Kevin Spencer was born and raised in Hamilton, ON. He began his career as a musician/writer/producer at age 15 with 102.1 The EDGE New Music Finalists the Misunderstood. His groundwork with the Misunderstood eventually led him to Vancouver. While there, Kevin worked on over 20 records and was a part of some 40 tours. He still attributes his work on the Lilith Fair tour as the defining moment that opened his eyes to a future in music. Kevin was awestruck at the idea of being the youngest person on the Lilith Fair tour playing among some of his own musical heroes and landing in Rolling Stone magazine for the first time.
While Kevin worked diligently in Vancouver, the right people began to take notice. Kevin was summons to New York City for an audition. Little did he know that this audition would land him the lead role in the national tour of Broadway’s smash hit, modern-day LaBoheme meets rock n’ roll musical RENT. Kevin would spend the next 20 months on the road performing over 500 shows as the afflicted “Roger Davis.” His desire to develop his own musical identity prompted Kevin to leave RENT and subsequently turn down several other high-profile theatre and television opportunities.
Kevin began working around the clock on his first solo release, the EP “Alone Not Lonely,” which was released earlier this year. The record, produced by Kevin Spencer and Vancouver’s Jeff Dawson (Daniel Powter) with mixing by Thom Russo (Jay-z, Audioslave, Prince) has steadily been gaining momentum since its debut. Kevin is proud of his first solo recording but has even bigger plans for the new music he has been finishing while in Atlanta.
When he isn’t working on his own music, Kevin spends his time working for and learning from master producer Daniel Lanois (U2, Peter Gabriel, Dylan). The Lanois way of challenging Kevin on everything from day-to-day tasks to musical styling only adds to Kevin’s pursuit.
“The future is wide open.” --Tom Petty
WE ASKED KEVIN A FEW QUESTIONS... HERE'S WHAT HE HAD TO SAY
IS THIS A BAND OR A SOLO PROJECT?
I grew up listening to bands. The Who, The Beatles, Queen, Radiohead, U2, The Jam, The Clash... So for me its always been about that. We all want to feel a part of something greater than ourselves, but when I started writing and arranging the instruments on the EP it was just me at the kitchen table writing songs, drum parts, bass lines and such. However the answer is at the end of the day... A band is a band. Im lucky to have people that believe.
HOW DID YOU END UP IN RENT?
Here's the short version. I was just finishing a tour when I received a random phone call. Seems I had met some folks from Bernard Telsey casting while I was on Lilith Fair. They asked me to NY for a meeting. I spoke to them... sang for them... not knowing they had already auditioned 2500 guys. I played Roger Davis for 550 shows over two years. What a wonderful experience, but it definitely came out of nowhere for me. Up until that point I had only seen RENT posters...
WHAT KIND OF MUSIC DO YOU PLAY?
I play pure form rock music. Meaning... if you cant play it on an acoustic instrument I dont want to play it. Over editing and Auto Tune have no place in my life. For those of you that dont know... Auto Tune is a program that allows you to sing in key when you really cant. Hello half of the artists on the radio today. If you cant sing it every day, twice a day... Dont put it on your F'ing record.
"Hope to see you on the Road. Like most of you... Music is my everything." Kevin
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