Seattlest Music Recommends: Kevin Long CD Release Tomorrow

Kevin Long has been a musician in Seattle for many years. An IT guy by day, he's been directing his artistic juju toward music with every spare minute he can get his hands on. A steadily growing following over the last few years, mostly in Spokane, has helped him gain some momentum as he plays live shows left and right to promote his upcoming release.

We caught up with Kevin amidst the flurry and anxiety that always surrounds a musician before a CD release show and he was nice enough to answer a few questions.

photo courtesy music.kevinlong.org

To give us a little background, tell us a bit about you and your journey over the last decade in life and music?

If you take it back a little further than a decade (say 17 years ago), that's when I picked up the guitar. Both of my folks played and were happy to show me my first few chords. I come from a big extended family full of musicians. It was about a decade ago that I actually wrote my first whole song though.

I think I hit my stride as far as really writing songs when I was about 21 and living in Seattle on Capitol Hill. That's when I realized that if I wanted to be a singer, I was going to have to be more intentional about song structures and more persistent about writing lyrics. That's something I've always struggled with. I can write guitar parts and melodies for days, but words are the hard part.

I was mortified to perform, especially to sing, in front of people. A few close friends of mine really pushed me to get out and play my first few small shows around that time and I am really thankful for that. I still get nervous sometimes, but it's nothing like back then. I've been playing shows, mostly solo, for about 6 years now. Making a record was the next hurdle to jump over and nobody really pushed me to do it. I had to finally really push myself and it took me getting to the right point in life to even be able to do that. I'm not very fast at making progress with my music--but I am very persistent.

What's been the hardest thing about being a musician?

Two main things come to mind. The first is that no matter how thick of a shell you grow, if you really put your true self into your music and expose your insides, many people are still not going to appreciate it. They won't even give it the time of day and that is hard. I think that's why I was so terrified of performing for such a long time. I had to get over it enough so that I could perform, record and share my songs with people. It's still hard sometimes thinking about the people who will talk through your set or skip over your songs online. Luckily enough people show true appreciation, sometimes very deep appreciation, and that's what keeps me going.

The second is being constantly mentally consumed. Most of my waking life is spent thinking about music in some capacity. Most of the time it's about whatever I'm writing, reflecting on what I've already written or trying to break some new ground lyrically. There's also a constant cycle of self confidence versus self doubt that I think is just part of being an artist of any kind. For me it's quite exhausting. It all feels like being a workaholic--without the salary.

Have most of your songs been autobiographical or are they more about life in general?

All of my songs up to this point are autobiographical. Some of them are written about friends, but it's all true stuff. I don't think my lyrical style is the same on all my songs, so there is a decent amount of variance in how transparent or opaque the "story" is. In the future I would like to intentionally try to write songs from my imagination--storyteller style. I'm not sure if that will ever work for me, but I'd like to try it.

What are some of your sources of inspiration? Do they change regularly or stay pretty much the same?

Music has always been a form of release for me--its generally my sorrow, doubt, and longing that fuel the fire of inspiration. I don't think that's a bad thing, and I don't think I will ever really change completely. I know I have grown a lot as a person since most of this record was written, though. Some of the songs on it are 4-7 years old and a lot has changed since then. I'm much more focused on living healthy and at least trying to be happy. Though there are some glimmers of hope on the record, most of it is pretty bleak. I've written a number of songs for the next record and I would definitely say the sources of inspiration have changed. I am writing more about growing into myself and dealing with what's in my heart. I'd like to think that in a few years (or less) I'll be traveling the world inspired by god knows what--I'd like it to surprise me, hopefully in a good way.

How have your personal struggles effected your music over the years?

I'd say its affected my music both positively and negatively. If I hadn't struggled with drugs and alcohol and relationships and depression and whatever else for all these years, I wouldn't have this record. Maybe I'd have a different one, I don't know. I might have 3 by now. I wasn't really healthy enough to get anything done for a long time, I was stuck on a hamster wheel. I would say that my struggles gave me things to write about, poignantly and truthfully, and allowed me to create songs that are hopefully beautiful and touch on a pretty deep level.

You're playing with your brothers as a full band at the cd release show at CCT, is it easier or more difficult to play with family rather than just fellow musicians?

As far as musical synergy is concerned, it's amazing to play with my brothers. They're twins and played in bands together since they were 5 years old, so they have an unspoken language already going on. There's nobody else I would rather be on the road with if we ever get the chance. Getting us all together to practice or play a show can be difficult though, even when we all lived in the same city. Sometimes it feels more informal since we are all family, not like a regular band that has members that are all a part of the same vision. My music is my vision, and I'm really lucky when I get my brothers to be a part of it--make it better. I'm still holding out hope that one day we can find a way to function as a more permanent unit. I'd have to share songwriting duties with one of my brothers since he writes and sings too.

What's your favorite song on your debut album? Why?

That's a really tough call. I had 7 years worth of songs to choose from when I went in to record the album, so the ones I did choose all mean a lot to me. My favorite to listen to is the last track "To Taste of You Again". Its a bittersweet love song and I just really like the way it sounds. It's really the only "love song" on the record and I think it offers some much-needed sweet relief from the content of the rest of the record.

Is there a theme that flows throughout the album or are they individual songs each with their own story?

To me there is a theme. A lot of the record is about dependence. About behaviors that people do that are ultimately bad for them but can't stop doing. I've dealt with that a lot myself and witnessed it in a lot of people I know. The phrase "Small Town Talk" (the name of the album) in its most basic definition refers to people in a small town gossiping to one another about things which, in the grand scheme of things, are very inconsequential. That represents having a narrow world view, being inside the box. In reality, there is a huge world out there and no bounds to what one is capable of if they make the right choices and persevere. The record to me is a commentary on the tragedy of being trapped in your own small town, but it does offer a glimmer of hope that you can really go wherever you want to go.

Listen to the full album right here or on his bandcamp site and watch the Ballard Sessions vid below. You'll be hooked by the time the second song fades in.

In all this time, it is hard to believe that he hasn't been able to put together an album but there it is. Tomorrow is finally his time to shine with the record complete and ready to hit the shelves. He'll be performing at the Columbia City Theater to celebrate the auspicious occasion and you'd be a fool to miss out. He has a fantastic bill to round out the evening with Sean McGrath opening and Noah Gundersen closing out the show. So don't be a fool, grab your ticket now for what promises to be an incredible night.

Saturday at Columbia City Theater // Doors at 9pm, 21+ // tickets $8