Kair Strauss - with soul and style!

In the world of modern blues, few artists embody the genre’s timeless spirit quite like Kai Strauss. A torchbearer for authentic electric blues, Strauss has spent decades honing his craft, blending fiery guitar work with heartfelt vocals and an undeniable stage presence.

WORDS: Colin Campbell IMAGES: Supplied

Whether channelling the gritty essence of Chicago blues or infusing his own German roots into the music, Strauss has earned a reputation as a dedicated musician who bridges tradition and innovation. Blues matters caught up with Kai to discuss his journey, his influences, and his newest release Wailin’ In Vienna.

A TEENAGE SPARK

Born in the 1970s, Strauss found his passion for music during his teenage years in the 1980s, when musicians were idolised as modern superheroes. “I guess that’s why I wanted to be one,” Strauss says with a chuckle, admitting he later realised the su-perhero glamour doesn’t quite reflect the musician’s life! Still, he’s deeply content: “I’m happy. It’s a good life. I do what I love to do.” His first encounter with the guitar came at age 11, starting with simple tunes on a nylon-string acoustic guitar. Strauss fondly recalls, “It was just children’s songs and later some Cat Stevens. Just strum-ming parts, that’s what we did.” Though he didn’t come from a musical family, he credits his mother for nurturing his early love for music. “She loved to dance and en-joyed music, and her enthusiasm left a lasting impression”.

DISCOVERING THE BLUES

Formal lessons at a local music school laid the groundwork for Strauss’s early skills. By his mid-teens, however, his heart was set on the blues, driven by a fascination with Stevie Ray Vaughan and Muddy Waters. “I wasn’t the best student; all I wanted to learn was how to play like Stevie Ray or Muddy.” Much of his education came through self-teaching, jamming with local musicians, and poring over records. “I wasn’t into jazz chords or rock songs, I just wanted to learn those classic blues riffs.”

BUILDING A CAREER

At 17, Strauss joined his first band under a local musician named Martin. They played a mix of blues rock, Hendrix covers, and original songs. “Martin would pick me up for rehearsals because I didn’t even have a driver’s license yet.” A year later, Strauss formed his own band, eager to explore a more traditional blues sound.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Strauss became a regular at a weekly blues jam session in Osnabrück, a city near his hometown. “It was amazing, there was no inter-net then, so these jams introduced me to a whole world of blues; players like Pee Wee Crayton, Ronnie Earl, and Gatemouth Brown.” The Osnabrück scene also pro-vided Strauss with opportunities to hone his skills and gain stage experience.

GERMANY’S BLUES SCENE THEN AND NOW

“Back then, there were more clubs, it was easier to find places to play during the week. Now it’s mostly weekends.” Despite the changing landscape, he fondly recalls the supportive community of musicians and venues that helped him grow.

Through dedication and a deep love for the genre, Kai Strauss has become one of Europe’s premier blues guitarists.

THE BEST ADVICE AND INFLUENCES ALONG THE WAY

Throughout his musical career, Kai Strauss has learned much from those around him. When asked about the best advice he received, Strauss doesn’t cite a singular piece of wisdom but instead reflects on the lasting influence of his collaborations, particular-ly with Memo Gonzalez. “Playing with Memo for 15 years was incredibly important for my growth as both a musician and a stage performer.

He taught me how to walk on stage with confidence and really ‘go for it. Also, I don’t think I would be a professional musician without the jam sessions I attended,” he admits. He also humorously re-flects that the one piece of advice he wishes he’d received earlier was to “start saving money for the future”, something he believes would have been helpful as he moved forward in his career.

WHAT THE BLUES MEANS TO KAI STRAUSS

“It’s the music I love, growing up in Germany in the 1980s, blues was an uncommon genre for young people”, but Strauss was captivated from the start. “I just fell in love with it, even though it wasn’t the music most 13 or 14year olds were listening to.”

However, Strauss is careful not to over-romanticise the genre. He recognises that, as a European who grew up in a comfortable environment, his relationship to blues is different from that of its originators. “I’m a guest in the blues culture, I see myself more as a fan playing for other fans, rather than as a blues man in the traditional sense.

THE CHANGING BLUES AUDIENCE

These days, his crowds tend to be male and mostly fifty and older, a trend he be-lieves is tied to the aging of both the musicians and their fanbase. “When I first start-ed playing, we had younger people in the audience, but I think the audience grows older with the band. While the blues scene may not attract many young listeners right now, as people age and experience life’s challenges, more will come to appreciate the depth of the music. At 18, you can’t really relate to the pain and heartbreak in blues lyrics, but when you’re older, the lyrics hit harder, and I think that’s when people dis-cover the blues.”

THE STRUGGLE TO ATTRACT YOUNGER AUDIENCES

Though Strauss expresses satisfaction with the audiences he plays for, he acknowl-edges the challenge of attracting younger listeners. “It’s difficult to get young people into clubs. Once they’re there, they’ll realise that blues isn’t about old men playing sad songs. It can be a great time. You must go through sorrow and pain to really under-stand blues,” he says. “When you’re young, you think you’re invincible. You don’t want to listen to music about life’s struggles. But once you get older, the lyrics start to resonate.”

THE CREATION OF WAILIN’ IN VIENNA

For Kai Strauss, making music is not just about playing the guitar, it’s about connect-ing with the right people, the right ideas, and finding the right moment. The production process for his new album is a perfect example of this. According to Strauss, the ini-tial spark for the album came from his longtime collaborator, Dani Gugolz, a Swiss bassist based in Austria. “Dani had already produced some blues sessions in Vienna, and after one of them, I mentioned that one day I’d love to record a 50s-style tradi-tional blues album. A year later, Dani called me up with the perfect opportunity, a five-day window in his studio to make the dream a reality”.

This collaborative spirit formed the backbone of the album’s creation. With Dani han-dling much of the logistical side, Strauss was able to focus on the music, beginning with a series of original songs. He had considered covering some classic blues tracks, but soon found himself writing so much original material that covers became unnec-essary. “I think it was a good thing, because it gave me a chance to fully embrace that classic blues sound in my own way.”

A CLASSIC SOUND WITH A MODERN TWIST

One of the most striking elements of Wailin’ In Vienna, is its authenticity. The album is a love letter to the 50s blues era, with Strauss drawing on his influences to create something that feels familiar but uniquely his own. While recording, Strauss and his band aimed for a live feel. They recorded most tracks in a home studio with minimal overdubs, capturing the raw, organic energy of a live performance.

The results are undeniable. The album’s old-school sound is clear, but Strauss em-phasises that there’s no intention to mimic the past. “I’m not trying to recreate BB King or Muddy Waters; I’m just writing in that style with respect for the period.”

ASSEMBLING THE DREAM TEAM

Creating a cohesive sound meant bringing in the right players. Strauss called upon Rusty Zinn, an American guitarist whom he’d previously worked with on other sessions. Zinn, known for his soulful playing and deep blues knowledge, was an obvious choice. “We had a great vibe from the start,” says Strauss.

In addition to Zinn, the album features a range of talented musicians from Vienna’s blues scene, many of whom Strauss had worked with before. The rhythm section was filled out by Peter Muller, a drummer with a home studio, and Strauss was also joined by a talented local pianist, making for an intimate, collaborative recording environ-ment. However, the real magic happened when the horns were added. Overdubbed in the U.S., the horns added a rich, vintage feel to tracks like Old Fashioned Daddy and Let’s Have a Good Time.

SONGWRITING WITH SOUL

Strauss’s songwriting process is both simple and deeply effective. “It can start with anything; a guitar riff, a melody, or just a phrase that sticks with me”. For Old Fashioned Daddy, the title came from a phrase that popped into his head while he was working on a melody. Using his phone to record a basic 12-bar shuffle, Strauss would continue to work through the song mentally while doing everyday tasks. The process is organic, and while Strauss admits that his lyrics are straightforward, they fit the tra-ditional blues form perfectly.

“I don’t write Bob Dylan lyrics,” he jokes, “but the simple lyrics about everyday life are exactly what this kind of music needs. Why sing about something modern, like COVID, when you’re writing 50s-style blues?”

A BALANCED APPROACH TO BLUES

Strauss’s latest album is a true testament to the depth and diversity of the blues, em-bracing the fifties traditional sound while remaining firmly rooted in his own experi-ence. The musicianship, the spirit of collaboration, and the raw emotion come through in every track. As Strauss looks forward, he’s not interested in pigeonholing himself into one style.

“The blues is so wide, there’s everything between the fifties and the nineties, and I love all of it. But I want to keep my influences separate, there’s no need to mix fifties blues with a modern, funky sound. Everything has its time and place.”

As for the future, Strauss hopes to take the album on the road, but only if the right opportunity arises. “I wouldn’t want to mix my band’s modern style with this 50s project,” he says, indicating that, should the right promoters be interested, he might as-semble a special tour, featuring some of the musicians from the album.

For now, Strauss is content knowing that he’s creating the kind of music he loves, rooted in tradition, yet distinctly his own. And with Wailin’ In Vienna, he’s given listen-ers a fresh look at the timeless blues tradition that continues to captivate and inspire.

A EUROPEAN TOUR IN THE WORKS?

The conversation shifts to talk of future plans, including a possible return to the UK. “It’s always tough to make it work financially,” Strauss admits. “We had a good tour lined up before COVID, but that, of course, changed everything. Still, we played some great gigs, like the festival in Carlisle. That was a highlight. Other than that, there’s nothing on the books for the UK at the moment.” However, Strauss remains optimistic about his international reach. He is currently working on expanding his presence beyond Germany, having already secured agents in France, the Netherlands, and other parts of Europe. “It’s getting more international, but slowly. I think it would be easier if I had an American background. Having a Ger-man passport sometimes makes things a bit more complicated,” he says.

Despite these challenges, Strauss remains committed to growing his international fanbase, and he is looking forward to next year’s performances. “The calendar is fill-ing up nicely, and even as far ahead as 2026, we’re already getting bookings in Ger-many.”

For further information see website: https://www.kaistrauss.com/english/