Mike Meadows-percussion innovator, vocals
John Bush- percussion galore
Ed Friedland-upright bass extraordinaire
and sometimes
Ron Flynt- keyboards, vocals
Buy the album here.
or download it here
Influences
here we go.....this is tough since it's hard to always know what is an influence, especially on an unconscious level. Here are some of the conscious ones: the Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Sly and the Family Stone, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Joe South, Dusty Springfield, Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Waterboys, the Pogues, Otis Redding, Ike and Tina Turner, John Lennon, Sade, Tom Waits, Booker T. and the MGs, the Meters, Neil Young, George Harrison, World Party, Shuggie Otis, Bob Marley and the Wailers, Lisa Mednick, Chuck Prophet, Outkast, Ian Hunter, Aimee Mann, D'Angelo, Townes Van Zandt, Grant Green, Citizen Cope, Phil Upchurch, T-Bone Burnett, Miles Davis, the Band, Big Star, ELO, Tricky, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Doug Sahm, the Animals, Keith Richards, Toots and the Maytals, all of the stellar musicians with whom I've had the privilege to play, my socio-economic status, my blood sugar level, the war, and on and on and on. As Townes Van Zandt once said when asked what his influences were " the grass, the wind, the trees" everything influences the creation of music.
Sounds Like
some of the past, some of the present with a little of the future....
"Take equal parts of George Harrison’s pop-rock ethereality, the sweet side of Paul Westerberg’s songwriting and the sleek classicist rock’n’roll of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, and you have a hint at the riches within Kevin Carroll’s Tourmaline. It’s a seductive tour de force that plays more and more like one of your all time favorite albums every time you spin it."
- Rob Patterson
Veteran music journalist
From its very first notes, Kevin Carroll’s Tourmaline plays like a genuine classic album — alluringly familiar yet deliciously new and enticing music that obviously springs from its creator’s heart and hits the listener’s own heart as well as mind and soul. Though Carroll is best known as the lead guitarist in Texas country-rocker Charlie Robison’s band The Enablers, it’s anything but a sideman’s solo project or a guitar player’s album. Rather, it’s a rich landmark work of rock’n’roll from a genuine full-fledged musical artist.
Like the mineral it takes its name from, Tourmaline is a gem of many colors and facets. Between the bookends of the “Tourmaline Theme” at the album’s beginning and end unfolds a thematically-linked set of compelling and affecting music with a coherence, eloquence, emotional resonance and musicality that compares to some of the finest rock’n’roll albums that have preceded it. The sound recalls the best artists and moments of AM Top 40 and album rock radio — including stunning parts and figures from Carroll’s guitar — and the songs have a timeless resonance as they explore deep and important human matters with a personal touch. From such meditations as “Another Way,” “Disappear,” “What Was I Thinking?” and the title track to rockers like “Box Of Wine” and “Speed Of Night” to such celebrations of spirit as “Give It Away” and “Make It Feel Good” to the grace note of “At The End Of The Day,” Tourmaline is a vivid pageant of musicality and meaning. In short, it plays like an album for the ages.
Even prior to its release, Tourmaline is evoking critical raves. “Take equal parts of George Harrison’s pop-rock ethereality, the sweet side of Paul Westerburg’s songwriting and the sleek classicist rock’n’roll of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, and you have a hint at the riches within Kevin Carroll’s Tourmaline,” says veteran Austin-based music journalist Rob Patterson, reviewer over the years for such rock magazines as Creem, Crawdaddy, Spin, Musician, Request, Harp and many other publications. “It’s a seductive tour de force that plays more and more like one of your all time favorite albums every time you spin it.”
Tourmaline was born out of loss and created from the emotions, wisdom, revelations and personal growth that follow it. The Austin, Texas-based Carroll had already made an initial splash leading his band The Sleestacks with his 1997 album Redemption Day — rated as “an excellent debut” and “a rewarding listen” by All Music Guide — when his mother unexpectedly died from a brain aneurysm. At the same time, the pressures of keeping a band together through everything from low-paying gigs to dodgy major label record deal offers was taking its toll.
During his college years, Carroll copped guitar licks from a hotshot Boise player with a regular gig at a local club — Rich Brotherton, now guitarist and producer for Robert Earl Keen. “I would go see him play when I should have been studying, and then go home and try to figure out what he did.” Eventually Carroll landed a spot in a Boise indie cowpunk band, I-84, and started writing songs.
After that group disbanded, he formed The Sleestacks — the name is from the Saturday morning kids show “Land of the Lost” — which quickly rose to the top of the Boise scene. Fired to do more with his music, he followed Brotherton to Austin and persuaded the rest of The Sleestacks to follow him. The band went through the typical rigmarole that promising bands often endure: changing members, being courted by Sire Records (who Carroll eventually turned down) and winning favorable reviews and the start of an audience in Europe.
But even though Carroll gave up leading a band and pursuing his own songwriting to become a hired gun in 1998 — fittingly, it was Brotherton who Kevin replaced for the Robison gig — songs began to come again to him. Eventually he had far more than an album’s worth of material that felt right and true to him and decided it was time to make another album. “It seemed to me like a healthy investment of time and money. What else would I do with my money?” Carroll quips.
“I really wanted to make a record in the style of those made in the 1960s and ‘70s, with an organic feel and sound, but digitally, though with almost all the parts being first takes.” Tourmaline even features such noted players from the era Carroll was emulating as keyboard player Ian McLagan (from The Small Faces and The Faces) and drummer Barry “Frosty” Smith (known for his work with Lee Michaels). Top Austin musicians Ron Flynt and George Reiff provided recording facilities and musical assistance while others like Chris Maresh (Eric Johnson and Toni Price) and and Bruce Hughes (from Poi Dog Pondering, The Ugly Americans and The Resentments) also lent their talents.
The result is a work that’s almost cinematic in its musical, lyrical and emotional splendor, with an impressionistic slant and a loose narrative theme threading throughout. “It’s about loss and people at various stages in that process. I started to feel like I was carving out a niche for myself as the Elizabeth Kubler-Ross of songwriting. Luckily I’ve since been writing songs about lots of other things and have already started working on the next album,” says Carroll.
And out of sorrow and loss emerged something comforting and inspiring as well as an artist who has firmly reconnected with his muse on a new and higher level than ever before. “It’s a once in a lifetime record,” concludes Carroll. “It was a journey, and it was awesome.” And once listeners take the journey with Carroll through Tourmaline, it’s an awesome experience for them as well that they will surely revisit time and time again.
Here’s a little info on me from the All Music Guide:
Kevin Carroll is a guitarist and a singer/songwriter. He moved from his hometown of Boise, ID, in 1991 to immerse himself in the excellent music scene of Austin, TX. He headed his own band in Austin for several years, releasing the CD Redemption Day in 1997. The album was originally released in Italy, where it received rave reviews. Then, Freedom Records released the record in the United States, where it was equally well-received. Carroll’s sound is diverse and expansive, encompassing elements of pop, soul, folk, and country within an Americana roots-rock base. Influences include Bob Dylan, Gram Parsons, the Pogues, and the Rolling Stones among others. Despite his modest success as a solo artist, Carroll decided to become a guitarist for hire in the Austin area. He has most notably gained acclaim as lead guitarist for SONY/COLUMBIA recording artist Charlie Robison.
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I’ve been a music journalist for more than 10 years. Over the years, many artists and managers have asked me what the best way to break into the European music market is.
Here are some things you can do:
Publish artist press releases, news, and tour dates to the CountryHome Forum on MySpace, http://groups.myspace.com/CountryHomeMagazine , CountryHome Forum is part of CountryHome, http://www.CountryHome.de , Germany's Premier Country Music Online Magazine. Everything you publish to the CountryHome Forum will be published in my weekly Newsletter which has over 80,000 readers.
Publish artist interviews in English to http://groups.myspace.com/CountryHomeMagazineInterviewsEnglish , interviews in French to http://groups.myspace.com/InterviewsAvecCountryMusicStars and interviews in German to http://groups.myspace.com/CountryMusikInterviews . All these groups on MySpace are part of CountryHome, http://www.CountryHome.de , Germany's Premier Country Music Online Magazine.
Send me CDs and DVDs for review and set up an artist interview with me. All reviews and interviews will be submitted to the magazines I'm writing for. More information for which magazines I'm writing can be found at http://www.MySpace.com/ChristianLamitschka
Upload artist videos to http://www.MyVideo.de and http://www.ClipFish.de . Both websites are like http://www.YouTube.com and uploading videos is free. The websites are completely in German. If you don’t speak German and need assistance, I will help you open an account and upload a video for 25 Euro. Each additional video upload for the same artist name and at the same video website is 10 Euro.
If you have more questions about the European music market or about any of the information I send to you today, please contact me at Ch.Lamitschka@t-online.de too.
Editor & Journalist for Country Music Christian Lamitschka An der Pfingstweide 28 61118 Bad Vilbel Germany
I’ve been a music journalist for more than 10 years. Over the years, many artists and managers have asked me what the best way to break into the European music market is.
Here are some things you can do:
Publish artist press releases, news, and tour dates to the CountryHome Forum on MySpace, http://groups.myspace.com/CountryHomeMagazine , CountryHome Forum is part of CountryHome, http://www.CountryHome.de , Germany's Premier Country Music Online Magazine. Everything you publish to the CountryHome Forum will be published in my weekly Newsletter which has over 80,000 readers.
Publish artist interviews in English to http://groups.myspace.com/CountryHomeMagazineInterviewsEnglish , interviews in French to http://groups.myspace.com/InterviewsAvecCountryMusicStars and interviews in German to http://groups.myspace.com/CountryMusikInterviews . All these groups on MySpace are part of CountryHome, http://www.CountryHome.de , Germany's Premier Country Music Online Magazine.
Send me CDs and DVDs for review and set up an artist interview with me. All reviews and interviews will be submitted to the magazines I'm writing for. More information for which magazines I'm writing can be found at http://www.MySpace.com/ChristianLamitschka
Upload artist videos to http://www.MyVideo.de and http://www.ClipFish.de . Both websites are like http://www.YouTube.com and uploading videos is free. The websites are completely in German. If you don’t speak German and need assistance, I will help you open an account and upload a video for 25 Euro. Each additional video upload for the same artist name and at the same video website is 10 Euro.
If you have more questions about the European music market or about any of the information I send to you today, please contact me at Ch.Lamitschka@t-online.de too.
Editor & Journalist for Country Music Christian Lamitschka An der Pfingstweide 28 61118 Bad Vilbel Germany
Hey ! Hoping Alls Well With You ! This Is To Inform You That You Can Also Contact Me On FACEBOOK. I'm There More Often. Search Name: Kenny ArtnSoul. Send Me A Friend Request At Your Convenience So I May Add You. Hope To See You There ! Peace, Love & God Bless !
Michael Brunnock's in depth interview with journalist Suzanne Connolly is uploaded and available to watch. It can be seen either on Michael's front page www.myspace.com/michaelbrunnock or on Fairplay Collective's video page http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=64241695
Kevin, Thank you for adding me to your list of friends. I really appreciate it. My current project is a fiction novel with CD soundtrack due out this fall. Wishing you continued success and a wonderful musical weekend.
How's it going? There is a free track available for you at the moment on our myspace page. Just click the FREE DOWNLOAD box at the top of the page and enter a valid email to download the tune. How cool is that!
Have a great week and thank you very much for being electronically connected to us as friends and fans.
Hey, there! Thought you might like to know The Invasion is playing 2 great shows this weekend: Friday : Knitting Factory : Benefit for Pulse Radio Sunday : Visual Arts Collective : Built to Spill Tribute & Jensen Family Benefit Hope you can make it!
Thanks for being our friend - check out the new updates on our website - www.latinplayboys.org. We've added a new video blog and we are featuring some really cool art in the coffee table book. Take a look when you get a chance! And spread the word about site - we'll be showcasing some fantastic visual artists.
Thanks for your friendship, these boys are my band, DEONLIGUAN, I’m playing again because of them. I really love them, have a look at the band www.myspace.com/deonliguanrock, good luck and Rock and Roll from Pamplona (Spain)
I think we might have played together with Matt Giles at the Austin Outhouse back around 1995? Did some Stax covers. I'm getting old so my memory's getting fuzzy.
I guess you're right about change. Damn! We're having a nasty inversion here. Sunny up on top of the hill and grey for days down here. I'm basically just trying to eat my way through it. ha ha We're supposed to see the big bright light in the sky by Thursday of this week. maybe. How's Austin?
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