Although his music has been described as Americana, Country-Rock, Folk, Singer/Songwriter, and, somehow, pop, Stephen Kellogg has always thought of it as American-rock n’ roll. It’s a product of his father’s record collection, from Jim Croce and Cat Stevens to Eagles and The Band. Somewhere along the way, he fell in love with showmanship and acts that put on great concerts. Sometimes that meant Van Halen, other times it meant the Grateful Dead, and most recently it’s probably more to do with John Prine. For what it’s worth, Tom Petty is his favorite artist.
In November of 2012, Stephen Kellogg and his band of the last ten years decided to take a hiatus. 2012 also took with it his mother-in-law and his grandmother. Most of this happened in late Spring, when his house was under renovation; the foundation was still there, but the house was literally ripped apart. 2012 was a year of change if nothing else. The musical result of this tumultuous period is Blunderstone Rookery, set to release later this month. The title comes from the boyhood home of his favorite character in his favorite book, “David Copperfield”.
We got to catch up with Stephen before he plays an intimate show at Eddie’s Attic on Thursday, June 6. Check out what he had to say!
What’s the first gig you ever attended?
Well the first gig of my own was at a teen center when I was 13, but the first ‘gig’ of someone else was a Whitesnake show when I was 10, though I hesitate to call it a ‘gig’ because it was a full on night of rock amazingness.
What is the best gig that you ever performed?
I’ve had many a great honor along the way. Here in Atlanta I’ve performed at the Tabernacle and Center Stage which are undoubtedly two
of my favorite venues in the country. There have been so many wonderful concerts and thankfully it’s basically impossible to say what the best one has been- though I could probably pin point the worst a bit more easily…
What is the best gig you have ever seen?
My favorite shows have been Whitesnake in 86′ , Grateful Dead Concert in 93′, a Ryan Adams concert in 02′, and John Prine in 06′ -those are my seminal shows.
Gig you would most like to play?
I’d love to do a theater tour with the Counting Crows. They’ve done a marvelous job of putting out high quality music over the years and I’d love to reach that audience in those venues (to say nothing of how much I’d enjoy watching them play nightly).
What would be the lineup for your dream gig?
Sheryl Crow, Counting Crows, Josh Ritter, Willie Nelson. I’d play somewhere in the middle and sing a bunch of duets with Sheryl and Willie and Josh and Adam Duritz. I’m blushing as I write this- but those are some of my absolute favorites right there.
Make sure to catch Stephen Kellogg playing at Eddie’s Attic Thursday, June 6! Tickets below!
