FULL LENGTH BIO (short to follow):
“Kev Corbett, with his 10-track debut release Son of a Rudderless Boat, has taken a beautiful snapshot of the Canadian landscape. This native Nova Scotian’s voice is like no one else. He is all Canadian, with hints of Cockburn, Cohen and Lightfoot in his voice. Corbett weaves through well-crafted and skillfully written songs about everything from love to fallen idols to roadside adventures. Primarily an acoustic release, Corbett’s dazzling guitar playing compliments his unique perspective on life. Son of a Rudderless Boat has it all, from the quirky, as in the humorous foot tappin’ Cheese and Whiskey, to the introspective of Uncle, a stirring honest observation of a bigot uncle. Corbett is a true folksinger and Son of a Rudderless Boat is filled with passionate commentaries, and none more spirited than Skull and Bones, a story about civic corruption and civic do-gooders. Son of a Rudderless Boat is a marvelous listen.” – Penguin Eggs Magazine
“Corbett embodies everything that is wonderful about the song as an art form, while most folk singers today are mere shadows of great singer/songwriters.” -KV Style
“The man is an exceptional guitar player – for one thing – but also writes extremely clever, finessed, clockwork folk-pop songs whose singable surface belies a tremendous underlying sense of craft. It was really great to see him again.” – Jowi Taylor, Six String Nation
"Total teddy bear. Who SLAYS on bass." -Brooke Miller
He likes one fan’s description: Like Cohen, but with a sense of humour; Dylan, without the angst.
People keep telling Kev Corbett he really doesn’t sound like anbody else. He’s a wordy guy with a big heart. A serious guitar picker. A man who loves a great story, especially if it isn’t his. He’s comfortable in his own skin, not a hint of pretense.
He’s experienced, too: he’s got about 20 countries worth of touring under his belt, keeps placing in songwriting competitions, and had opened in the last year for Stephen Fearing, Jill Barber, Ben Sures, and Annabelle Chvostek, on top of sharing stages with Brooke Miller, Don Ross, Christina Martin, Jill Barber, Amelia Curran, David Celia, and more. But, to hell with musical comparisons: this dude’s a writer. He’s known for the attention-to-the-everyday of an Alice Munro, the attention-to-detail and research of a Robertson Davies, the brutal frankness of a Farley Mowat, the warm-cuddliness of a Peter Gzowski. This year, he toured coast to coast and back by train over two months. Five days later, he set out to do it again.
Kev Corbett is the best kind of folksinger, writing zingers that can veer hilarious, heartbreaking, lusty, pious, political, fighty, thoughtful, wistful, helpful, and/or clever; and then usually throw a self-deprecating monologue on top. It’s hard not to pay attention; stories become songs break down into stories, and you realize he’s not singing about his own life. He’s singing ours.
SHORT BIO:
Cohen + humour, Dylan minus the angst. Mixes the scruffy informality of Greg Brown, the four-eyed bluesmanship of old Cockburn, and the yarn-spinning wink of a merry stranger in a pub with yellowed stucco walls. One of Canada’s best new writers, and a humdinger of a guy.