Stephen Kellogg

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Raised by lions on a cattle ranch in North Dakota…Ok, not quite so dramatic, but these biographies need to have artistic thrust. Stephen Kellogg was born November 28, 1976 in Westchester, PA. The musical urge started with a mixture of his dad’s records (Cat Stevens/Jim Croce) and his sister’s (Mötley Crüe/Bon Jovi). The songwriting of the former and the showmanship of the latter was the beginning of the musical attitude that pervades Stephen’s work today.

In high school Stephen did theater and started singing in a hard rock band called Silent Treatment with long time pal Ian McHugh (Bomb Squad). Ultimately the rock n’ roll won out (it always does). “I used to tell my parents, I’ll be a musician and I’ll have the acting as a fall back if it doesn’t work out.”

When Kellogg made his first demo of solo tunes “for some friends in the dorm” it was 1995 and he was a freshman at the University of Massachusetts. What ensued were three years of playing every weekend and many weekdays. During that period Stephen lived near the campus with bandmates Darian Cunning and Tim Edgar. Drummer Tim Newton went on to play with Holly Palmer and Duncan Sheik. And so on and so on, until eventually everyone had chalked the time spent playing to one grand learning experience.

With a degree in communication and an education in road tripping Kellogg started working for the clubs in Northampton, MA. Hanging posters in the legendary Iron Horse Music Hall one night, Kellogg found himself walking the club noting every performer on the wall. All the photos signed…Jewel, Edwin McCain, Tracy Chapman, Bonnie Raitt, Richie Havens, Suzanne Vega, Whiskeytown, Dave Brubeck…all people who decided that their life was going to be about making art. Doesn’t that sound amazing? To have a life where your job is creativity. That was a turning point. Not necessarily in the way things appear on VH1 Behind the Music, but enough so that Kellogg recorded a new record and began building his own label from the ground up.

Releasing South of Stephen February 6, 2000, Kellogg began two years of solo shows (with the occasional band show mixed in). A couple shows a week. “At first a lot of the gigs were a bit of a drag…steakhouses, bars, coffee shops with no one in them. I just wanted to be playing and I really needed and still need the opportunity to get out there and just figure stuff out.” Over the last couple years the gigs have gotten better and Kellogg has had the opportunity to meet and play with many wonderful musicians continuing what has in essence been his study. “I found myself on stage with Melissa Ethridge, Sally Taylor, Mark Erelli and Fuzz. Found myself hanging with Jimmy Buffett, Adam Duritz, Jeffrey Gaines, Alana Davis, Carly Simon, James Taylor, Emo Phillips…I don’t know it’s just incredible to talk to these people because they’ve helped me to want and expect more from life. Some of them I just met from hanging around a tour bus after a show like a crazed fan, but I feel like it’s a great way to learn. I want to make music that feels the way my hero’s music is. I don’t need to be famous, but I do need to make music that feels legendary.”

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