My Kappa Roots: A One Man Time Team

Growing up, we're all susceptible to a huge amount of culture, music and history that we absorb subconsciously. We hear stories and music that dig a little bit deeper, that resides in our memories, and lurks, waiting. "I remember sitting down one day, when I was a bit older, with the intention of listening to Bert Jansch’s first record and realising that I knew it almost by heart," says Pablo Clark. "It was only when I left home that I discovered all this other music had worked its way under the skin."

Clask – AKA My Kappa Roots – is a guitarist and singer, and far too interesting to be called a singer-songwriter. A childhood in Fife, where "tradition and community played a big part", led to influences from his parents' record collection creating vague memories of albums and songs, and like anyone growing up in rurality, led to him amassing a collection of childhood experiences to inspire a young adult's art. "The local Masonic lodge where I recorded [debut album] The House of St Colme Burnt Down was the same place where I went to nursery," says Pablo, emphasising this vivid sense of history.

As a result, Clark's music is the kind that gets under the skin, telling stories that tie into traditional tales, stories that pass down through generations. With guitars gently picked, his mellow voice and myths of royal tragedy, death and sex draw your attention, irresistible in their romantic allure. Indeed, one is left with the impression that Clark doesn't take songwriting lightly, when every lyric seems loaded with content. "In a song, where economy of language is so important, being able to dredge up, in fistfuls, all that collective history contained within a single name or word is useful," offers Clark. Even his answers are wonderfully crafted.

Recently, Clark has moved from Edinburgh to Glasgow via a Parisian attic where he "lived with a lovely woman who claimed she was a countess". This move from east to west appears to be inspired by his need to keep challenging himself, by a desire for the new. Alongside Auld Reekie based associates Eagleowl, Rob St John and Randan Discotheque, My Kappa Roots is part of the Fife Kills collective, and despite helping to lay the foundations for the Edinburgh folk inspired scene that is taking shape and gaining attention, he has little regret in leaving this behind to continue developing his music elsewhere. "The capital seems to have a nurturing, enduring element that is at odds with Glasgow’s more combative and ultra-current musical climate," he suggests. "Both have equal merit. I feel in some ways that I’ve had to relearn my trade, but it’s also very rewarding and exciting being exposed to such a wealth."

While Clark's live shows couldn't be more stark, the songs on his aforementioned debut LP are embellished with instruments and ambience. "What excites me about recording is not necessarily the same thing as when I play live," he explains. "There is a confessional quality to playing live that has teeth and keeps things interesting. Recording is different, you have the opportunity to get other musicians in, the chance to readdress songs and hear them anew. It can have a real sense of occasion, everyone gathered round and playing music."

The forthcoming "sense of occasion" will be an EP written and recorded with Findo Gask drummer Michael Marshall, set to be released before the autumn. In the meantime, don't pass up the opportunity to see this man live, because it's always an event in itself.