Since the last time Kevin Hambrick was here, we had to change our studio policy to one that didn't allow smoking in the live room. It seems that, occasionally, when there was enough of it, it would scoot through the duct work downstairs and into the dining area of the pizza parlor and that was frowned upon. It might just have been this genius songwriter from Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and his band, The Orange Opera, who did us in, smoking like chimneys when they visited. All-in-all, we are better off without the smoke and odds are that Hambrick finds enough time for the hobby when he's elsewhere. It's amazing that he finds time, writing as he does, so frequently, these Beatles-esque pop songs that are authentic and impressive, both in tone and in substance. These are the songs that he recorded a month ago, here in Rock Island, with his father waiting for him in the car outside.
The Daytrotter Dream Interview, where Kevin Hambrick both asks and answers his own questions:
Question 1 -- If you awoke from a deep sleep to get some food in the middle of the night, what would you eat, and which character from one of your songs would you choose to eat this meal with?
Answer -- My meal of choice would be a big generic bag of Dyno-Bites...the whole bag...and I would love to eat this cereal, watch a cheap awesome movie on TNT and visit with the Hickory Hen.....She's a one man band, I'm a real big fan, she's a star....
Question 2 -- Rumor has it that you have a film in the works. Are you at liberty to confirm, and discuss any details?
Answer -- Sure. I've always felt there was a fitness and weight bias in the sport of competitive gymnastics. My film titled "Gymnast: Tender Tale of a Hairy Fella," which is in its early stages, is a cinematic attempt to level the playing field for the rest of us. As a bonus, I get to wear a leotard, AND the audience will get to enjoy seeing me in a leotard.
Question 3 -- What's the story behind your new album "Turtle Wagon"?
Answer -- The last few years have been pretty crazy -- from losing my step dad to having my first kid. "Turtle Wagon" is a bunch of songs that cover different moods -- from grief, happiness, frustration over getting older, and even a little spinal injection inspiration from spending hours waiting in different doctor's offices. I've had another album in the works called "Sugar-Coated Scribbles" that was supposed to be my next release, but with everything that I've been through lately, this felt like the right record to make right now. I just hope people dig it and find a little time to listen.