“I can’t be certain why folk from around the world are so interested in Roots American music, but I can guess that they sense the authenticity and genuine human experience that the music represents. It might be a window into the soul of America.”

Doug Krause: Walkin’ With The Blues

Dirty Shoes Band is a collaboration of musicians from Colorado who share a love for American roots music. As seasoned performers in a variety of musical styles, they bring their years of experience to the creation of music that draws from many different genres. Their music owes much to the history of roots-based blues, rock, jazz, and country. The songwriting is heavily influenced by the swampy, funky tradition of New Orleans, folksy storytelling, the raw emotion of the blues, and salt-of-the-earth honesty. This music has a style all its own, but there is a definite flavor of New Orleans and the bayou. It grooves and is soulful and truly American music that has no expiration date. Bandleader Doug Krause has been a professional musician and composer for several decades now. His characteristic writing and performing style comes from years spent moving between the pop/rock, blues, and country genres as well as classical music. A small town boy from the plains of Kansas, he had a natural affinity for the music of the heartland but quickly discovered that the blues and southern rock suited his piano and singing style perfectly. In 2019, Doug was inducted into the Kansas Music Hall of Fame for his work with the band, Fyre. He was honored in 2024 with an induction into the Colorado Country Music Hall of Fame. Doug's influences include among others Little Feat, Bruce Hornsby, The Band, Leon Russell and Dr. John.

(Photo: Dirty Shoes Band are Doug Krause, Ken Robinson, Mark Messenger, and Jeff Golden)

Legends Losers & Lies (2026), the new album from Dirty Shoes Band, stretches to almost every corner of the roots world. Blues, country, NOLA, southern rock, americana, gospel and even a bit of Funky Drummer action all take equal weight alongside each other - and it all makes perfect musical sense. The 11-tracks on Legends, Losers & Lies are all uniquely vibrant in their own way, but together they add up to the sonic equivalent of a polished gemstone. Dirty Shoes Band are Doug Krause on piano/vocals, Ken Robinson on bass/vocals, Mark Messenger on drums/vocals, and Jeff Golden on guitar/vocals.

Interview by Michael Limnios                Special Thanks: Larry Kay (Night Train PR)

How has music influenced your views of the world? What moment changedyour music life the most?

For as long as I can remember, music has been a natural element of my life. I came from a musical family, so we were always listening to records, playing instruments, and singing together. As I matured, I really began to understand the idea of music being a universal language, one that can transcend cultural and political barriers. Music was the voice of the counterculture at a time when I was growing up. It empowered and inspired people and gave them a commonvoice. As a young man, I witnessed stories of Russian youth risking retribution by bootlegging Western rock music recordings under the nose of the communist authorities. This and similar stories speak to the power of music to move people to action regardless of potential consequences. Now as then, songs can be a reminder of our common, human experience whichreflects how much more we are alike than different.

Of course, it is difficult to point out one most significant moment in my musical life, but I will mention two. The first time was not a moment but was a year. When I was seven years old, we rented a house while my father finished his graduate degree. It was furnished and the children had left a small record player with a stack of 45 RPM records. I spent hours listening to doo wop and early rock’n’roll records while singing along. I really developed my love for “popular” music during that time. After that, it was difficult to practice my piano lessons because I hadbeen initiated, and all I wanted to do was find that sound again.

The second time was a moment when I was a teenager and supposed to be practicing my piano lessons. Instead of practicing Chopin, I was fiddling around with a left hand, ostinato figure I hadmade up to play a blues sounding idea. My dad poked his head into the room and asked what I was doing. I thought I was in trouble for not practicing, but instead he went to the record cabinet and dug out some 78 RPM records and began playing for me boogie-woogie artists like AlbertAmmons, Pete Johnson, Meade Lux Lewis, and the great Freddie Slack from Will Bradley’s band. I was never the same after that.

“It is ironic that awareness of the blues today would not be nearly so strong had not those British bands of the 1960s brought the blues into rock’n’roll. The bigoted American society of the 60s wasn’t ready to whole-heartedly accept the blues and R&B sounds that AfricanAmerican artist were producing without that nudge from the Brits.” (Photo: Doug Krause)

How do you describe your sound, music philosophy and songbook? What's the balance in music between technique and soul?

Throughout my life and career I have been exposed to many genres of music. As a professional musician I have played most styles of popular music. It has taken a while for my philosophy to develop, philosophy should never be a static thing anyway, but I was caught up in making aliving which meant playing the music that paid. I have settled into who I am as a writer in recent years, and that is the boy who discovered boogie-woogie thanks to his dad, that young man who began to hear the influence of roots music in every popular genre, and the more mature musician who went searching for that “sound” I was hearing in my heart and discovered it in the birth of the blues and New Orleans musical tradition and history.

Finding the balance between technique and soul is a subjective pursuit. There are some artists who are rude and crude in their technique, and that is the very aspect that gives them their soul. Others are machine perfect but still express that perfection with soul and authenticity. You have to be a student, you have to practice. You may need to know how to play dozens of notes in a measure of time to be able to pick the right one to sit on for a whole measure. Soul begins with being moved by the soulful expression of other artists and recognizing that feeling when you see it in your own playing. When you have the technique, thinking about what to play doesn’t get in the way as much and your soul can be set free.

What are you doing to keep your music relevant today, to develop it and present itto the new generation?

 When I was part of the new generation a few decades ago, I wasted a lot of time trying to write and produce music I thought people wanted to hear. The tough lesson I had to learn was that I can’t guess the tastes of listeners and remain authentic to myself and the music. Today, I try towrite songs that I think have a universal appeal at some level. I write about human experience for the most part. I think most writers do that, but I’ve learned I can only approach those situations and feelings from my perspective. I can’t get into a millennial’s or GenZ’s head and relate to them. That would be disingenuous. I would hope the lyrics of my songs would relate to most everyone who has loved, lost, been blessed, been hurt, etc. Those emotions don’t change from generation to generation. As for my music, I compose what suits me and hope it resonates with the listener because it feels authentic.

“Finding the balance between technique and soul is a subjective pursuit. There are some artists who are rude and crude in their technique, and that is the very aspect that gives them their soul. Others are machine perfect but still express that perfection with soul and authenticity.” (Photo: Doug Krause)

What do you miss most nowadays from the music of the past? What are yourhopes and fears for the future of music?

It is difficult to make a general statement regarding the music of the past verses the music of today. There is a lot of past music that I’m happy to see has gone by the wayside as there is music being made today that is inspiring to me. The biggest difference is an argument we’vebeen having for some time that stems from technology. AI aside, we can make perfect recordings and that can be aesthetically disappointing.

When the level of technology in the past demanded that the performer create the best performance possible, there was a certain kind of immediacy and urgency to recordings that seems lost in much of today’s music. Think of the performances on Bob Dylan records. Bob was noted for being impatient in the studio. If the song wasn’t captured in one or two takes, he wouldsplit. Those session players knew they had to be on top of it, and that urgency comes through those records with a level of energy that you just don’t get from recordings today. Sometimes mistakes would become iconic aspects of the recordings of the past. It wasn’t just “good enough”, it was what would become the remembered performance for all time. Like when John Paul Jones misses the first line of the chorus after the solo in Good Times, Bad Times. He keeps playing the riff from the solo for one line. It works and is the way we think of the song today. Happy accidents don’t happen in today’s music.

My biggest fear is that AI is going to replace the interaction between human writers and humanlisteners. I would like to believe, in an attempt to be optimistic, that listener’s will always want to know and engage with humans when consuming music, but it all depends on how sophisticated AI becomes in fooling them. Consider how people get involved with prime time soap opera characters. They aren’t real, are they?

Are there any memories from gigs, jams, open acts and studio sessions which you’d like to share with us?

The gigs and opening act opportunities are cool, of course, but my fondest memories are the people I’ve gotten to meet along the way. We’re all just musicians and writers who’s love for music has directed our life path. Some of us get world wide recognition and some never are known beyond their family and friends. It is certainly a rush to play for a crowd of thousands as I did in 2017 for the Rocky Mountain Way concert for the Colorado Music Hall of Fame induction of Caribou Ranch. The concert was at Fiddler’s Green, a venue that holds around 17,000. That day I was a sideman and not with my band, but I got to perform with Garth Brooks, Vince Gill, John Oates, Richie Furay, and Johnny Swim. More importantly, I got to meet, talk with, andshare the love of music with these great performers. Some of my best personal performance memories are small venues with small crowds, but a crowd that is there to listen and engage. It’s wonderful to share music with a huge crowd, but it’s particularly special to share a musical moment with an intimate group of listeners.

“It is difficult to make a general statement regarding the music of the past verses the music of today. There is a lot of past music that I’m happy to see has gone by the wayside as there is music being made today that is inspiring to me. The biggest difference is an argument we’ve been having for some time that stems from technology. AI aside, we can make perfect recordings and that can be aesthetically disappointing.” (Photo: Dirty Shoes Band are Doug Krause on piano/vocals, Ken Robinson on bass/vocals, Mark Messenger on drums/vocals, Jeff Golden on guitar/vocals)

What are some of the most important lessons you have learned from your experience in the music paths?

I’ve learned not to take myself too seriously. I’m constantly reminded I’m not a big deal, so no ego issues there. Don’t ever stop learning and pursuing new ideas. Very few musicians havereached the pinnacle of there capabilities. There is always something to learn and ways to grow. What a drag it would be to achieve everything of which you were capable by the time you were 25 years old. What do you do with the rest of your life? The challenges are what keeps us looking forward to the future. Cherish the relationships and friendships, and don’t let them slip away when you move to new musical situations. Make music with as many different musicians as you can. Always keep an open mind to new music and allow yourself to be influenced. Give back and be an inspiration to the creative side in others. Teach, don’t preach.

Why is it important to preserve and spread the blues? What is the role of music/musicians in today’s society?

For me, the role of musicians is first to entertain, next to evoke, and possibly to provoke. Songs can do many things, inspire, provoke anger, elicit emotion. A song can end someone’s career. Even without considering the career implications, it seems unwise to be so controversial that you lose your voice or that some faction of the public turns against you. It is possible to promote awareness of social and political issues without antagonism. Songs should make people think and reflect, and a writer is obligated to follow their heart and write about subjects that are difficult if so compelled. It is important too realize the power a songwriter has to be that omnipotent, object observer, to separate the author from the message. Be clever and be wise.

As for the blues, knowing from where something originates is how we know its influence and significance. There is very little popular Western music that doesn’t owe something to the blues. While teaching a songwriting class some years ago, I asked the students to pick one of their favorite contemporary, non-blues artists, and research through interviews their influences. From there they were to search out the influences of those artists, etc. They were to do this until they discovered a blues or blues related artist. At least 90% of the class found a blues artist influence within the first three generations, most in the first generation of the search. A small and not tooscientific experiment, but it seems significant to me as to the importance of blues on modern popular music. It is ironic that awareness of the blues today would not be nearly so strong had not those British bands of the 1960s brought the blues into rock’n’roll. The bigoted American society of the 60s wasn’t ready to whole-heartedly accept the blues and R&B sounds that AfricanAmerican artist were producing without that nudge from the Brits.

“For me, the role of musicians is first to entertain, next to evoke, and possibly to provoke. Songs can do many things, inspire, provoke anger, elicit emotion. A song can end someone’s career. Even without considering the career implications, it seems unwise to be so controversial that you lose your voice or that some faction of the public turns against you.” (Photo: Doug Krause)

Why do you think that the Roots American music legacy continues to generate such a devoted following?

I can’t be certain why folk from around the world are so interested in Roots American music, but I can guess that they sense the authenticity and genuine human experience that the music represents. It might be a window into the soul of America. It seems that it is for me, like looking into a mirror and seeing the reflection of a past self. I see someone full of determination to overcome the obstacles, to face the heartbreak, to rise above the darkness, to conquer fear. I also think that roots music can’t be manufactured, it has to be created out of living. It has the authority to tell the truth and the heart to be optimistic. Although there is a bit of tarnish on the eagle in these times, Roots American music reminds us there are still good stories, good people, memories, and good times to be had.

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