Acclaimed Americana duo Caleb Klauder & Reeb Willms are redefining the soul of country music with their latest album, Gold In Your Pocket. Drawing from the rich traditions of bluegrass, old-time, and Cajun influences, their harmonies and heartfelt storytelling transport listeners to the crossroads of classic and contemporary sounds. Infused with the spirit of the Pacific Northwest and the energy of dance halls, their music is a celebration of life, connection, and the enduring power of roots music.
Hi Caleb and Reeb, wecome to News Blackbird and congratulations on the release of Gold In Your Pocket! The album has received fantastic praise for its genuine and joyful approach to country music. What was your inspiration behind this album, and how did you both approach crafting the songs together?
Reeb: Thank you! It feels great to have this music out in the world. It had been quite a while since we last put out an album. Caleb had started to write songs again after a long quiet period; I had a few songs coming, and it felt like the time was ripe. It took a couple of seasons to finish. We got five songs down on the first session in Nashville back in ‘22. Then we wrote more songs and put them down in the second recording session in Louisiana in ‘23. Caleb and I have written songs separately so far. We definitely help each other with our songs by running them by each other to help with little things we get stuck on. I think there is a general aesthetic we are going for, though I think that is broad and more about the approach to the music than it is about the songs fitting into a certain box of style or genre.
Caleb: Thank you, we are honored that so many folks are enjoying the album and giving it such praise. The inspiration comes from a few places for me. I am always inspired to write in a way that incorporates the things that I love about Bluegrass and Country music. They are very similar, yet they are so far apart aesthetically, as of late. I am inspired by the fiddle, the mandolin, and cajun dance music. I am inspired by the storytelling of true events and the expression of the most basic emotions and feelings. That is something that has inspired me to write again, to touch on what is basic in life and what is common to most people. We also found ourselves with a band that was really starting to gel and was digging deep into our music and our energy. Keeping a consistent band together is hard, and with Mike Bub’s nudge, we just started recording the few songs that we had, not knowing where it would take us. Two years later….Gold In Your Pocket arrived.
Your music blends elements of bluegrass, country, and Cajun influences, creating a unique Americana sound. How do you each incorporate your personal backgrounds into your music, and how does your connection to the Pacific Northwest influence the stories you tell in your songs?
Reeb: I come from a musical family. My grandfather, who died before I was born, was a square dance caller. I have a fiddle, mandolin, and banjo that belonged to my grandma, grandpa, and great-uncles, though I never got to hear them play them. I grew up hearing my dad and uncles play and sing old country songs. When I was first learning to play guitar and getting up the guts to sing out, I happened to make friends with a bunch of kids who were playing old-time music and were interested in all kinds of roots music. I was very drawn to that stuff. It sounded like home to me, like the music of the people, a place to dig into traditions that had started long ago, but continue as living traditions. We are all influenced by what we hear and listen to. When we put a story to a melody, it weaves together with a myriad of sounds and ideas and stories that we’ve heard before, along with our feeling of music and our own bits of story or things we want to say until it’s forged into something new.
Caleb: My personal background is my life, and my life is my music. My songs tell stories about people I know, situations that I have been in, and events that have led me to where I am today. Many of these events and characters are from my local community. But we also travel a lot and we have a lot of influences from across the country and around the world. The music I have learned and engaged with along the way absolutely influences my music – everything from cajun music to old-time ballads, from Reggae music to AC/DC. I love all the vibes in all of that. Soul music, folk music, rock music. Bring it on! Regarding the Pacific Northwest connection to my songs, I would say that I have more to explore on that subject. I think about it a lot, about place, and the people tied to a place. I have been working on a few songs that are directly about this region. Yet to come.
The title track, “Gold In Your Pocket,” is described as a love song for anyone going through struggles. Can you tell us more about the inspiration behind this song and how you crafted its tender yet uplifting message?
Caleb: “Gold In Your Pocket” started by looking at a Maurice Sendak illustration on the wall at my mom’s house. A piece of art I had seen many times before. This one particular morning the picture looked different to me. I saw words in the air, and I just started singing “are you lion or a puppy” as if the illustration was singing to me. I didn’t make much of it because I usually wake up singing something silly. As I stared more closely at the picture I read into the scene and I felt like there was more there. The relationship between the worried-looking lion and the seemingly ‘together’ puppy dog was interesting and familiar to me. I grabbed my guitar and more words just came out. I knew I was onto a feeling that had been brewing in me for a long time. The feeling of seeking to help a friend who I saw struggling, a friend that I wanted to be of support to. I realize now that maybe acting this way is my love language. Maybe this is something that I need and that I want but I was expressing it as something to give to others. Either way, I love the idea that you can be water in their well, sunshine in their daydream, or someone’s victory bell. What great things to be for a friend. Who wouldn’t want that?
Many of your songs are rooted in authentic storytelling. How do you choose the themes and experiences to write about, and what role do personal stories play in the music you create?
Reeb: Speaking for myself, all my songs on this album relate to personal stories. “Same Little Heart” is about my family homeplace in central Washington, and all the imagery came as I was writing about my family history and place while on an artist retreat. “T & J’s Lullaby” was written for my niece and nephew; it depicts familiar images from their home place while weaving in guidance for living. “All About Love” has several personal stories entwined. One verse is about a dear friend who passed away too young. One verse is for a particular person but also for everyone because everyone thinks they are right and forgets how to listen at times. The last verse is for those times – I am lucky to have experienced many of these – that are so thick and poignant with joy and connection that you already know you’re going to look back and recollect this moment because it is so memorable.
Caleb: We don’t always get to choose the subject for our songs. I think that if we are truly open as songwriters the words just find their way to us. “He’s Gone,” for example, came to me as what I thought was a song about a racehorse. As the verses started to unfold I realized that I was channeling my oldest friend’s father’s energy and spirit. I gave myself the freedom to just sing and explore rhymes. Those words came out fast and fairly clear. In other songs I try to incorporate some sort of life moral that I have learned, or something that feels important and common to many folks. I’m not trying to be preachy, I’m just simply calling out what I feel is floating around in our collective consciousness. I’m sure the next song I write will be about a silly party or something light-hearted…haha.
You’ve been a part of Portland’s vibrant music scene and the underground country revival. How have your experiences in Portland shaped your music, and how does it feel to take that spirit on the road with your new album?
Reeb: Caleb has been fostering the underground country scene for a long time in the PNW, and his influence extends far out from there. He started his band as a place to express the original songs he was writing. When I joined him there 14 years ago, I folded into that scene as a band member and singer in Caleb’s Country Band, and also as a member of the Foghorn Stringband. Portland has a vibrant dance scene, a rare thing anywhere outside of Louisiana I’d say, and our commitment to approaching music as dance music has informed the way we play for a long time. It has that energy and rhythmic quality that carries through whether people are dancing or not. The unique voices of the West Coast music scene hold much in store for the wider world.
Caleb: Thank you, Reeb. I have been writing, singing and performing country music in my style for a long time. I think the Portland scene has given me the freedom to be more unique to myself than most country music you hear today. For example, I don’t have to be a Texan, or be from Kentucky or Tennessee, or be southern to be “Country.” I know that, and I have felt free to make the music sound and feel truly authentic to me, to be a blend of the musical background I have gathered and learned from. I have strong influences and idols that are not from Portland but I don’t aim to sound like anyone in particular. My time in Portland was mostly during the “affordable living” era. Lots of artists had moved there to be creative and fresh and to get away from old and stagnant stereotypes. That brought a lot of fresh DIY energy to the music and art scene. I felt proud to be different, even though it meant making an uphill climb to maybe get recognized. Even in town my band sounded different than other country bands. I had more of a bluegrass influence. Most local country bands had a predominantly rock influence. I am proud to be taking our brand of country music out to the world. But also, taking our music on the road with our new album and not being from a “bonafide Country” region of the states feel vulnerable. People tend to compare you to something they know and they try to hold you up to that. A lot of it is due to marketing. I have such belief in our bandmates, and in our songs, that I just feel proud to be sharing what feels like ours with the world.
The album has been described as a refreshing departure from the often sorrowful themes of traditional country music. What message do you hope listeners take away from Gold In Your Pocket? How does your music aim to create connection and joy?
Reeb: Country music is about coming together, no matter what the feeling – sadness, joy, or party – for a shared experience with others.
Caleb: I learned a long time ago, from Dolly Parton songs, that not all country songs have to be sad. I have also learned that the cliché of country music is not useful. People are looking for things to be positive about. We aim to keep the vibe positive even if we are singing a sad song. Connecting with your feelings, whether they are happy or sad, is a positive thing. Let’s be fresh and alive now. We call our music modern country music, haha. It’s not vintage. There might be vintage-like sounds and structure, but it’s not vintage music.
You’re known for your soulful harmonies and down-to-earth performances. How do you approach live shows, and what is the energy like when you perform in front of your fans, especially during this recent tour in the Pacific Northwest?
Reeb: The energy at live shows can be completely different from night to night. I think we place real importance on letting the music speak for itself and playing to the room and the moment. Sometimes a moment calls for something completely different than what you planned on when you wrote the setlist before the show.
Caleb: We are real people and we try to make that clear. I want folks to be at our shows and feel like they are part of the show, to feel connected to us. If that means smiling at someone from the stage or talking to them during a break, that is important. Of course, we can’t talk to everyone or we’d lose our voices. At this point most of our shows are intimate and we are integrated with our audiences. I think that keeps things grounded and honest for us. I always try to leave room during a set for fans to request songs. I want the show to be special for them. They have paid for a ticket and they came for a reason. I want to know what that reason is, what song they love, or what experience they are seeking.
See you down the road somewhere!
You can connect with Caleb Klauder and Reeb Willms through website www.calebklauder.com, Facebook, Instagram @calebandreeb, YouTube @Freedirtrecords, Bandcamp and Spotify
