Kevin Hearn
Kevin Hearn | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Kevin Neil Hearn |
Born | Grimsby, Ontario, Canada | July 3, 1969
Origin | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
Genres | Alternative rock |
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instrument(s) | Keyboards, vocals, guitar, accordion, mandolin |
Years active | 1988–present |
Website | kevinhearn |
Kevin Neil Hearn (born July 3, 1969) is a Canadian musician who is a member of
Early life
Hearn was born to a relatively large family, and they lived in a small home in
Career
Hearn joined Look People in 1988 and played with the band until their break-up in 1993.
In 1995, he replaced departed keyboardist
After extensive touring in the United States, building upon the increasing success of Rock Spectacle, the band recorded their fourth studio album, Stunt. This was Hearn's first album with the band. While Andy Creeggan was mostly focused on acoustic keyboards (mainly piano), Hearn was experienced with electronic keyboards, synthesizers and samplers. This contribution to the band's sound is evident on Stunt. Hearn also contributed some lead electric guitar to the album, having a noticeably different style than Ed Robertson or Steven Page. On August 27, 2011, Hearn played piano and sang backing vocals for Steven Page's performance of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" at Jack Layton's state funeral.
Illness
Shortly after the recording of Stunt, Hearn was diagnosed with
Return to work
BNL's next album, Maroon, featured one of Hearn's songs, "Hidden Sun" as a hidden track at the end of the disc; his song "Born Human", later re-recorded for Thin Buckle, was recorded and left off the album. Starting with the release of the band's sixth studio album, Everything to Everyone, the band entered into a new writing process in which Hearn and Jim Creeggan brought not only songs, but also song ideas that the band would complete together. Everything to Everyone saw Hearn's first writing credits on the regular body of a BNL album. He learned to play the mandolin for the album and it has become a common instrument for him on tour. Hearn also released a third solo album, Night Light in 2003 with Thin Buckle.
A fourth album, The Miracle Mile, was released on July 11, 2006, in Canada and online. The BNL writing process from the previous album continued for their seventh studio album, Barenaked Ladies Are Me, released in September 2006.
Rheostatics
Of note are Hearn's collaborations with the Rheostatics. For their tribute album to Canadian painters the Group of Seven, entitled Music Inspired by the Group of Seven, he co-composed the music, played keyboards, and sang the song "Yellow Days Under a Lemon Sun". For the Rheostatics' 1999 release, The Story of Harmelodia, a thematic, and somewhat psychedelic, children's album, Hearn is listed as a member of the group in the liner-notes. He contributed significantly to the album and composed the songs "Wingophone" and "Monkey Bird".
In addition to Hearn's contributions to the recordings above, he performed live with the Rheostatics on many occasions throughout the latter part of the group's career. He is pictured in the group's official portrait at
Touring with Lou Reed
Hearn was part of Lou Reed's live band from 2007, including a European tour in 2011. He performed on piano and keyboards. His friendship with Reed dated back to 2001, when Hearn received a "get well soon" phone call from Reed during his fight with leukemia.
Personal life
Hearn currently lives in downtown Toronto, Ontario. He also spends time at a cottage which he acquired in the early 2000s. The isolated cottage is on a lake where his family spent time when he was a child.[2] Hearn has a daughter, Havana Winter Hearn, born in December 2003 with girlfriend Yvonne.
Hearn's cousin is actor and comedian Harland Williams, with whom he spent a lot of time as a child. They released two albums together in 2004 and 2017, as a duo known as The Cousins.[8]
Despite the departure of Steven Page from Barenaked Ladies, Hearn has maintained a friendship with him.[9]
His ongoing lawsuit against a Toronto art gallery, after learning that a Norval Morrisseau painting he had purchased was an apparent forgery, was profiled in Jamie Kastner's 2019 documentary film There Are No Fakes.[10] Hearn was eventually awarded $60,000 in compensation in September 2019.[11]
Discography
Look People
- More Songs About Hats and Chickens (1989)
- Small Fish, Big Pond (1990)
- Boogazm (1991)
- Crazy Eggs (1993)
Corky and the Juice Pigs
- Pants (1994)
Rheostatics
- Music Inspired by the Group of Seven (1995)
- The Story of Harmelodia (1999)
- The Whale Music Concert, 1992(2005)
- Calling Out the Chords, Vol. 1(2005)
- Green Sprouts Music Week 1993(2012)
Barenaked Ladies
See Barenaked Ladies' discography; Hearn's contributions include releases from 1996 until present.
Solo
- Mothball Mint (1997)
- Cloud Maintenance (2011)
- Days in Frames (2014)[12]
- Calm and Cents (2019)
Kevin Hearn & Thin Buckle
- H-Wing (2001)
- Night Light (2004)
- The Miracle Mile (2006)
- Havana Winter (2009)
The Cousins
- The Love Song Years (2004)
- Rattlesnake Love (2017)
References
- ^ Liner notes. The Story of Harmelodia. Rheostatics. 1999.
- ^ a b c d e Jim Creeggan, Kevin Hearn, Steven Page, Ed Robertson, Tyler Stewart (2004). The Barenaked Truth (Television documentary/DVD). Take 3 Productions/Casablanca Media Television.
- ^ "Kevin Hearn of Barenaked Ladies". Cryptic Rock. April 12, 2017. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
- ^ "Kevin Hearn - Actors & Actresses - Debate.org". debate.org. 2014. Archived from the original on January 14, 2014. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
- ^ "Kevin Hearn Is A Survivor"[usurped]. Chart Attack, November 08, 2001
- ^ Moll, George (executive producer) (2000). Behind the Music (TV-series). New York, NY: VH1.
- ^ Rheostatics's page at The Independent Music Hall of Fame, presented by Zunior. Accessed May 22, 2010.
- ^ The Cousins at Allmusic.com.
- ^ Kaplan, Ben. "Baring It All". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved January 16, 2012. [permanent dead link]
- ^ Paola Loriggio, "Barenaked Ladies’ Kevin Hearn bought a ‘Norval Morrisseau’ painting and ended up in the middle of an art-world feud". Toronto Star, January 31, 2020.
- ^ Adam Wallis, "Barenaked Ladies guitarist awarded $60K after buying fake painting". Global News, September 4, 2019.
- ^ "Kevin Hearn Gets Lou Reed, Ron Sexsmith, Dan Hill for 'Days in Frames' LP, Shares New Single | Exclaim!".
External links
- Kevin Hearn official website