Kevin Hammond RSS Feed

Kevin Hammond Featured on Details Mag Microsite! | News

amoctone — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 17:25:00 GMT

Here is the link to the Casio/Details Magazine “Watch Out” Microsite featuring Kevin Hammond:

http://detailsinsider.com/watchout/

The microsite also features a video about Kevin Hammond which can be seen here:

http://detailsinsider.com/watchout/video_hammond.cfm

» detailsinsider.com

JitZul Interviews Kevin Hammond | News

amoctone — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 16:08:00 GMT

Kevin Hammond is a talented up and coming musician from Kenosha, Wisconsin. Thanks to his father, Kevin was introduced to music at a young age and through the years has been able to thrive in it. After a daring departure from his conventional day job Kevin was able to grab the attention of A&M/Octone Records which lead to Kevin's self entitled debut EP.

If you would like to learn more about Kevin, check out his MySpace page.

You were introduced to music and instruments at a very young age. Do you think you would have become a musician had you not be introduced so early in life?

Actually I don't think I would have, which makes me very thankful that my father introduced me to music and musical instruments at such a young age.

Did you have a ‘this is it’ moment when you realized that you had to have a career in music?

Yes. I had a lot of things on my plate and realized that if I were to follow through with a lot of things I had planned it would rule out music as an option and I couldn't let music go. I was born to sing!

You took a leap of faith by quitting your day job and jumping into your music full time. Do you ever regret this decision and do you recommend it to others?

I never regret the decision and i believe if someone knows what they need to do they should do it while putting all fear of peoples judgments and struggles attached to the decision aside.

Many musicians strive to have a record contract but never reach that dream. What did it mean to you to have A&M/OCTONE take interest in your music?

I felt very honored and very thankful to find people who have as much faith in my music as I do, I wouldn't choose another label for the world, I'm very happy with them and can't wait to see what we can do as a team.

One of the hardest aspects of being a musician is getting your music to be heard by others. What have you found to be the most effective way to do this?

Touring is honestly the best way to get in the eye of the crowd, you've got to be accessible to people to get anywhere in the music biz.. Make yourself available.

You released an EP last year that included a cover of Gnarles Barkley's song Crazy. Of all the cover songs out there why did you think this one was worthy of your first EP?

This song is upbeat and very well known. I wanted to have a song I could relate to people with, but at the same time introducing my style.

What type of decisions went into choosing the songs for your EP.? Did you know right away what songs you wanted or it was a ‘pick and choose’ process?

It was pick and choose. We are still having a good time trying to figure out which will be the first single.

You introduced the world to your musical style in your EP. Do you think you will experiment with various sounds and put out something different the next time around or are you happy with the sounds you are currently producing?

The EP is 5 demo songs from about two years ago, the production on the songs will be different for sure but the overall sound of the music will remain intact.

Is there a particular musician that you think you would click well with creatively and hope to one day collaborate with?

T have three or four artists in mind that I'd like to write with actually. I think I'd like to write with Gavin Degraw, Ryan Tedder (One Republic), Chris Martin (Coldplay), and Avril Lavigne, but then again, who wouldn't want to write with them???

What is your musical guilty pleasure?

A lot of people don't know this but I actually started out as a drummer...I love banging on the drums. Put me in front of a nice drum set and I'll be there for hours.

Is there something that's now a part of your everyday life that you didn't expect to happen before beginning a career in music?

Traveling to new places, flying in a lot of airplanes, not knowing where I'll be in a week.

How do you handle the stress of being in such a cut-throat industry?

One thing I love to do is sit with ear buds and just listen to classical and jazz music for hours, just relaxing.

The path to being a successful musician can have many turns, dead ends, and bumps. What advice can you give to aspiring musicians?

I'd say to them, never give up on what you believe. If you know you are supposed to play music don't let anyone convince you otherwise, people are afraid of what they don't understand. Its not your job to live in their fear. Just be faithful and consistent in what ever you do and opportunity will come.

Kevin Hammond Featured on CWG | News

amoctone — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 15:11:00 GMT

Most kids grow up amusing themselves with G.I. Joes, TonkaTrucks and Sunday morning cartoons. Kevin Hammond, however, was raised in ahousehold of musical instruments. He taught himself guitar as a child and beganto hone his songwriting abilities as a teenager.

Unsatisfied with his life in retail sales, Hammond quit hisday job, traded in his car for a van, and became a musical nomad. The committedleap-of-faith was enough to garner the attention of New York’s A&M/OctoneRecords which has Hammond’s debut album slated for release this fall. Thealbum’s lead single, “Broken Down,” showcases Hammond’s distinctive ability tobounce between feathery falsetto and full-bodied modal register.

The captivating contrast is both addictive and sure todistinguish Hammond from the pack. It is a mixture of unique talent, hard work,and dedication which has poised Hammond to be America’s next breakoutsinger-songwriter and yet another world-class artist in a string ofA&M/Octone successes.

Kevin Hammond EP | Album

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:00:00 GMT

Tracks
1. Just As I Thought [Early Recordings]
2. Broken Down [Early Recordings]
3. The Way You Move [Acoustic]
4. What Would You Do For Love? [Acoustic]
5. Crazy [As Originally Performed By Gnarls Barkley / Final Version]

Buy
Amazon
iTunes

Broken Down (Ringtone) | Ringtones

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:00:00 GMT

Tracks
1. Broken Down (Ringtone)

Just As I Thought (Ringtone) | Ringtones

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:00:00 GMT

Tracks
1. Just As I Thought (Ringtone)

Crazy (Ringtone) | Ringtones

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:00:00 GMT

Tracks
1. Crazy (Ringtone)

What Would You Do For Love? (Ringtone) | Ringtones

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:00:00 GMT

Tracks
1. What Would You Do For Love? (Ringtone)

The Way You Move (Ringtone) | Ringtones

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:00:00 GMT

Tracks
1. The Way You Move (Ringtone)

Kevin Hammond featured by San Antonio Express News | News

amoctone — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:29:00 GMT

Breaking voice inspires Hammond

10/22/09

By Jim Beal Jr.

Singer-songwriter Kevin Hammond doesn't need Auto-Tune. He makes his own vocal effects.

The 24-year-old singer's unusual falsetto, a self-described "high voice" style, is a hybrid of Dave Matthews, Coldplay's Chris Martin and John Mayer.

He plays dreamy, syncopated acoustic guitar-driven pop. Songs such as "Broken Down," "Little Princess," "Breakin' My Heart," "Maybe," "Just As I Thought" and "Last On Your List" would make perfect sense on "Grey's Anatomy."

"The genre that I sing just sort of comes out," said Hammond, who opens for Kate Voegele tonight at the White Rabbit. "I don't know how you classify it." His self-titled debut on A&M/Octone Records is due in early 2010.

He tried starting a rock band, but it always sounded too electric. "It just started to change the way that the songs sound. It just sounded too rock-y," he explained.

Hammond says his best songs are written in 10 minutes. "It has to be in me," said Hammond, who enjoys listening to classical music and movie soundtracks.

He developed his style at 16 by accident. Hammond was singing in his car late one night.

"I jumped into falsetto and I didn't have control over the notes I was singing, but I knew what I was hearing in my mind," Hammond said.

"It was kinda weird. It was, like, I was singing and my voice broke. And I was, like, ‘Whoa!' Maybe I could use that.' "

» www.mysanantonio.com

Maybe (Ringtone) | Ringtones

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 08:00:00 GMT

Tracks
1. Maybe (Ringtone)

"Maybe" single available on iTunes Now!! | News

amoctone — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 11:24:00 GMT