I had so much fun out there. I just went crazy. I was drenched in sweat and like by the second song, and it was a 12 song set. I was just exhausted, and I couldn't have had more fun.
That's awesome. And you're a screen actor, right? How did that come into play while performing?
Yeah, absolutely. It felt like all of the pieces were finally coming together. But I love performing in any sort of context. So I was like, "Oh damn, the moment I will get to put these two together will be the most incredible thing".
You're doing a lot. And I was wondering, where do you see yourself in like 10 years? Still making music? Acting? Living a quiet life in Connecticut?
I'm really happy that you added at that last point because that's definitely the ultimate goal. I'd love to get to a place in my acting and my music in which I'm able to live in the countryside and in my little town and be fortunate enough to fly out to whatever gig I have. But you know, there will be 10 grueling years 'till that, and in the meantime, I hope to establish a career as a musician and a really solid actor. Kind of balance a Childish Gambino-like career. So really, I just gotta take it day by day and hope that you hope that any success that I can find will lead me back to the countryside. And I can grow my walnut farm.
A walnut farm?
Yeah! It's something I've always dreamed about...a Chilean walnut farm. I've always loved walnut trees and woodworking and all that. I just think my ideal, peaceful life would be on a walnut farm.
I love that. Last question: your name is Winston. Your stage name is KLAS. What is the deal with that?
So, my last name is Salk...
Oh, so KLAS just Salk backward!
It's Salk backward! There. That's what the people need to know. It's literally just my last name backward.
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