Stephen Kellogg w/ Liz Longley

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Date/Time:Friday, 19 Feb 2016 at 9:00 pm
Location:M-Shop
Cost:$10 Students / $15 Public
URL:http://www.sub.iastate.edu/calendar/step...n-kellogg/
Contact:Student Union Board
Phone:515-294-8349
Channel:Student Union Board
Categories:Arts, performances Student activities
Actions:Download iCal/vCal | Email Reminder
In the classic American tradition of musical troubadour and documentarians of society, Stephen Kellogg has been furrowing the great American roads solo, and with his band, playing his brand of American rock and roll for the past decade.

In the classic American tradition of musical troubadour and documentarians of society, Stephen Kellogg has been furrowing the great American roads solo, and with his band, playing his brand of American rock and roll for the past decade. During that time, he has grown successful to the point of recognition of his artistic insights, and was even asked to give a TEDx talk about job satisfaction in 2013. Recently on a tour of Europe, SK (as fans often refer to him) made a detour to play the Middle East, Africa and an aircraft carrier for the Armed Forces. Upon returning to the USA, he started his annual lyric writing campaign to raise money and awareness in the fight against pediatric cancer. At first glance none of this has anything to do with his music, but Kellogg would argue it's, "...the whole story. The music I make is a reflection of how I spend my time and what I care deeply about."

When it comes to performing, CBS Radio has called Kellogg, "the best live act you've never seen" and No Depression magazine gives him the oddly flattering title of "the best songwriter you're not listening to." But while he may not be a household name at present, Kellogg has persisted in building a substantial career, which has landed him in the billboard charts and on stage with nationally touring acts including Train, Sugarland, OAR, and Josh Ritter to name a few. His songs have additionally been featured in numerous films and TV shows including One Tree Hill, Men of a Certain Age, Mercy and more.

Kellogg's Americana-tinged, sometimes folk, often rock, occasionally pop stylings can make him hard to define, and his most recent four part album South, West, North, East embraces the notion of genre splitting to the fullest. Recorded literally "all over the map", the premise of South, West, North, East was to record each section of the album in a different region of the USA, with different co-producers and different groups of musicians.

"I've never felt that the genre was as important as the message and making the record this way was a chance to really explore that idea" says Kellogg. The end result is a collection of 20 songs that defy categorization. The Southern rock flavor of "South" (recorded in Nashville and Atlanta) slides into the cowboy motif of "West" (recorded on a farm in Boulder, CO); and the more indie rock feel of "North" (recorded in a cabin in Woodstock, NY) gives way to the songwriter pop of "East" (recorded in Washington DC). "You often hear about the importance of 'picking a lane' and while I completely understand the marketing savvy and focus of that concept, I picked my lane a long time ago; it's called the 'words that describe what I believe to be true' lane."

Liz Longley will open the show.