Episode 189: Eric Kufs

Eric Kufs got his start in a New York indie-folk trio called Common Rotation. He and his bandmates - Adam Busch and Jordan Katz - were childhood friends who had come of age together, started a band, forged an original sound and established themselves with relentless tours and several albums. Before long, their hard work had paid off and they'd collaborated with the likes of They Might Be Giants, Indigo Girls and Dan Bern. When Busch's acting career picked up speed in California, the trio decided to uproot the entire ensemble and Kufs and Katz relocated to Los Angeles with Busch. The saturated scene in LA prompted Kufs to find new ways to make a living at music. Sometimes, necessity is the mother of reinvention. Kufs started playing hours-long busking gigs on Santa Monica's highly trafficked 3rd Street Promenade shopping and dining district. The gigs were not theater shows where a captive audience sat and listened politely in their seats, but the transient nature of the steady stream of passersby provided Kufs with an opportunity disguised as a challenge. Kufs had always been prolific - he already had nearly a thousand original songs in his repertoire - and he now complemented his sizable catalog of originals with reimagined cover songs, providing yet another opportunity to expand on his considerable talent as a singer, guitarist and songwriter. The extended sets allowed him time to experiment; he could essentially profile the shoppers and revelers passing by and cater his song selection to garner the most attention. After all, attention meant tips and tips is income. It's an important lesson to learn that only foolhardy performers neglect to read their audiences. Years on in California, Kufs is still at it, making a living in music with his unique blend of folk and blue-eyed soul. With Common Rotation currently on hiatus, Kufs has established himself as a solo performer in his own right with a new EP called Sense and Nonsense in Psychology, Part One and a steady performance calendar.