Sometimes, the best folksingers don’t come from the backwoods or shanty towns, or the coastal cities in the UK, but reside next door and sometimes are even in places you’d never expect to find them. KEVIN SECONDS is one of the latter kind. With his newest album OFF STOCKTON, an 11-track collection of heartfelt songs (Rise Records; February 18, 2014), this singer/songwriter splits his time crafting gorgeous rootsy folk songs with fronting legendary American hardcore punk band 7 Seconds. Stripped bare and raw, these songs have little semblance to anything from his alter ego’s domain. Off Stockton is the sound of a man and his acoustic guitar, with the occasional subtle accompaniment of assorted friends, and a whole lot of stories to tell.
Very DIY to the point which excess production sounds almost unneeded, Off Stockton is an emotionally visceral and musically untainted work of heart, one of the loveliest albums made in recent times. From the mid-tempo strum of “My Recollection” which features the dreamy harmonies of his wife Allyson, to the skipping beat of “All the Killers”, to the velvety pedal steel of “Truth Be Told”, this album shows a vastly different side of Kevin Seconds. He delivers these tracks with the conviction of a man born on the bayou, not of a punk raised in Sacramento.
With several albums and EPs under his belt including a split release with Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba, Kevin Seconds first began uncovering his other life as a “pop troubadour with a protest singer’s heart” in 1989 and has been going strong ever since. Originally beginning as a side project from his seminal band that helped established West Coast hardcore punk with Circle Jerks, Suicidal Tendencies and Youth Brigade, Kevin Seconds built a very viable and credible independent solo career. Touring with such artists as Elliott Smith, Bob Mould, Chuck Ragan, Jonathan Richman, and John Doe, his five previous solo albums established his importance in singer/songwriter circles. With the upcoming release of Off Stockton, he stands to cement his presence even more firmly an d permanently.
With a multi-continental tour including North America, Europe, and his first forays in Australia and South America, Kevin Seconds joins the ranks of being one of the hardest working performers in the underground music community today. Off Stockton will be released on February 18, 2014 via Rise Records.
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KEVIN SECONDS OFF STOCKTON
KEVIN SECONDS SET TO RELEASE OFF STOCKTON 2/18
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