Madam Radar Makes Americana Rock a Family Affair

An Interview with Lead Guitarist and Vocalist Kelly Green

Madam Radar is a true family affair: husband-and-wife duo Jace Cadle and Kelly Green unite with her brother Kody Lee and his wife Violet Lea to create an Americana rock sound that blends explosive harmonies with soaring guitar solos. A two-time Sonic Guild grant recipient and the first Austin-based band to perform at the Moody Center, they've shared stages with Bon Jovi, Lukas Nelson, and Hayes Carll. Their latest album, MOTEL, produced by Grammy winner Steve Berlin of Los Lobos, is a love letter to the road funded entirely by passionate fans.

We sat down with lead guitarist and vocalist Kelly Green.

I've heard you use your Saxon Pub gigs as sort of a lab for songwriting.

Violet and I are in another group called PAACK, which does a residency at the Saxon like every Thursday. So songs that don't make it for Madam Radar usually end up finding a home there. It's very much like how distressed merchandise finds its way to Goodwill.

You relocated to Austin. What's special in your view about the Austin music scene?

For me, I mean, we've traveled everywhere, and I've never been any place that is more giving and also loyal and willing to share. That is something that is so beautiful about this community. A lot of times, you know, if you go to Nashville or something, you're talking to somebody about a gig and they don't want to give you any information about anything. And in Austin, I can't tell you how many people just opened up their studio or opened up their calendar or just introduced me to somebody. It's like, "Oh, this person invests. You should meet them." And we've built such a beautiful community. That is the word I would use above any other. Austin is a community. It is a family. We call our fans the Family, because it really is. That's what it feels like. I feel so invested in all of these people that have taken the time to go on this journey with us. We raised over $50,000 on this album, and I never made one post about it. We just had people show up and say, "What can we do to help?" And it was like, "Well, we were thinking about this." "Okay, what do you need?" And that almost doesn't happen anywhere else in the world. No one wanted anything in return. They just wanted to give. And it was like, "Wow, these people really believe in us and believe in our music." And that, to me, is everything, you know, Austin in a nutshell.

That is super inspiring. Did you ask and receive that help, or did that just kind of come in unsolicited?

Literally people coming up to us and going, "Oh my God, your music. I love it. What do you need? What are you working on?" And we were like, "Well, we're thinking about doing this album." They're like, "I'll give you $10,000." And we just were picking it up like that. We're like, "I don't have $10,000 to give somebody," but they're like, "I don't want anything back. I just want to invest in you and your future. I believe in you guys."

So this wasn't like a GoFundMe campaign or crowdfunding?

No. People were asking. And we were like, "Okay, we'll let you know if we decide on something." And then it got to the point where we were like, "Oh shit, we're moving forward with this. Okay." And we were like, "Oh no, you know, we need like $30,000." And it was like, "Oh, well, let's maybe ask that guy that mentioned it." And all of a sudden, it was like all these people. And then when they see other people are doing it, you know, because we have a nice, tight-knit group, they were like, "Oh, I heard this is happening. We want in. What can we do?"

An album that your fans helped to create is incredible.

Steve Berlin did a good job on it. Truly. The MOTEL album is really killer.

In terms of promoting the album, what are you doing?

We hired a company called Missing Piece to help promote it. This year, well, I guess last year, we picked up a manager and a booking agency, and we've just been kind of placing a team around us, really upped our social media game. But yeah, we've been doing like sponsored ads basically through every social media that you can think of and trying to really push for placement in commercials or movies or whatever. So we have our little hands in all these little baskets, just trying to get the music out there in every way, and then also touring, of course.

One of the themes I'm picking up from artists is that you really have to have your hands in a lot of pieces if you want to make a sustainable career.

Yes. We're lucky to have the four of us be so invested in this too, because a lot of people, it's like they'll have one or two people, maybe one that is really the one that's doing everything. But in our team, everyone has their own place. Chase is really our money guy. He's great at conversations and explaining to people what we need, how we need it. That kind of stuff makes me uncomfortable. I can't ask for things. I just want to, you know what I mean? I'm like, "I'll give you the house, I'll give you the kitchen, whatever you need. Take it." But he's great at that. My brother, Cody, does all of our editing and video stuff. I do all of our social media. And Violet really helps. She's another, she's a trained opera singer and incredible vocalist. So she really helps with all of our harmony singing and stuff like that. And also she does like our updates, like our Google calendars and things like that, things that are like small things that end up being a pain in the ass when you're focused on so many things. So we all have our little to-do list every day and every week.

How do you describe your music? It's Americana, but then it really rocks.

It's tough because we are Americana, I would say, because it is such a blend. But we are also a rock band. But a real rock and roll band might be like, "Well, they lean too far to the other side sometimes." So I feel like we could offend people no matter which section we're in. We always describe ourselves as rock Americana. We do play a heavy emphasis on the rock, because ultimately we fucking rock.

Any cool merch coming down the pike, given the cool motel theme?

Yeah, we for MOTEL, we did fun motel keys.

Back to what you're doing to promote the album, what's been most effective?

The people that we hired actually have done really well, because we didn't do this album in the way that you're supposed to do it, which is you're supposed to release a couple singles. And we just really don't follow any rules, because for me, I'm like, it's all made up anyway. It's all bullshit. Like, unless you have millions of dollars to put behind something, it doesn't matter. We're just kind of doing whatever we want. We just knew we needed to get a new studio album out there to really help push for touring. We've really made an investment in Spotify and stuff, and I hate that, because I really don't like Spotify or anything they stand for. But getting our numbers up has definitely helped with booking more shows. And, you know, like we just picked up the Texas State Fair, and we get to headline a Wednesday night, and that's super cool. But that was because our numbers looked good.

One of the themes that's coming up in conversation is, well, Austin's changed a lot. It's not the same. It's grown so much. The cost of living has skyrocketed. It's harder than ever for a band or an artist to make it these days. Agree or disagree?

I think both things can be true. Like, yes, it's changed. Yes, it's become more difficult in ways. But also, there's still a plethora of opportunity. There's still amazing venues. There's still incredible talent. And there's, you know, I mean, it's all still there. It's just what it looks like has changed. You know, back in the day, things did feel a little more small, a little more small town. Everyone's kind of in each other's business. You know what's going on. You know where the things are happening. Now it's like there's just a lot going on everywhere all the time. I will say housing and stuff like that has gotten insane, and it is difficult. Like, we actually moved out to Dale, Texas. We were living in an apartment downtown, and they just kept raising our rent. And it was like to pay this much for something and not own it or be putting money toward something you're going to own is kind of ridiculous. So I live out in the country now, which I fucking love. But it is definitely, you know.

What keeps you motivated, what keeps you engaged, what keeps you inspired and creative and going?

I think the one thing is just music being the greatest feeling in the world. When you're playing a show, it's like it doesn't matter if you don't feel good or if the world's ending around you. A good show is the greatest feeling. To be creative and to do it on stage with people you love. To be able to look back and see my little brother behind me is one of the most spectacular. It's worth living for, you know. So it's definitely a weird business, and it does feel sometimes undervalued or underappreciated, as far as, you know, people, companies, like Spotify, like not really taking care of the artists. Stuff like that makes it very frustrating in a world with AI coming out, and there's this AI band that has all these thousands of views and followers and all this stuff, and you're like, "They've been a band for a week. They're not even real. Why are they?" You know, it's like stuff like that does become very frustrating.

But on any given night when you look out and you see someone responding well to your song, if their eyes are closed and they're feeling it, or maybe they're in tears, or maybe, I can't tell you how many times after we played a show that someone has written us a note or approached us and said, "You saved my life." We had a guy that literally had cleaned out his entire bank account, gave away all his shit, locked his door, and was like, "I'm never coming back here. I'm going to kill myself." And he said, "You know what, might as well watch one more show before I die." He looked up in the Austin Chronicle and saw that we were playing. I think it might have even been at the Saxon Pub. He showed up, and he said the people that were there were so loving and so kind to him, and that the music was so good that he had this rush of will to live. And we literally changed his entire life. And that guy's still alive today because of that one night. And so stuff like that, when it gets really hard, I just think, "This helps people. It fucking helps."

Music is, to quote Joe Ables, the owner of Saxon Pub, "You get quality music in an intimate space in front of fans. Magic happens, transformation happens." And that story just illustrates it.

Yeah, we have a lot of stories like that. We found a lot of our fan base is a little older, and I don't know if it's just because our style of music really just falls into stuff that they probably listened to when they were growing up. But we have some fans, like this woman, her husband died in her arms, and she was really lost and alone. And her cousin's a big fan of ours, and he was like, "Man, just come watch the show. You know, I'm telling you, the music's good." And she's like, "I just don't know if I can be out and around people." And they talked about this for two years. Finally, she came out to see us, and now she's not missed a show, and it's been three years since then. She's at every fucking show. And this woman's like, you know, 70-something years old. But she goes out, she brings friends, she has a good time, she dances. She's met this entire community that just opened their arms to her and surrounded her with love and support. And it's like, that is everything, and we get to live in that daily. So when I get wrapped up in things like, "Oh, are we not more successful? Or why do they have this?" You know, it's like, fuck all of that. Literally, look at the people in front of you that you've changed their lives, and they've also changed our lives. Because when you look out and you see that much love and support and trust, it really just makes you want to keep doing it. It feels good and it is good.

You're often described, the sound as Fleetwood Mac meets the Eagles.

Yeah, you know, we say that because mostly that's what people tell us that we sound like. I mean, but I'm deeply inspired by both those bands. Really, the harmonies, the guitar playing, the dynamics, the multiple singers in both bands. We resonate with all of those things. So I take, that is a huge compliment when people compare us to them. I think that we take that music and definitely put a modern twist on it. But yeah, absolutely, we're inspired by all of that, and I'm happy to be lumped in with those amazing references.

There's something special about sibling harmony, right?

And there's also something special, because we are a family band, that there's something about sibling harmony that is, I feel like, forever special. But the combination of our voices can never be recreated in that way, really. You know what I mean? As with any band that does that, there's just something very special about four voices locking in that it's unique to itself, and it creates its own voice that no one can replicate. And that's amazing to me.

We're collaborating with HAAM on this project, as you know. What's been your experience with HAAM?

We are all members of HAAM, and we are all so grateful. I mean, we get our dental stuff. We just went and got our ears checked and got new earplugs made to protect our ears for long term. Violet, she's been very vocal about this, HAAM saved her life. She was struggling with psoriasis covering her body. There were points that she couldn't get in people's cars because her skin was flaking and she was bleeding, and it was like really a traumatizing thing for her to go through.

And because of HAAM, she was able to get on a special medication that is like $4,000 a month, and they were able to make it affordable so she can now, and her body is completely clear of it, and whatever biologics they're on, you know, she wouldn't have been able to have that without the help of HAAM. We had another friend that had a brain tumor, and they helped pay for his surgery, and now he's out functioning in the world. And so HAAM is incredible. We donate so much of our time and energy into any show we can with HAAM. We actually have a show on Aug. 3 coming up that's going to help benefit HAAM at the new, it's like the Austin PBS building, the new KLRU studio, but we're playing with Greg Rolie, who was a founding member of Journey and Santana, to raise money for HAAM.

What haven't I asked about that we need to know about Madam Radar?

I feel like we've about covered all of the major things. But just this—we love this city, and we love HAAM, and we are so grateful for this community.