On October 12th all of us at Java City had the pleasure of listening to singer/songwriter and St. Louis native Kevin Renick. Kevin was accompanied by fellow guitarist Ted Moniak. Some of you movie buffs may know that Kevin is the composer of the title song for the 2009 movie UP IN THE AIR starring George Clooney. We were delighted he could make time in his performing schedule to come by and sing at Java City.

Kevin, can you tell us a bit about your personal and musical history?

Well, I grew up in Kirkwood, Missouri, the youngest in a family of rather intense, artistically inclined people. I always dreamed of being a singer/songwriter—I wrote my first song, rather innocently, at the age of 10, and then started writing more seriously in high school after being influenced by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, The Beatles, and Simon & Garfunkel. I was especially affected by Neil Young—his singular approach to songwriting and the moody contemplation in so much of his work. Got my first guitar my senior year of high school, and began a pattern of having amazing bursts of songwriting energy and excitement followed by long periods of disillusionment and self-doubt. Stage fright kept me from singing for anyone besides my close friends until a few years ago. By then, I had amassed a large number of original songs. I had a powerful creative breakthrough in Sept. 2008, and I started writing new, stronger songs and really finding my voice. A short time after that, I had my big break with “Up in the Air” and things have been going full steam ahead ever since. It’s perhaps worth mentioning that some of my songwriting drive came from a very influential girl in my life, someone I’ve known since I was a child. Without a doubt, a lot of my early songs were influenced by her, and I still consider her my muse.

Tell us the story of “Up in the Air?” How has its popularity impacted you?

“Up in the Air” was a song that I had just completed some months before the movie came along. It was about my struggle with uncertainty, career limbo, existential angst, etc. I was trying to find myself, wondering what was to become of me. When I heard that a movie was going to film in St. Louis that coincidentally had the same title as the song I wrote, I began pondering the “what ifs” of it all. And when director Jason Reitman came to do a lecture here, I was determined to take a chance. I just HAD to get my song to him, even if it meant recording it on a cheap cassette tape. Astonishingly and ironically, it was that very thing that intrigued him enough to listen to the song, and he liked it. Thematically, it worked for his film, which I’m still shaking my head about. How has it impacted me? Well, I can’t begin to describe how humbling and inspiring it is to have people around the world appreciate something you’ve done. I’ve gotten emails from India, Iran, Sweden, Ireland, Japan, Germany, Australia and other countries about the song. Dozens of bloggers have posted their feelings about it and how they relate to the theme. I guess I struck a chord with that song, and I’m so grateful. I’m not a big star or anything, but it did get my foot in the door for a music career, and I’ve been given some unique opportunities to perform. And I recorded my first CD. It’s been an amazing, fantastic adventure and it’s still going on.

Who influenced you as a musician?

My influences came in three distinct waves. I grew up with The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel (I counted Paul Simon as one of my early songwriting heroes) and The Monkees, so that kind of concise pop song craftsmanship definitely rubbed off on me. Neil Young was my biggest creative influence, however—he came along right when I was thinking about what I wanted to say lyrically, and starting to find my “muse” in high school. I loved his voice, his openly emotional approach to songwriting, and his ability to utilize different genres depending on what he felt like saying. There is definitely a good dose of Neil in many of my songs. The third “wave” was when I got into more esoteric and artsy music in college and beyond, with ambient pioneer Brian Eno being my “guru” of finding alternative ways to say things. I love Cocteau Twins, Nick Drake, R.E.M., Radiohead and a Norwegian group called Ephemera—all these artists found their way into my aesthetic somehow. I simply began to realize that there were no limits; you could write any kind of song and say things in unconventional ways if you simply made it musically interesting. I also learned the crucial lesson that not everyone will like what you do, but if a handful of people do, that might be enough.

What is your favorite sort of gig?

I have to say that my favorite setting for performing is in a quiet venue where people are attentively listening to the songs, and where I can tell the stories behind them. My voice also sounds best with a quiet room and good sound system. Although I adapt easily to different situations and “vibes,” I do function best when people demonstrate that they are paying attention.

Ted, I heard some awesome licks coming out of that beautiful Gretsch guitar. How would you describe your technique?

  The Gretsch makes me sound better than I really am. I call that guitar “my wife”. My technique, to the extent that I have any, is a hodge-podge of remembered sounds that knocked me out. The whole thing is still very much evolving, which is fun for me.

How do you define your sound?

I’d describe it overall as “reality-based folk pop with emotional twists here and there and a strong undercurrent of nostalgia and romantic yearning.” How does that sound? 🙂 For marketing purposes, I’m more apt to say “melodic folk pop in the vein of Neil Young and early Paul Simon.”

I know you write your own music? If so, where do you get the ideas for your songs?

Oh lordy, songs can come from anywhere. The most exciting aspect of this whole thing for me is the challenge of writing interesting original songs. I have endless ideas, and I get new ones all the time. Overall, I stick with the tried and true subjects: romance, the search for meaning, the state of the world, friendship, loss. But I think a hallmark of my subject matter is the passing of time, i.e. the way things keep changing, and the resulting nostalgia for when something might have been better or happier. I’ve been strongly influenced by growing up in suburbia and having a sort of idyllic childhood. Many of my songs have arisen directly from the connections I have with my oldest friends. I’m also influenced by nature, movies and changing technology.

Where do you want go with your music?

Why, I want to sing a duet with Katy Perry, of course!  Seriously though, I just want to see how far I can go in the industry, which means recording a lot of albums if I get the opportunity, playing to as many people as possible, and writing songs that people respond to emotionally. I hope some of my songs prove good enough for other artists to want to cover, also. And I’d like to write more songs for movies. Right now, I am naïve enough, perhaps, to view the sky as the limit.

I know you have a CD called “Close to Something Beautiful.” Tell us about it.

My first CD is a collection of songs both old and somewhat recent, and it’s meant as a kind of introduction to my overall aesthetic. The vibe is contemplative, primarily. I have a song about my favorite teacher in high school, two songs influenced by movies (“Call It, Friend-o” was inspired by my fascination with the villain in the movie “No Country For Old Men”, and “Rachel McAdams” is about my adoration for the actress of the same name), and a song about my love of libraries and books called “Read A Book.” For that one, I recruited some kids from my elementary school to sing with me, and the results were fantastic. There is also a funny song about apologizing called “The Sorry Song”, and of course, a fresh version of “Up in the Air.” It’s not a super-polished effort, but we put a lot of heart and soul into the record.

Thanks Kevin and Ted. Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Just that we love playing for people, and we intend to keep getting better and better every day. And we promise to always “keep it real.”

About the author: Jack Montgomery is a librarian, author and associate professor at Western Kentucky University where he handles bookings for musical acts in University Libraries, Java City coffeehouse. Jack has also been a professional musician since 1969 and performs with a celtic quartet called Watersprite. Visit him at MySpace/shadowdancerjack or on Facebook.