Kurt Riley (born February 28, 1987) is an American

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

songwriter, performer, and musician, based in

Ithaca, New York Ithaca is a city in the Finger Lakes region of New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake, Ithaca is the seat of Tompkins County and the largest community in the Ithaca metropolitan statistical area. It is named a ...

Early life

Riley was born in

Holyoke, Massachusetts Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, that lies between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 38,238. Located north of Springfield ...

. The son of a military father and a homemaker, his family relocated often during his youth, moving to over a dozen locations across the contiguous United States. Upon discovering music while living in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

, he became engrossed with early

and

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

, especially the works of Bo Diddley, Jimmy Reed, Chuck Berry, and

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago b ...

. During this time, he began honing his instrumental and compositional skills, teaching himself to play

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

, and several other instruments. Later, after moving to

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, he formed a

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

group called The Steel Hearts, covering artists such as

Larry Williams Larry Williams (born Lawrence Eugene Williams, a.k.a. Lawrence Edward Williams; May 10, 1935 – January 7, 1980) was an American rhythm and blues and rock and roll singer, songwriter, producer, and pianist from New Orleans, Louisiana. Williams ...

the Clash The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the wa ...

Eddie Cochran Ray Edward Cochran (; October 3, 1938 – April 17, 1960) was an American rock and roll musician. Cochran's songs, such as "Twenty Flight Rock", "Summertime Blues", " C'mon Everybody" and " Somethin' Else", captured teenage frustration and desire ...

, and Otis Redding. After eighteen months of live performances across South Florida (including a concert at Palm Beach State College), The Steel Hearts disbanded.

''Brighthead''

Subsequently, Riley began recording and performing as a solo artist; his first album, ''Brighthead'', was recorded and released independently. Beginning a recurring tradition, Riley designed a custom stage outfit and makeup design for the album. This first costume was called the "Brightsuit." Riley organized a live band and began performing in

South Florida South Florida is the southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the other two are Central Florida and North Florida. South Florida is the southernmost part of th ...

, but this series of live performances were cut short by what Riley called "unforeseen circumstances."

''Kismet''

During a subsequent hiatus, Riley returned to Memphis, and graduated from Southwest Tennessee Community College. Subsequently, he completed his baccalaureate work at

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

, where he continued his musical career. His sophomore record, the sci-fi concept album ''Kismet'', was produced on Cornell's campus and released to acclaim from Ithaca media, including WVBR, ''The Ithaca Times'', and ''

The Cornell Daily Sun ''The Cornell Daily Sun'' is an independent daily newspaper published in Ithaca, New York by students at Cornell University and hired employees. ''The Sun'' features coverage of the university and its environs as well as stories from the Associa ...

''. Featuring an elaborate plot concerning alien royalty and the future of humanity, ''Kismet'' was released through Electric Buffalo Records, an independent record label started by

Cornell Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

students. Continuing Riley's DIY ethic, the music videos for ''Kismet''s singles, "Hush Hush Hush" and "Whore," were shot in the

Ithaca Commons The Ithaca Commons is a two-block pedestrian mall in the business improvement district known aDowntown Ithacathat serves as the city's cultural and economic center. The Commons is a popular regional destination, and is filled with upscale restaura ...

. Riley's fascination with science fiction and disparate musical genres were key influences: "I recalled

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

Phil Collins Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English singer, musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and lead singer of the rock band Genesis and also has a career as a solo performer. Between 1982 and ...

. Soft synthpads and rocking guitar anthems. The last decade where it was acceptable for music to be joyful in that naïve old way, before cynicism became ''de rigueur.'' That New Wave energy was a true inspiration for Kismet - just as much as the work of ILM, James Horner, and

Drew Struzan Drew Struzan (; born March 18, 1947) is an American artist, illustrator and cover designer. He is known for his more than 150 movie posters, which include ''The Shawshank Redemption'', ''Blade Runner'', ''Mallrats'', as well as films in the ''In ...

." ''

The Ithaca Journal ''The Ithaca Journal'' is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper published in Ithaca, New York. It is locally edited and printed in Johnson City, New York, and publishes Monday through Saturday. It has been owned by Gannett since 1912. Publications ...

'' ranked ''Kismet'' one of the best local albums of 2016, and named Riley as one of the top local live performers of the year.

''Tabula Rasa''

Upon graduating from Cornell, Riley remained in Ithaca, where he continues his musical career. The recording of his third studio album, ''Tabula Rasa'', was funded in part by a grant from the Community Arts Partnership of Tompkins County, New York. Upon its release, ''Tabula Rasa'' was well-received by ''The Cornell Daily Sun'',

WRFI WRFI (''91.9 FM'') is a community radio station broadcasting at 91.9 MHz, licensed to Watkins Glen, New York and on W201CD 88.1 MHz, licensed to Ithaca, New York. The station studios are in downtown Ithaca. History In 2002, Ithaca Commu ...

, and ''The Ithaca Times''. Subsequently, Riley and his band performed at Cornell's Willard Straight Hall and several Ithaca venues in support of the album.

2018 singles

In February 2018, Riley released the single ''Love Is In My Heart'', produced by

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

-winning engineer Will Russell. Subsequently, Magic Tramps and

Alan Vega Boruch Alan Bermowitz (June 23, 1938 – July 16, 2016), known professionally as Alan Vega, was an American vocalist and visual artist, primarily known for his work with the electronic protopunk duo Suicide. Life and career Boruch Alan Berm ...

drummer Sesu Coleman joined Riley's band in June of that year, alongside longtime stalwarts Rick Kline (bass/bass synthesizer) and Charlie Jones (synthesizer/keyboards). The band finished 2018 with the release of the upbeat single ''Be Cool'', the final entry in his first artistic phase.

''Chrome Empire''

2019 saw the start of a new stylistic and musical period, which Riley calls ''Chrome Empire'', described as “if the Rolling Stones had gotten their start as a bar band in the world of ‘

Blade Runner ''Blade Runner'' is a 1982 science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott, and written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples. Starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos, it is an adaptation of Philip K. Dick' ...

.’” As part of the ongoing ''Chrome Empire'' concept album, Riley has released the singles ''FTR SHK'', ''Say You Love Me'', ''Evergreen'', and ''Free''. Contemporaneously, he collaborated with indie/synth artist Orange Julians under the name ''the beforetimes'', releasing the single ''time machine''.

Discography

* ''Brighthead'' (2010) * ''Kismet'' (2016) * ''Tabula Rasa'' (2017) * ''Love Is In My Heart'' (single, February 2018) * ''Failure of Imagination'' (single, September 2018) * ''Be Cool'' (single, December 2018) * ''FTR SHK'' (single, October 2019) * ''Say You Love Me'' (single, February 2020) * ''Evergreen'' (single, May 2020) * ''time machine'' (collaboration with Orange Julians as ''the beforetimes'', September 2020) * ''Free'' (single, October 2020)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Riley, Kurt American male singer-songwriters American male guitarists Musicians from Ithaca, New York People from Holyoke, Massachusetts Singers from Memphis, Tennessee People from Coral Springs, Florida Living people Cornell University alumni 1987 births 21st-century American singer-songwriters 21st-century American guitarists 21st-century American male singers Singer-songwriters from New York (state)