Being a full-time artist definitely rocks more than it sucks...

...but it definitely sucks sometimes! Granted, I'm first and foremost grateful for the opportunity to do what I love for a living - being creative - but when will playing to candles and table cloths get old?

As a brand new artist to this (Atlanta) market, I'm glad to say that I've had some awesome opportunities, some much greater than I could have imagined. However, there's an apparent disconnect between those opportunities and crowd draws at concerts. How do I bring the two together? It costs to perform with a band - even a small one - and the green lining my pockets is growing very thin!

Nevertheless, I remain optimistic. I'll just have to keep the pedal to the metal until I've run out of gas, but it looks like I'm at about a quarter tank. The few faithful faces I've seen over and over again at shows, the event promoters who continue to book me, and getting to meet and interact with some great musicians definitely keep me going.

Thanks to all of you who have stood out from the crowd and continue to support the momentum of the KEV.O movement! Here's to things improving VERY soon! Cheers!

formspring.me

Just ask... http://formspring.me/KevOTheArtist

What would you do if you won the lottery?

Depending in how much I won, I'd definitely take care of all my debt first. I'd upgrade my studio, including any equipment I need for live shows, and buy a car. I could definitely use a personal trainer too! If there's still money to spend, I'd buy a condo or loft in Midtown. Of course, included in all this is making sure my family is taken care of.

Just ask...

BE FEATURED ON KEV.O's NEW ALBUM!

BE FEATURED

ON KEV.O’s NEXT ALBUM!

Imagine it’s 1968, and you’re on your dream date. Your Ford Falcon XR GT is freshly waxed and buffed, and you hair is laid like nobody’s business! Before you two hit the drive-in, you stop at your favorite local diner for a bite to eat. Of course, you want to make sure the atmosphere is perfect. So, you excuse yourself from the table and stroll over to the corner of the dining room. You reach deep into your pockets for your shiniest nickel and drop it into the coin slot on the jukebox. After anxiously flipping through all the music, you settle on the perfect song - “Hey Jude” by The Beatles. Overflowing with anticipation of the perfect night ahead, you press play, and suddenly you hear Bobby Goldsboro’s “Honey” blasting over the loudspeakers! WTF?!?!

Well, the average nickel won’t get you much now-a-days, but everytime you buy/order a CD, pay to download music, or purchase admission to a concert, it’s like putting your “shiniest nickel” into my 1968 jukebox. Whatever the occasion, we want to be sure it’s perfect and worth every penny! After a great run promoting the award-winning debut LP LOVOLUTION: The Urban Alternative, I am now preparing for my next big project - JUKEBOX! Since my fans are some of the most brilliant and talented people on Earth, what better a production team is there than YOU? I want your ideas!

Songwriters/Producers

If somehow Cee Lo Green/Gnarles Barkley, The Blackeyed Peas, ColdPlay, Radiohead, Brandy, Lenny Kravitz, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, and Queen each got a running start and ran SMACK into each other in the fall of 2082, what would the ringing in their ears sound like? I want to rock with YOU!

HOW TO SUBMIT: Please send lyrics, demos in mp3 format, and/or instrumentals to submissions@KevOTheArtist.com, and your submission may be included as part of the JUKEBOX Promotional Campaign and/or album packaging#.

Visual/Graphic Artists

Muse your masterpiece using the photos on my Facebook photo gallery OR, if none of those prompt your palate, build a brand new work from scratch. I want to see things the way YOU do!

HOW TO SUBMIT: Please send completed works at minimum 1600dpi to submissions@KevOTheArtist.com, and your submission may be included as part of the JUKEBOX Promotional Campaign and/or album packaging#.

Photographers

Do you have an amazing artistic eye and access to a great location for a photo shoot? Do you already have some great images that would be a perfect for the JUKEBOX concept? Either way, I want to see through YOUR eyes!

HOW TO SUBMIT: Please send HD images at minimum 1600dpi to submissions@KevOTheArtist.com, and your submission may be included as part of the JUKEBOX Promotional Campaign and/or album packaging#. Please indicate whether the images are samples of your work or the actual work being submitted for use.

Fans

So, you’re not much of an artist, but you’re a big KEV.O fan! I have the perfect job for you! Send me a YouTube greeting saying/doing whatever you want, or chose from the following list of topics:

• Tell me an interesting story about a jukebox.
• 1 + 1 = 6? Tell me about a time when things didn’t quite add up.
• Why is voting important to you?
• How has the power of choice effected you?

Just be sure to include “My name is ______, and this is my jukebox!” I want to hear from YOU!

HOW TO SUBMIT: Please send an audio recording in mp3 format, or upload a video clip to YouTube, and send the link to submissions@KevOTheArtist.com, and your submission may be included as part of the JUKEBOX Promotional Campaign and/or album packaging.

Submission are being accepted until April 30! Thanks for your time and talents! I look forward to recieving your amazing ideas!

Peace.

KEV.O

1117 MUSIC

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Power of Choice

More than civil rights, Rev Dr Martin Luther King represents the power of choice. Rather than remain a victim of social injustice, he CHOSE to make a stand for the equality in which he so passionately believed. Like all choices, his has generated such a ripple that effects those born generations later.

I know that success in the music industry is possible. So, I choose to pursue it wholeheartedly and with integrity, in hopes that my passion will generate a ripple effect of hope, inspiration, and opportunity for others with similar dreams.

What choice will you make today?

Goodbye 2010...it's been great!

Wow! This year has gone by so quickly, but they say time flies when you're having fun. When I look back over the year, it's amazing to me how many great things have been packed into 365 days and how those days compare to the prior. All I can say is that I've been tremendously blessed. Here are a few highlights:

1. I was honored to perform with Kenny Wesley as a feature at the legendary Blues Alley in Washington, DC! Thanks Kenny!
2. I had two awesome opportunities to perform at Ben's Next Door in DC as part of Wes Felton's live music series! He was even gracious enough to host my fair well concert the day before I skipped town. Thanks Wes!
3. Performing at Ashford & Simpson's Sugar Bar in NYC was incredible! This was also my first time taking my own band with me on an away gig. Thanks MIHE!!
4. A little more than a week later, I joined my good friend Terrence Cunningham at Bloombars for one of the most intimate sets I've ever done. Thanks Terrence and John!
5. Green Tea and I got to do my first "inspiration session" at a Woodson High School, thanks to my good buddy Jenise Freeman-Murray!
6. Rod Murray must have though enough of my talent to broadcast it to millions of viewers and listeners on Voice of America's Hip Hop Connection. I owe he and Jenise immensely!
7. After months and months of planning, Candace Coles and I finally had a show together at LIV in DC. It was a bad hair for me, but the show went on, and BOY did it! SING CANDACE!!! Thanks Omrao Brown!
8. HardRock Live invited me to be their first artist feature during their weekly jam session! Thanks Eboni Scurloc and Jamil Boozer!
9. High Point High School Choir in Beltsville, MD invited me to make a cameo on one of their pieces for their annual concert! Them some sangin kids! Thanks Ned Lewis!
10. I have performed at Smith's Olde Bar in Atlanta three times this year, once on a "3 for $5" night and the other two on a "BEST OF Night" - one on my birthday and another to benefit the Atlanta Community Food Bank. Thanks for Emily Warren and Nolen Reeves Music for continuing to invite me back!
11. I also did my first festival as a solo artist this year - ARTSCAPE in Baltimore, MD!
12. My fellow "Scorpio Bro" (I know...that was really corny! lol) Shaun H Mykals invited me to feature on Thursday Bliss, an incredible open mic experience at LIV in DC! Thanks Shaun!
13. Thanks to another great supporter and great musician, Marc A Evans, I got to do an event with Banana Republic!
14. Dexter Myers, Mike Ashley, and Nikki Wade were so awesome for having me as the Musical Director for the first Atlanta Indie Soul Mixer! Thanks for the support!
15. Pastors Philip and Gwennis Mosby brought me on as Musical Director at Solomon's Porch Ministries, and it's been a great adventure thus far! Thank you!
16. It was such an incredible honor to be invited by Charlie & Yolanda Dozier to sing at an event for the Lockhart Morgan Foundation!

2010 has been awesome to say the least, and I'm so looking forward to what 2011 has in store! I'm in a somewhat new city and have already jump started a new chapter of my life. Time to "leap beyond the threshold!"

YahZarah

As an artist, I have to say there are few independents, especially
female artists, that have inspired me the way that she has. I mean,
YahZarah stepped onto the stage with the audience already in the palm
of her hand.

Today was an awesome surprise! I am in my second week back home in
Atlanta, and most of my time has been consumed with networking and
brand building. (Sorry I didn't finish the countdown!) My Internet has
been down the last couple days. So, I was in the library just earlier
sending off some emails, and once I was done, I picked up a Rolling
Out paper and began casually flipping through. Just a few pages in, I
found myself face-to-face with a familiar presence from DC's
independent artist scene, who would be performing in just a few hours.
So, i decided to shoot her a friendly message letting her know I'd be
in the audience. (If you don't know her from her own work, you may
recognize her voice on the racy track "Lights On" from my album
LOVOLUTION: The Urban Alternative.)

First of all, I already knew she'd be "up to it", because I never
really know what to expect from YahZarah, except that it will be
something hot! After arriving a little early, I got a little face time
with her, and we caught up a bit. Finally, she said, "Let me head
backstage so I can get painted." From my experience in entertainment
(music, theatre, modeling, film, etc) I understood that to mean that
she's going to get her makeup done.

Little did I know, she meant that literally! This hot little five-foot
numba came out on-stage in full body paint and a mask!! The design of
it was something you might expect of a Jackson, namely Michael or
Janet, featuring black, gold, and, of course, purple. Though some
might also say her costumery was somewhat Gaga-esque, who can she be
called but YahZarah?

This was on top of the INSANE vocal performance she delivered!! I
heard someone in the audience say, "Minnie Who??" I had to agree. She
definitely holds her own and come second to no one.

I am honored to call her a friend and one of the hardest working, well
presented, and humble independent artists on the planet! I only hope
to be such an original and polished talent in my lifetime.

DO YOU REAL HARD, and folks have to respect it, love it or hate it!
It's time out for mediocrity, no matter what the calling. Either go
hard or go home!

Respect to Darien Brockington, who really did his thing on the
opening, Killa on drums, and Brandon on guitar! The band was on POINT!

Peace.
KEV.O

..:: IMUNURMe ::..