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about the artist KEVIN SO ... "Kevin So is beginning to do for young Asian-Americans what Woody Guthrie did for Dust Bowl refugees and Bob Dylan for the '60s generation. Carving his songs from sweet r&b, hot rock, hip-hop, and folk-pop, he presents his life and times in brash strokes of insight, all underscored by a deeply felt pride in being both Asian and American." That's what Scott Alarik of the Boston Globe says about Kevin So, one of the most exciting and powerful singer/songwriters to emerge from the Boston music scene. Making a name for himself as a boundary-stretching singer/songwriter, So's original blend of pop, rhythm & blues, and hip hop has garnered the attention and praise from Billy Bragg, Martin Sexton, Mary Lou Lord, Richie Havens, David Wilcox, and most recently Keb' Mo'. Fans all over the world have caught on to So's lyrical truths and his knack for engaging people through his music, intense storytelling, and foot stomping performances. He has been nominated 8 times for the Boston Music Awards and has opened for some of the industry's best known acts including Joe Cocker, Randy Newman, Richie Havens, Billy Bragg, Mary Lou Lord, Boz Scaggs, Livingston Taylor, Ellis Paul, Martin Sexton, Chris Smither, and Dar Williams. He has played the main stage at the world-renowned Kerrville Music Festival in Texas as well as such famed clubs as The Fillmore West in San Francisco, Buddy Guy's Legends in Chicago, The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and The Beacon Theater in New York City. Kevin's 2003 release "Leaving The Lights On" - a double album - is what he describes as "my Asian American Songs in The Key of Life ... my Kwan-drophenia ..." combining such diverse influences as Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Tupac Shakur, Michael Jackson, and Marvin Gaye. Confronting identity, sexuality, history, family, and racism, this recording is one of the most talked about independent albums of the past year. Kevin has also written a song with legendary bluesman Keb' Mo' called "Talk" which was released on Keb' Mo's latest CD "Peace Back By Popular Demand" (Sony Records) - in response to the tragic events of 9/11. Now with a rigorous touring schedule and playing almost 200 shows per year, Kevin So has quickly become one of the most sought after artists on the national music scene. He currently lives in Brooklyn, NY and has rediscovered his love for Chinese bakeries. For more info on Kevin, please visit his website at www.kevinso.com about "Leaving The Lights On" (2003)... (a note to myself) What I want to do is simply share my songs and music with anyone who's willing to listen. The songs lately have been about issues I've been dealing with since I was very young -maybe around 12 to 16 years old. Things like racism - from bullies in high school to social injustice like what happened to Vincent Chin. Shit like this happens everyday - and if I don't write and sing about this, and if I cannot share this with people, then we aren't confronting what's going on. My father passed away August 10, 2000 and then a year later, my best friend Henry lost in his fight with cancer on September 28, 2001. In the past 2 years, I've made it a personal mission to set the record straight - at least in my life. To capture a moment in time when things were simpler - no laptops, no palm pilots, no planners, no cars, no major deadlines, no stress, no bull$%#. So I decided to reflect for a while and try to remember what it was like to be 12 years old again and realized as I was writing a bunch of songs that this experience wasn't gonna be all jellybeans and kick the can. But I knew I was onto something and the muse kept saying "feed me !" So I did. Since then, I've written about 30 songs - all snapshots of "a day in the life of VICTOR WOO" - a character I created - yeah - it's pretty much about me on the first day of school September 1982. If some of this didn't happen THAT day, it certainly happened. It still happens unfortunately. What I hope is that people will REMEMBER their own past a little bit and realize that some of the shit that they deal with everyday is really not THAT important. Coz I was having this conversation with a friend of mine about how - when you take into consideration the history of the world - we're here and gone just like THAT ! (snap) "life's too short to not take chances, gonna live before I die ... in the blink of an eye" -from "In The Blink of An Eye" Check out the artist's website: http://www.kevinso.com Track List: 1. (disc 1) average asian american 2. flashback to 1982 3. new day begun 4. henry 5. short end of the stick 6. crush on you 7. abacus 8. what goes around comes around 9. somehow we will get by 10. streets of chinatown 11. i had a dream 12. shirts n' skinz 13. not alone 14. mi casa es su casa 15. when it rains it pours 16. call it a day 17. (disc 2) in the blink of an eye 18. lewnleyenterlewd 19. the loneliest person in the world 20. if it were up to me 21. tonight and the morning after 22. don't blow it, kid 23. calm before the storm 24. stanley chin 25. end of your rope 26. upstairs 27. one big happy family 28. when i come home 29. rainonconversation 30. frank 31. leaving the lights on 32. 4th of july Other Genres:
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