André Salvador and the Von Kings is a “none-hit wonder” from Nashville, led by multi-instrumentalist Tim Cheplick. Musicians come and go under the group’s umbrella, and none of them are named André Salvador. Cheplick self-released a couple of albums under the moniker before signing to the not-for-profit, patron-funded, cool-as-hell record label Last Night from Glasgow in 2020. Paul Provenzano became the group’s drummer after answering an ad to play a gig on his birthday. They headed to Nashville to record the foundations of the self-titled album with producer Robin Eaton (Lionlimb, Jill Sobule) at Club Roar studios, and finished it back up in Brooklyn. Andre Salvador and the Von Kings arrived in the Summer of 2020. After the release and before the pandemic upended gigs, multi-talented David Voss joined the group adding piano, organ, synth, and background vocals both live and in the studio. The band felt so at home recording in Nashville that they went so far as made it their actual home, relocating in 2021. For their second LP for the label, they wanted a bigger, messier album. This took the form of recording in 5 studios for the 14 tracks, mostly in Nashville, including stops at Club Roar, Deadbeat, Powerplant, and Fancy Fish Studios. The sound is filled out on the record by a wider palette of instruments and guest appearances like Paul DeFiglia on bass and Penelope V on vocals. So Psychic is out today, Friday 30th September, and a new album, Draped Apes, will be out on November 25th.

What Tim says: “I wrote So Psychic mid-pandemic, exactly as the year turned from ‘20 to ‘21, beginning it in one and finishing it the next. It came out of a feeling of suspicious, buoyant optimism, the kind that might disappoint you. This song is picking one side of that. It’s the story of radical acceptance, not thinking too many moves ahead, not bothering to play the lottery – in other words being OK with the UNKNOWN. Having doubts but not getting hung up on them. This is looking into the abyss from a great distance. We recorded this at Club Roar in Nashville, Tennessee. Produced by Robin Eaton and Jesse Newport. Mixed by Jesse Newport.”

So Psychic
Can you ask them for me
How come all our stories match?
Too consumed by
A place that don’t exist
A way that i never really was

Make it right inner eye
Down the wine, make to mine
My inner eye lies

Plainclothes cop
Well we’ve done nothing wrong
Though i haven’t read the whole book of law
Don’t fix this
Midnight came and went
It never really got as bad as it could

I shouldn’t have most the time
I never saw the pyramids
I never saw them
I never saw the Beatles play
I never saw them
I never saw a miracle
I never saw one

I’m with you i’m just off again

So psychic
You’ll never find a thing
Ya gotta be ok with the unknown
Raw emotion
Life we can’t express
It only ever comes out in songs

Credits:
Tim: guitars, bass, synths, vocals
Paul: drums
Jae: gong

So Psychic is out now on Last Night From Glasgow. Draped Apes will be out on November 25th. Look HERE for more information on André Salvador and the Von Kings.