"Earnest, yearning, tempestuous energized - even during the quieter ballads, he sounds like he couldn't sit placid even if you nailed his red sneakers to the floor."
- Jennifer Layton for Indie-music.com

15 MP3 Songs
FOLK: Wild Shake Acoustic

Gasping for Breath Songs


Details:
Gasping for Breath is the next determinate statement in Kevin Allred's musical career. Discharged in May 2003, the album is an exploration of love, loss, and politics. This new deeply personal record shows Kevin's songwriting maturing with full band arrangements and lush instrumentation on fifteen brand new tracks. The songs easily switch from folk to rock to country and even a little bluegrass and hip-hop. In line with Kevin's other work, his subject matter continues to blur the lines between the personal and the political. He takes his own life experiences and invites all people to share in the common emotions that shape our humanity.

Kevin is a fierce live performer, engaging audiences by mixing music, comedy, and politics with only the aid of his acoustic guitar. He has played shows all over the West and has appeared with fellow songwriters Garrin Benfield and Arjuna Greist, among others.

The self described Singer/Songwriter/Activist loved music from a young age. He picked up the guitar at 16 and, using the music training he already had in piano, taught himself how to play. Soon, he was writing his own songs and performing for friends in living rooms and backyards. In 1999, he released the now out of print Demo Tape. In 2000, Kevin took his musical career to the next level, founding Gutter Folk Records and releasing his professionally recorded debut, Sick Today on his label. Sick Today was later picked up and distributed by Hurricane Doria Records, an independent label run by singer/songwriter Doria Roberts out of Atlanta, GA. In 2002, "Blindside", a spoken word piece from Sick Today was featured on Queer Stock, Queer Soup, a double disc compilation album benefiting queer youth advocacy organizations across the country. The compilation also includes tracks from artists such as Melissa Ferrick, Catie Curtis, Doria Roberts, and Ani Difranco and was also released on Hurricane Doria Records. More recently, the song "Stay" from Gasping for Breath was chosen by Michelle Malone to be included on Volume 7 of her Independent Music Sampler series and was released in June 2003. Kevin continues to tour in support of the new album, building a loyal and diverse fan base.

What People are saying:
"On "Pretty Face", the opening track to his second full-length album Gasping for Breath (Gutter Folk), Utah-based, openly queer singer/songwriter Kevin Allred's guitar playing reminds me of Melissa Ferrick. Allred does not mince words..."
-Gregg Shapiro, Windy City Times

"He uses just his acoustic guitar to engage the listener with songs that aren't afraid to leave a message."
-JD Doyle, AudioFile

"Kevin Allred, white knight with the heart of a poet and a lion together takes steady aim at hypocrisy, intolerance, and heartache..."
-April Burrows, www.701.com