The Skinny
Erupting from the #1 party
school in the nation Indiana University a year ago, Kevin Cochran has
transformed himself into one of the Midwest's elite acts. Comparable to the
likes of today's artists John Mayer, Jack Johnson, Jason Mraz and Jude all into
one. Kevin delivers soothing melodies and catchy lyrical tandoms sure to keep
you addicted to his sound.
In November 2002, Kevin Cochran was voted by students as Indiana University's
best male vocalist, and since then has spread his music even farther. Seen all
over the midwest from Chicago, Cincinatti, and Indianapolis to Nashville,
Charlotte and Atlanta, Kevin is sure to be in a town nearby soon.
Kevin Cochran recorded his debut album "Everywhere" in the late of
April and was released in August 2003. This last summer Kevin hit the
road and toured many parts of the midwest. Kevin in brings every aspect of the human spirit into his music, sure to
relate to every person that listens. Kevin has been hotlisted as one of the
youngest unsigned rising acoustic artists in the U.S. Look for him to invade
your city soon. The spring holds very positive as a tentative
spring/summer tour is being planned as we speak. The tour will promote Kevin's
second album that is currently under production.
The Fatty
In the beginning there was..."
Born and raised on the northern side of Indianapolis, Kevin began his fascination with music at an early age but never picked an instrument up unitl the age of 14. When tracing roots or influences back prior to 14 you probably would have found him listening to early rap of Snoop, Dre, and Tupac. However it wasn't until Nirvana's Nevermind release and the discovery of Pearl Jam that quickly skewed his musical direction.
Overnight, Rap went to Alternative, Alternative became a way of life, and musical influence began to take its grasp. An instrument was needed, and digging through a family closet presented an opportunity. The opportunity was a 1974 Marvel electric guitar, tobacco sunburst, 3 out of 6 strings, and a sound that couldn't be matched. After gathering 35 bucks, a lot of hope, and ride to the local music store, Kevin returned home with a fully stringed guitar, a used Peavey backstage + amp, and a teach yourself guitar book. And so the journey began....
"little girl named Violet... The song that brought it all together..."
2 years of practice and self taught guitar had produced roughly 4 songs, and writing music and lyrics slowly evolved with time and age. When writing slowly went from average to meaningful, a new light suddenly appeared in the sky where it had never been before.
Playing religiously and constant song evolution brought about new style and new opportunity. Joining up with best friend Luke Clayton in 8th grade, brought about freedom and ability to create new harmonies and song patterns. One Thursday night, in the dead middle of winter January 1997, while recording an hour worth of playing, a new chord arrangement and picking pattern brought a song that would change the direction of Kevin's future. It would be the song that changed Kevin from your every day hobby singing songwriter, into the recognizable vocalist and writer, and bring about a new lifelong addiction with the pursuit of music.
"the night on the lake..."
Violet would now be heard on a weekly basis, whether it was at the local coffee house down the street, or the high school weekend party sitting around a campfire or a back porch. Every time the moment got right, the guitar was brought out and Violet was requested. "It was like my national anthem in high school. Every time I played, Violet was on the setlist, and if I didn't play it people would keep requesting it until I would play it, sometimes like 4 times in a night. It was pretty amusing, but I loved playing that song, because it was my song that everyone singing..."
Thinking that it wouldn't follow him into college, was probably a crazy idea, because it wouldn't be but 2 months before it was brought at the party by the lake. A somewhat national audience of one hundred kids from all parts of the U.S. attended. And at this moment they were exposed to the Violet. People still talked about this Freshman night when they all came together, took a seat, and listened to K.C. rip off Violet to a hundred people in the middle of the party. Violet once again was the dog that just kept following you home. It wouldn't be until two years later that that same crowd, or at least the majority, would see Kevin for his first time on a real stage, at a brand new bar that wasn't even a music venue yet, called Uncle Festers.
"December 17, 2000..."
"Bloomington was like a dream to me. A giant bubble where it seemed like nothing could ever go wrong. Where everybody knows your name, and they're always glad you came."
Kevin's roommate at the time Nate Solum came up with crazy idea to have a giant party at a bar, bring together their closest friends, and showcase Cochran w/ friend Joe Frank on bongos as the entertainment. Solum approached the owner of the bar, Aaron Steele, with the idea that he wanted to rent out the bar and just charge a two dollar cover for people to get in. One dollar to Festers and One dollar to Nate to payback some of his 400$. Steele agreed, gave Nate a price, and the rest was history. Solum fronted the 400 dollars to rent out the bar, gathered a few helpers, and went house to house and promoted the show. Needless to say the show was a success, the 2 month old Fester's had never seen a crowd that big, the bar had never even handled a drinking frenzy even close to that, and there was even a line from door to street to get in. Kevin's first show ever live at a venue and it was a huge success.
"Nate and I counted at the end of the night and we had a cover total of like 600 bucks, 1200 for the total. That means for a place like festers, with a fire code capacity of like 125, that at least 600 people were in and out over the course of that night. We figured that Festers did alright that night. They were having kind of slow business at the time because they had just started, and we brought in like 600 people. They didn't even have a sound system at the time, we had to bring our own and could barely put out enough sound. We always joked that if it wasn't for that night, Fester's might not have ever picked up, and if it weren't for Festers I might not being playing music today. It was the night that put Uncle Fester's on the map, and the night that Uncle Festers put Kevin Cochran on the map."
"i remember taking walks across the field, just to feel that silver moonlight on my back..."
That was the night that it all took off. Uncle Fester's became, to his friends and fans, Cochran's venue where people could look forward to his music on the first night of the Party weekend, Thursday. Not too long after, Epic would be formed, and a whole new era of music and times would follow.
In November 2002, Kevin Cochran was voted by students as Indiana University's
best male vocalist, by the IDS newspaper. After graduation and the evolution of Epic from beginning to end Kevin has reached the crossroads of musicianship. Now solo for the first time since 2000, a whole new journey of music awaits. With a first album, a second one in the making, radio play, a mid-western slew of shows, and a sound that is what is current today, no obstacles stand in the way of making him the next big thing that you hear of.
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