Christian Kane

Exclusive Interview: CHRISTIAN KANE IS AMERICAN MADE ON HIS NEW COUNTRY ALBUM

The singer-songwriter also talks about LEVERAGE and the forthcoming CON-CON convention being held in Portland from March 19-21

While many know actor Christian Kane as the no-nonsense ass-kicker Eliot Spencer on TNT’s hit series LEVERAGE, there’s another side to the performer that’s just been unleashed.

Christian Kane: Country Star.

It’s been many years in the making, but this week a five-song "Extended Preview" of hard-driving country songs (from his forthcoming full album) has hit iTunes and Amazon (you can also download them from his official website www.christiankane.com). In one day, the E.P. rose up the country charts on those services highlighted by foot-stompin’ tracks like “American Made” and “The House Rules” (which is available as a free download from his official site).

We spoke with Kane in this exclusive interview about his new country album, working on LEVERAGE and the forthcoming CON-CON convention honoring the TNT TV show being held March 19-21 in Portland, Oregon.

iF MAGAZINE: Has does it feel to have your country music finally coming out?

CHRISTIAN KANE: We worked hard. This is a collaboration of the last two years and a collaboration of the last ten years in Nashville for me. To have the fruits of your labor come out to an audience is one of the best feelings.

iF: This is a very authentic country album with a little bit of a rock tinge.

KANE: I’m glad you said that. Thank you. We had the legendary Bob Ezrin, who did PINK FLOYD-THE WALL and Kiss’s DESTROYER produce this album alongside Nashville’s own legend Jimmie Lee Sloas who is probably the best bass player in the world as far as I’m concerned – and he gets an award almost every year. I still wanted to make a country album, which is who I am, which is why I brought in Jimmie. He’s got one of the greatest country ears I’ve ever heard. It’s a collaboration of country, a little outlaw country and a taste of rock and roll. The worst thing that can happen for a performer, is for you to have a huge hit of a song you didn’t believe in and have to sing it every night for the rest of your life. With these songs, I didn’t get that. It’s got a little rock and roll in it, and it’s got a lot of country.

iF: How has the E.P. been doing on Amazon and iTunes?

KANE: [On the first day of release we] were number one on Amazon and it went to number 3 on iTunes on the country charts and number 13 for overall albums on the charts for iTunes. That was one day and without radio play. We were very, very fortunate. We’re shooting for radio very soon here. To have that, and to have people help me out with this, I really am speechless. It takes my breath away. If it wasn’t in my contract that [LEVERAGE executive producer] Dean [Devlin] had Eliot Spencer’s tear ducts sautered, I’d probably cry a little bit I’m so fortunate now.

iF: Do you enjoy dividing your time between acting and performing with your band?

KANE: They’re two different monsters really. With acting, I’m a paid liar, with music, I have to tell the truth. That was important about these songs I put out. I wanted people to see me. You’re not going to hear me singing a song about being married, or having kids or driving a tractor, but you will hear me singing drinking songs, loving songs. It’s a good old country album.

iF: How many songs did you write?

KANE: I wrote three of the five songs and the other two came from someone else’s heart, but it was important that it would be truthful coming out of my mouth. It had to be something I believed in.

iF: This is the preview E.P., when will the full album be out?

KANE: It’s coming out later this summer.

iF: Will all these songs be on there?

KANE: We shall see. We’ve gotten a really great response from every single song, but we haven’t locked down the full album. We’ve got the songs, now we have to figure out which songs fit and listen to the very talented radio ears out there. It’s important to have their input. Radio listeners know what’s good and what can be played.

iF: I think “American Made” and “The House Rules” are going to be breakout songs for you.

KANE: We’ve had really good success with them and the first single is going to be “The House Rules.” It’s great coming out of the gate with it, it’s fast movin’ and it’s about the working man having fun on the weekend. It’s very important in life. It’s one thing about being in this business and why LEVERAGE works so well - Americans don’t pull back money from their entertainment funds. The most important thing as an American you cannot do, you have to spend money on entertainment, you have to continue life and you have to be happy even though the economy is like it is. That’s why LEVERAGE is such a great show, because we’re taking down the man and we’re doing the fight no one else legally can do, and I think with the times now, people understand that. That’s why I love “House Rules.” It’s about “come see your friends, have a drink, it’s been a long week, let’s forget about it.”

iF: I think it’s also great that you’re offering that song as a free download for fans too.

KANE: The reason we did that is because fans have been so great to me and so great to us, they waited patiently. My schedule is not the same as other artists, and they waited with encouragement. I didn’t want to come out, and go “hey, you’ve waited so long, you’ve been so great, pay for this song.” I wanted to give them something. It’s a big move for a record label to believe in me and the fans to give away a free song. That song cost a lot of money to make, but I wanted to give them something as a thank you. I’m in this for longevity.

iF: Your band has also created a really massive following in Portland while you’ve been shooting LEVERAGE – that must feel good.

KANE: We play a place called Dante’s in Portland, Oregon and we’ve had unbelievable success at that place. I didn’t know one person when I stepped foot in this town. Now we have a lot of faithful friends and fans that come to the show and play. We pack the house at Dante’s and drink a little bit of Jack Daniels and have such a good time. Portland has accepted us and brought us in as one of their own as a band, and at the same time, the whole cast and crew come from LEVERAGE, they get to come there and do what “The House Rules” is about – be around friends, let everything go and drink for awhile.

iF: Are you looking forward to the LEVERAGE Con-Con convention coming up in Portland next week (March 19-21)?

KANE: I’ve done ANGEL conventions for as long as I can remember, so it’s going to be a treat to see a convention for another show that I’m on. I’ve got the craziest fans in the world. I’ve got unbelievable ANGEL fans and dedicated LEVERAGE fans and they’re all going to get to come together and have fun. I honestly believe I have the best fans in the world, but they’re all freakin’ crazy, but that’s what I love. If you’re going to be a fan of mine, you’ve got to be a little insane.

iF: I loved the the whole Roy Chappell Japanese energy drink commercial on Season Two of LEVERAGE – it seems to have caught on with the fans too.

KANE: A lot of that is [LEVERAGE creator] John Rogers. He came up with that idea and he knows I love superheroes, comic books and Anime and when he wrote that, he had my character in mind. John was actually there and kind of directed [the commercial] and we had so much fun. We did sixteen different takes, and it was a lot of fun. Whenever John comes up with something in his mind that’s brilliant like that, you want to be the actor that he chooses to portray what’s in his head.

iF: Can you talk about the LEVERAGE season finale? To me, the ending was really cool but incredibly dark even though there was some levity along the way.

KANE: I loved the way the season ended. I loved the fact that there were different flavors and the so many colors you get with this show. It’s drama, it’s comedy, it’s dangerous and it’s fun. At that point in the season, I love that they went back to the danger. It’s where the fans have really locked on to the show. We don’t always win. If we always won every week, you would become like other shows out there. We have to be unpredictable and that’s what I love about this show. It’s like Baskin Robbins, there’s 31 flavors there, you never know what you’re going to get that night.

iF: You also just wrapped the first episode of Season Three – how did that go?

KANE: We all go away, work our fingers to the bone and come back here. For as much work this show is, it’s one of the hardest shows I’ve ever done, to come back with such a workload, you don’t feel what’s going on because you’re with your family. When you’re with your family you can accomplish and get through anything in life. That’s how we feel. We’ve got these unbelievable obstacles ahead of us as actors, as producers, as writers, and everything starts flowing when you get together because you’re with your immediate family.