THIS FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18TH: KEVIN SO & FRIENDS

 

In over a decade of performing his music around the country, Kevin So has earned the respect of fellow musicians (Keb' Mo', Amos Lee), won over members of press and radio, and has built a loyal fan base across the US.  In the summer of ‘07, Kevin was recipient of the Overall Excellence Award (Outstanding Music & Lyrics) for his work in Victor Woo: The Average Asian American, a musical loosely based on his life. It debuted at the New York International Fringe Festival to packed houses. His highly anticipated solo acoustic release Best Foot Forward is supported by concert dates this year. 

Read our interview with Kevin here.    

with special guests:
Joanlie - singer/Songwriter    
Brendan Fitzgibbons - comedian
MC C.B. - Hip Hop poet
John Travis - singer/songwriter
Carl Corrusso, Jr. - singer/songwriter
Jeffrey Paul Bobrick - singer/songwriter
Sagar Bhatt - comedian
Youjean Chang - comedian
Ky Hote - singer/songwriter

Mike Hernandez - comedian
Ourselves Between Us - singer/songwriter

$5 cover + 1 drink minimum
Show starts at 8PM
****Kevin So comes on at 9:30PM****

Interview: KEVIN SO

SO FAR, SO GOOD

Journeyman singer/songwriter Kevin So talks about life as an independent artist, moving to Nashville and dim sum.

By Telly Wong

Forgive me if this sounds harsh, but when it comes to today’s indie music scene, I truly believe we’re living in end times. Signs of the impending apocalypse include the A.D.D. nature of music listeners these days, the public’s insatiable –and inexplicable-- appetite for karaoke versions of classic songs (i.e. American Idol) and the mass extinction of small music venues across the city. Furthermore, the whole singer/songwriter paradigm --someone who writes and performs his/her own music armed with nothing but an acoustic guitar and a set of balls-- is a deteriorating art form, becoming relegated to Bob Dylan-wannabes and emo dickheads who don’t have enough friends to form an actual band.

But these precarious circumstances are precisely what make Kevin So a true singularity: an independent artist who’s been crafting his own personal brand of R&B-infused folk rock for over a decade. Despite the industry winds blowing in the direction of tween pop and song-and-dance types with no surnames, So has managed to carve out his own little niche; selling nearly 20,000 self-produced albums and developing an incredibly loyal fan base along the way.

Born and raised in Boston, So spent the early part of his career paying his dues by performing at any and every open mic and showcase he could book a spot on. Word quickly got around and So soon became the darling of the local critics, leading to a slew of award nominations and opening gigs for the likes of Joe Cocker, Amos Lee and Billy Bragg. Since then, So has been the proverbial bird with no legs, floating from city to city without the ability to stay in one place for very long. After a brief stint in New York, So decided he needed a change of scenery -- so he packed his guitar and headed to Nashville, where he’s been planted since June.

These days, he’s collaborating with country singers, touring to promote his new album, Best Foot Forward, and working on a musical. I caught up with So to find out how the folks of Nashville were treating him and what other journeys may lie ahead.

Telly Wong: You're a Boston and New York city slicker. What's it like living in The Heartland?

Kevin So: I never thought of myself as a city slicker, but now that I've been living here in Nashville, I can definitely feel the difference. Things are much slower paced here. You don't experience a lot of road rage down here. There's more space to move around.

Telly: How would you compare the music scene in Nashville to the one in New York?

Kevin: It's hard to say right now. I've only been here since June. Even still, I've been touring quite a bit this year and have hardly scratched the surface in Nashville. But what I do notice is the amount of songwriters down here. They're not necessarily good singers either. It's tough to generalize actually. In any city, be it New York or Nashville, you're gonna come across some great songwriters and some great singers/performers. Very rarely are they one and the same. The ones that are both are usually touring and hardly in town.

Telly: That dude from Hootie & the Blowfish [lead singer Darius Rucker] recently won Best New Artist at the Country Music Awards, making him the first black musician to ever achieve that feat. Being an Asian guy in Nashville, has that inspired you in any way?

Kevin: I think so. I guess it means that the music industry in general is becoming much more open to anything. But then again, it's a chicken or the egg effect. There aren't too many black country singers anyways trying to break into the country music scene. I haven't seen any here in Nashville so far. Maybe one dude, and he wasn't Darius Rucker by any means.

But in the US, generally speaking, the music industry has, for the most part, been a black and white world. Not sure how ready Nashville is for an Asian American. But we'll see. So far, I've been getting a tremendous amount of good feedback and my being Asian hasn't hindered me from any opportunities as far as I can tell. I always try to stay positive about that. Negativity gets you nowhere.

Telly: When I first saw you perform a few years ago, you had a R&B/pop/rock sound going and were backed by a full band. These days, you’re a solo act that’s much more folk-based. Was this a conscious decision?

Kevin: Yes and no. I've always made 180 degree turns from what I was doing previously. Having a band for over 5 years was a wonderful experience and I wouldn't trade that for the world. But I never really stepped away from the solo acoustic thing. When I toured around the country, most of the time I was performing solo acoustic. It was just in New York, where I was doing the band thing -- with exception to the CD release shows that I did in other cities.

But yeah, the studio recordings I made (A Brighter Day and Leaving the Lights On) were definitely a step away from the folk-based stuff I'd done previously. So after 5 years, I felt it was time for a change. I wanted to revisit the acoustic side of life. I have to admit, things were much simpler then, and perhaps I was more relaxed because of that. When someone offered me a gig, I wouldn't have t o call or email 3 or 4 other band mates to find out their schedules.

Also, once I made the solo acoustic recording (Best Foot Forward), I could tour anywhere and the CD I was selling was consistent with what I was doing live. That's really important to me these days. But then again, who knows? I'm already thinking about recording in a band setting again. There are so many great musicians here in Nashville. It would be a waste to not experiment with something down here.

Telly: Many of the songs on Best Foot Forward are moody, introspective pieces about trudging forward -- and in certain cases, rather reluctantly. What are the inspirations behind some of the new tunes?

Kevin: I think that the new songs are variations of things I've written in the past. I learn something through writing songs. So hopefully the new material will reflect that. But I'm also trying to not write about myself this time. But that's hard because I think that's why I write in the first place. If I'm going through something emotionally and writing songs helps me get though it all. I'm always observing people around me, so I suppose some of their character gets in the song, too. I've got a new song that I'm excited about called "New Man In Town" but it's definitely not all about me. Got another song called "June Carter Cash" which is just a fun song to perform because of its wordplay. Inspiration doesn't have to come solely from the heart. I write because it's just a fun thing to do sometimes.

Telly: It seems impossible to get a recording contract these days unless you get yourself on some stupid reality show. Where does that leave those earnest singer/songwriters out there who have something to say but prefer not to humiliate themselves on national television?

Kevin: I try to remind myself that I am a singer/songwriter looking to write the best songs that I can write, and if the right recording contract comes my way, then great. But for now, I'm completely fine with having some privacy. Being a celebrity can lead to many great opportunities, but I also believe that everything has a price. My dad used to tell me that nothing in life is free.

Telly: What's the last album or artist you listened to that really excited you?

Kevin: I really like John Mayer's Battle Studies. It's his latest album and he's a master at writing catchy melodies and producing classic recordings. The songs "All We Ever Do Is Say Goodbye," "Half of My Heart" and "Assassin" are just amazing. He keeps the pop songwriting bar up high and that's a good thing for all of us.

Telly: Speaking of pop, what do you make of pop music these days? I can't tell the difference between a Top 40 station and Radio Disney anymore.

Kevin: I don't listen to a lot of current pop music. I should though. I hate being out of touch with anything current. I grew up listening to the music on the radio. So from time to time, I'll listen to 92Q in Nashville, which is an excellent R&B station. They play a lot of current artists and blend it well with the old school. I'm listening for subject matter and production most of the time. My TV doesn't have any channels so all I watch is DVDs unfortunately. But I understand where you're coming from.

Telly: You've been trying to get your autobiographical musical –Victor Woo: The Average Asian American-- off the ground this past year. How's that coming along?

Kevin: My partner, Kevin Merritt, and I are still in the process of finishing a draft for potential producers. There's a theater company in Connecticut that's very interested in adding it to their 2010 season. We've also been approached by The Public Theatre in New York as well as the 5th Avenue Theater in Seattle. So we're just trying to find the right fit. But as far as the actual content of the musical is concerned, I think it's going to blow people away. I'm pretty excited about this new and improved draft.

Telly: Who's gonna play you?

Kevin: Not sure right now. Once we figure out where we're going to do it, then we'll hold auditions.

Telly: By the way, where does a brother go to get some good Chinese food in Nashville?

Kevin: There's the Golden Coast on West End Avenue. On weekends that have a pretty decent dim sum buffet. Nothing like New York or Boston Chinatown of course. But for Nashville, it's better than nothing.

Kevin So’s new album, Best Foot Forward, is available now on iTunes. For more info, visit KevinSo.com.

Telly Wong is the Executive Director of The Five Points Mission and Editor of god Crimes.

Photos by John Mazlish.

THIS FRIDAY DECEMBER 11TH: JOHN-FLOR SISANTE

John-Flor Sisante is a Philippine-born, New York based singer-songwriter who writes songs about love, relationships, and Filipino historical figures. In the Summer of 2004, John-Flor released his debut CD, The Music of Things, which New York Newsday called the "#1 local artist CD of the year". In 2005, John organized a series of benefit concerts in Bayshore where all proceeds went to tsunami relief for major charities. Currently, John will be releasing a highly anticipated EP under the his moniker, Foxfur, in the Spring of 2010.

With Special Guests:

Brendan Fitzgibbons - Comic

Jeni Nielsen - Singer/Songwriter : MySpace

MC C.B - Emcee : MySpace

Anna Troy - Singer/SongWriter : MySpace

Lissa Fahrquar - Singer/SongWriter : MySpace
Steven Michael Zack - Singer/SongWriter

Ray Low - Singer/SongWriter

Ashley Maas - Singer/SongWriter

...and other unexpected guests!

$5 cover + 1 drink minimum

Show starts at 8PM

John-Flor comes on at 9:30PM

THIS FRIDAY DECEMBER 4TH: DAWEN

DAWEN is a soul/r&b singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles. His music fuses the grooves of funk, soul, and r&b mixed with heartfelt and socio-conscious lyrics that appeals to both the emotions and intellect.

As a singer-songwriter, Dawen hopes his music will further the dialogue on racism and social injustice in American society.

with special guests:

Alfa - Singer/Songwriter
Lester Greene - Emcee
Stephen Henriquez - Stage Magician
Brian Jian - Comic
Jeni Nielsen - Singer/Songwriter
Billy Thai - Singer/Songwriter
MC C.B. - Emcee
Phillip Murphy - Comic
...and other unexpected guests!

$5 cover + 1 drink minimum
Show starts at 8PM
Dawen comes on at 9:30PM