In 2023, guitarist Eric Krasno, founding member of Lettuce, and drummer Stephen Moore of funk band Galactic, brought their new group, The Krasno/Moore Project, to the KNKX Studios. They came on the heels of a new release, Book of Queens, which was partly inspired by a conversation Moore had with his daughter.
"I was driving around with my daughter, and I let her DJ all the time. So, at some point she was like, 'Dad, you know what I realized about all my playlists and all my favorite artists, it seems to be all female artists.' I was like, 'oh, that's cool,'" Moore said.
The Krasno/Moore Project, which also includes organist Eric Finland, originally stemmed from a simple desire to make music among friends. The first talks about their collaboration, and future recording, began while Krasno and Moore were hanging out at the drummer's house in New Orleans. As they were sharing ideas, Moore recalled the conversation with his daughter.
"We were like, 'Well, what about a tribute to women in music?' At the moment, we were with both of our wives, both named Lauren actually, and they both loved the concept. We were just off to the races as soon as we started talking about that concept," Krasno said.
These two are proven masters of funk, but the Book of Queens album finds them playing in a softer, more melodic style. They wanted to challenge themselves with this project, which tributes artists like vocalist Amy Winehouse and R&B singer-songwriter H.E.R.
"One of the things that we pointed out in that initial conversation was not to do just old school soul, although we should include that, but to also make sure that we tip the hat to current artists that are soulful women in music," Krasno said.
The strength of the Krasno/Moore Project is the combination of these talented musicians and their ear for catchy tunes. All three musicians have experience working with stars, like Irma Thomas and Ledisi, as well as collaborating with more current artists. In fact, Krasno brought a Kasey Musgraves song, "Slow Burn," to the project after talking with a young soul singer from Vermont.
"I was working with an artist named Kat Wright in the studio, and she played me that song, 'Slow Burn.' I just could not get that melody out of my head. So as soon as we started about doing this project, I was like, 'Man, I'd love to adapt that,'" Krasno said.
The Krasno/Moore Project plans to do more collaborations and recordings, and even mentioned the potential of a second Book of Queens record sometime in the near future.
Songs heard in this episode:
- "You Know I'm No Good"
- "Carried Away"
- "Slow Burn"
