Hi, everyone! A couple weeks back, I sat down and talked with Julian Kaufman, a member in the NYC-based bedroom pop group the Booyah Kids. Originally from the Big Apple, Kaufman attended Oberlin College for two years before moving back to the city and pursue a music career. Since moving back to his hometown, he's been involved as a songwriter and producer in a few different bands. This list includes Michelle, Earthdad, and an independent artist named Scout. Since he's an Obie "alum", and they're known for putting out some awesome musicians, I decided I'd reach out to Julian and hear about his young career.
br: Which albums or artists inspired you to start a music career in the first place?
Julian Kaufman: When I was a kid, we had three CDs that were always spinning: The Beatles’ greatest hits, Earth, Wind and Fire greatest hits, and a James Taylor greatest hits. I also really got influenced by other 60s and 70s singer-songwriters like Joni Mitchell and Crosby, Stills, and Nash at that time, too. When I got older and started developing my own taste, I spent a lot of time listening to the soundtrack from Dazed and Confused and developed a love for rap with albums like 2001 by Dr. Dre or Illmatic by Nas. Hip-hop was then my gateway to jazz, which I started loving when I hit college. Guys like Brian Blade and Bill Evans are some of my favorite musicians of all time.
br: What can you say about your childhood secret weapon, the four-pounder or the five-pounder?
J.K.: Great question! As a kid, I grew up being very angry. When I would get angry, I would tense up all of my muscles and curl up in a little ball. I think we all have things we did as kids when we acted out, and that was what I would do. Whenever anyone was holding me, they would say that I become four or five pounds after doing so.
br: How did you get to play under a space shuttle when you were in high school?
J.K.: I was in this band in high school called Foam. We were a shoegaze group, and for some reason, we really connected with all of these New York City museums. We played the Brooklyn Public Library, the Transit Museum, even out on the USS Intrepid a couple times! It was surreal to have the government be supporting me, as a high schooler, playing shoegaze music on one of the most popular destinations in the city. It’s great, because all these places had great sound and stuff, but the money was s--t. The first time there, we played on the flight deck, but our second gig saw us playing under a space shuttle. It was f-----g weird man. One of the best shows I’d say I’ve ever played, and only two people were there to witness it. Regardless, I’m still super grateful for all of the amazing shows I had back then.
br: Tell me about fighting your drum kit at the Fieldston School Winter Concert!
J.K.: So, we had an assembly every week at my high school, right? One of the weeks was dedicated for all of the music groups at the school to put on concerts. I was a senior at this time, so around December of 2015. We were playing “Can’t Feel My Face” by the Weeknd, and on the last chorus, I decided to go ham and take a really big drum solo. It was f-----d up, man. I kicked over the drums, started screaming and hitting them vigorously. It was a pretty stupid thing to do, in all honesty, and no one was happy with me. I was basically banned from playing in most of our subsequent shows. It was valuable musical lesson to learn. I was a silly high school kid looking for attention, but as a drummer, it’s not really your place to do that. Even though drums are the loudest thing in many mixes, you need to support and build up the other parts of the group.
br: Tell me the story of how you got a piece of gear signed by Skrillex?
J.K.: Okay, so this is going to be a little drawn out. In high school, my dad had a girlfriend, named Patty. Her ex-husband had a stake in this nightclub in Chelsea. I was a sophomore in high school, and she came up to me and asked if I wanted to meet Skrillex. I was super into him at that point, so I happily agreed. I got to this place at about 11:30 at night, and I had my little drum pad with me that I wanted him to sign. When I got to meet him, he tried to “dap me up”, but I had no idea what that was at the time. I ended up completely missing and it was a little awkward. All that aside, it was still a pretty sick experience.
br: How did you meet the other members in the group?
J.K.: I think I met Aidan and Emma separately. I met Aidan through my friend, Otto, who’s a really awesome producer that I really look up to. I was going to play keyboards in his band, and he was going to play guitar. Just for reference, this is the same band that was going to play the Intrepid. I met him walking out of the subway, and we just hit it off. We both had a great passion for focusing on the musical side of things. He’s someone who I’ve come to grow really close to, and I really can trust him to help me in all aspects of life. I met Emma through another friend of mine, named Teo. I started becoming good friends with her during my first year of college because we made a lot of music producer. She’s got a great sense of songwriting, and we’re both the kind of people that can blend very well together in that sense. Although all three of us are very different, we all come together and complement everyone’s strengths and weaknesses. We’re all really open with each other and can respect and trust others’ decisions. The fact that we’re all so willing to come together to make the best possible music is something I really admire about being involved with the Booyah Kids.
br: What’s the significance behind the group’s name?
J.K.: Back when I used to play tennis, I had a friend named Alex. Every time he’d hit a winning point, he’d say “Booyah!” That word just got stuck in my head, and when we came together to name the band, I thought that it would be a fun little spin on my childhood. We were all “kids” at that time, and everyone was really digging the name from the beginning. It goes back to what I said about trust. We didn’t have ten different names picked out and spent hours passively deciding which one was best. Emma and Aidan just said, “Sure. I trust you.”
br: I’ve heard you guys are known for putting on some awesome shows, would you say that you prefer playing live than working on new songs?
J.K.: I think they’re different beasts, but if I had to pick one, it would be working the studio. There’s nothing more exciting than working on something new and saying, “Damn, I love this. I’m really excited about where this could go.” The fact that you could have almost a whole idea constructed in less than fifteen minutes just blows my mind. The studio is also a great place to bond with people, too. I’ve become super close with a lot of different people just by working in a few recording sessions with them. That’s not to say that I don’t love the ephemerality of playing live; once it’s over, it’s gone. It’s a showcase of everything you’ve ever practiced. In the Booyah Kids, there’s a lot more improv built into our sets. The visceral feeling of creating on the spot and expressing yourself is very fun to me. I just want to reiterate that I’m only really speaking for myself on this one, not for the entire band. I’d highly suggest reaching out to Emma and Aidan on this one to hear what they have to say about it.
(so, that’s what I did; Emma said Aidan would be better suited for this one, and he got back to me)
Aidan Ludlam: Shortly before and after the release of Booyah, my heart has been in the live show. However, I’m really itching to get back into the studio with Emma and Julian. Writing and producing is all I want to do for this band.
br: What’s more important to you, lyricism, or production value and instrumentation?
J.K.: Lyricism, 100%. When you listen to a specific song, why does it get stuck in your head? It’s the vocals. You could have the best production in the world on a track, but I think that a great instrumental would be lost if you don’t have a great singer behind it. There are so many mainstream albums where the best producers and engineers come on to work with an artist to make them famous. If they don’t have any songwriting chops, how the hell can you expect them to get famous? I’d much rather have a song with a great vocalist and sacrifice a stronger production value.
Emma Ree: I get excited about production and instrumentation because it’s something I am still learning. I love getting to learn from Aidan and Julian because they’re both so talented. I’ve written some ridiculous lyrics for The Booyah Kids before, but I still see that aspect of creation on the production sign as very important.
A.L.: For the past two years, production and instrumentation have been the most important elements to me. In the past couple of months, though, I’ve begun a pivot to crafting the vocal and lyrics earlier in the writing process. I want to have a less maximalist production style and just bring out the other creative element in music. When it comes to producing the best vocal, Julian and Emma have always been the greatest teachers to me.
What are some of the songs you’ve been most proud of releasing?
J.K.: I’d have to say “Don’t Trust Me” was a big one for me. “Call Me” is also great. The vocals and melodies on there are amazing, and it was a fun song to make. Auto-Tune is always something I’ve wanted to work with, and it really shines through on there. It doesn’t commit to a specific genre, and I’m glad it’s open to multiple interpretations. “Mr. Other” is another important Booyah song for me. The lyrics tell a story very clearly, albeit in a very short amount of time. Although “The Circulation Desk” only has one lyric for the whole song, it, again, tells another amazing story. It’s just the right amount of “what the f--k?” to make it one of my favorites.
E.R.: I’d have to say it’s “Untitled 2”, I have a very fond memory of recording and making that with everyone. It’s a song that lives to be played live and feels really important to the spirit of Booyah. I’d also say “Brother May I” because I would play that song in my dorm room and never thought about turning it into something people could listen to. Julian and Aidan made that possible, and that’s why it is so important to me.
A.L.: In a top five scenario, I’m most proud of releasing “bby talk”, “Brother May I”, “Time”, “Mr. Other”, and “The Circulation Desk”. That being said, I really do love all the tracks, and I have been so honored to work with Emma and Julian over the last couple of years.
br: I know you guys just released an album back in December, but do you guys have any projects in the works right now?
J.K.: There’s always new songs in the tank. Before this interview, we were just working on this new Booyah track. I don’t think it will be out for a while, as we’re trying to let this last record gain a little more traction. It was our second record, and I’d say we really improved a lot on it. It sounds miles better than our debut. However, with every new project, you really have to up the ante. My philosophy is, if you’re not “making it” by your third album, there’s something bad going on. You missed the boat, basically. With this new Booyah record, we did a great job, though. We did what we needed to do to make it sound awesome, and it has really resonated with a lot of people, especially Spotify! We cannot be more thankful for them featuring us on “Bedroom Pop”. We now have an audience that wants more, and there is now a light shining on us. With this theoretical third album, it’s really a question with where you want to go next. Not only will we need to show off our quality as a band, but it all revolves back to upping the ante. Ae we going to do the same thing - but better - or are we completely going to change our sound? The only surefire answer to that is by writing and getting back in the studio. Think of releasing an album as screaming and losing your voice. You can’t talk for a little bit, right? So, when you put out an album, you’ve said what you needed to say. Go back to square one and find new ways to say what we want to say in the future.
br: What music goals do you have for the future?
J.K.: That’s a big question, and I feel like I don’t think about it enough. Being a professional musician is an honor in and of itself. I don’t want to have to stop making music, and as long as I can keep me sustained, then that’s all I can really ask for. There’s no bigger dream than that.
I'd like to than Julian, Emma, and Aidan for all helping me with this interview. More importantly, thank you to Emma and Aidan for giving me those amazing, Nardwuarian questions. I hope you guys go and support this group, and hope you continue supporting my blog, too!
To hear the groups music, go to https://open.spotify.com/artist/0ypSujQpBRgRAeOS7YzhnP
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