Brandon Keith Thomas known by his stage name Bam Keith (formerly BamAnakin) is a music producer with The Grammy Museum. In this role, Bam Keith manages a team named WAA (We Are Art formed in 2012) in all aspects of music, including production, writing and promotion.
Bam is no stranger to music production, having spent 14 years as a musician and a technological enthusiast, where he played drums in jazz band, piano and organ at churches, won competitions for band and practiced on his old computer on music production religiously.
In this role, Bam was responsible for teaching improvisation skills, handing out homework and music theory.
It’s safe to say Bam Keith has his share of experience in music production. RnBass.com recently caught up with the Grammy producer, where talked about his music process, influences, future goals and much more.
Are you working on new music? When do we get to hear it?
New Music with George Watsky –he’s releasing it through kisswatskysgluteusmaximus.com with a video to the Song “Don’t Be Nice” and full album on itunes after that.
Tell me about the Keith Kit. How did you come up with this idea?
“I think first what happened was I have a number of samples that I like to use. Drum samples, things I’ve recorded before – a capellas, things like that. I always save things in one folder you know? And I use it over and over. Then I thought – what if I share this? Even though I’ve been working for the GRAMMYs since I was 18 no one really knew me in my own city so this really helped me grow locally. I’m currently working on a piano kit for release this spring.
Tell us about your affiliation with the GRAMMY committee.
When I was going through my crazy phase in high school I had been evicted from houses and was moving house to house. I was 16, my arts coordinator at school Mr. Kelly, Robert Kelly (no relation,) he had noticed I was going through a hard time and he asked me “what’s been going on.” He said how bout this, ‘meet me in my office every day at 12pm no matter what.’ So I met him in the classroom the first day, and he has a drum set in the office and a camcorder in there. He says ‘I want you to play the drums for me.’ The next day he had a keyboard in there and asked me to do the same thing. We did this for about a week straight. The whole time he had a connection to a man I work under now called Bob Santelli, executive director of the GRAMMY museum. Mr. Kelly sent all the videos to him and they got me in to a program called the Music Revolution Program. That class taught me everything there is to know about songwriting. I wrote metal songs, country songs, hip-hop songs, r&b songs – I wrote everything, two songs a week and we had to perform it all. From there I get a phone call about 2 months later and it was them asking if I wanted to work for them and teach.
Do you have any other passions?
Lately, I’ve been looking in to fashion. It was never something I thought I could do but I’ve started getting compliments lately. I grew my hair out and kind of found my style. As a producer image is important. So maybe I’ll start getting in to that.
How long have you considered yourself a full time musician?
The very first thing that I’d done in music even before jobs is, um, rap. I wanted to rap because when I was 7 years old back in 2002 8 mile released! I wrote my first rap and then 5 more raps in one day. I was writing all these raps and I memorized them. I was like ‘oh I can actually do this.’ The next year I started to play drums. I never figured I could rap and play drums like, you know, Anderson Paak does.
{ Pearl is Live }
Do you think record labels are necessary these days?
To answer that question with accuracy I think it depends on how much experience and how much studying that you do as far as the music industry goes. I know some people think they can just create a song and send it to somebody and blow up. They don’t even know what ASCAP and BMI are. I think for those people they really don’t know but if they have a passion for something like singing, they need a record label. A Chance, a Macklemore, even a Jay-Z. We never talk about how he started Rocafella with Dame and he just kinda had his own thing the whole time. People like that obviously studied. They wanted to be something other than just a rapper for themselves. So yeah, some people don’t need a record label.
Favorite place you’ve performed/tour stop?
I played at the Hard Rock in Tampa, FloridaT that was amazing. I played with a group called the Reese brothers. One plays drums, plays bass, and sings all at the same time. The other one plays guitar and sings and they wanted me to play with them. My other place is in actually in Lawrence, Kansas called The Grenada. Best sound in the world to me. It’s the best sound experience. Their live engineer, yeah.
What was your best experience in the last year?
Oh yea, I would say when I met swizz beats. Having a studio session with him was, like, amazing.
What’s been your biggest holy sh** moment yet?
Maybe even, well it was the same day actually. To be honest with you a nerd like me who looks up all of the people in the background as far as engineers and all that – when I got to have a private lesson with Bob Power. That was amazing to me, it was the same exact day as when I met Swizz Beats.
Who’s been your favorite artist you’ve collaborated with?
Kutty Bear from Kansas city. That dude is insane. Its really insane, he’s a rapper but I don’t even like to call him that, he’s really an artist. He’s figured out ways to rhyme in multi syllabic ways like Eminem or Kendrick Lamar you know? And he realizes the importance of songwriting. When he features he realizes the importance of team work. And even on the same level Apollo – he’s really fun and he truly knows how to ride on the beat. Kutty Bear just released an album too! Bear Chronicles 5 check it out I do have some production on it.
Brag a little bit, who have you worked with / performed with? All Star Lineup.
Okay well um Nick Cooper (vocal coach for Bey and Rih) he’s great and Zendaya. I actually put her through a whole artist development program. Her and Pia Mia. I actually got a chance to record Pia Mia and be her engineer for a little while. Of course George Watsky and then theres G Watts, hes local in Kansas City but he’s known for his song with Kendrick Lamar. So executive producing his whole album, Caviar, to be released soon. Oh and you know what? I ran in to the Game last year and we had a really interesting conversation. It seems like he wants to use me. You know for him to take time out and call me again was cool.
Will we ever hear a solo project from you?
Oh wow – you know what? My first album will be a dual album that I’ve talked about with Kutty Bear. You know I’m 23 right now and we plan to put it out before either of us turns 25. 25 is a really important age for us you know people that we’ve known that didn’t make it past 25. On the college dropout you know “We wasn’t sposed to make It past 25, jokes on you we still alive” you know 25 really relates to us. So yeah dual album called Chaos. A part 2 to an album he released back in high school called Peace. So Chaos is actually an acronym it stands for Cold Hearted And Out Spoken. Kutty he’s a genius with acronyms. We plan to make it on par with Watch The Throne.
What’s your creative process?
Usually I’ll start beatboxing and never notice it. I don’t even notice myself beatboxing until like 5 minutes from then and I’ll be like ‘oh what was I just doing?’ Then I beat box again and I’ll be like ‘oh me lay this down.’ So I find some drums that I like and the sounds that I like and I lay that down. It usually starts with the drums or it will start with the harmonies sometimes. Sometimes I sing – just like with the drums I’ll be humming and then I’ll be like ‘oh what is that I was just humming? I don’t think that’s a song I think it’s something my brain made up’ and im like okay – I’ll go lay it down. But what I like to do the most – I have a neurological phenomenon. Well it’s a neurological thing they call Synesthesia so I see colors with music. So really any color that’s not in the correct harmony will look bad to me. So that’s how I make my music. Like, I’ll see a color like it might be like a dark blue or purple-ish color and what I think would look good with that is a teal color maybe or something. It depends on the sound or the chord that makes something for me. Its weird but uh, yeah.
Any idols? influences?
Jay Z. Pharell Williams, the one I want to be better than as far as making hits. Kendrick Lamar for his depth. And then I look at Deadmau5 a lot. And the last one would be Katranayda. He’s a producer but he released an album.
Anything you would like to say to our audience?
I want to let them know that I will be releasing a drum video soon to one of my favorite songs. It will be Alyiah “Rock The Boat” drum cover. I’ve been working on it practicing on it. GoPro actually endorsed me last year so they’ve given me a bunch of cameras to attach to my drums and I’ll be releasing that
through them.
Fun playing live with you all ! (Postcard LP)
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