Join the Oxford American and Landers FIAT of Benton for this week’s free Local Live concert!

Little Rock songwriter Kevin Kerby takes the stage with a cadre of colleagues at 7:30 pm. Call ahead at 501-244-9660 to ensure a reservation at a table.

Kevin Kerby writes songs. Sometime around the fourth grade Kerby became obsessed with his dad’s record collection; a delicate balance of country, soul, and comedy. Make any connections you would like at this point.

As his friend’s formed bands, Kerby stayed on the sidelines – sort of pretending he was a drummer while secretly borrowing neglected guitars and teaching himself to play enough chords to write songs.

Soon after, Kerby started a two-man “Black Grass” band called Sad Monkey Railroad; a reference to a train that takes tourists around Paliduro Canyon State Park in Amarillo, TX. It was in Sad Monkey Railroad that Kerby really started writing. Traditional chord progressions were discovered and more than one “public domain” song was parted out and repurposed. Kerby went off to the same college his brother (and older sister) had attended in Arkansas. It was here that Kerby met a girl, joined a couple of bands, got signed to a major label, got dropped from a major label, and eventually started the regionally popular band, Mulehead.

Mulehead played weekends and made a lot of records before calling it quits in 2004. Kerby started making solo records shortly after. A couple of his songs found their way onto other folks records.

Though relatively popular, Kerby kept trying to become a better songwriter. Turning his old formula on it’s head (make songs as general as possible so that more people can relate), he now writes about specific events and people in his life, banking on the fact that everyone shares the same feelings and experiences just to different degrees. The observant artist will feel things more than the partying frat boy, but both will feel it. And perhaps share a high-five. Kevin Kerby writes songs.