The Broken
Lexington, Kentucky, United States
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KEVIN ELLIOT AND THE BROKEN: The Right Touch of Familiar Rebellion
Written by Mike Parker
Damage of This Day
Kevin Elliott and the Broken
Broken City Records
I can't listen to Kevin Elliot and the Broken's debut project, Damage of This Day, without think about Eddie and the Cruisers. Maybe it's the promo photos on their website. Maybe it's the album's sound that is at once totally grounded in the present, but is still just slightly ahead of its time. Or maybe its that magical combination that Eddie confided to the Word Man "Words and Music."?
Having been produced by album maestro, Luke Ebbin (All American Rejects, Bon Jovi) and mixed by Dave Way (Foo Fighters, Sheryl Crow), this project has some instant credibility. But production and mixing only goes so far if the songs aren’t there. Happily, the tunes on Damage of This Day sparkle and shine, even when the subject matter gets a little existential, as it does on songs like "Desperate Days."
"Guess I have to suffer to grow wise/ Days like this cut deeper every time," croons frontman Kevin Elliot, over a bed of mournfully driving rock n' roll. Yet the story doesn't end there. "I will make it/ I won't give in to these Desperate Days/ This hope will keep me hanging on."
Recurring themes of brokenness and restoration ebb and flow throughout the album. "Broken City", "Experience Scars,"? and "Take Back" all echo the sentiment that living means striving, and striving sometimes means losing. Yet losing is not an acceptable option for the band. "Feeling sorry for yourself will never take away the pain," Elliott cries. "So make your choice and stay-Take back your life."?
With a sound that falls somewhere between the roots rock of John Mellencamp and the working-class blues rock of John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band, Kevin Elliott and the Broken strike a nerve. This is rock n' roll like it was meant to be - familiar enough to be accessible, and rebellious enough to keep you reaching.
www.kevinelliottandthebroken.com
- BuddyHollywood.com
Diamond City/Electric City – Free Entertainment Papers
Wilkes-Barre, PA – Scranton, PA
11/29/2007
“He's Broken�
Kevin Elliot debuts during a hectic week at River Street Jazz Cafe
By Gene Padden
On any other weekend, Kevin Elliot and The Broken coming to the River Street Jazz Cafe in Plains would be big news. For his debut, though, he just happened to book a date smack between Jefferson Starship and Tim Reynolds.
While he hasn't achieved the status of those legendary performers (yet), rest assured that if you stop in The Jazz this Saturday, talent will be out in full force.
Elliot is supporting his new CD, Damage of This Day, which was recorded by Luke Ebbin (Bon Jovi, All American Rejects) and mixed by Dave Way (Foo Fighters, Sheryl Crow, Michael Jackson), so yeah, it sounds like a big-time West Coast release. It also cements Elliot's status as a member of the L.A. music scene.
"The recording was pretty insane, when you have all these great studio musicians playing your songs - it was very surreal for me," he said during a recent phone call. "I got to record with some really famous people in a really famous studio.
"When we got there, Paul McCartney's stickers were still on everything, because he had just finished a session. I learned a lot."
The record is top-notch pop rock, but it also signifies the culmination of Elliot's journey from Lexington, Kentucky, to his current home in Malibu. A bluegrass native, he lived in Dallas, Miami, Atlanta, and Nashville before taking a shot at the big-time.
He put together a band called The Broken (Jason Michalski, Sam Boxleitner, and Billy Schleifer), and now he finds himself in the midst of an East Coast tour, wondering if his Malibu residence is well, still there.
"My girlfriend is there, and apparently the fire is still north of us," he said. "You really have to watch for blowing embers, because they're very dangerous.
"I guess it's the price you pay for an ocean view. But really, living there is a pain in the ass, because I rehearse in Hollywood every day, which is 30 minutes away. But that will turn into an hour and a half if you hit traffic at the wrong time."
Elliot's material is singer-songwriter driven pop rock, and the record is radio-ready thanks to the journeyman studio veterans who appear like Dave Levita (Daniel Powter), Curt Schneider (Dog's Eye View), and Victor Indrizzo (Beck, Gnarls Barkley). Stylistically, he'll fit perfectly on a Jazz Cafe bill that includes The Underground Saints (the former Mere Mortals/Bent Blue crew).
Damage of This Day is available online, and will hit stores in January. Elliot also has plans for a swift EP follow-up. The guy simply loves to write, both for music and print. He previously covered the Lexington music scene for ACE Weekly. He's still not sure if he enjoys the receiving end of interviews.
"I guess I have thought about it from time to time," he said. "It was tough covering those bands all weekend and then having a story due Monday. I think I work better under pressure, though."
Amen, brother.
-gpadden@timesshamrock.com
- Diamond City/Electric City
“Nothing Broken Here�
Damage of this Day (Broken City Records)
Kevin Elliot and the Broken
By Kory Wilcoxson
I hope Kevin Elliot hasn't shot himself in the foot by making "Teleport" the first single of his debut album, Damage of This Day. While the song isn't a career-killer, the restrained lyrics and "Star Trek 90210" subject matter don't give the cursory listener an accurate sense of what Elliot and his band, the Broken, have to offer.
Elliot, a former Lexington resident and Ambercrombie and Fitch model, shows a depth of maturity and introspection that pushes him past other pop-rock groups like Matchbox 20. While the sounds are similar, Elliot's voice is carries more emotion and his lyrics honestly address deeper war wounds and self-inflicted scars.
This vulnerability is the power behind Elliot's music. He isn't afraid to reveal his less-than-perfect past, like the drug confessional "Desperate Days," or to lament the dangers of such a lifestyle, as he does on "Cloudy Life," a tribute to his cousin who died of an overdose.
If you didn't listen to the words, however, you would think Elliot just likes to rock. Elliot adds a bit of punk or blues when appropriate, but most of Damage is flat out barroom rock, without the drunk guy behind you sloshing beer on your girlfriend. Elliot has the look and feel of a success; Damage could teleport him much higher.
Get broken at www.kevinelliot.com.
- Louisville Music News
"Music From the Heart"
Desperation, experience fuel Kevin Elliot’s songs
There aren't many second chances for young singer/songwriters, and development in the music industry is rare. So fledgling recording artists should do all that they can to impress with a debut disc.
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Kevin Elliot and the Broken gave it their all with their initial effort, "Damage of This Day," which was released three weeks ago.
The album, which will be showcased Thursday at The Saint in Asbury Park, is loaded with rockers and poignant ballads, but what grabs your ear initially is the sound of the disc. Luke Ebbin produced "Damage of This Day."
"Luke was key to this project," Elliot said. "I was excited about working with him since he and I just clicked, and then there is his resume. He worked with Bon Jovi and the All-American Rejects. He's the one who helped Bon Jovi come back with "It's My Life.' He did a great job with that album (2000's "Crush'). He knows his stuff, and you can hear it on the disc. He's not just a cheerleader like a lot of producers are. He wasn't afraid to hit me with input. He would just tell me immediately that we needed to cut a bridge or change the melody or play a song in double time."
A crew of in-demand studio hot shots bolstered Elliot's sonic attack. Guitarist Dave Levita (Alanis Morissette), bassist Curt Schneider (Five for Fighting) and drummer Victor Indrizzo (Beck) add considerable experience and some edge to the project.
"All the pieces were put in place," Elliot said. "The rest was up to me. I have no excuses with this album. I had such a great supporting cast."
Now living in Los Angeles, the fiery Kentucky native made the most of his opportunity. Elliot is a confident, passionate talent with a gift for crafting anthemic, affecting tunes.
"I just write from my heart," he said. "It all comes from me."
Half of the new songs were inspired by his brother Josh's fatal overdose three years ago.
"It was just something I was moved to do after going through something horrible," Elliot said. "You can really hear it in songs like "Desperate Days' and "Experience Scars.' I laid it all out there."
The songwriting experience helped Elliot find himself as an artist.
"I realized that music is what I want to do," he said. "It wasn't acting or modeling. It was writing songs. It's what I love."
- Asbury Park Press – APP.com
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
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Bio
THE BROKEN
Two Sides To Every Mind
Hailing from Lexington, KY, The Broken have created an incendiary sound that is all their own. Having worked with producer Luke Ebbin, (Bon Jovi, Plain White T's) on their first outing and CJ Eiriksson, (Live, Hoobastank, Jack's Mannequin, U2) on their upcoming LP, The Broken look to take their unique style to the masses. Having completed three national tours and a stint on Warped, they continue to break the mold of modern rock.
THE BROKEN
Damage of This Day
THE BROKEN launch their debut record Damage Of This Day with the single-worthy Teleport--a song that looks to the future with a contagious, heartfelt approach. Setting the pace for the universally affable tune-cycle that unfolds, Elliot and his co-conspirators deliver what might be one of the most memorable recent modern rock records.
I wanted to go against a lot of today's albums where the music is only one speed, says the Kentucky native. I wanted to mix it up. It has a little bit of everything. And with the Luke Ebbin (Bon Jovi, All American Rejects, Rival Schools) helmed disc, the diverse but consistently strong material on Damage Of This Day can't help but sustain the listener's interest.
From the hard-charging confessional "Wake Up" to the quintessential rock ballad "More Than Time", which could be a future prom theme, it's clear that an enormous amount of time and energy went into perfecting Damage Of This Day.
In addition to his main role as a producer, Luke is also a songwriter. So he knows structure and that's essential, says Elliot, who wrote all 12 songs on the record but acknowledges Ebbin's effort in shaping the album.
"Luke blew me away", Kevin continues, "he's the rare kind of guy who will tell you no. I had tested the waters with a few other producers who were just cheerleaders. Always saying, Hell yeah! We can add this part, we can add that part. But Luke was a hardcore professional. He broke down my demos with me, bit by bit. Throwing in ideas, telling me where he thought things should be changed or re-arranged. To me, that's what a producer is supposed to do."
Summing up the disc's underlying theme of growth and change, Elliot's admission that you can only be put back together so many times without showing wounds and marks, is poignant in its simplicity. In "Cloudy Life", he calls them "Experience Scars", a sentiment that carries over to the punk-inspired, frenzied cut of the same name.
Damage Of This Day is bolstered by superb, upbeat anthems, spirited, soulful revelations "Broken City" and winning semi-autobiographical ballads "Almost Nearly" that are as convincing as they are alluring.
"I always wanted to make an album where, if you wanted to drive fast, you could go to Track 9," Kevin concludes. "Or if you just broke up with your girlfriend, you could put on Track 4. I think through good fortune and a lot of dedication, I have accomplished that goal."
Now, with his band firmly in place--counting drummer Johnathan Logan, bassist Nic Speck, and guitarist Shaun Carty--THE BROKEN are ready to hit the ground running in support of the significant musical accomplishment Damage Of This Day. They're about to "Teleport" their way to rock devotees across the fruited plain.
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