Kevin Renick

Hello again, friends and fans! Would you say that YOUR life is like a river, flowing onward and always winding around, sometimes "flooding" you with emotions or obstacles to navigate? The river makes for a good metaphor, and it became the natural concept to base my sixth full album around. The record is called RIVER OF CHANGE, and it features 16 songs that are taken from various sessions, some old and some from the past few years. Most of it is contemplative and reflective of the twists and turns of my personal journey, but I am hoping that songs like "Scared of This River" (recorded with Shakey Deal), "Walkin' Along" and "Thoughts For When You're Anxious" will stir the emotions of most of my loyal fans. It is hard to say what people will respond to in this fast-moving, hyperactive (and hyper-CRAZY) world, but any artist who is tuned in must simply do their own thing, and make the music THEY want to make. I feel I've done that all along, and it sure seems like some of you GET it. I always appreciate the messages you send me!

"Scared of This River" is quite possibly the most Neil Young-y song I've ever recorded. There've been others, like "Where Am I Going?" from my first album, and "These Things Happen," from CLEAR THE WAY, which several writers referenced as being Neil-influenced. But it was more overt on this "River" song, probably. I'll post it for streaming later this month; stay tuned. My album also contains two historic live tracks: a fun version of "Up in the Air" recorded the same week I found out my song was actually being used in the movie (September of 2009) and a lively version of my popular early tune "The Sorry Song" from a concert in May 2010. I do want to say, quite openly, that independent artists like me need followers and fans willing to occasionally spend a few bucks, to keep doing our thing. Only a limited number of physical CDs will be available for RIVER OF CHANGE. You can go to my totally redesigned website to find out about purchasing it, at link. The new site is more user-friendly than my old one and features all kinds of cool things: videos, booking information, links to articles, fan comments, a new regular blog page, etc. Please check the site out and feel free to message me there if you want. Fairly soon we will have a spiffy ordering page for obtaining CDs, autographed photos and other merch as we get it produced. So check it out! Also you can find out where I will be performing live in a more timely manner than before. I have shows on July 17, July 29, July 30 and a bunch in August and September. Seek and ye shall find!

It's a hot, intense summer so far, and the country is as nutso as ever. I have NO trouble finding topics to write about; in fact, I have about half the material for my NEXT album already written. Music is genuinely my main form of therapy. It's important to me that what I do connects with as many of YOU as possible. Drop me a line any time, and by all means, take care of yourselves and your loved ones. As someone who has experienced plenty of loss, let me tell you...NOTHING is more important than that. Try not to DROWN in this ever-flowing river of life and circumstances...

Hey out there, fans and peeps!
I haven't posted for a while...life has been utterly crazy, and of course I am always busy trying to make new music. Getting closer to the finish line on my new album RIVER OF CHANGE. I posted two songs from it for streaming; these are "Disappointed," a tune about those days when you feel you just can't get things right (this one features the gnarly guitar of my pal Ted Moniak), and "Thoughts For When You're Anxious," an acoustic song about reassuring an insecure loved one that you ARE there for them even though maybe you're preoccupied sometimes or caught up in trying circumstances. But hey, it's time to remind them you DO care and you want to help soothe their anxiety just like you hope they can soothe YOURS! I want to thank you guys for the high rating my song "Something So Wrong" continues to get; many of you have even written to me about that one. It's a song for our times, I guess, when there are so many dour, uncontrollable things happening in society that remind us not all is well. We have to pay attention to what's around us, and speak up about injustice. I believe that with every fiber of my being.

Along with RIVER OF CHANGE, I can also announce that Walter Whitney and I have finally completed our ambient collaboration, a major first in our respective careers. This album is called LOST IN FAMILIAR TERRITORY, and while it's hard to sum up, I would say it's an attempt to evoke literal wilderness as well as the "wilderness of the mind." I'll post a track from that shortly, just have to figure out which one. This is a strange album, but I have always LOVED ambient music and this is my first chance to share any of my work in that area. Walter was like a benevolent mad scientist in the making of this record.

Most musicians I know certainly CARE about what their fans think. Every one of you out there matters to me, and I LOVE hearing from you! Keep sending me messages about the songs that speak to you,and when you're able to, please download or stream my music. There is lots more to come; I have so many songs in the works it's ridiculous. An epic mini-suite that I recorded nearly two years ago is called "Hoping For An Alien Invasion," and this song speaks to the insanity of modern times more than anything I've done. However, mixing that thing is gonna be a bitch; it's long and complex. But boy is it sounding good! And I'm in the midst of recording a poignant song about growing older, titled "A Question For You." Not sure when that one will see the light of day, but a couple of people have said it's one of my best songs. Just letting y'all know, I suppose, that I am ALWAYS trying to conjure new music, but it takes time, and it can be expensive. Stay with me on this journey; I NEED you guys! We live in troubled, exhausting times, and feeling a sense of COMMUNITY is more important than ever. Stay on your path, friends, and look for the magic wherever you can find it. And thanks for letting me be a little part of your soundtrack...

Hello and Happy Autumn, everyone! Lots of big news from my corner. Some of you have asked when new stuff would be available, and the answer is...NOW. I have a new 5-song EP out this week called FORECAST. A few of the songs have been posted here at N1M, but for those of you who still listen to and like CDs (and I hope that includes plenty of you), this limited-edition physical product is available for only $7 (plus $3 for shipping if you are here in the link.). You can get it by sending a check to me at PO Box 31785, Des Peres, MO 63131, or by sending your payment via Paypal to: kevinrenickbusiness@link. If you're overseas and you'd like a copy, you will need to write me directly. My very popular song "Beer and Wine" appears on CD for the first and ONLY time...that song will not be on the regular album I'm working on now to be called RIVER OF CHANGE. You musicians out there know that the recording and mixing process can take a long, long time. I've been in and out of the studio over the past year, and have a ton of material in various stages of completion. Among the examples: "Walkin' Along," which I think is a pretty commercial little pop/country song, awaits only the lead guitar part. Another new one called "Scared of This River" is in scratch track form, although it came out pretty well. I'll be sending to to my full band, Shakey Deal, to work up and add their parts to soon. I envision this one as a Neil Young-style composition, in a similar sonic universe to "Cortez the Killer" and other Neil classics like that. Anyway, there is plenty to work on and I will be doing so all winter. Speaking of Shakey Deal, my Neil Young tribute band, we have perhaps our biggest gig EVER this Friday night, Nov. 4 at 8 pm at a nice theatre called the Westport Playhouse. If any of you out there are in the St. Louis area, please consider attending this concert. Our opening act will be Hard Rain, a Bob Dylan tribute band headed by Michael Twente (who performs with me on the song "Something So Wrong" from this new EP). You don't often get to hear Neil Young and Bob Dylan classics in the same show, so this is a special opportunity! You can get advance tix for this show by simply going to link and choosing your seats. It really is a wonderful, comfy venue to see a concert in!

The world is surely an unsettling place these days, and I can't even talk about the importance of the upcoming mid-term link I CAN say that we all need to focus on our own journey and abilities, AND the best way for us to make a positive contribution somehow to society. For me, as a writer and musician, the way seems clear, although my thoughts do get muddled at times. But every fan I have matters to me, and I hope to keep writing better and better songs. There is always a LOT to say. Just wish time would slow down, y'know? Life goes too fast, and I have lost many people important to me, as I am sure many of YOU have. So don't take things for granted. Appreciate every day, every close person in your life and every song that touches you. And as I have said before, I appreciate hearing from every one of you, and I hope some of you will get in touch about the new EP. Have a GREAT autumn and upcoming holiday season, folks!

Greetings, my lovely subscribers!
Last time I tried to do a newsletter, there was a still incomprehensible glitch and it did not go through. So I am being super careful this time. Essentially, I won an Artist Support Grant not long ago from the St. Louis Regional Arts Commission, and it is allowing me to record two very separate albums simultaneously. One will almost certainly be titled RIVER OF CHANGE. I am about two thirds the way through this one, which will be a document of personal changes, passing time, dealing with loss, and figuring out your identity in the midst of chaos...all favorite themes of mine! I am pondering the interest in the very idea of "artistic expression" these days, as I still intend to do limited runs of CDs, but recognize that streaming is how most people seem to do their listening now. I am not so fond of that reality, but...what can ya do? I want to encourage my listeners to check out my song about fighting depression, "I Might Want Out," which I've had a powerful response to so far. It comes from deep personal experiences, and I think many of you will find it relatable. Any day now, I will also be posting a rocking song I wrote inspired by the movie "No Country For Old Men." The song is titled "Call It, Friendo," and though it dates back some years, I did a thorough remix of it with one of my ace engineers, and now it has a fresh new sound. I think it is genuinely relevant to our times, as it is a song about taking chances and recognizing that there are consequences to virtually every move you make. I really like this song, and it rocks! I'm in the midst of polishing off three newer songs in the studio: "Disappointed," which is a straightforward mid-tempo rocker about things not quite going according to plan; "Walkin' Along," an ambling country-pop song about a long thought-filled stroll, and "Go and Tell the Others," an oblique sort of look at the nature of "true" spirituality. And brand-new stuff is emerging from my restless mind as fast as I can focus on it and make something tangible.

A shout-out to one of my performing partners, Denise Chappell, whom I've now been doing shows with for 7 years (we had a great gig this past weekend in St. Charles). Denise is about to get her first co-songwriting credit with me if I can just finish up an arrangement for a set of lyrics she wrote. And it goes without saying that I am grateful to ALL the musicians I play with, like the dedicated, versatile Theodore Moniak, who appears on more of my songs than anyone else. Check out his eerie guitar ambience on "I Might Want Out," and contrast that with, for example, his fiery playing on "Promise Man." Versatility, man!

My tentative plans call for the release of an EP, containing 4 or 5 songs, in the next month or two. I'm calling it FORECAST. Exactly when a full album will be released depends on many factors, but certainly by the end of the year. As always, I welcome your emails and comments about any aspect of my music. I encourage you all to support the music you like by buying directly from the artist when possible, as we make almost nothing from streaming. Do you guys know that some platforms actually email me to say "Congratulations! Check our your latest royalty statement!" And when I do so, it's about 5 cents for x number of streams. Or in a really good quarter, maybe a dime or more! Frankly, I have found more money just walking along in parking lots, than I've made from Spotify or other services. Thank God for ASCAP, where I still get decent royalties from "Up in the Air" and a couple of my other songs. Anyway, I'm not bitter...just contemplative about the realities of the modern music industry. I love what I get to do. And I greatly appreciate the support and feedback from each and every one of YOU! This is a busy time for me, and I'll be putting new songs together throughout fall and winter!

MY NEW SONG, and SOME CURRENT THOUGHTS ON STUFF...