Kenny Howes

Kenny Howes is a singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist, specializing in power-pop. Raised in Mulberry, Florida, Howes began his recording career in the 1990s in Tallahassee, FL. Overdubbing all voices and instruments (except drums, performed by schoolmate Kelly Shane), Howes released his first collection Nothing Wrong With That, first as a DIY cassette EP in 1993 and then (after adding songs) as a full-length CD in 1995. He then recorded and released his CD Kenny Howes’ Second Album in early 1996, which is known not only for the song "Girls With Glasses" ("one of the finest power pop tracks of the '90s," said author/power pop reviewer John Borack), but also for its cover art, which parodies The Beatles' Second Album. The disc was ranked #157 on The 200 Greatest Power Pop Albums list in the 2007 book Shake Some Action: The Ultimate Power Pop Guide. In 1996, Howes and drummer Kelly Shane relocated to the Atlanta, GA area, began work on Howes' next CD Back To You Today! (released 1998), and stabilized a lineup for his new group, Kenny Howes And The Yeah!. In 2000, Howes signed a deal with short-lived indie label SecondHeaven.com, who released The Right Idea, a compilation of songs from Howes' first three CD releases, which were now out of print. Many of these early recordings were featured on MTV "reality" shows such as Sorority Life and Fraternity Life. Howes and his band began work on their first group recording in 2000 at Chase Park Transduction studios in Athens, GA, recorded by David Barbe of Sugar (5), with pre-production done in Hoboken, NJ with producer Don Fleming. The resulting album, Until Dawn, was released on Tallboy Records in 2002. Howes released his CD Lady Friend in 2004. He also relocated to California; there, his side project Hautewerk licensed three songs to the Rockband video game in April 2009. Kenny closed out 2010 with an East Coast Solo Tour, and in 2011 joined The Smithereens' Pat DiNizio for the Las Vegas revue Confessions Of A Rock Star. The show ended in June 2012, and Howes has subsequently performed with The Smithereens as a fill-in bassist. Howes latest solo LP, Tornadoes Here And Past, was released in November 2012, with a vinyl version following in December 2012. PowerPopAholic.com had this to say: "A triumphant comeback in a year full of them. Don’t miss this one."