Bio
Kevin Kane’s songs, voice, and guitar playing are very familiar to any Canadian to have turned on a radio or TV between the mid-80s and early 90s, for at the time his band The Grapes of Wrath were one of the country’s biggest, with hit singles, videos, albums and sold out concerts from coast to coast.
Growing up in Kelowna, BC, he met brothers Chris and Tom Hooper, who shared his love of the Who, the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, and especially the Beatles. Not long after they began jamming in the Hooper brothers’ basement, the three started writing their own songs, inspired by the DIY attitude and immediacy of the blossoming punk rock and new wave movement. As soon as Tom had completed high school, the three drove to Vancouver for a weekend to record their self-titled debut EP and within a couple of months found themselves signed to the newly-formed Nettwerk label. Relocating to Vancouver permanently, the band went on to release 4 albums internationally through EMI, beginning with “September Bowl Of Green“ (1985) and the gold-certified “Treehouse“ (1987), and concluding with the platinum-selling “Now and Again” in 1989 and “These Days” in 1991. The Grapes disbanded the following year, but reformed from 1998 and 2001, releasing one last album, “Field Trip” on the now-defunct Song Corp record label.
Aside from his work with the Grapes of Wrath, Kevin has released 2 solo acoustic albums, both of which met with critical acclaim and enthusiasm from Grapes fans and a whole new audience who have discovered Kevin’s quiet, artful song-writing and sparse acoustic arrangements. “Neighborhood Watch” was released in 1996, and more recently, in 2001 Kevin recorded an album of covers, paired-down to just his voice and acoustic guitar, called “Timmy Loved Judas Priest” (trivia buffs note: this was named after a scene in the cult indie documentary, “Heavy Metal Parking Lot”) Kevin has also developed a strong reputation as a producer, working with artists like Zumpano, The Salteens, Star Collector, The Capitals, Superconductor, Blu Mundae, and Wayne Lavallee. What’s remained consistent is Kevin’s desire to create music with heart and write songs that capture the essence of his life experience, coupled with his intensely beautiful guitar playing.
In 2006, Kevin completed his first full-band recording since the Grapes days and finds him joined by Nelson Bragg (Quarter After, Mockers, Brian Wilson Band) on drums, Stefan Bienz on upright and longhorn bass, and Christina Zaenker’s layered cellos and vocals. Entitled “How To Build A Lighthouse”, it is Kevin’s most varied and dynamic collection of music yet and was released by Bongo Beat in North America in October, 2007, and in Europe and Australia in the spring of 2008. The album was produced by Kevin, mixed by Steven Drake (The Odds, The Tragically Hip, 54-40), and mastered by Kramer (Low, Galaxy 500).
“How To Build A Lighthouse” hit stores in Canada in October 2007, and since then has seen release in the US, UK (where Kevin performed shows in May of 2008), Italy, Spain, Germany, and Japan (licensed to Sandfish Records). In October the album was short-listed for a 2009 Grammy nomination for “Best Pop Vocal Album“.