Hailed as one of the most exciting voices in R&B and hip-hop, recent Aftermath signee Anderson .Paak and his band The Free Nationals recently stopped by Santa Monica’s KCRW studio to perform a full set following his thirty two shows in Austin for SXSW. The guy has definitely been putting in some serious work.
He starts off with tracks including The Bird and The Waters before announcing to the band, “is it too early to dance? It’s never to early to dance.” Anderson then lets his funky synth driven tune Am I Wrong ride on out, but he can’t just leave you with his voice alone. Anderson jumps on the drum kit giving a killer performance, demonstrating how talented he really is. The track smoothly transitions and forms into a cheeky tease of Let’s Dance by the late great David Bowie – if only it went that little bit longer.
The tunes take have a brief intermission and we get a little interview with the radio DJ Aaron Byrd and .Paak from inside the studio, although it’s not long until the good vibes continue. The Oxnard born virtuoso hops back on the drums and performs the upbeat, compelling soulful tune Put Me Thru. It’s so captivating just seeing Anderson flexing on drums and performing vocals at the same time.
Once again he steps away from the kit and graces the stage with his enticing dance moves, playing the energetic Come Down and the sensual Room in Here, where he explains The Game’s process to writing the featured verse on the track. He couldn’t just leave it at that though, Anderson jumps back on the kit and the Free Nationals let rip a funky jam session to tie off the performance.
You can watch just his performance of Come Down, or if you really want to vibe out today, the full set (including the interview) is below.
We also interviewed the California king ourselves which you can read here too
Image: KCRW