Photograph by Andrew D'Angelo
Kevin Renick wears his heart on his sleeve. In his songs, sure, but also in his discussions of writing those songs; his Facebook posts on the joys and pains of creativity are bite-sized insights into his moods and process, and they’re consistently heartfelt writings. Having spent a good deal of time in the journalism world, he’s a quick writer, too, turning over our TS7Q in the record time of less than an hour.
Recently, Renick noted the anniversary of his song “Up in the Air” being picked for the film of the same name, noting that the song’s appearance during the closing credits of the acclaimed had changed his approach to making music for good. “I fully recognize that this was a wildly improbable event,” Renick wrote, “and it happened right after my beloved mother passed away, so I was in an emotional whirlwind that I still cannot fully comprehend. But it gave me a chance to pursue my dream of being a songwriter, and trying to communicate through music. So, Happy Anniversary to a unique, influential movie and the pivotal positive event of my adult life.”
These days, he’s readying for a new recording project, while spotting in dates throughout the region, often gigging at the Engine Room in South City. A rotating cast of performing partners and bandmates have been accompanying him of late, including Ted Moniak (electric guitar), Mike Killian (electric guitar), Ed Timson (drums), Teya King (vocal harmonies), Melissa Raven House (bass), Jeff Viers (harmonica) plus guest musicians. His FB page for updates can be found here.
Music school? Self-taught? Some variety of both? Or none of the above?
My formal education in that regard consists of two years of piano as a youth, a year of music theory in college, and a handful of guitar lessons. None of it gave me as much education as listening with all my senses involved to the Beatles, Neil Young, Pink Floyd, Simon & Garfunkel, Nick Drake, Cat Stevens, and almost anything Brian Eno was involved with. That's an unlikely bunch of influences, I know. Film scores, also. I guess I am mostly self-taught, but all that stuff put a lot of interesting ideas in my head.
Regarding your creative habits, are you a night owl or an early bird?
I'd say mostly a night owl. I'll stay up late working on a song sometimes, and it is pretty common for me to wake up in the middle of the night with a singular musical idea that I have to give all my attention to right away. When I was recording the demo for my "Up in the Air" song, it was late one weekday night. And I am more reflective late at night than in the early morning, for sure.
What are the elements that make for an ideal studio/recording experience?
I have actually thought about this a lot, having had a variety of recording experiences by now. The main thing is feeling comfortable in the environment and comfortable with the engineer. And I tend to like engineers and producers who are proactive, who voice their opinions and suggestions strongly. I am working with one guy who does that, and he's a joy to be in the studio with. He rode me hard about the title track for my upcoming album, and it ended up in a much, much stronger vocal performance. I am somebody who is very reliant on collaborators and people who perform with me, and the magic happens when everyone is really into it, and feel that they are being respected and encouraged for their role in things.
Is it more rewarding to play a technically solid gig to a moderately-engaged audience, or to play a loosey-goosey set to a crowd that's clearly "there" with you?
Oh, you always want the crowd to be with you. Hearing people be enthusiastic and free with their applause is something every musician lives for. And yes, I'd say that is just slightly ahead of doing something near perfect for a crowd that is only partially with you. Music is fascinating that way, though. I played a less than stellar gig for a crowd in Rolla and met the nicest table of people who just loved it, who sincerely appreciated the sound and the song choices. Made the evening bearable, actually. But as far as "technically solid," for me that usually means the people are getting a good show and they like it. Especially with smaller crowds. It's rare that I have done a technically great show and been met with indifference. That's more the case when the sound is crappy, or the band is not really delivering that night.
You're able to wake up tomorrow, magically gifted proficiency on the instrument of your choice, one that you currently don't play. What instrument would that be?
Probably keyboards. I can play a little by ear, but I am by no means a "gifted" keyboard player. But I love the instrument, the sonic world that keyboards make possible, and I truly wish I was a brilliant player in that regard. As far as an instrument I don't play at all, I would say bass. I have enormous respect for good bass players, and the difference they make in whether a song achieves "classic" status or not. Bass players are VITAL to the magic of music, and I pay close attention to every bass player I hear. I adore Tina Weymouth's work with Talking Heads, one of my favorite bands. Fred Smith in Television, also.
From childhood on, what's the very first song that you played to a point of real, true satisfaction?
Do you mean "played" as in "listened to" repeatedly or "played" as in "performed?” I'll assume the former. The Beatles ruled my childhood, so pretty much everything from Revolver on soundtracked my life. I got into songs like "Good Day Sunshine," "And Your Bird Can Sing," "I Am the Walrus" and "Penny Lane" as much as a person can. But I was also into The Monkees: "Pleasant Valley Sunday" was a big song in my life. And Tommy James, I would say that "Sweet Cherry Wine" was the first time I actually called something my "favorite song," along with the beautiful "Crystal Blue Persuasion." [Kevin: interesting point. The question meant “performed,” but I’m seeing how “’played’ as in listened to” is inferred. You’ve refined a question in this interview experiment!]
Do you believe there are musical "guilty pleasures," or is this an unfair and misused term?
Probably unfair. As I understand it, the concept of "guilty pleasures" is based on the supposed idea that you should "know better" than to like that sort of thing if you are an experienced listener or musician. Brian Eno, my hero, made this case with his love of ABBA, who were supposedly "uncool" in his circles in the ‘80s, even though that was based on pretentiously narrow views of what constituted "good music," and Eno eloquently described why ABBA were actually fantastic. For me, I suppose I'd call The Carpenters a guilty pleasure. They created formulaic, easy listening music, and yet I liked almost everything they did. I also really, really respected Donna Summer in the ‘70s, which would horrify some of my friends. Currently, I'd say Taylor Swift is a guilty pleasure. I shouldn't like her according to my personal creative aesthetic, and yet I think she is a supremely gifted songwriter and craftsperson, and my upcoming album has a song that pays tribute to her.
