Gothic Americana Noir.

11 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Emo, ROCK: Americana



Details:
"With Their Appalacian echoes & imaginative new lyrics, Orton's songs reach straight for the audience"
-St. Louis Post Dispatch

"Nick Cave meets Johnny Cash"
-The Cincinnati Enquirer

"Jars you to the strangeness of this American landscape...Deserted fairgrounds, unlit country roads, sawdust floored barrooms, vandalized cemeteries and overstayed debutante balls...Born of inner necessity"
-Amazon.com

Whether opening for the likes of the Violent Femmes in New York's Irving Plaza or playing to an inebriated audience of 2 preoccupied regulars, one thing remains constant in the songwriting of Kevin Orton: "I tend to write about people who are uninsured..."Inspired by old Blues & Hillbilly records, not to mention lethal doses of writers like William Faulkner & Dashiel Hammett, Orton's sound has at times been described in such as "Country Noir" or "Gothic Americana"---or as the songwriter himself likes to put it "agressive folk".

His debut album, Femme Noir, features an eccentric array of instruments ranging from dulcimer to tuba & musical saw. Guest artists include The Violent Femmes' Gordon Gano on violin; accordionist, Amy Kohn; & classically-trained cellist David Eggar. Slide guitar work comes courtesy of Swanky Hotel's David Cole Wheeler. Francine Wheeler(Come Sit Beside Me)and local NYC songwriting legend David Francis (Fake Valentine) also put in appearances. Co-production and engineering credit goes to multi-instrumentalist, Darryl Gregory (SaReel Project).

In addition to music, Orton is also an actor whose credits include Sir Peter Hall's 1999 Broadway revival of Amadeus, a long list of NYC & Regional Theatre productions in addition to film & tv appearences such as Law & Order. In 2004, he was seen in The Cincinnati Playhouse/ St. Louis Repertory production of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Cast as Feste, Orton also wrote & performed original music for the production which was decidedly far from"Shakespearean" .

These days Orton is abetted by a band best described as The Maledictions. The current line-up: Suzanne Kaiser (dulcimer, lap steel, midget accordion, kazoo), Andy Prosky ( lead & rhythm guitar), Paul Sousa (drums),Andy Townsend ( lead & rhythm guitar) & Andy Thornton (bass).

KEVIN'S NEW ALBUM, "IDLE HANDS" IS NOW AVAILABLE ON CDBABY!*Search for it under the name, THE MALEDICTIONS.