Kevin Pakulis: Press

TUCSON'S PAKULIS TURNS ON 'MOCKINGBIRD RADIO'

“I finally figured out that there was this wonderful creative process that I was missing out on. So I started trying to write and wrote a bunch of bad songs, got some good feedback, and kept at it. Eventually I began to say what I thought I wanted to say, in a way I thought I wanted to say it. Pretty cool when I turned that corner.”

And did Pakulis ever turn that corner, winning first place in the Tucson Folk Festival songwriting competition in 2004 and winning kudos in the often critically vicious alt-country 'zine No Depression, which said Pakulis “outright nails it. His music represents the best of a genre.”

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BUDDHA IN THE ROCK

TUCSON WRITERS AND ARTISTS RESPOND TO TIME IN THE WILDERNESS

Pakulis' song "Jaguar Blues" is the book/CD's highpoint, one of many references in the various works to the mysterious borderland jaguar who is known to haunt the area. "I'll keep an eye on your Sky Island home / If, Buddy, you could spare me a home," sings Pakulis. "I'm asking for a place I can roam / Won't you kindly throw a big cat a bone?"

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Is "mockingbird radio", the second album from Tucson singer/songwriter Kevin Pakulis, "one of the best Americana albums of the year"? Upon listening, this is easily a contender for one of the best so far. What struck me about Pakulis' music immediately was the conviction in his guitar and vocals, kind of a cross between Warren Zevon, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen. ...His songs make you want to cheer, laugh, cry, and perhaps go back to the times when you lived in a similar way. The guitar riffs are deep and tasty, and Pakulis is the kind of guy who supplies music that becomes "the soundtrack of your life", or a time worth reminiscing about. A feel good album for those that remember how to feel good.

...I've been playing Kevin Pakulis' "mockingbird radio" and like it a great deal. I love the way his songwriting tends to teeter halfway between literal and symbolic narrative. And the thing that really struck me was that he sounds like his physical demeanor, not in a contrived way, it's completely natural. This immediately lends substance. It has his lanky looseness, those langorous, muddy, authentic chops, a deceptively casual lyrical component, that lazy phrasing and delivery like a southwestern Lou Reed or something, even Iggy Pop sometimes.

Tucson, AZ local Kevin Pakulis offers up a greasy, gritty, socially conscious music. He mixes a voice that is more melodic than Jon Dee Graham with guitar playing that would make Billy Gibbons proud. This rocking roots record, with a bit of mescaline desert experience coloring the fringes, is filled with sing-along choruses, sliding guitar, and a muscular beat.

It starts out with a bite, and closes with a soft finish, just like a fine wine. Ahh, but this is better than fine... it's 41 1/2 minutes and 10 cuts of well composed lyrics. It's full of depth. It's gritty yet gentle. It's rootsy n' bluzy with elements of soul, americana, and inspiration. It's downright Wonderful!

The thread of Southwestern flavors from his debut CD, "Yeah Yeah Yeah", is carried over. Not to mention the same talented back-up band, Duncan Stitt, Ralph Gilmore, and Larry Lee Lerma, along with a few additional players:
Bo Ramsey does some fine slide guitar ( minuteman ), Dante Rosano blows some tasty trumpet ( minuteman ), and just the right amount of squeeze-box from Gary Makender ( mother's day ).

Kevin spends 4 minutes+ on a message to the "minuteman" ...along with that comes his personal 'war is not the answer' message directed to the President including the Chorus of Discontents belting out "...YOU don't get it"! It's a strong sentiment.

As I mentioned earlier, this CD is tough, yet tender... and full of depth. Damn, it's good!

Kevin Pakulis is an award winning songwriter and his second CD, "mockingbird radio", includes lyrical topics from the political to the deeply personal. His musical style includes the influences of blues, country, and rock, and his band includes some of the best musicians in Tucson. When Kevin sings, the heat and grit of the desert... the creosote-laden breezes... come through in his voice.