Kenneth Higney is a
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
musician whose first album, ''Attic Demonstration'', became a cult favourite amongst
outsider music
Outsider music (from "outsider art") is music created by self-taught or naïve musicians. The term is usually applied to musicians who have little or no traditional musical experience, who exhibit childlike qualities in their music, or who suffe ...
record collectors. It was recorded in 1976 as a means of selling his songwriting services to other musicians, but was released as a commercial prospect.
Attic Demonstration
''Attic Demonstration'' featured Higney on vocals and electric and acoustic guitars, with an ''ad hoc'' band consisting of Higney’s personal friends Gordon Gaines (guitars, drums), John Duva (bass guitar), and Mark Volpe (guitar, percussion). It had a limited release of 500 copies in September 1976, and earned a favourable review in
Trouser Press
''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference to ...
magazine, but was not a commercial success. Nonetheless it became a cult item amongst record collectors over subsequent years. It was re-mastered and re-released on CD by Higney’s own label, Kebrutney Records, in 2003 and on vinyl by One Kind Favor in 2012.
The remaster also included Higney’s 1980 7-inch single “I Wanna Be The King”, b/w “Funky Kinky”. The former song was a tribute to
New York Dolls
New York Dolls were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. Although the band never achieved much commercial succe ...
guitarist and
punk
Punk or punks may refer to:
Genres, subculture, and related aspects
* Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres
* Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
legend
Johnny Thunders
John Anthony Genzale (July 15, 1952 – April 23, 1991), known professionally as Johnny Thunders, was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He came to prominence in the early 1970s as a member of the New York Dolls. He later played with ...
, and contained the line “I’m gonna be a star / I hate the sissy music of
John Denver
Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. (December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997), known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, activist, and humanitarian whose greatest commercial success was as a solo singe ...
”, whilst the latter was a foray into the world of
disco
Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...
. Both songs were written by Higney, and featured Gordon Gaines and Mark Volpe, plus John Lynch (bass guitar). Gaines died in 1997.
Track listing
# Night Rider
# Children of Sound
# Rock Star
# Can't Love That Woman
# Look at the River
# Quietly Leave Me
# Let Us Pray
# I'll Cry Tomorrow
# No Heavy Trucking
# Funky Kinky *CD only bonus track
# I Wanna Be the King *CD only bonus track
American Dirt
In 2009, Higney released the 'follow up' (30 years later) to ''Attic Demonstration'' - it is titled ''American Dirt'' and contains fourteen songs, many of which were written about the same time as those on ''Attic Demonstration''. As this album was recorded with the intention of being released as an actual recording (as opposed to ''Attic Demonstration'' which was originally conceived as demo versions of songs), Higney enlisted the help of hired guns - Jack Pearson (formerly of
The Allman Brothers Band
The Allman Brothers Band was an American rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1969 by brothers Duane Allman (founder, slide guitar and lead guitar) and Gregg Allman (vocals, keyboards, songwriting), as well as Dickey Betts (lead guita ...
), Elizabeth Pearson, William Howse, Richard Carter and others - to produce a more professional recording. ''American Dirt'' was described by one radio
DJ as if a record label had heard ''Attic Demonstration'' and given Higney money to record a 'proper album'.
Ambulance Driver
2011 saw the release of Higney’s third album - ''Ambulance Driver'' - which contained ten new recordings with one song, “Nonsense”, coming from the days of ''Attic Demonstration'' and the remaining nine songs being, pretty much, newly written. This release contains Higney’s most recently written songs, among them “Angels Touched The Ground”, “Jet Party” and, the newest of them all, “Broken By a Whore”.
Higney continues to write and record and is expected to release a new album sometime this decade.
External links
*
Kenneth Higney at the AMGA review of his album at Dusted.comKebrutney RecordsAttic Demonstration CD reissueOfficial Vinyl Reissue of Attic Demonstration
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American rock singers
American rock guitarists
American male guitarists
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)