By: Maria Smith

James Kahn’s newest album Matamoros is not a stand alone piece of work.   Rather, It is a companion piece that accompanies his newest book, Matamoros: Civil War on the Rio Grande.  He has worked on it on and off for almost twenty years and only now feels like it is ready to share.

Wanting to get a better understanding of his story’s characters, Kahn wrote them songs,  based on that characters story.  Each song provides additional tidbits about the character’s life.  The songs themselves are stand-alone classics, providing a truly unique experience for the reader of his book, as well as fans of his music.

Kahn was challenged by the historical aspect of the book which is very different than the sci-fi and medical thrillers he normally writes.  In fact it was so different that the majority of the time he spent on Matamoros was used researching.  He poured hours upon hours into finding the very best way to share this story, and in the end found an exceptional way to do it.

Recently, KC Cafe Radio Music Director Kathy Forste caught up with Kahn via Skype.  They chat about the possibility of film or stage adaptations, favorite characters, and more.

Listen to the interview here:

Download the interview here: Interview with James Kahn 2/12/2020