Website:
Music Style:
Americana pop-rock
Hometown:
Berkeley
Country:
USA
Band Description
Kevin Beadles unites indie pop-rock with the back porch drawl of gospel, blues, and alt. county. What you get is roots music with plenty of branches. Grand Prize Winner of both Great American Song Contest & West Coast Songwriters Int'l Contest.
Additional Band Websites
Artist Biography
KEVIN BEADLES ARTIST BIO
THE STORIES AND SONGS OF "THE BEADLES"
“If a story is in you, it has to come out.” - William Faulkner
So, you’re thinking, “Hey, you spelled ‘The Beatles’ wrong, dude!” You’d be incorrect; this is the story of a different musical “Beadles,” one born into the world as Kevin Beadles. Kevinis a California-based songwriter, publisher, and performer who has started a West Coast invasion of his California Country sound. His music is an addictive amalgam of pop, roots rock and alt-country. Think part David Sedaris and part Ryan Adams, and you’re on the path to understanding the stories and songs of “the Beadles.”
Kevin subscribes to William Faulkner’s mantra, that “If a story is in you, it has to come out.” See, Beadles has an innate artistic sixth-sense in seeing stories and songs anywhere. And yes, sometimes he does see dead people - and isn’t afraid to write about them. At the same time, Beadles can turn around and write a tender, touching piece or perhaps a comical tune with colorful characters - maybe an uplifting rocker? His artistic palette seems limitless.
Beadles’ musical evolution began as a child growing up in Glendale, California. When he was ten, his mom bought him an old, one-hundred-dollar piano and a future songwriter was born. He picked up playing instruments quickly and was performing in bands by the age of fifteen. He recalls his first big break in the early 90s, “I was in an Oakland-based modern rock/ska band, Mr. Id, we got to open for acts like DEVO, The Tubes, and Dramarama.” He continued as a member of various groups and dabbled in songwriting into his mid-twenties. At that time, college and a new career pulled him away from music. Kevin’s creativity hibernated for the next decade.
By the early 2000s, Beadles focused on honing his songwriting craft. In 2010, he released his debut album titled You Can’t Argue with Water. The CD was an immediate success with its unusual meld of musings and meanings. The tracks ran the gamut from poignant ballads such as “High,” and up-tempo tunes like “Shine.” There was also the macabre - yet humorous - theme of “Mrs. Jones' Cadillac,” about a bitter divorcee who hauls her past - (and her ex) - in the trunk of a "distinctive" black Caddy. The release of “Shine” created a cascade of serendipity.
Kevin explains, “I was invited to perform live-in-studio on Linda Seabright’s Americana show called ‘On the Road Again’ on NPR.” The appearance caught the ear of Ripple Music who signed him. With more support, Beadles scored synch and licensing deals with MTV, Discovery Channel and had the first of several performances during SXSW (South by Southwest) in Austin, Texas.
Following the success of You Can’t Argue with Water, Beadles channeled one of his influences, those other Beatles from Liverpool. Released in 2011, the award-winning single, “All the Way,” was a Beatles-esque concept piece utilizing vintage analog instruments to examine the downfall of two kings, Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson.
Kevin turned it up a notch in 2015 with another single release entitled, “This Might Get Loud.” The pop/rock tune featured Nashville’s Sharif Iman, and was the Grand Prize Winner of the Great American Song Contest 2014 and also took top prize in the 2015 West Coast Songwriters International Song Contest. This single solidified Kevin Beadles as an established performer and singer-songwriter.
2016 saw the release of “Shouldn’” and “Forty Acres.” “Forty Acres” is a touching gospel-inflected song which looks at intimacy and life’s scars. On the other hand, a tongue-in-cheek and comical look at the typical redneck country song, “Shouldn’,” took off in Europe and became Beadles first charting track, reaching number twenty-six on the ECMA Country Charts.
In early 2017, Kevin gave his fans a sneak peek at his next project by pre-releasing “All Down for Austin,” featuring legendary drummer Brady Blade (Dylan, Emmylou, Dave Matthews). The song showcases Beadles’ ability to pen a storyline as it replays his band’s first trip to South by Southwest. Kevin’s currently writing and doing studio work on the rest of his forthcoming second full-length album, Be Young Today - due out later in 2018. The project will be a new apex in his eclectic mix of styles.
It is the dichotomy of a sometimes humorous and sometimes serious introspective look at the human condition that makes Kevin Beadles’ brand of art stand apart. His fans love the rollercoaster ride of emotions. You can’t box him in. His thematic and stylistic diversity as a songwriter is akin to one of his literary idols, William Faulkner.
Faulkner once said, "The past is never dead. It's not even past." This quote is one of Kevin’s favorites. “I share some of Faulkner's brooding on how the past haunts the present and future,” he offers. There’s always a story and a song in Kevin Beadles. And if the recent past is any indication, the future looks increasingly bright for a “Beadles” Invasion of California Country music.
Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
EVERYONE IS GETTING “ALL DOWN FOR AUSTIN”
Kevin Beadles’ latest single, “All Down for Austin,” is a fun-loving country-flavored composition inspired by the South by Southwest music festival.
(BERKELEY, CA, U.S.A) MARCH 7th, 2017 – This time of year, everyone is getting ready to head down to Austin for SXSW (South by Southwest). It was during a recent trip to the famed festival that Kevin Beadles was inspired to pen his latest track, “All Down for Austin.” The song is a country-flavored composition that showcases Kevin’s award-winning ability to pair hooky melodies with clever, entertaining storylines.
“All Down for Austin” was written by Beadles and his lead guitarist, John Foster. The lyrics capture their wild adventure traveling from Northern California down to Texas to perform in Austin for the first time. With 3000 bands converging on the “Live Music Capital of the World,” few things went as expected, but they still had a blast playing there. Kevin explains, “This song was born the night we gigged in a dive bar down on 6th Street and could barely hear ourselves over the roar of the party outside.”
That night in Texas turned out to be a serendipitous evening for Beadles, as his band got to meet popular New Orleans roots rockers, The Iguanas, and legendary drummer Brady Blade (Dylan, Emmylou, Dave Matthews). Blade not only is mentioned in the lyrics of “All Down for Austin” but played on the track. Kevin elaborates, “The next year, we’re back in Austin, this time sharing a bill with Brady. So, we ask him if we could give a shout-out in our new song. To our surprise, he not only agreed but said, ‘Hell, I’ll play drums on it if you want me to!”
A stack of talented artists accompanies Blade and Beadles on “All Down for Austin,” including top-notch Bay Area artist Loralee Christensen on backing vocals. Robert Powell – a guitar guru who’s worked alongside Peter Gabriel and Jackson Browne – lent his skills on the lap steel. “All Down for Austin” will be on Beadles’ forthcoming album titled, Be Young Today, due out in 2018. Beadles has a new music video to accompany this fun-loving, country-fried composition. So, if you don’t have time to trek to Texas, follow Kevin Beadles’ “track,” and experience SXSW by cueing up “All Down for Austin.”
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