Kashus Culpepper

by

Summerfest

As a military veteran who has gravitated to music as a profession, Kashis Culpepper has precedent both historic and recent. Like late folkie soul singer Bill Withers, Culpepper took to a guitar to while away downtime while serving in the Navy. The difference in Culpepper's draw to singing and songwriting came during the forced hiatus from activity during the Covid-19 pandemic.

But akin to current acoustic sensation and former Marine Zach Bryan, an easy, if not entirely snug genre fit for Culpepper's style is country. At least that's the way his sound is being marketed. The constituent elements of the Alabama native's style go deeper than another iteration of Tennessee twang, though, even in its alt/indie guise. The first clue to Culpepper's aesthetic layers may simply be the bandanas-turned-headbands that have become his trademark look. If that accessory resembles that of as classic acoustic bluesman, Culpepper has some of that kind of moan in his vocals.

But the longing and gravitas in his voice come informed by the gospel music of his church upbringing, too. Culpepper’s might be the kind of sound Darius "Hootie" Rucker might have come by had he come up through the viral route that abetted Culpepper's rise instead jumping from leading Blowfish on one major pop label to the Nashville division of another.

Speaking of big-time record companies, Culpepper recently signed to one. Unlike other beneficiaries of the same kind of backing who proffer more idiosyncratic approaches to country, such as Tyler Childers and Sturgill Simpson, Culpepper's sensibilities may resonate with a greater swath of listeners to the music's mainstream. Though that has yet to be determined, seeing him at the Miller Lite Oasis bodes to be one of those "I saw him when" shows.