STEPHEN KELLOGG AT FRONT PORCH MUSIC – a Music interest event taking place on 2016-07-22 20:00:00 in United States
STEPHEN KELLOGG AT FRONT PORCH MUSIC FRIDAY, JULY 22 2016 8PM Stephen Kellogg was born on November 28, 1976. He grew up in Southern Connecticut and in 1997 began his musical career in Northampton, MA while interning for a local club. A few years later, he married his high school sweet heart and began a well-publicized affection for his role as husband and later, father to their four daughters. Over the last decade he has performed more than 1500 concerts in more than a dozen countries, both solo and with a band. In 2013 Kellogg gave a TEDx Talk about job satisfaction. Recently on a tour of Europe, SK (as fans often refer to him) made a detour to play the Middle East, Africa and an aircraft carrier for the Armed Forces. Upon returning to the USA, he started his annual lyric writing campaign to raise money and awareness in the fight against pediatric cancer. At first glance none of this has anything to do with his music, but Stephen Kellogg would argue, it is the whole story. The music I make is a reflection of how I spend my time and what I care deeply about. When it comes to performing, CBS Radio has called Stephen, the best live act youve never seen. Another writer at No Depression magazine gives him the oddly flattering title of the best songwriter youre not listening to. Interestingly though while Kellogg may not be a household name at present, he has persisted in building a substantial career, which has landed him on stage with some of the biggest touring acts in the country (Train, Sugarland, OAR, Josh Ritter to name a few), in the billboard charts, and with his songs as the backdrop of numerous films and TV shows (One Tree Hill, Men of a Certain Age, Mercy). Perhaps most importantly to Kellogg, hes ingratiated himself into the lives of his listeners. That sort of mentality has garnered him descriptions like this one from Macaroni Kid, an unassuming manner, self-deprecating humor, a heart for those around him100% genuine and utterly moving. His Americana-tinged, sometimes folk, often rock, occasionally pop stylings can make Kellogg hard to define, and his most recent four part album South, West, North, East embraces the notion of genre splitting to the fullest. Recorded literally all over the map, the premise of South, West, North, East was to record each section of the album in a different region of the USA, with different co-producers and different groups of musicians. Ive never felt that the genre was as important as the message and making the record this way was a chance to really explore that idea. The end result is a collection of 20 songs that defy categorization. The Southern rock flavor of South (recorded in Nashville and Atlanta) slides into the cowboy motif of West (recorded on a farm in Boulder, CO); and the more indie rock feel of North (recorded in a cabin in Woodstock, NY) gives way to the songwriter pop of East (recorded in Washington DC). You often hear about the importance of picking a lane and while I completely understand the marketing savvy and focus of that concept, I picked my lane a long time ago; its called the words that describe what I believe to be true lane. With SPECIAL GUESTS NATIVE RUN Pegging country music duo Native Run is tougher than it might seem. "Very instrument-driven with acoustic guitar, banjo and mandolin," suggests the pair's Rachel Beauregard. "Country themes and very sing-able choruses. Bryan Dawley, her partner in music, appends, "We value songs that take common experiences and translate them in new and interesting ways. Things like love, heartache and life, but with our fingerprint on them."Getting closer. Maybe an understanding of some influences would help. "We really admire Keith Urban and Chris Thile (of Nickel Creek), because we gravitate toward exceptional playing, melodic hooks and vocals that really connect," Beauregard continues. "We love layers of sound and melodies … a lot of that comes from bluegrass, as well as Bryan's classical training. It adds up to a very unique sound."Unique, how? Perhaps a bona fide expert could provide context. "They are such a mix in terms of the acoustic instrumentation and popular sensibilities," says GRAMMY-winning producer Luke Laird (Kacey Musgraves). "Instantly, it just made sense that it could have mass appeal." Finally, some clarity. Now all Native Run needs is a snappy catchphrase. Something simple, like organic, acoustic, musically smart, powerful, playful-yet-heartfelt arena rock country music. Native Run released their brand new EP, When I'm Taken, that is available on iTunes, Amazon, and Spotify.
at Front Porch Music 505 E Lincolnway Valparaiso United States – Add your South African Event here.
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