As a member of the cult K-Records/Knw-Yr-Own collective, Karl Blau's musical style is unsurprisingly difficult to pin down - there's everything from indie to folk to hip-hop to bossa nova to grunge in there.

Irish audiences will get to experience that unique mish-mash in person when he kicks off his Irish tour with a date at Whelan's, Dublin this Saturday, February 18th.

He'll also play dates in Galway, Kilkenny and Cork over the coming week - so ahead of those gigs, we nabbed the man from Anacortes, Washington to answer The Big Questions.

 What’s the music that you listened to growing up, that you still listen to today?
I still listen to Miles Davis, Stevie Wonder, Beach Boys, Spike Jones.

When did you first realise you wanted a career in music?
Since I was very young I decided I would be an artist. I carried my drawing pad everywhere, skipped recess in school to sit at my desk and draw. All along, though, music was a part of my home life, my parents both loved to play and they were brass players - French horn and trumpet. Music was always an obligation of music lessons that were mandatory requirements in my family. I loved to listen, but I always thought that to pursue music in a professional realm were positions that only the lucky few held. I didn't think I was made of that stuff. In grade 10, I was asked to join a rock group playing bass guitar and it's in that group that I began to find my identity in music. I took an active roll in the band - Captain Fathom - to arrange and write lyrics and eventually in the recording process. It's in this production of music that I really found my voice in music. I realized at about 20 years old that I would record music even though "having a career in music" meant having jobs like dishwasher and garden hand for the next 20 years.

In three words, describe the minute before you walk on stage.
Toboggan in place.

How do you wind down after a gig?
I don't have any post show rituals to wind down, usually right after a performance I need to be at the table to sell my records and such. I don't' really drink or party, sometimes I get lyrical ideas that I pay attention to.

What’s the one song you wish you’d written or recorded first?
I have no song envy, because they are all contextual. If I had written Justin Bieber's "Baby" for example, it wouldn't have been a hit because I didn't have the YouTube success. All this said, any Irving Berlin song.

What song of yours are you most proud of?
I like the song "Change Your Mind" - it's about the fact that you don't have to accept your own knee-jerk reactions, you can be in touch with yourself moment to moment. The chorus is:
"maybe you can't change your kind
but if you change your tune - maybe you can change your mind"

What’s your favourite venue to perform in?
I like smaller venues because of the level of engagement the performer may experience.

Your best and worst gig so far?
The "best" and "worst" I don't relate with. Good or bad, are judgements I'm trying to shed since "good" things usually have baggage and "bad" things usually come with the value of learning something. I find value in each performance, no matter how small or weird. Playing in bars where alcohol is the main attraction - though this hasn't happened in years that I've been wallpaper at a bar - requires me to enter a zen state, though I find still enjoyable.

Whose career do you envy, and why?
I do tend to feel a bit of envy to friends who have had overnight success with songs in movies or TV shows where suddenly they are buying houses. It seems to be the only way that career musicians get their breaks is when their songs are attached to a visual commercial element. It's a sad state in a way. And consequently I and many friends of mine are musicians on the side of holding down jobs that let them pay bills. I have a family to support, as much as my audience may view me as a "successful musician" because of some perceived level of fame, I still look for work in between tours that spend money more than they make it. THAT SAID - I have constantly worked for this rock I am standing on which is solid and though progression moves slowly, that's a good way to hold on to financial success when finally I arrive.

Vinyl or digital downloads?
I don't believe one has to decide between vinyl or digital downloads. They co-mingle quite effectively. In my world, both are necessary, don't know what I'd be without my turntable!

Give your thoughts on Spotify in three words.
Listeners Find Me. but also Sense of Entitlement. People do seem to discover my music there and they tell me at shows. Some admit that they pick which vinyls to buy through Spotify. At the same time people think that music should be free, it's nearly free with these services, and that's hard to swallow for recording artists. It's exposure. Is that valuable? certainly, but it comes with a sense of devaluing to be a part of it.

You can only have three albums on your phone/in your house at any one time - what three would you pick for today?
Debussy - for the morning
Chico Barque - Construcuo - for the drive
Sade - Diamond Life - for dancing after the show

Name one piece of music memorabilia that you wish you owned.
I am not one to want this kind of thing, however some chicken scratch by one of my favorite composers - Tori Kudo - like a short piece written on a dinner napkin.

Name one record, one book and one film that everyone should hear / read / see.
Maher Shalal Hash Baz's "Blues Du Jour." Just a classic album, magical and strange. "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson, education on why things are so messed up today. "Spirited Away" is a masterpiece of an animated film.

Pick the director and lead actor(s) for a biopic about your life.
Werner Herzog presents "Blau As My Name" starring Brad Pitt, why not.

You’re ordering take-away, what do you get?
Pho soup.

You’ve been given €100,000 to spend, but only 1 hour to spend it. What do you buy?
A nice, safe car like a Volvo or Mercedes for my wife and a small, tube mixing console for myself.

Describe your perfect day off.
On my perfect day off, my family goes for a hike, I have a soak in the bath, and my wife, CalliAnne and I spend some time.

What do you have in store for your Dublin audience?
We've got some previews of new songs, a couple older tunes of mine that fit the country vibe, and we've worked up another Layng Martine, Jr. tune. It's nice and nestled in the middle of our tour, so we'll still be fresh - not that we don't keep it that way regardless - but I think the set just keeps tightening and notching up. Can't wait to play Whelans, I've played there a couple times already, solo and backing the great Laura Veirs. Love this place, it reminds me of my own, local watering-hole - the Brown Lantern in Anacortes.

*****

See Karl Blau at the following venues:

Saturday 18th February – DUBLIN – Whelans
Sunday 19th February – GALWAY – Roisin Dubh
Monday 20th February – KILKENNY – Cleere’s
Tuesday 21st February – CORK – Cyprus