The Curse of KK Hammond has carved out a unique space in the blues world with her haunting slide guitar work and a dark, evocative style that breaks new ground in the genre. Her latest album, “Death Roll Blues,” recently soared into the Top 10 on the Billboard Blues chart, a testament to its powerful resonance with listeners. This concept album delves into the theme of death from every angle—somber, darkly humorous, and even upbeat—drawing in a broad audience beyond traditional blues fans. In this interview, KK Hammond shares the inspirations behind “Death Roll Blues,” her distinct approach to blending classic blues with gothic elements, and how she reinterprets beloved songs like Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box” through her signature, swampy style.
Q: “Death Roll Blues” hit the Top 10 on the Billboard Blues chart, which is a huge achievement! Can you tell us about the inspiration behind this album and how it feels to see it resonate with so many people?
A: Death Roll Blues is a concept album which approaches the topic of death in a unique way in every song. Some of the songs are very sombre, some are very dark and others far more upbeat and even comedic. It was an absolute thrill to see it so well received, especially so considering that slide guitar and delta blues is quite niche these days. My style of blues is fairly unique as I often blend it with some more contemporary elements. I think that is what attracted new listeners (who may not ordinarily list the genre as a favorite in their repertoir) to it.
Q: Your dark, swampy rendition of Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box” puts a unique spin on the classic grunge hit. What drew you to this song, and how did you approach reinterpreting it through your signature slide blues style?
A: My good friend Kaspar ‘Berry’ Rapkin and I casually decided upon it for a short social media cover as it’s just such a great classic song and beloved by most. This gained a lot of traction on Tiktok and Instagram and audience members started asking for a full-length recording, so it came to be! I thought the melody lent itself very well to my dark and swampy slide guitar style and gave us a great basis from which to rework it into a blues song. We first recorded the familiar melody and structure of the song and then slowly built it up from there with multiple interesting slide guitar elements to give our version of the song its own unique feel. Eventually we were joined by our friend Ian Davidson on cello who brought an incredibly soulful vibe to the track.
Q: “She Is My Precious” has such an evocative and haunting energy. Can you share the story behind this single and what it represents to you both musically and personally?
A: SIMP brought together a lot of interesting elements including the historical link to the ‘bawdy’ or ‘dirty’ blues of the 1920s and ’30s (which often touched on matters of sexuality in a tongue in cheek fashion.) Plus, the modern-day issues that women, specifically in the arts, encounter online via inappropriate parasocial relationships. It was a song that combined my historical musical interests with stories arising from personal experience. I’ve always been one to approach difficult matters with a bit of humor so making the song and music video light hearted and comedic felt like a great way to broach a difficult subject.
Q: You have a distinctive sound that’s rooted in traditional blues but with a darker, almost gothic twist. How do you balance honoring the blues genre while incorporating your own unique flair?
A: I have immense respect for the early roots blues artists and it was always important to me to pay homage to tradition but without trying to directly mimic anyone else’s style as that has always felt inauthentic to me. I think the blues is all about personal experience and channelling your own deep emotion into song. I have a great deal of admiration for Skip James as his style was very unique compared to other artists of his time. He has always inspired me to write blues music from my own heart and mind, even if it departs slightly from what is typical of the genre.
Q: We’re excited about your upcoming western-themed single, “Walk with Me Through the Fire.” What can fans expect from this track and its accompanying video? Does it explore any new musical or visual territory for you?
A: This track is really rather eclectic as is combines elements of blues, western, mariachi and orchestral music for a whole new sound. It features my good friends Kaspar ‘Berry’ Rapkin on guitar and Ian Davidson on cello. It’s always a huge thrill working with them and allows me to branch out into new and exciting territories musically. The music video is an absolute monster production we shot over 3 days, our biggest effort yet! You can expect a visit to the wild west full of crazy pyrotechnics, guns, guitars, horses, stunts and some very cool horror makeup!
Q: With your strong visual and storytelling elements, your music videos have an almost cinematic quality. What was your creative process like for the “Walk with Me Through the Fire” video, and how does it tie into the themes of the song?
A: I love film and it gives me great pleasure to make short films that tell full stories rather than releasing more traditional styled music videos featuring musicians playing throughout. It’s so satisfying being able to build upon the world you conjured up in a song’s lyrics via visual story telling. I take great interest in everything from the costumes to make up, to props and sets and make a great deal of the stuff you see in my videos myself!
I have created my own little universe and characters (such as the Bone Collector with his notorious blue potion) and have started linking my music video stories to each other. This gives me a great thrill and is something I hope the fans will appreciate! The Bone Collector had his own music video and song but is returning again in a cameo role in Walk With me Through the Fire. I knew I wanted to make a Western for a long time and the song and video were written with each other in mind. The song has themes of bandits, gun slingers, death, horses and, of course, fire which all appear in the video!
Q: Slide guitar plays such a pivotal role in your sound. What drew you to the slide technique, and how do you use it to express the raw emotion that comes through in your songs?
A: I find slide guitar so satisfying to play and so deeply soulful. I love the fact it has some of the tonal qualities of the human voice. It’s a style of music that has always appealed to my ears and captured me. My favorite thing to do is write a base melody and then play a slide accompaniment over the top of it with lots of satisfying harmonies.
Q: As a songwriter, your lyrics often delve into darker themes and raw emotion. How do you channel that energy into your music, and what inspires your storytelling approach?
A: I’m very honest in my writing and allow my emotional state at the time to dictate what way I take a musical composition or my lyrics. My mind has always been prone to going to dark places and I find writing music about those thoughts very cathartic and natural, and well as a good way to process any such emotions. Sometimes my emotions steer the direction of the music and other times I may be inspired by a real world story that captured me.
