A new single from Kael Jackson shines with a cinematic drive and an honest undertone that lets the song swell and sway as the soul comes flowing in with vocals that grow in intensity and the guitars start to rise.
"Pocket Full of Bullets" is a massive piece that takes on the musical soundscape of an old western and it all gets charmingly built with rocking guitars and slamming drums, flowing and sharp lap steel, organs, and so much more that all lets the song create this actual atmosphere for you to step into.
The track explodes into these sections of impactful and anthemic rock with lead guitars and as the drums pick up from half time to full you start to get the idea that you never really know what to expect but you know it's going to be killer.
The song boasts a serious southern classic rock vibe, and it packs quite a punch as well.
This track really showcases Kael's ability to surprise and build, to trick you in a way. The song makes you think you know what's going to happen and then BOOM! It hits you with a hard rock bang.
A very fun and story driven single that puts some boundaries to rest and sets off to do its own thing, "Pocket Full of Bullets" sticks with you and rolls around in your head for hours after you listened to it last.
With the release of such a heavy handed and fun new single, we wanted to have a chat with the artist to see where this song came from and what may be coming next for him.
Here's what went down.
Buzz Slayers: Where did this single come from? This single came from a riff. A riff that I played over and over again with nothing attached to it. In 2021 I took a solo trip to Nashville and was sitting in a hotel room by myself armed with nothing but my old reliable Martin acoustic guitar and seemingly out of thin air pocket full of bullets came out. I was at a frustrating point in my life and being in Nashville I felt inspired again and was reminded why I started doing music to begin with. I finished writing the song and quickly began planning my move to Nashville. Buzz Slayers: So when did music start affecting you? When did you know making music was something you wanted to be doing? Music has always been a constant in my life. I grew up in a military family and never really had roots in a particular city. My father was often deployed during the height of the war and my mother worked full time so I had too much free time and spent most of it listening to music. I attempted guitar at a young age but I didn’t really stick until age 14 when I finally got an electric guitar. It became a full on obsession after that and I knew from that moment on that this was what I was born to do. Buzz Slayers: What inspires you to write a song? It differs from song to song but it usually begins with guitar. I often begin and end every day by picking it up and trying to play something. I've been fortunate to travel frequently in my life and nothing inspires me more than the open road and the sounds and smells of different environments. Buzz Slayers: This track has some great styles! Can you give us some of your top musical influences? My early influences are all from punk rock which you may not hear in this track but it is in the song from an attitude standpoint. The slide guitar and western feel come from 60’s spaghetti western films like The Good The Bad And The Ugly. Something about the feel of those movies and the intense themes of the duality of good and evil is something I relate to and wanted to convey in the song. As far as bands and artists go some of my biggest influences are Black Sabbath, Waylon Jennings, Nirvana, Johnny Cash, and Pink Floyd. I'm typically drawn to anti heroes in music and film. Buzz Slayers: What are you doing when you're NOT working on music? Well that’s a tough question because I am so involved in music all the time. However I do host and produce a podcast about the many subcultures in music called, Headbanger’s Rodeo. I am also a horror movie fanatic and collect posters and memorabilia. Buzz Slayers: Who's in your headphones right now? Right now I'm really into a band from Australia called King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. In my opinion Australia has produced some of the most unique and interesting rock music of the last ten years. I also love a band from the UK called Wargasm. Buzz Slayers: Are you doing any live performances right now? I am practically always on the road. I just finished a short tour and am planning some gigs currently in my new home of Nashville as we speak. Buzz Slayers: This single feels like a big undertaking, is there any advice you'd give to other up and coming artists out there? The best advice I can give is to be authentic to yourself and your vision over everything else. Do not listen to the trends or what people want you to say. Say what’s in your heart and you can’t lose. Buzz Slayers: What can your fans expect from you in the near future? I will be releasing a new single called She only loves me when she’s drinking, early next year as well as coming out with a video next year. Buzz Slayers: Before we go, what would you like to say to fans of the music? First of all I want to thank the fans because without them I couldn’t do any of this. Adding on to that you can expect the unexpected from me as I plan to evolve my sound more and more.