Kevin St. Michael
Raleigh, North Carolina, United States | INDIE
Music
Press
The Kevin Thompson Band captivated a packed crowd on Saturday, Jan. 20 at the Gathering Place on Seneca Turnpike. The three-piece outfit provided a wide-range of music from folk rock to alternative and blues. Eric LeFevre brought the funk on the bass while Jon Williams held the band steady on drums. The night however belonged to frontman Kevin Thompson. His innovative songwriting, raw vocals and virtuoso talents on the electric guitar left the crowd shouting for more.
Phil Coe made a guest appearance on harmonica in the middle of the set and also provided the occasional backup vocal. The group's ability to jam shone clear on crowd favorites like, "Sally Juggernaut" and "Light of Your Glorious," while Thompson and LeFevre left everyone amazed with the swelling, "Just A Little While."
The band will appear next at Rez AG, Feb. 3 at 8 p.m. More information on the band can be found at: www.kevinthompsonmusic.com or www.myspace.com/kevinthompson
©Life & Times of Utica 2006
- Utica Life & Times
Discography
The Escapist (2010)
Our King Has Come (Christmas Single 2010)
Wither. Fade. Remain. (2008)
Songs From A Broken Planet (2007)
Songs From Two Towns Over (2005)
Photos
Bio
Kevin St. Michael is a singer,songwriter, and recording artist. His music is a weathered and worn blend of rock, gospel, blues, folk, jazz, country and vintage r&b.
Kevin’s songs sound both fresh and familiar at the same time. He accomplishes this by embracing his musical roots and influences but refusing to be limited by them. Instead, St. Michael uses his influences and a spirit of experimentation as a starting point and fine-tunes the initial creative spark into songs that blur the lines between genres. The result is front and center vocals underscored by a current of rich sonic textures mixed with vintage tones and colors.
In fact, strip away the over-driven guitars, the pulse rattling rhythm section that often accompanies him, the noises and sonic textures. Strip them away and at the core of Kevin’s music is a voice and a guitar.
Growing up as a preacher’s kid, Kevin was steeped in and surrounded by a rich tapestry of gospel choruses, songs and hymns. His early influences were equally shaped by his parent’s vinyl collection. Elvis Presley, Larry Norman, Phil Keaggy, The Beach Boys, and particularly Bob Dylan’s Slow Train Coming seemed to spin endlessly on the turntable.
His constant gigging and an openness to almost every genre of music has earned him a reputation as somewhat of a musical chameleon. Although this eclecticism has made him hard to categorize it has allowed him to play alongside hip hop, bluegrass, and hard rock acts throughout the country.
Kevin has performed, sometimes armed only with a guitar, with performers such as the Grammy nominated Emerson Drive, CCM chart-toppers Casting Crowns, and the critically acclaimed Derek Webb to name a few.
Kevin has recorded several full-length albums. His third release, Wither. Fade. Remain. (2008), was a concept album meditating on death, and life and was far more personal, more urgent, and more experimental than anything he had ever done before.
On his latest album The Escapist (2010) he writes about sin and redemption, about grace and forgiveness in songs about thieves, poets, princes,slaves, sojourners and gunslingers.
Kevin is currently working on a two recording projects the first is an experimental collaboration under the moniker Presenting the Monsters in Hi-Fi which is a combination of spoken word and genre-bending music. The second project is a follow up to The Escapist tentatively titled Black River Black which is expected Summer 2011.
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