If ever there was a musician made to play one of AUK’s exclusive mini-gigs, that would be Kevin Daniel. This is a musician I’d go to see anytime he has a gig that’s within reasonable driving distance. Yes, Kevin, if you’re reading, that’s more than 10 minutes away. Besides his songs and unpredictable setlists, he’s a character in a good way with stage presence galore and a sharp wit that’ll keep you smiling throughout, thanks to his knack for telling a fascinating story.
Anyone who sends out newsletters with the salutation “Hi fam” has a sense of humor, though on the macabre side if you happen to know the story of how his parents died in a plane crash. But he’s dealt with that tragedy through his music, by way of the title song on his “Things I Don’t See” album and ‘Denny’s Song’ from his EP, “Fly.” And he still has a brother and sister. Aren’t those of us who like his music part of an extended family in the sense that we wish him the best? And that best is surely to come. He was recently asked to open a Brittany Howard show in Colorado, which put him in the spotlight before a large audience. And who knows who else may have noticed him? Lately, this self-proclaimed, Americana rock artist embarked on a Texas tour with a full band, undoubtedly expensive but again putting himself in front of more people.
So, catch his shows at small venues while you can because my guess is bigger things are in store for Kevin Daniel. In the meantime, you can watch him right here in the next edition of AUK’s series of exclusive mini-gigs, which Daniel recorded in his home studio in East Nashville. The guitar he’s playing is his cherished 1958 Martin 000-17 guitar, which he got years ago at Southside Guitars when living in Brooklyn. That’s the New York Brooklyn, of course. Behind him you can see a Gretsch drum kit, keyboard and a saxophone, which was the first instrument he learned how to play.
He began the set with a new song called ‘Good to Know,’ a co-write with hot Nashville songsmith Maura Streppa, intended for his next album on the Organic Records label. They also released his latest album, “The Life and Adventures of Kevin Daniel.” That actually sounds more like the title of a biography, and in a way it is since many of his songs are reflective of what had been going on in his adventuresome life at the time. “The song is basically a conversation with my current partner about the benefits of my previous partner, and one of those benefits is if we hadn’t broken up, I wouldn’t be with the one I’m with now.” From that bit of circular logic, he moves on to one from his latest album, another co-write with Streppa along with Van Wagner called ‘Singer and the Song.’ “It’s saying not everybody with musical ability and talent has to follow that path. Some just love making music and want to keep their daytime job while making music on the side. That’s fine, but it’s not how I feel about it.” Its chorus has this bittersweet refrain, “For every Johnny Cash, there’s a Johnny on the street, For every Dolly Parton, there must be a Jolene.” The third and last song is another new one about not wanting to go home. How new is it? So new that it doesn’t have a title yet.
If you liked what you heard, check out KD’s music at his website, which he pronounces as thekevindaniel.com, with the emphasis on “the” as if he was a graduate of the Ohio State University. His songs are also on all the usual suspects in the world of streaming music, though you won’t find two of the three songs he plays in the mini-gig until his next album is released in 2025. And that, friends, is one of the reasons AUK brings them to your screen. The other, naturally, is convincing you to sign up for the Daily Digest, found under the info tab on the home page, where none of those annoying pop-ups will spoil the hours you could spend reading the substantial amount of album reviews, Q & A interviews, live music reviews and all sorts of other interesting features. Most importantly, you’ll never miss another one of these free mini-gigs.
