T.S.O.L. keyboardist and prolific composer Greg Kuehn recently released ‘Medicine Man,’ the first single off his upcoming EP on DC-Jam Records.

Kuehn, originally a classical pianist, shifted to punk in Orange County, joining punk icons T.S.O.L. and producing the acclaimed ‘Beneath the Shadows’ album. He later collaborated with artists like Bob Dylan, The Church, Berlin, and Megan Mullally, and performs occasionally with LA punk band X, stepping in for the late Ray Manzarek of The Doors.

Kuehn began in film contributing to the score of the cult favorite, Repo Man, and has since scored numerous films like Confessions of a Superhero and Go North, the new TSOL doc Ignore Heroes and the upcoming N Men skate documentary. His scores have graced festivals like Tribeca, Toronto, and SXSW. On the TV front, he’s crafted music for shows like CNN Heroes, HBO’s Rock And Roll Hall of Fame show, Chris Rock’s Selective Outrage on Netflix, and hundreds of commercials for top brands through his LA-based studio, Peligro Music and Sound.

‘Medicine Man’ is a song about recovery and mental illness, a subject close to Greg’s heart. He has been in recovery for nearly 30 years. The video for the track dives deep into the unfolding gritty tales of addicts battling their demons, the elusive ‘Medicine Man’ who deals in temptation, and the dynamic artist, Greg Kuehn. As their stories interlace, the video paints a vivid picture of the harrowing struggles against addiction. Every scene is meticulously crafted to echo the song’s profound emotions and rich narrative. With its intense imagery and raw energy, this music video doesn’t just tell a story; it offers an immersive, heart-rending experience.

It’s wonderful to have you. You have an upcoming new EP coming out soon. How much time and effort went into it?

Greg Kuehn: It’s kind of hard to say, but mostly over the course of last year. A couple of the pieces had been banging around unfinished before that, though.

It features your son, Max, who is in Fidlar. It must have been a lot of fun to collaborate with your son.

It is! Max is an amazing drummer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. Working with him is always a joy.

He must have been exposed to great music since the very beginning?

Yes, he and his brother Elvis have always loved great music. My wife and I always had a lot of great music around, and they naturally keyed into a lot of the stuff we loved and had on vinyl when they were growing up.

You recently released your first single, ‘Medicine Man’. Would love it if you could talk about what inspired it?

I’ve been in recovery for 29 years, so the subject is very close to my heart. I know a lot of people who have or are struggling with addiction and or mental illness, and I wanted to share some of my thoughts about what it was like and what I see others go through.

Can you share some further words about the recording and producing side of the upcoming EP?

The songs are mostly piano driven, so the production usually starts there. I play a few different instruments, so it’s always a journey finding the right instruments and arrangements that benefit the song. Once I have a basic track together and a vocal I like, the song is pretty good at telling me what it needs, so that part moves along pretty quickly, usually.

Would love it if you could speak about your early days. Where did you grow up and how did you first become interested in music? Was there a certain moment when you knew this was it?

My mom is a great singer and music teacher and I’ve been banging on the piano. Since I was a toddler. I had a great piano teacher from the age of 5, Mrs. Hahn, who encouraged me to write my own music so I started doing that way back then. I’ve always loved Elton John, and at around 8 years old I remember deciding that I wanted to play and make music for the rest of my life.

How do you remember joining True Sounds of Liberty and working on ‘Beneath The Shadows’?

I was 18 and had just finished my freshman year at CSULB as a classical piano major. I was already a fan and had seen them several times at The Cuckoo’s Nest. We had a mutual friend who recommended me. We met and all got along really well, and they asked me to join the band. It was a really great experience to join up with such a great band who played so well together. They were very open to collaboration, and we really all jumped in head first writing those songs together. It was a really magical time for me.

Would you like to comment on your playing technique? Give us some insights on developing your playing technique.

I studied classical music for a long time, so that’s always there. I like to get my fingers moving and play every day. I improvise a lot, and that’s where most of my songs come from, and I do think it’s important to maintain some technical skill so I can translate what I hear in my head.

It’s absolutely impossible to cover your discography. Would it be possible for you to choose a few collaborations that still warm your heart?

‘Beneath the Shadows’ and ‘Trigger Complex’ from T.S.O.L. are two of my faves. ‘Starfish by The Church’ was another good collaboration, as I had toured with them on their previous album, and was invited to join them in the studio for that one. ‘Beautiful Tragedy,’ a record I did with Duane Peters, was another highlight, with lots of great songs I wrote or co-wrote with Duane.

Let’s end this interview with some of your favourite albums. Have you found something new lately you would like to recommend to our readers?

Roxy Music ‘For Your Pleasure,’ The Damned ‘Machine Gun Etiquette,’ David Bowie ‘Hunky Dory’ and ‘Aladdin Sane,’ Elton John ‘Honky Château,’ Brian Eno ‘Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy)’ and David Sylvian ‘Secrets of the Beehive’. Just a few off the top of my head!