MP3 Kevin Midgley - Closed For The Season

In late November when the ground has hard frozen and only the oaks and beech trees have their leaves, the wind picks up. A fine snow made up of pellets and flakes bigins to fall. That is the sound of these songs.

13 MP3 Songs
COUNTRY: Country Folk, FOLK: Folk Blues



Details:
Kevin has been performing in the southern Maine area for over 20 years in bars, clubs, and coffeehouses. He has shared the stage with drunken Elvis-loving marines (one million fans/gun-totin'patriots can't be wrong) toothless hillbilly ranchers on vacation from the Midwest, the soccer mom ghost of Janis Joplin, dogs of pedigree and mixed ancestry, many professional sports teams, and some of the finest and most patient musicians east of Calais. He is proud to have opened shows for Buddy Guy, James McMurtry, and Steve Forbert. He borrowed Townes Van Zandt's guitar and played him Mississippi John Hurt's "Make Me Down A Pallet". He berated John Sebastian(oops a couple whiskeys too many). His live sets are a mix of Delta and folk blues, and his own songs, which a teenage fanzine described as " old lady music - the stuff the babysitter uses to drive children into their bedrooms". The trendy song titles mask deeper subject matter. Midgley masterfully tackles appliances, home repair, small business, and the almost-murder ballad without being funny at all. A former friend of Kevin has said, "When I listen to this in the car I find myself going below the speed limit..."

The "project" was recorded in the fall of 2002 at the Track Farm in Cape Elizabeth, Maine with Pip Walter engineering. Mark Cousins, who has recorded with Slaid Cleaves, Cattle Call, & The Starline Rhthym Boys among others helped produce as well as play drums. Gary Shackleford plays lead guitar. Jay Conway plays harmonica. Pip Walter plays acoustic bass, Jim McGirr electric bass, and Tim Emery cameos on electric and baritone guitar. Mike Dank adds accordion and pump organ. The record was made using analog equipment and minimal processing. No compression was used in the mastering phase(Lance Vardis). Thanks to the folks at Transparent Cable for advice and cabling.

The core musicians met about two years ago at Uncle Billy's BBQ where great food, fermented beverage, and smokey ethics bound them in a dark brotherhood, involving ritualistic liver abuse and constant bitching about "the state of affairs". The songs were "written" over several decades. Midgley states, " If it wasn't for the day jobs it woulda been finished in the 70's." Have a listen and if you're disappointed, keep listening - it doesn't get any better. It really doesn't. In fact it gets a little worse...