speed of dark

I first experienced the lovely rock and folk songs of Kevn Kinney when my sister brought home Drivin n Cryin cassettes in the early 1990's. DnC emerged out of Atlanta in the mid-eighties and were influenced not only by Southern rock kings like the Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd, but also some of the new, inventive college-rock bands coming out of the area, like R.E.M. and Widespread Panic. Their albums ran the gamut from heavy metal-punk songs (thus the "Drivin") to soft, folky ballads (thus the "Cryin").

After about five years of DnC, lead singer Kevn Kinney released his solo debut, MacDougal Blues in 1990. The album was produced by Peter Buck of R.E.M., and features a decidedly softer, bluesy sound, contrasted by the raucous, metal music that Drivin n Cryin showed off on 1991's Fly Me Courageous.

Each of the songs on MacDougall Blues, even the sadder ones, have a touch of the absurd or silly to them. Many of the lyrics describe the hard life of a musician, or really anyone, who works diligently to achieve his dreams that are always just outside his grasp, while throwing in some funny turn of phrase to mask the frustration and wearyness. But don't let that deter you - the clever songwriting and lovely guitar will easily win you over. If you liked Wilco prior to Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, R.E.M.'s early days, and/or Ryan Adams when he isn't too down in the dumps, you'll enjoy Kevn Kinney. My favorite song on MacDougall Blues is not found in the song listing on the back of the CD; it's a hidden track known as "Goodnight Rhyme". It's a short, sweet little lullaby for a married couple who "sleep like spoons would in a drawer".

These days, Kevn Kinney is still making music and touring with his band Sun Tangled Angel Revival (STAR), which includes Bryan J. Howard, formerly of Slackdaddy and Dave V. Johnson, formerly of Kathleen Turner Overdrive. Check out Kevn Kinney's myspace page for more info about STAR and their tour schedule.

from MacDougal Blues (1990):
kevn kinney: macdougal blues
kevn kinney: iron mountain
kevn kinney: goodnight rhyme

live, with STAR, in 2004:
kevn kinney: honeysuckle blue [live]

live in 2005:
kevn kinney: i'm not your stepping stone [live paul revere & the raiders cover]
kevn kinney: all apologies [live nirvana cover]

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