Brent Kirby is a well-traveled musician. He grew up playing music in Wisconsin and before ending up in Cleveland, he has made stops in Tennessee, Missouri and Illinois. His style is that of the classic male singer/songwriters and all his travels and experiences seem to permeate his songs. Like any other songwriter, (it would seem) Kirby's songs are primarily about love and girls and girls and love.
I have seen Brent Kirby play many times before, but it has always been with an acoustic guitar, and maybe a harmonica here and there. Last week I got a chance to see Kirby play an electric show with his excellent backup band, The Flashing Twelves. Unfortunately I don't know all the Flashing Twelves, but it does feature Greg Hido (also of Cleveland band Liquid) on lead guitar and a good bass player named Paul. These guys were the perfect band for Kirby. They accent his music, and know when to back off and let the frontman do his thing, while also knowing when to take over and rock it all out.
The playlist that night included American Stars, Girl I Love, as well as many others that will be on the debut full-length release from Brent Kirby. Kirby commanded the stage and gave various cues to let the band know what he was doing. He sang more intensely than he ever has at an acoustic show. The mix was great, the band was tight and Kirby's banter in between songs kept the smaller weeknight crowd interested.
Kirby didn't want to jinx anything, but he mentioned that he might have a deal with an independent label to release his full-length album soon. Look out for that, and if you live in the Cleveland area, make an attempt to see some of his shows.
For more, go to BrentKirby.com
This first appeared at RockDummy.com
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