Ken Burgan’s Somewhere Else Is a Lifetime in Motion

From playing saxophone in Frank Zappa’s early band to creating a new album with his son Hunter Burgan, the Californian artist turns seven decades of musical exploration into a restless new chapter

Ken Burgan has spent a lifetime inside the machine of rock and roll — watching it form, mutate, disappear, and reinvent itself. On Somewhere Else, his new nine-track album, he doesn’t look back so much as look sideways, examining existence through a lens of humor and curiosity. The record moves through questions of mortality, desire, acceptance, and the search for meaning without offering easy conclusions. Produced by his son Hunter Burgan (bassist for AFI), who also contributes drums, bass, and mixing, Somewhere Else feels less like a final statement than a conversation still unfolding — a strange, vivid document from an artist who remains more interested in discovery than resolution.

Burgan’s musical life has always existed between worlds. As a teenager in Los Angeles, he played saxophone in Frank Zappa’s early group The Boogie Men; later, he became part of the city’s R&B circuit, performing with bands that backed artists including The Coasters, The Olympics, and The Shirelles. Over the decades, he developed a songwriting language built from contradictions: wit and melancholy, sincerity and irony, the familiar and the unexpected. With Somewhere Else, Burgan continues that lifelong experiment — transforming a lifetime of listening, performing, and absorbing into something restless, theatrical, and unmistakably his own.

Somewhere Else feels like both a culmination and a continuation of a very long musical life. At this stage in your career, what did you feel you still needed to say?

I don’t think of this album as a culmination..more like a continuation. But I think I’ve improved my writing process to where it feels even fresher than before. I never plan to say anything intentional when I write. I just try to let it flow and see what happens.

The album explores existential themes like mortality, desire, and peace with oneself. Were these ideas something you set out to write about, or did they emerge naturally during the process?

Again, I try not to think about what I’m saying.

You’ve been making music since the early days of rock and roll. How has your relationship with music changed from the 1950s to now?

When I first heard the early R&B songs in the 50s I decided I had to learn to play saxophone. I loved those songs and they all had great sax solos. Being in bands as a kid was so wildly exciting! It also brought me some social identity as a young teen. But I never thought about writing songs till much later.. this was after the early excitement of performing had worn off a bit.

Who were your earliest musical influences, and what about them first drew you in?

See question above… the early R&B stuff…Joe Turner, Lloyd Price, Fats Domino, Bill Dogget, etc….the great voices and saxophones!

How have your influences changed from your early career to now?

After the early R&B and RocknRoll, I started to hear a lot of jazz that I loved: Miles, Coltrane, Chico Hamilton, Cannonball Adderly…and, living in LA, I got to see these guys in person. Later, like everyone else, I was influenced by the Beatles and Rolling Stones, Motown…and in the 70s Punk Rock and New Wave.. Also, classical.. like Bach’s cello suites. And all my family members have turned me on to their favorites over the years too. So a lot of more recent stuff too.

How does a song usually begin for you—lyrics, melody, a feeling, or something else entirely?

I create a beat on my drum machine and just let it play while I do other stuff…After a while I start to get a Feeling about what melody and chords might sound good with this..then I play the chords and sing whatever “mumble lyrics” and melody come out spontaneously. I let that recording sit for a week or two, then circle back to see if it sounds any good. At that point I make some additions or modifications…but I try to leave as much of the original inspiration as possible.

In your early Los Angeles years, you worked with groups that backed major R&B acts like The Coasters and The Shirelles. What did playing in that circuit teach you about performance and songwriting?

I don’t want you to think my bands were unique in this. All the bands back then backed these R&B acts. Also, a lot of the time, there would only be one or two of the original members using the name…so there were occasionally lawsuits involved. So I guess what that taught me was: if there are big hit records a lot of people can make money on them for a long time. Oh, also these groups always put on a good show!

You’ve described your songwriting style as blending wit, melancholy, and an off-center view of the world. Has that balance shifted over time, or is it still the core of your voice?

Same ingredients… maybe more melancholy now.

Now working closely with your son, Hunter Burgan, how did the dynamic of making music together shape the sound of Somewhere Else?

Hunter was really the catalyst to get this project off the ground. He’s super talented! He adds the drums and bass…as well as mixing all the tracks. That was huge! I don’t have the mixing skills.

The new single “Down There” mixes alt rock, blues, and psychedelic pop. What was the starting point for that track, and how did it develop sonically?

I used the same process I described above.. I started playing the chords with the heavy Wurlitzer Electric Piano sound….and sing “I’m going down there right away”.. the rest of the words just flowed… Also, I’ve been into using vibes a lot as a squeeze of lime on the harsh tequila that is my music.

The video for “Down There” adds another layer to the song’s atmosphere. How do you think visuals change or deepen how listeners experience your music?

The video definitely brings out the solemnity and adds a very heavy faux religiosity..

The album title Somewhere Else suggests movement or escape. What does that phrase mean to you personally right now?

Not really sure…… Some of the songs seem to have a other worldly vibe to me. Also, the picture I painted that is the cover art suggests looking towards somewhere else.

How would you describe your sound to someone hearing you for the first time?

Quirky pop… I try to stay away from anything too normal.

If you could go back and give your younger self one piece of advice as a musician, what would it be?

No advice.. just do what you feel at every turn.