Deep in the woods with The Curse of KK Hammond
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Meet The Curse of KK Hammond
K.K. is a multiple iTunes chart topping slide guitarist and singer-songwriter living deep in the back woods of the U.K. She takes her influence from the Delta Blues players of the 1930s infusing her music with alternative rock and Southern Gothic horror for a uniquely dark and dirty sound.
The Sound of The Curse of KK Hammond
1 In Music: What is unique about you and your music?
The Curse of KK Hammond [KKH]: My intention is to keep the spirit of Roots Blues and old Folk murder ballads alive whilst applying a more contemporary approach to my sound and delivery.
1 In Music: What or who shaped your music and who supports you?
KKH: My music reflects the artists I have spent a lot of time listening to from a variety of Metal acts, to the Roots Blues artists of the 1930s to Rock and Folk acts like Tom Waits and Nick Cave. My audience has an interesting split down the middle of Metal and Rock fans on one side and traditional blues fans on the other!
1 In Music: When did you realize you were going to make music professionally?
KKH: It started out as a fun hobby for me playing slide guitar on my couch! I never expected to attain the sort of following I have! I spent many years working professionally with horses but after the success of my debut album ‘Death Roll Blues’ I decided to go into music full time and have never been happier.
The Inspiration of The Curse of KK Hammond
1 In Music: What type of music do you listen to?
The Curse of KK Hammond [KKH]: As a teenager, I listened to a lot of heavy music ranging from Slayer to acts such as Alice in Chains. I always had a taste for Folk music, Bluegrass and of course, Blues. These days, I mostly listen to my favorite Roots Blues artists such as Skip James, Son House, Robert Johnson, Charley Patton and Blind Willie Johnson. I also love to listen to small, up and contemporary Blues and Folk acts.
1 In Music: Who, to you, is the most undervalued music artist?
KKH: Van Tastik. He is a contemporary Blues artist whose music and voice I’m obsessed with! His following is steadily growing but I feel he deserves a great deal more recognition for his beautiful music and fantastic live shows, he really knows how to get an audience going!
The Curse of KK Hammond: KKH talks Passion
less genuinely is more…
1 In Music: And what about you? How do you get your audiences going and how do you prepare for your performances?
The Curse of KK Hammond [KKH]: 
I’m breaking the mold somewhat by not playing live! I used to when I played in Metal bands some years back but it was never something I enjoyed. I’m a real-life hermit who lives deep in the woods away from the hussle and bussle and hate having all eyes on me. My passion is to pour all my available time and energy into creating music in my home studio. I tend to work very slowly on new tracks so don’t really have time for tours. I don’t want to find myself in a position in which I’d have to make my fans wait even longer for new releases, and I am so grateful for the incredible patience they have already!
1 In Music: So what do you do, deep in the woods away from the hussle and bussle when you don’t do music (creative or otherwise) and that you are passionate about?
KK: I have a keen interest in herpetology and love to go on field trips to see animals in the wild. I keep pet snakes which are my little (or not so little in the case of my boa constrictor!) pride and joy! I also love to explore the backwoods where I live.
The Curse of KK Hammond: Inspiration from KKH
1 In Music: Success to you is…?
I don’t think you can have success without satisfaction and appreciation for what you are doing.
The Curse of KK Hammond [KKH]: It’s absolutely wonderful having fans and streams but if you don’t love and have passion for what you do then what is it really worth? Coming at it from another angle, I think having even a small handful of folks out there who genuinely love what you do is a gift and what I personally consider even one person truly adoring your music success. I guess if that one person becomes tens of thousands and it helps pay the bills then even better!
1 In Music: Fair enough. What do you wish you were told when you started out and that you think would help anyone who starts out?
KKH: When I set up my home studio, I tried to get super fancy with my set up, a multitude of mics to record a single track on a song and various embellishments to ensure I had what I thought was the most professional equipment and set up. As I progressed, I realised that less genuinely was more and ended up selling all my expensive mics in favor of a simple, cheap one that did the job just right. Especially when you are playing simple music like Roots Blues on resonator guitars, you just don’t need to go crazy on set up in order to have a superb sound!
What is the next for the Curse of KK Hammond?
1 In Music: Any upcoming projects?
The Curse of KK Hammond [KK]: My new single Heart Shaped Box (featuring my good friends Kaspar ‘Berry’ Rapkin on banjo and lead guitar & Ian Davidson on cello) with a remixed and remastered version of my 2021 single ‘In the Pines’ on the B side will be released on the 27th of October and is available now for pre-save on digital music platforms or pre-order on a beautiful, blood splatter finish, limited edition 7” vinyl. Next year I will be offering the second pressing of my vinyl ‘Death Roll Blues’ for sale and am currently in the studio cooking up a couple of brand new singles for release in 2024!
1 In Music: Thank you for inviting us into your musical woods. Before we leave you, can please you tell us where to find your music?
KK: You can find my music on most major platforms and vinyl runs are sold directly from my website linked below. My upcoming single Heart Shaped Box / In the Pines can be pre-saved online at https://ffm.to/11dvxkv or pre-ordered on vinyl at https://thecurseofkkhammond.com/heart-shaped-box.
I’d like to say a big, kind thanks for this interview! 😊