About Me
Kevin Sekhani may not be a household name, but his voice is well known to listeners in the music capital of Austin, Texas. A native of Lafayette, LA, Kevin has been active on the Texas scene for the past decade as the voice of Radio Thieves' rootsy pop, the glam-techno stylings of Two Minute Sinatra and the baroque, power-pop of Parade.
In 1991, Kevin's first band, Radio Thieves, was born from a conglomeration of transplanted Louisiana musicians who landed in south Austin. Over a 5-year period, and through numerous lineups (Ryan Carter of Dewato and Rock Bottom Choir, Andrew Duplantis of the Meat Puppets, Tia Carrera and Son Volt, as well as guitarist-songwriter, Tim Veillon), Kevin led "the Thieves" in the Texas and Louisiana club scenes. Over the Thieves' run, Kevin collaborated with such songwriting talents as Bill Carter and Ruth Ellsworth (hits by Stevie Ray Vaughn), Don Harvey, Charlie Sexton (Bob Dylan), Will Sexton, and Bukka Allen and Michael Villegas (of the Ian Moore and Joe Ely bands). A Bill Carter-produced LP, "Scenes from Cinema West", was ultimately recorded, but the band broke up before it could be officially released.
Kevin took a year off to write and look for new collaborators. He found them in Bryan Spainhower, Eric de Valpine and Darren Keith, and in 1996 they emerged as Two Minute Sinatra. Immediately the band hit the local airwaves with the tune "Johnston Street" before the debut CD, "Two Minute Sinatra" (produced with Michael Ramos of John Mellencamp, the Bodeans, the Rembrandts and Paul Simon) was even recorded. Once it hit the shelves, radio jumped all over it, with no less than three cuts receiving substantial airplay. On the strength of that airplay, Kevin and Two Minute Sinatra embarked on a tour of Texas and the southeast US. After the tour, they signed with an Austin label with national distribution and began preparing their next record, "Evaporate". The first single, "Chemical", was added to rotation on many stations around the country, including Austin's KLBJ and KROX and Los Angeles's KROQ. Subsequent label problems forestalled any further promotion, but the band forged on. In 2000, Two Minute Sinatra played the SXSW Music Festival and "Chemical" was placed on the soundtrack of "The Haven", an independent film that made the rounds of America's major film festivals. In spite of this success, the band had run its course.
Kevin quickly bounced back with a new project, Sekhani, featuring Ty Hurless and Darren Keith. With new band mates, including Curtis Saunier (Rubberhead and Two Minute Sinatra) and Geno Stroia II (the Gene Pool), Sekhani gigged prolifically around the Austin area.
The early songwriting collaboration of Kevin and Ty Hurless, and songs contributed by Darren Keith, portended a change in creative direction, and the band gradually evolved into the baroque sounds of Parade. Parade entered the studio with producers, Spencer Gibb (54 Seconds) and Luis Guerrero, and released the album "Life* in Ten Songs or Less". The album featured Austin musical luminaries such as Gibb, Ephraim Owens and Brannen Temple, and received glowing write-ups in Texas Music Magazine and MundaneSounds.com. Parade went on to play the 2004 and 2005 SXSW Music Festivals, as well as the GenArt series of new artist showcases, and continues to sell its debut CD to an international audience via the online distribution site, cdbaby.com.
Parade lives on as the "Pet Sounds-side" of Kevin's personality, but with long-time musical partners, Ty Hurless and Tim Veillon, Kevin has started gigging and recording a solo album that owes much more to his Louisiana "roots" musical heritage. Along with new band members, Jorge Castillo , Robert Chacon and Michael Lamendola, a new sound has emerged that has been described as "Van Morrison fronting the Old 97s."
Keep a watch for a new record and a new sound in 2008, and pass the word along that Kevin is still blazing new trails and crafting hooky and heartfelt tunes along the way!
