Kevin Long CD Release Show at the A Club on Tuesday, July 12th
My ears first learned about Kevin Long on March 6th of 2009; that was a while ago. I have since seen Kevin many many many times since then. Each time swaying back and forth to the music and swept up by his charm. What always surprises me about Kevin Long is how nice he is; he doesn’t put on a different face or try and show off. It’s Kevin Long and he is a good egg.
It didn’t take more than a song for the floor to be filled last night during Kevin Long’s CD Release Show. As soon as his vocals warmed up the room, family and friends quickly floated to the front of the floor. Swaying, dancing, and softly singing along Kevin captivated us with his music. “Small Town Talk” is the name of his new album and I think the name is perfect and so fitting. It takes more than a spoonful of sugar to talk about some of the subjects in his songs.
The last few times I have seen Kevin perform, at least one of his brothers, have performed on stage with him. I like the chemistry they have with Kevin! It’s always great to see him perform with a full band! I love the musical addition and harmonies; they add a new level to his songs!!! Kevin did perform a few solo songs for us… which felt like home; like I was sitting surrounded by brick walls and good company.
Do you know how there is vanilla, and then there is vanilla bean, which is like a whole different more delicious level of vanilla, that is Kevin Long’s new album, for me. Hearing his music recorded for the first time on an album, with backup vocals and new instruments is like discovering a completely different Kevin Long, but in the end it’s still the lovely Kevin Long that I know. I am very impressed with his album; just as I was with his set last night.
Kevin Long performed quite a few songs for us. It was funny, since it was an all ages show he was worried about the time… so Kevin was like this is our last song (everyone was disappointed) so he played one more then checked the time and realized he had plenty, so we got to hear a few extra songs… which put a smile on everyone’s face. Some of the songs Kevin performed off his new album included “Dance,” “Hometown Remedy,” “In the Nick of Time,” “Green to Grey.” He also managed to perform his cover of “When Rosa Speaks” by Pickwick and his final final song was “Goodnight Moon.”
Surrounded by wonderful people I hadn’t seen in a while, last night brought back some of the magic I was missing in the Spokane Music Scene. Kevin Long’s music brought out everyone! The crowd was reeled in by his performance and he was just glowing on stage. It was really cool.
Now I have to come back to reality and remember he lives in Seattle now and we won’t have the opportunity to see him live again for a while; however that is why we have the album… so we can enjoy his music until we meet again.
You can listen to “Small Town Talk” and purchase the album HERE.
Photos courtesy of Matt Auclair.
