Last week I talked with Kevin about his early musical influences, how he got his start as a full time musician, his love for his family, and the passion that he has to perform for audiences that come out in droves to see his show. In fact, after posting the article on Facebook last week, one of Kevin’s fans, Rhonda Bognanni, contacted me and said that her daughter, Amanda, considers herself to be Kevin’s biggest fan. It is going to be a really big surprise for Amanda to see her picture in the paper with her favorite musician. (See photo below.)
    Because it is a little kinder to the vocal chords, Kevin prefers solo gigs, as well as duo work with ace drummer, Joe Mama, who Meet The Band featured back in April of this year. About three times a month, Kevin performs with Poole and the Gang, which I was fortunate to catch this past Monday at Fager’s Deck Party. It’s a clear testimony as to how the crowd is responding to the music when the dance floor is packed all night. And it surely was. The full band is a group of highly experienced musicians here at the beach including Joe Mama on drums, Joe Smooth on killer saxophone, John Remy, lead guitar and Ryan Nete on Bass.
RJ: Seems like a great life playing music in Ocean City all summer and Key West all winter. How does the family handle it with you being away for so long?
KP: It is a great life. Ocean City is where I call home. When it’s time to head to Key West for the winter, my wife Bethany and two sons, Devin (7) and Chase (4), all go with me. Key West is such a highly traveled vacation destination that hardly a day goes by where I don’t run into someone I know from up north. So, I’m grateful that I get to do what I do, year round, in warm climates and fun environments.
RJ: When I see your solo and duo shows, I notice that you have quite a few foot pedals that you are continuously maneuvering.
KP: It takes a little practice to get it all but it does add a fullness to the overall sound and I think makes for a better listening experience for the audience. I use a looper which allows me to play a rhythm on the guitar and then at exactly the right moment, hit the pedal and it will keep playing what I just played. Once the rhythm pattern is going, then I can play lead guitar and sing and it sounds like more than one guitar. I’ll also use a vocal harmonizer for the same reasons. It sounds like I have three backup singers and it’s just me singing. When I play with the full band, it’s not necessary for either of those devices.
RJ: You’ve seen lots of changes in the record industry in the time that you’ve been a full time musician. How do you see those changes, good or bad?
KP: All good. For many years the big record labels controlled everything. Now, someone can write a song, record it in their home studio exactly the way they want the song to come out. Then, market it themselves through the many online music outlets around, and fans can log on, purchase and download the song. So often a musician would submit a song to a label and the execs would redo the song completely into what they think is going to sell best. Oftentimes, it never looks or sounds like the original submission. Dave Grohl, drummer for the Foo Fighters, recorded a whole album in his garage with his band and they wound up winning several awards for that album.
RJ: How particular are you when you are in the recording studio?
KP: Very particular. I’ll do 15 or more takes until it comes out right. My first album, called Going Home, was recorded in a professional studio in 1996 with my full band at the time. We had everyone being recorded at the same time, and so if one person played a wrong note, we started all over again from the beginning. The process was a little more tedious back when it was recorded on analog tape. My second album was recorded digitally, which is far easier to go back and make changes to right in the middle of the track if needs be. I tend to be very meticulous about every part of it.
RJ: You mentioned to me that you are your own worse critic. What specifically do you mean by that?
KP: When I tell people that I’m going to work, they usually scratch their head and say, that’s not work. I’ll tell them that when a person starts a new job, they have to get to know their boss and coworkers. Once they’ve done all that, it is a more comfortable environment for them. Well, every day in a musician’s life is like starting a new job. Yes, you might know the owner or some people who work there, but it’s always new people and it’s my job to give those people what they came for to begin with. So when I say that I’m my own worse critic, what I mean is that if I do a show and for some reason I wasn’t able to generate that symbiotic relationship that I always strive for with the crowd, then I will spend time trying to figure out what caused that. It doesn’t happen too often but when it does, I look to myself, never the audience. It’s something I’m doing. But, even with that, whenever a person comes up and says that this song or that song really means something to them, then someone’s life was affected that day. Invariably, someone will come up and say I know you won’t know this or that song that means so much to them for whatever emotional attachment they have to it. And then to see their eyes light up when I say, yeah, I know that one.  That means everything to me. That is my payback for all of the hours invested learning so many songs.
RJ: Do you have any favorite venues?
KP: That’s a great question because I am still at many of the same venues that I have performed in for the last 10 years. I like the family oriented places. I’ve seen kids grow up right in front of me. I’ll have a 19-year old come up and say they remember the time I let them play the tambourine when they were 4 or 5 years old.
RJ: Do you think musical talent is more genetic, hard work or both?
KP: My father always said that he doesn’t have any musical ability but, I think it’s more because he never decided to go after it. We ultimately found out that my father was adopted. And when his natural father died, we had a distant relative send the obituary to us and all it said was that he was a professional musician. So, maybe genetics are involved.
RJ: What would you tell a kid running down the street with a 6 string in his hand and stars in his eyes?
KP: I’d tell that person to make sure that, no matter what, make sure you are really enjoying it. It takes that to overcome any difficulties they may encounter in the learning process. Ones chances for success are far greater if that person absolutely loves what they are doing. I think that holds true in any area of life.
RJ: Parting words?
KP: I like to encourage people to listen to all types of music. It rounds us out as people. Sometimes all you have to do is listen for 15 or 20 minutes of a particular genre to get a feel for it.
    If you are up for a great musical performance, you can find Kevin’s schedule at:  www.kevinpoole.net.
RandyJamz is a professional photographer and frontman for The RandyJamz Band. Available for gigs of all types as a solo, duo or full band. If you would like to be interviewed for a Meet The Band article, contact me at: [email protected].