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Once a fiddler with Apache Relay, multi-instrumentalist Kellen Wenrich begins his solo career as Kellen of Troy with his debut LP, Posthumous Release (February 16th). The upcoming release finds the singer-songwriter mellow, focused, and rich with realization in songs where blissful folk melodies are juxtaposed with reflective, vulnerable, and somber lyrics that pull from the personal and professional. Ahead of the project's release, Wenrich took some time to answer his Essential 8 and talk about the album's title, meeting and working with Jimmie Haskell, fan art, and more.
Is there a story behind your album’s title? I was on tour with Apache Relay and The Weeks in the UK, walking out of the Columbia Hotel to catch the bus. Our frontman said he'd been listening to Milk and Honey, John Lennon's eighth record and first posthumous release. That term stuck in my head and as soon as I got on, I went to the back of the bus and started writing the tune. I finished it, walking around the streets of Bristol, and by the time I got back to the states I decided it'd make a fine record title. What’s the best advice you have ever gotten from another musician? The best way to make a million dollars in music is to start with two million. Also, perseverance. What has been your biggest struggle so far? Finding the median between a well-tempered major third and a diatonic major third. Who would you love to collaborate with? Bach.I’m not writing this to impress you. I won’t tell you stories of my conquests and adventures -
Is drinking at gigs a positive or a negative?
Both; a negative before the show, a positive afterwards. Have you met any of your heroes? If so, how did it go? YES! I met and got to work with Jimmie Haskell on the last Apache record. In case you don't know who Jimmie Haskell is, according to Wikipedia, "Jimmie Haskell (born Sheridan Pearlman, November 7, 1936 - February 4, 2016) was an American composer and arranger for a variety of popular singers and motion pictures". He arranged, conducted, and recorded music for the likes of Elvis Presley, Simon and Garfunkel (Bridge Over Troubled Water...holy shit!!!), The Everly Brothers, and many more. He arranged and conducted strings on a few tunes on the last Apache record and somehow some of my parts made it into his charts. At the end of the session he even thanked me for my help, and I thought I was gonna throw up. Do you have a favorite gift from a fan? I love seeing fan art. A couple times I've seen portraits concert-goers have made of me and bands I've played with. That's always insanely humbling. What are your “must have” albums for the road? 'Wait Wait Don't Tell Me' [podcast]; albums need not apply. Website Insta
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