KEVIN BOWE AND THE OKEMAH PROPHETS – “CALIFORNIA SOBER”
A SPILL EXCLUSIVE VIDEO PREMIERE
Kevin Bowe is a writer/producer/mixer/musician from Minneapolis. He has written songs on 3 platinum records and 2 Grammy winning albums working with Johnny Lang, The Replacements, Etta James, Joe Cocker, Paul Westerberg, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, 3 Dog Night, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Little Steven Van Zandt, Communist Daughter and John Mayall. His songs have been performed by Lucinda Williams and Bruce Springsteen. Operating out of the Kill Room, his Minneapolis studio, Kevin produces a lot of Midwest artists and bands, indie rock, pop, roots, singer/songwriter and sync music. He was the first writer in over 20 years to be signed by legends Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and has collaborated with Liz Rose, Dan Wilson, Kostas, Richie Sambora, Sharon Vaughn, Paul Westerberg and many other songwriters. Kevin’s music has been placed in dozens of films and TV shows including The Sopranos, Shameless, Ray Donovan and The Blacklist. Although focused on the studio now, Kevin has played guitar on tours with Paul Westerberg, Gary Louris (Jayhawks) and Freedy Johnston along with fronting his own band, The Okemah Prophets. The band has released a fifth album, “Half Past Never” featuring the single/video “California Sober”.
Kevin Bowe was never going to make another record of his own songs…. never. But then Covid happened and things slowed down; after many years of writing, playing and producing music, (including some platinum’s and Grammy winners) with people like Jonny Lang, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, The Replacements, Paul Westerberg, Etta James, Joe Cocker, Gary Louris, Freedy Johnston and Lynyrd Skynyrd all of a sudden there wasn’t much going on…. Hence Half Past Never, the new album by Kevin Bowe and The Okemah Prophets. Working with pals like Peter Anderson (The Ocean Blue), Noah Levy (Brian Setzer), Tim O’Reagan (Jayhawks) and Ian Allison (Soul Asylum, Cory Wong) Kevin put together this record with no one watching and no one to please, working in the privacy of The Kill Room, his Minneapolis studio. Half Past Never is a collection of orphan songs Kevin has collected, songs that never found a home on the many records he makes for other artists. The only running theme is stuff Kevin thinks is cool so the vibes run from obvious influences like the Replacements and Tom Petty to Harry Nillson, Mott The Hoople, The Who and even some East Indian feels.
“This is one of the few songs I’ve ever written that’s actually about someone specific, someone I really like actually. But they’re kind of untouchable, inside this hazy cocoon which was probably spun for protection but it kind of ends up being it’s own prison. I’m actually 43 years sober and not the California way. Yet.”
ARTIST QUOTE
“I rarely write songs specifically about a person but this one kinda is. Although by the time you get to the second verse the song is about the song rather than the original idea because they kind of take on a life of their own, this one really was inspired by a guy I met. I like him a lot, but as you can hear in the chorus there’s definitely a kind of sadness and isolation about him. Noah Levy’s drum track is really fantastic as are Tim O’Reagan from the Jayhawks vocal harmonies. His sunshiney harmonies really put the California in it.”
Kevin Bowe And The Okemah Prophets
Half Past Never
(Independent)
Release Date: May 12, 2023
Pre-Order Half Past Never HERE
ArtistΒ Links
Photo Credit: Paul Lundgren
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