In the middle of his Spring tour with Yoke Lore, indie rocker Kevin Olken Henthorn of Cape Francis chatted with us about his new album and upcoming sold out DC shows. Previously known for his work in the band Stone Cold Fox, Kevin has recently embarked on a new journey as Cape Francis. A few weeks ago, Cape Francis released their much anticipated second studio album, Deep Water, which follows their first album Falling into Pieces back in 2017. Cape Francis will be playing two shows next week at the Songbyrd in DC on March 24th and 27th with Yoke Lore. Although tickets to those shows are sold out, we expect to see more of him in the future. Once this current tour wraps up next week, he will be heading out to the South West for a tour with Cayucas, and will stopping in cities such as Phoenix, Austin, Denver, and Las Vegas. Check out our interview with Cape Francis below!
Going Solo
According to Facebook you didn’t want to name the project after yourself since you thought Kevin would be too lame, so where did you come up with the name “Cape Francis”?
Cape Francis kind of stemmed from a song I wrote with my last band of the same name. We would write in the studio a lot and had an old surf doc, Endless Summer, playing silently in the background. In the doc they find this spot in Africa called Cape St. Francis where the waves would just last forever and come back the same each time. I thought that was such a great concept of a place that just consistently delivered like that. In writing your always searching for that spot, before I named this project I was finding that spot at almost every song and just felt it was fitting.
Fans may recognize you from your previous work with Stone Cold Fox. What inspired you to branch out and start making music on your own? How would you say the experience has been different as a solo artist?
Well when SCF dissolved I had all of these kinda doodles of guitar lines I had been practicing in my bedroom. That band had been a lot more focus on writing catchy music, and for this one I really just wanted to take what naturally was coming to me and start stringing it together. I think the first real songs that came about was Lake Placid and Fortified and they really set the example of fluidity for this project. I still get to play with an amazing group of folks that play on the recordings and bring it live, but there is definitely more freedom in this project for sure.
New Music
A few weeks ago you released your second album, Deep Water. Congrats! What would you say was the inspiration behind that album? How would you say Deep Water differs from your first album, Falling into Pieces?
Deep Water is much more focused around work, what it means as a creative person to balance work life and music life, and all the fears and pressures that come into the picture when confronting it. I had a song in my last album called Daily Grip that kind of thematically sparked the idea to focus more on what this whole balance means to me in my life. Whereas that whole album was centered around difficult change, this one is almost flipped and more about stagnation and how to break the loop of it.
What is the most meaningful song off Deep Water to you and why? Do you have a favorite song to perform?
Deep Water or Button Up are probably my favorite songs on the album, they’re just both at this pace that immediately relaxes me, even if one of them is really like a slow slog march into the depths haha. Live I love playing Bloodlines, that song has really just had a new life live and is always really exciting when a song can change a little and open up live.
I love that Deep Water has a video game. Where did the idea for that come from? And do you have any favorite video games?
My label head had the idea, and we just realized it’s pretty comparable to doing amusic video, we wanted to do something unique this time around. I loooove old arcade games so it just felt right to do it. The game designer did such a great job, it’s become the perfect game for while we’re on tour haha. Duck hunt is definitely one of my old favorites, but I also love Golden Eye on N64.
Return to DC
Last March you stopped in DC for your first tour ever with Cape Francis. How does it feel returning to Songbyrd almost exactly one year later for two sold out dates? What are some of the most important things you’ve learned this past year?
It’s pretty wild to think about honestly, first off just so stoked to be touring with Yoke Lore, it’s been just amazing so far. I cannot wait to play Songbyrd again, I’ve been literally looking forward to it all tour. I think what I’ve learned most about this year is to keep moving no matter what. I’ve learned to not dwell on anything and just keep writing, it’s a practice and sometimes you get stuck, but it’s really about just pushing forward as soon as you feel a spark.
Last year you played a number of shows and festivals, including SXSW and Savannah Stopover. Are there any specific artists you would love to tour with one day or festivals you would like to play at?
I’ve always wanted to go to FireFly so hopefully one day we’ll get there. There are so many amazing dream bands I can think of, but the biggest inspirations for this project have been Bon Iver, Angel Olsen and Phoebe Bridgers.
Now that you’ve reached the halfway point on your tour with Yoke Lore, what has been one of your most memorable experiences thus far?
Probably us rushing to a late night taco spot in Nashville, getting there just before they closed, and eating Tortas on the hood of our car. They were incredibly nice to let us order and we were soooo hungry haha.
What should fans expect from your performances in DC next Sunday and Wednesday?
A gooooood time. We’ve been really locking in our sound as a 3 piece and I feel like it’s just getting better every night!
Is there anything in particular you hope to see or do in DC during the days off in between shows?
Hang with friends honestly. One of my closest friends lives down there and I can’t wait to see em!
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Associated Albums
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