Part of being in the music community as long as I have, you get to watch people evolve. Sometimes, it is a good thing but more times that not people venture too far from their roots and it comes off sounding contrived. This weeks artist of the week is Kevin Prchal, and before I heard his new music I feared that he would be a case of the latter. I was way off base.
After spending a few years in the poppy, funky, and hip hop infused band Triptii, he took his song writing to the next level in his new band The Young Sea. The Young Sea launched in 2007 and can best be described as melodic indie rock. In the short time they have been a band, they have already established a quality reputation in the city of Chicago. After writing the Young Sea record with his band mates, Kevin immediately took a right turn and recorded a bunch of introspective and very honest folk songs. These songs are what grabbed my attention the most. Soulful and recorded with a minimalist approach, the songs strike a nerve and come off sounding completely honest and touching, without a hint of fake angst or sense of entitlement. My personal favorite is The Settling Cliches, which was the first song he released as a solo artist. In between his other project, Kevin is working on his solo debut record, with release date TBD.
Kevin will performing at the Beat Kitchen on May 30th with Lucky Boys Confusion. Tickets are $13 and the show is 21+. Doors at 10pm. Kevin will be performing first.
Beat Kitchen Website.
