How a job at the LaRosa's in the zoo paved the way to rock-star fame

Local songwriter Curt Kiser has been through a lot in the past couple of years. Recent setbacks – car crashes and a robbery – have been tempered by relative success for his project, Carriers. His humble, upbeat personality shines through the self-reflective lyrics and the understated grooves of his music.

A year ago, I was invited for a chat at Kiser’s modest studio space near the Western Hills Viaduct, leading up to a show at the Woodward Theater. Since then, he’s opened for Band of Horses, has been featured as a play-in for The National’s European tour, and recently got the nod for their Homecoming Fest this weekend in Cincinnati.

Here are some highlights from our conversation. He led the way with a story about working with Bryan Devendorf, of The National.

A Q&A with Curt Kiser of Carriers

Curt: So, I sent this track called "Be the One" to Bryan (Devendorf). He’d just left for a European tour. I send him stuff, he sends me demos – things he'll make in his basement. He'll let me add bass or vocals.

I was working at the Container Store – a 6 a.m. job – and I got a text from Bryan at seven in the morning. It says, “Listening to ‘Be The One.’ Do you care if I show my guys?” They're in France, rehearsing for their tour. And I was like, “Anytime. That's amazing. Thanks.” And then my boss is like, "I saw your phone."

Memorial Day, I get this text: "Hey, we used your song in Spain last night as our walk-on music. Do you care if we use it in Paris?" I was like "Thank you. Can you take a video since I can't be there?” Brassland, who put out the first three National records, reached out to me right after. So I sent them like 13 songs out of 100 or so. Now I'm putting out, like, a six-song EP of my demos.

Question: How'd you get in touch with Bryan?

A: We met at the zoo. He came in wearing a Taft Theatre shirt to the LaRosas, (where) I was working. I was like, "You're the drummer for The National, right?" This was like seven years ago. We re-met when I was working at Whole Foods. That's where I re-met John Curley, too.

Bryan had stuff from his bands, Pfarmers and Lnzndrf. That led to making that record with John Curly at Ultrasuede. Three generations of music playing in a room together.

Q: Are you working on new stuff?

A: I've been really excited about the live band recently. It’s putting album two on hold. The goal is to get these out, get more people to hear my stuff and then hopefully get licensing. That's how it's worked for Brassland.

As far as new tunes, we went out to Colorado to record in November. Dave Wilton has a really beautiful studio in Lafayette. His music is called A Boy & His Kite – he had a song in a Twilight movie. We went out there in November. Alex McGrath from Turtledoves did all the drums and I did pretty much all my guitar and all my vocals.

Today, the record is like 40% of the way done. We got good bones out there.

I want to do another full band session to finish that record. I love people playing with me.

Q: When did you decide to do music? You've been playing for a long time.

A: I started in fifth grade. The strings hurt because I didn't have calluses. Seventh grade, I was ready. There was a little music class – a talent show. I played this James Bond-sounding Bootsy thing. I found this Fender Strat acoustic. I think my dad convinced me it was cool because he wanted to play it.

Ben Rush, myself and Drew Jacoby, we had a band called Enlou. We're at this small private school, and we would be able to go and practice during school.

Q: Where did you go?

A: Ridgeville Christian, in Springboro, Ohio. Eighth grade, I had to decide, am I going to Lebanon for football? I did basketball, soccer and baseball. Ben Rush and I went to Moeller music – he got this Ibanez bass. Around that time, I had to make the decision – am I going to play sports or stay and play music? Our school closed, so we had to go to new schools for senior year.

The way Cincinnati music got introduced to us was through Pomegranates. They asked us to play shows with them and All the Day Holiday. We started this supergroup thing. I moved to Middletown and spent the last couple years of high school there.

We had, like, nine people practicing on Cherry Street in Northside. I was driving down to Cincy to play shows, kind of a stoner, but also figuring it all out – knowing I love music. We had this campus ministry house – Ben, Drew and I.

Then we got this house in Camp Washington. We each paid about $130 in rent. Enlou broke up in 2010. Palms asked me to go on tour. Each year is new. It's harder to make it work because everyone's got different logistics, but it's exciting. Carriers has been seven years now, but it's very much a collective.

Q: What made you land on the sound for Carriers?

A: Ben gave me a Snow Patrol CD. I listened to a lot of Christian punk stuff – the stuff that you're allowed to get in the Christian bookstore. I loved mewithoutYou early on. I liked it a lot, but I don't want to do the screaming.

So you have Rich Mullins. He actually has Cincinnati ties. He wrote "Our God is an Awesome God." These demos he did – it's him on a little tape recorder really rough and raw.

I didn't start writing music until I was 19 or 20. I just played guitar and helped out. I was never confident in my voice. I still struggle at times with it. I played on this old '50s Goya guitar that my great aunt passed down. Still to this day, I start with singing a song, and then I just pick up my guitar and I play what I sing. Sometimes I'll write a few in a week, or sometimes I'll write one in a couple of months.

A Netflix show, "Devil in Ohio" used a song called "Heaven's People" that's on that first album. It's 20 seconds maybe, and it just sounds cinematic. It's helped pay rent for a couple of months.

Q: What are you listening to nowadays?

A: I've been a fan of Cass McCombs for, like, 10 years. Luke Temple – aka Art Feynman – Here We Go Magic was his band. He's produced a lot of stuff. Amen Dunes – the record, "Freedom." Deerhunter has always been really influential. Cocteau Twins, Sharon Van Etten, Broken Social Scene, Kurt Vile. I used to love Dirty Projectors a lot.

Taylor Meier, the lead singer of Caamp – he's been really supportive and asked us to open for them at Madison Theater on March 13 of 2020. That was the day that everything was shutting down. I hit up their manager about it. At that time, no one knew what was about to happen the next two years.

I'm excited that Brassland wants to put out these songs and people are going to hear them for the first time. He wants to build a career for me off of these four or six random demos. I don't like writing music to try to get on a playlist or something. It's cool when it happens. What I feel most kind of excited about is reading the email between Brassland and Good Eye, and he's like, "Here's what we want to do for Curt."

In high school was when I first was approached by a label to put out Enlou's first few EPs – this label, Luja Records out of Palo Alto, Calif. That was the beginning of my understanding of the industry. It's mostly trying to build relationships. With each year, it gets a bit easier but also gets hard. It takes reaching out to people and a lot of cold calls.

I'm working on the new National record – that's been really f---ing cool. He's asked me to play some drums and keys. I've tried bass on a couple of songs. No one ever knows until the final thing if your stuff actually makes it on. I love that aspect of collaboration. It comes down to just being able to hang.

Q: You're such a big guy and you play these cute little guitars.

A: I have back issues, so I carry something light – especially on stage. My Goya is just a little parlor guitar. The first show I played was opening for my dad. He told me, son, you find a Teisco, it stays in tune. Basically, him putting shade to old Sears guitars. I like something that's got character. I don't have a bunch of gear or preamps, but I love going to the studio. For me, the simpler the better.

The one thing that's been my peace is recording demos. ... I want it to sound real. I don't spend too much time on takes. Those things are what Brassland is excited to release.

As long as, live, we can cut through with a softer voice. I used to be embarrassed by that. But there are so many records I love with people who are singing really soft, tender and raw. This EP – it doesn't sound like what people know as Carriers. Every release is going to kind of have its own vibe, and I think that that's the genuine way to do it.

These tracks are pretty vulnerable. But I've shared them with enough folks through the last few years that I feel comfortable enough working through that imposter syndrome. The biggest thing I've learned in my 30s – it's like, I know who I am. I know what I can do well, and I know what I love to do. My focus is to continue to make music. I'm going to be doing it forever. My songs are my thoughts and prayers and questions.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: How a 20-second song on Netflix's 'Devil in Ohio' paid Carriers' rent