John David Kent

Artist Information

Biography

In just a short time, John David Kent has made a big impression. With rich three-part harmonies and fresh twists on sounds that channel a mix of Waylon Jennings and Creedance Clearwater Revival, John David Kent's songs instantly feel both unique and familiar. Their song, “My Girl,” garnered immediate attention after the video became the “Pick of the Week” recently on CMT.com and was added to CMT’s Pure Country rotation.

While the band’s budding success is impressive on its own, Kent himself has a notable and vast musical history. Signed to Mercury Records by age sixteen, Kent began touring with “Radish,” the rock band he formed with childhood friend and now well-known artist, Ben Kweller. Soon after came recording and touring with the Lemonheads, a national tour with My Morning Jacket and various other acts, as well as appearances on Letterman and Conan. Kent has toured Japan, opened for major bands like Kings of Leon and Incubus, shared the stage with acts like Metallica and Snoop Dogg and done a Lollapalooza tour with Korn and Tool—all with an air of humility and gratitude.

Kent’s decision to take his music into the direction more rooted in country was an organic one. As a young child, Kent’s parents introduced him to a diverse array of music. He started playing drums at the age of 4 and he vividly remembers being drawn to the earthy stylings of musicians like John Denver, Willie Nelson and the Eagles. “When I came off the road with Ben Kweller and settled down with my family back in Texas, a lot of the songs I was writing were subconsciously coming out with a southern flavor,” says Kent. “I like taking the elements of traditional rock and country and blurring the lines. It’s a very natural evolution for me.”

As a producer and studio owner in his hometown of Celeste, TX, Kent assembled a band comprised of musicians he had worked with and “respected wholeheartedly as musicians.” The band includes Michael Graska (guitar and vocals), Jamey Gleaves (bass), Tony Kent (drums) and Jason Andrew (fiddle) who quickly realized their connection to Kent’s songs and natural chemistry.

Their debut album is in stores NOW!!

Publicity:
NPG PR
Nicole Pope Gaia
Nicole@npgpr.com
615.517.1960

Hayley Frank
hayley@npgpr.com
281-701-6900

Radio Promotion:
Sunfire Entertainment
Angela-Marie Lampton
angela@sunfireent.com
615.523.9500

Management/Booking:
JMF Entertainment
Jake Freeman
jake@jmfentertainment.com
214.502.9419

Tour Manager:
Ryan Madewell
ryan@johndavidkent.com
903-456-2808

Instrumentation

John David Kent - Vocals, Guitar, rhodes
Michael Graska - Lead Guitar, harmonies
Jamey Gleaves - Bass
Jason Andrew - Fiddle
Tony Kent - Drums

Discography

EP 2009 - Streaming on Myspace
Debut Album released May 2011

Links

• Facebook
• Twitter
• MySpace

Audio

• My Girl
  Listen  
• Goodbye Gone
  Listen  

Lyrics

• My Girl

Video

My Girl - Official CMT Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• 95.3 KHYI "The Range" [+ Show ]
  

  "My Girl is a break-out single, clearly establishing John David Kent as one of the bright young tale..."My Girl is a break-out single, clearly establishing John David Kent as one of the bright young talents in Texas. You'll be hearing his name for a while."

• the Dallas Observer 12/2/2010 [+ Show ]
  

  "The band's debut full-length record, being recorded in Garland with Mike Gage engineering and co-pr..."The band's debut full-length record, being recorded in Garland with Mike Gage engineering and co-producing with the entire band, will offer listeners more of what many have already appreciated from the song that helped open doors for them. While fiddle has begun to disappear from much of the Texas country landscape, Andrew's eloquent sawing joins Graska's scorching lead guitar in carrying much of the sonic weight, teaming together much like the bass and drums do for most bands."

• Must See Shows 2011 [+ Show ]
  

  The much-deserved national success of Georgia’s Zac Brown Band bodes well for John David Kent and th...The much-deserved national success of Georgia’s Zac Brown Band bodes well for John David Kent and the Dumb Angels from Celeste, Texas.
  
  Singer-songwriter Kent and his hearty band of musicians proudly stitch an organic blend of Americana country and Southern rock with commercial sheen and plenty of sing-along appeal on “My Girl,” the band’s debut single. It’s one of those songs that immediately feel like a hit. Add a cool video, featuring footage shot at Dallas’ Sons of Hermann Hall, and you’ve got the makings of a Saturday night anthem.
  
  Like Brown and his cohorts, Kent and his four musical buddies sport the look and sound of real men jamming at a local honky-tonk. These aren’t super-toned male models groomed into a singing career.
  
  Kent naturally gravitated to country music. Although he helped form Radish, a now-defunct metal band from Greenville, Texas, with childhood pal Ben Kweller, Kent grew up on the tunes of John Denver , the Eagles and Willie Nelson . He later recorded and toured with My Morning Jacket and the Lemonheads before heading back to the Lone Star State and writing songs that turned out decidedly Southern-flavored.
  
  Kent and the Dumb Angels are working on their first CD, which should be released by this summer. The group’s Jan. 26 gig at Fort Worth’s Fat Daddy’s is an opening set for headliners the Bart Crow Band.

• Review: 'John David Kent,' John David Kent [+ Show ]
  

  Former teen rockers have options. The guys from Radish turned to their Texas roots. Radish frontman ...Former teen rockers have options. The guys from Radish turned to their Texas roots. Radish frontman Ben Kweller continued his career with alt-meets-Americana. Now it's Radish drummer John David Kent's turn.
  
  With his eponymous disc, Kent attempts to cover all the Texas music bases. Among the 15 tracks are train songs, road songs, love ballads, a shotgun tune and a couple of nostalgia offerings. The first single, My Girl, about a self-assured young woman, has mighty country-rock sing-along anthem potential.
  
  Kent treads dangerously near the cliché traps but avoids most. An experienced record producer, a road-tempered performer, an excellent singer with an excellent band, a songwriter with some chops, an arranger with great ideas and a music-biz veteran who knows what sounds good, Kent pulls the right strings to strike responsive chords.
  
  Even if you find Back to the Country too sweet and Two Shotguns overkill, you've got to love the snuff-dipping My Girl heroine.
  
  Jim Beal Jr.

Setlist

Sets consists mostly of originals...

Basic Requirements

Calendar