Faribault Daily News – Kevin Krein, July 1, 2016

Kalk to take audiences to ‘Church’ with Johnny Cash tribute show
By Kevin Krein Jul 1, 2016

Jay Kalk has spent the last six years performing as The Man in Black with the tribute outfit The Church of Cash.

Having spent the last six years performing in the Johnny Cash tribute outfit “Church of Cash,” vocalist and guitarist Jay Kalk said he’s always loved The Man in Black, and thankfully, he still does.

“I think Johnny Cash is great,” Kalk said. “My old man was a huge Cash guy, so I was introduced to it when I was very young.”

Kalk will be taking Paradise Center audiences to “Church” when he brings his tribute act to the venue on July 15.

Prior to forming the group, Kalk spent time in a number of ska bands both regionally and nationally throughout the late 1990s and well into the 2000s — including Three Minute Hero and the Warsaw Poland Bros.

Originally from New Ulm, he relocated to Hawaii in 2007 to play guitar for the group Go Jimmy Go.

It was in Hawaii, picking up shows as a solo artist, that Kalk began to dabble in performing Johnny Cash covers — something he said would really grab the attention of the audience.

Returning to Minnesota in 2010, he formed the Church of Cash.

Kalk estimates that Cash recorded 1,500 songs in his lifetime, and the group picks from a repertoire of 170 — including the well-known, along with some obscure b-sides.

“Quite often when I play, halfway through the show, I’ll leave it up to the audience,” he said. “I tell them to yell out the songs they want to hear. Though, I do get stumped from time to time.”

Kalk said his time researching Cash’s music also gave him a greater appreciation for the man himself.

“He had a great and storied past,” he said. “He inspired people on other levels; not just a “country music star,” he had philanthropic ideas and that makes him so much more interesting.”

Kalk is quick to explain that the Church of Cash is not a “history lesson.”

“It’s not one of those shows,” he explained. “There’s no slideshow with a pointer and graphs. What I do is bring the music back to life with a youthful drive.”

Paradise Center box office manager Heather Neal said with the sizable Cash fan base in the area, the venue felt it was appropriate to bring Kalk’s tribute to Faribault.

“Jay brings The Man in Black back to life,” she said.

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