Kenny Siegal

Kenny Siegal is a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, music producer and engineer from Island Park, New York.^[1] Siegal has produced, or co-produced many albums including Langhorne Slim and The Law's The Spirit Moves and The Way We Move (prominently featured on numerous films, television shows and national commercials), Chris Whitley's final record Reiter In, The Wiyos' Twist, Spottiswoode & His Enemies’ 2011 Independent Music Award-winning Wild Goosechase Expedition and This is The Town: A Tribute to Nilsson featuring Langhorne Slim, Marco Benevento, Willy Mason, Dawn Landes, Yellowbirds, Tracy Bonham and many more. Siegal created Old Soul Studios in Catskill, New York, where over 75 records have been recorded since 2001,^[2] including everything from The New Pornographers to Noam Weinstein.

Two-time Independent Music Award Winner,^[3] Siegal has also worked on songwriting assignments for Rick Rubin, produced tracks for Marshall Chess and his son Jamar Chess (Chess Records), has co-written with Paul Williams, and played guitar and sang on Tears for Fears' Everybody Loves a Happy Ending.^[4] On the road, Kenny played bass and guitar with Amanda Palmer and Nervous Cabaret, and played with the Wiyos at Carnegie Hall^[5] as well as toured with them in the UK (playing lap steel, keys and electric guitar).^[6]

In 1995, Siegal started Johnny Society,^[7][8] Johnny Society's first live performance was a showcase for Ray Davies who heard Siegal's basement recordings and requested to see the band live. All Music said about their first record: "It Don't Matter hits with the sonic force of a tidal wave, or to use a more appropriate analogy, like a one-band, end-of-the-20th-century rock & roll beacon the likes of which hasn't been experienced since the Beatles."^[9] Johnny Society's second record 'Wood' was on music critic Ben Ratliff of The New York Times' top ten list of favorite records of 1999, praising Siegal's "unpretentious, utilitarian imagination," and "perfect little agonized rock songs."^[10] Siegal won The Independent Music Award for Best Producer (along with co-producers Bryce Goggin and Brian Geltner) for Johnny Society's 2012 release 'Free Society' ^[11] and 'Clairvoyance' won Album of the Year at the Independent Music Awards in 2002. All of the Johnny Society records have been critically hailed, earning Siegal comparisons to John Lennon, Bowie, Cheap Trick and The Lovin' Spoonful. Siegal's only solo record, 'Eleccentricity' was nominated for IMA Eclectic album of the year (2010).^[12] 'Eleccentricity' also features such guests as Siegal's wife, Gwen Snyder Siegal aka Blueberry, Joseph Arthur, Trixie Whitley, and Nina Violet.

References