Kane Welch & Kaplin (photo provided)

Kevin Welch grew up in Oklahoma where he played in the popular regional band Blue
Rose Cafe.  He moved to Nashville in the late 1970’s and became a songwriter for Tree International.  His songs were recorded by numerous top artists including Waylon Jennings, Roger Miller, The Judds, Reba McIntire, Charlie Pride, Randy Travis, Conway Twitty and Trisha Yearwood.  Welch also developed a highly successful solo career.

Take the considerable talent of Kevin Welch, add the distinct songwriting flavor of Kieran Kane and refreshingly unscripted instrumentation with Fats Kaplin’s playing of multiple instruments, unite it all with the fluid, rhythmic pulse of Lucas Kane’s spare drumming, and you have the unique sound of Kane, Welch & Kaplin. 

The band recorded You Can’t Save Everybody in 2004 and Lost James Dean in 2006 (which resulted in a nomination for duo/group of the year by the Americana Music Association.)  Drummer Lucas Kane joined on the latest release, Kane, Welch & Kaplin (to be released September 11, 2007) and the groove and intimacy found in the earlier releases continued. 

The album title, Kane Welch & Kaplin is an assertion of band cohesion says Welch.  “We want people to finally understand that we are a band, not just three solo artists playing for the hell if it.”

Intuition and groove are a big part of what holds the sound together, both on stage and in the studio, with the group’s invigorating, live, seat-of-the-pants approach to recording.  It is not unlike the vibrant, freewheeling precision of jazz improvisation. “There’s kind of a simpatico, almost telepathic way that we can play together that’s unlike anything else,” Kaplin observes.

Moving between electric, steel and acoustic guitar, fiddle and electric sitar, Kaplin adds perfectly placed kinetic color and melodic counterpoint. “Fats is the other us,” marvels Welch. “We throw out musical suggestions as we’re playing, kind of like clearing your throat or raising an eyebrow. There are little nuance-y conversations going on. Fats is probably the only guy that we could have added to that mix without it interrupting that.”

Lucas Kane eased effortlessly into the role of the group’s unobtrusive yet unfailing heartbeat, using only a minimal setup (floor tom, hi-hat and cymbal). “A typical drumkit seems like overkill when one can get so much out of so little,” he says. “What [Lucas] does is so subtle and yet so incredibly musical and rhythmic,” his father (the elder Kane) comments. “He gets a phenomenal amount of energy out of one note. The fact, oddly enough, is that we added another person but there’s actually less going on. He’s the drummer I’ve been looking for all my life, really.”

“The Performing Arts Studio is extremely pleased to bring this talented group to the Summer Breeze Stage for our community to enjoy.” says Edward Adwon, PAS Board President.  “This promises to be yet another hit in this season of outstanding concerts.”

For additional Summer Breeze information call the Performing Arts Studio at 405-307-9320 (PAS office hours are 8:00 am to 3:00 pm, Tuesday through Friday, and from 1:00 to 5:00 on Sunday.)  Look for Kane, Welch & Kaplin on the web at www.deadreckoners.com or at http://compassrecords.com/kane-welch-kaplin.

The Performing Arts Studio produces Summer Breeze Concerts, which are made possible in part by grants from the Norman Arts Council, Oklahoma Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.  Sponsors include Mark Miller; Jamie Belknap D.D.S. and Donna Sparks D.D.S.; Skye Diers, Gingerbread Nursery School; and Victor T. Wilson, M.D. P.C., Caring Pediatrics.  Contributors include Corner Post Management and Consulting; Physical Therapy Central; and Republic Bank and Trust. 

Friends include Ed and Sumya Adwon; American First Abstract Co; The Crucible; The Earth Natural Foods; First State Bank, Noble; David Fries Roofing, MDS Plumbing, Pepe Delgados, Cardinal Engineering, T. J. Campbell Construction and The Zoo Amphitheater. In-kind support comes from Montford Inn; Residence Inn of Norman; The Deli; Norman Parks and Recreation Department; and the Summer Breeze Stage Crew.