Photo by Shari Friedman via Kevn Kinney - Facebook
Kevn Kinney
Kevn Kinney
Kevn Kinney was an absolute beginner when his band, The Prosecutors, played the Starship, Milwaukee’s punk rock club, in the early ‘80s. Within a few years, he left town for Atlanta, formed Drivin’ n’ Cryin’ and has touring and recording ever since.
Kinney returns to his hometown on Thursday, Jan. 18 for a show at Shank Hall.
In recent years, Kinney has juggled a solo act with the band. The songs on the most recent release under his own name, Think About It (2022), are as thoughtful as the album’s title. His lyrics gently insist on further reflection of our everyday lives. His Drivin’ n’ Cryin’ albums are Stonesy in their command of rock and roll verities.
And then came the Kinney tribute album released last November, Let’s Go Dancing Said the Firefly to the Hurricane, on a small label with some big-name participants. “It is a most humbling experience,” Kinney says. “My wife Anna Jensen curated this project over the last few years beginning as a Covid 60th birthday video montage of my friends doing my songs. A few of them encouraged her to create an album of songs that I wrote as a fundraiser.”
Kinney was “surprised” by the response by the contributing artists. “I think she reached out through instant messaging and other avenues—like my phone book. I’m not quite sure.” When he heard the tracks she assembled, “I’m would be scratching my head” ‘Is that Wreckless Eric? Jeez! What the …? Gordon Gano? Jason Isbell? Pylon?’ On and on. I’ve really loved learning how these songs that I only really heard one way get reinterpreted. I find myself quite often wishing I could have recorded them that way.”
Kinney is working on his next solo album. “I’m going to do it in Nashville with some of my friends there. It will be my first time I recorded a solo outing there, so I’m going to take advantage of those amazing musicians like Robert Kearns, Audley Freed, Sadler Vaden, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Laur Joamets—but it’s really hard to establish myself outside of how people know me in Drivin’ n’ Cryin’, as all solo artists will tell you!”
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And Drivin’ n’ Cryin’ is still alive and touring “most weekends,” Kinney says. “We are trying to find a minute to record a down-and-dirty kinda anthem rock record—something a bit tongue in cheek and fun.”
Kinney tends to visit his hometown in winter. “I like doing a few shows when I come home for my Mom’s birthday week!
I usually try to play Shank, and my friends in the Miles Nielsen and the Rusted Hearts usually host me at this cool kinda VFW hall in Rockford,” he says.
