Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
August 9, 2002:
Kevin McKinney
McVein in Green (Shat) With "all sounds & selections by Kevin McKinney," recorded in part at the sole hat man's own Shatcave, McVein in Green is no one-man operation. K. McVein is credited as engineer, abuse was Bucky Tennison, and Conrad Choucroun took care of French translation. Digital Audio Monkey came courtesy of Russ C. Smith. It's opener "Rot With You" and its Todd Rundgrenesque pastoral pop warmth ("on the other side of the sunset, I could almost see you laughing") that turns heads, however. The compact groovy of "Tornadic" and "$5 Man," all upstroke riffing, rattle trap percussion, and McKinney's jive minstrel vocals give way to the loping sunny daydream of "Goodbye," a lovin' spoonful of John Sebastian. Just before things get too summer-of-love, a familiar Soulhat burst propels "Killers, Thieves & Conmen" on roiling basslines and drumming, while guitars phatten and peal. The lazy glow of "T.V. Factory" recalls a Sixth Street rerun of McKinney/ Schneider/Pike from a decade back. So do the snoozing "City People," "Shame," and generic "Lovesong #17." The Nintendo funk of "I'm No Rapper" ("... but there's a snapper in my crapper") could only be one person, though. An Austin institution whose first disc under his own name is a modest yet sturdy addition to a beloved local cottage industry.
- Austin Chronicle
"Experiments On A Flat Plane" - Soulhat
Terminus Records 0005-2
review by Chris Gardner and John Kotarski
The first full-length release from Austin's Soulhat in six years bristles with the full-bodied grooves, wry lyrical witticisms, and irresistible hooks that made the band a favorite throughout the South in the early 90's. The band, again fronted by chief songwriter Kevin McKinney, relies on the road-tested chops of B.E. "Frosty" Smith behind the kit, John Vogelsang on bass, and Mac McNabb on guitars and Hofner bass to concoct its distinctive Texas shuffle and churn.
"Experiments On A Flat Plane" returns to the more acoustic sounds of 1992's "Outdebox" rather than the weightier, metallic crunch of 1994's "Good to Be Gone" -- but by acoustic, we don't necessarily mean quiet. Everything you've come to expect from this band is there, including some nice electric solo work and those bluesy, syncopated riffs, but the emphasis has decidedly returned to songwriting. The arrangements, in turn, vary from understated to sublime and feature heaps of acoustic guitar and harmonies.
The album opens with the dreamy Loading before launching into Plastic, a groove-based rocker typical of the "old school" SHAT Records shuffle with it's Jon Spencer-inspired, distorted guitar lead and quirky lyrical outlook on the state of the world ("bottles and cans are holding hands, credit cards come in any size"). The rolling underbelly of Flat Plane is all Frosty, whose nimble, quick-fire stick work has backed Sly, P-Funk, Rare Earth, and innumerable others throughout his career. Frosty is, as always, the backbone to the beast, slapping down irresistible, head-boppin' beats throughout the disc.
The re-worked Mailbox, a Soulhat staple since 1990, adds punch to this reggae-flavored stalker confessional. McNabb's slippery electric snarl sets the creepy but innocuous tone for this tale of harmless obsession.
Despite driving rockers like Gone and Cash, acoustic guitars still fuel the ship, and never more so than on WNBA, the heart-breaking, country flavored, double-count lament of a man who has lost his "girl" to professional basketball. Gender politics aside, WNBA is an exercise in rhymed hilarity and shameless pun as the narrator waits out a, "jump ball for my poor heart," and wonders aloud, "How will I rebound from misery?"
The well-crafted slink of City bounces from shimmering riff to riff, riding its harmonies like swelling waves. It gives way to the slither of Skin, another wistful story of failing romance whose spare instrumentation and simple harmonies leave the focus on the melody, which will creep right "under your skin" and nest for days.
All things considered, there is not a single throwaway on the 12-tune outing. Sure, short tunes bookend it, but even if you tossed out those nice little ditties, you'd still have an album that proves Soulhat's weight and muscle is still all about turning-out songs you just can't stop singing to yourself. The only complaint is that, at a mere 40 minutes, there just isn't enough of it.
- Jambands.com
Austin Experience.com
Kevin McKinney
First things first. Who is Kevin McKinney? Even if you don't recognize the name, you've probably heard Kevin before. Kevin is the front man and driving force behind Soulhat, one of the most established Austin bands. Kevin's new CD, McVein in Green, is a solo project. And I must emphasize the word solo. Kevin is not only responsible for all the instrumentation on the CD, he also produced the CD himself and released it on Shat Records (Soulhat Records).
Being such a fan of Soulhat, there was no question that I had to get my hands on Kevin's solo effort. When speaking with Kevin, it was apparent that he was fed up with the major labels. I asked him about McVein in Green. He simply explained that he'd been writing music and he needed to get it out. He simplified the process by playing everything and putting it out himself. In Brian Waltz, a cut off Soulhat's Outdebox you hear the line, 'I'd rather be in control than be bought and sold.' I think that's the case with McKinney. He'd rather control his own fate. (And he's going about it the right way.)
Taking into consideration that Kevin has consistently written exceptional songs for Soulhat, he has a lot to live up to with his release of McVein in Green. Rot With You is one of these gems to be treasured by any fan of this Austin icon. It has a soothing rhythm that draws you in and calms your soul. I have been driving my wife crazy because I can't get the melody out of my head, and I've been singing the song nonstop. $5 man is reminiscent of early Soulhat funk/rock. McKinney's unique mix of acoustic rhythm guitar and finger picking makes his music easy to recognize. Goodbye is another standout song. Its infectious groove grabs you right from the beginning, and makes it virtually impossible to keep your body still. Killers, Thieves & Conmen kicks it up a notch with its bluesy bass line and straight-forward electric guitar. Shame begs to be on my next mix CD. I'd keep my ears on the radio for this one. All in all, the CD gets my stamp of approval. It's remarkably well put together for a true solo effort. If you're a Soulhat fan, I would consider this a must have to add to your collection. Never heard Kevin or Soulhat before? Check Kevin out at the Austin City Limits Music Festival. Or, tune into KLBJ (93.7 FM) around 5:05 p.m. each Friday. Johnny Walker kicks off each weekend with the extended version of Soulhat's Bone Crusher.
- Austinexperience.com
Discography
Soulhat EP (Shat)
Outdebox (Epic)
Good to be Gone (Epic)
Experiment on a Flat Plane (Terminus)
The Chrismas Album (Shat)
McVein in Green (Shat)
Talking to Plants (Shat)
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
You could’ve set your watch by it. If you had tuned in to Austin’s #1 rock station, KBLJ, each and every Friday at 5:00 PM for the past decade, you would’ve always heard the same thing: Kevin McKinney’s growling “Bonecrusher.” A veritable stalwart on Austin’s live music scene since fronting the legendary roots-rockers Soulhat, Kevin earned a loyal following across the country while on the HORDE tour with Blues Traveler and the Dave Matthews Band. This grassroots movement led to a deal with Sony/Epic in the 1990s.
Kevin eventually packed up the sound he had forged with Soulhat and took it solo, re-emerging with 2002’s McVein In Green, a more laid-back compilation of songs than he had ever recorded and featuring the remarkably romantic single, “Rot with You.” Earlier this year, he followed up the success of that album with Talking To Plants, another set of quirky, catchy, folk-funk-tunes simultaneously soulful, insightful and playful, as unique as the mischievous character who brought them forth. But don’t think you’ll find Kevin scaring the laid-back coffeehouse circuit anytime soon; his trademark folk-funk is too much for the latté set to handle.
Kevin has proven himself to be the consummate music industry survivor. As one reviewer put it, he’s like Col. Walter E. Kurtz from Apocalypse Now, who, “when the top brass tried to rein him in, he refused and kept going, and kept winning it his way.”
Of course, just like Col. Kurtz, Kevin’s rebelliousness knows no boundaries, including the outrageous idea of recording his extraordinarily full sound in his own kitchen. “I have spent way more money on ‘produced’ music that sounded worse than my original four-track recordings,” says Kevin. What results is the product of someone who critics have called “a one-man pop savant,” with a truly revolutionary attitude toward his craft: “I write these songs, and if they stick,” he says, “I play ‘em.”
Kevin has built his reputation on the back of his live shows, which range from intimate solo acoustic outings to full-on power trio explosions, with vocals described by critics as “warm, rich and containing a unique tone and affectation that endears the most jaded of industry-types.” The live sets remain simultaneously satisfying to the legions of Soulhat fans yet quickly attracting the uninitiated.
“I make music not by choice – it chose me. I never intended to do this for a living, “Kevin says. We can all be glad he does.
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