Photos and Review by Max Stewart
Kevn Kinney is the godfather of modern ‘alt-rock’ in the South and he has long been a tentpole of the Atlanta music scene. Gracious and humble, Kinney is a songwriting genius and true artist that continues to write awe-inspiring tunes. It could also be argued that he is one of the most underrated musicians in modern songwriting. He obviously garnered success with his band Drivin N Cryin starting in the 80s and 90s with songs such as “Straight to Hell”, “Honeysuckle Blue”, and “Fly Me Courageous”, but to really understand his vast artistic output you have to dive into his prolific catalogue.
When Kinney announced a run of shows alongside R.E.M.’s guitarist Peter Buck, it felt like a beautiful collaboration of a couple of Georgia musical legends. It also made sense as Buck produced and performed on Kinney’s 1990 debut solo album, MacDougal Blues. There was no better environment to take in both artists than Decatur‘s Eddie’s Attic, where both the 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm shows were sold out. The intimacy of the room has a way of drawing listeners in and bringing out the most sincere performances, as was most certainly the case for Kinney and Buck.
The first show fittingly began with the debut tune of Kinney’s debut record “MacDougal Blues”, a tale of an artist let down by the expectations of New York City’s music opportunities. The album MacDougal Blues was well-represented in the setlist, appropriately with Buck alongside for the night. Songs like “Lost and Found”, “Not Afraid to Die”, “Chico and Maria”, “Het Landlord (Meatloaf and Fishsticks)” and “The House Above Tina’s Grocery” sounded fantastic in Eddie’s Attic and the content of the songs still resonate in 2025. Like all of Kinney’s tunes, the lyrics are poignant yet always have some cleverness to make you smile. That is the perfect balance of a timeless songwriter, the ability to tap into all emotions of the listener. At random points of the show, Kinney will also have spoken word segues that tie into the themes of the set. Again, a true artist.
In a further testament to Kinney’s continued quality artistic output, he and Buck performed a new song that was dedicated to people that have or are affected by Alzheimer’s. In possibly the most touching moment of the night, the lyrics “I know you’re in there somewhere” really hit for anyone that has dealt firsthand with the tragic disease.
Some of Drivin N Cryin’s more acoustic-based tunes also made it into the set such as the incredible “Catch the Wind” and “Another Scarlett Butterfly” off of the band’s first album, Scarred But Smarter. Buck’s musical accents over Kinney’s songs blended nicely during the evening, with Buck playing some incredible instruments such as a 12-string cherry red Epiphone guitar and a mahogany mandolin. It was also clear the two have long been close and enjoyed being on the stage again, as there was some reminiscing on Drivin N Cryin touring with R.E.M. in the late 80s (including a tale of flying pizza on the interstate).
Kinney constantly champions other artists which is clear in his participation in Atlanta events like the Revival Benefit Concert at the Fox Theatre. But his appreciation is felt by so many in the music community as well, as is evident in the Let’s Go Dancing four-part album release where many artists covered Kinney’s songs. A project that was put together by his wife Anna Jensen, the list of artists for the project ranged from Patterson Hood, Darius Rucker, Jamey Johnson, Elizabeth Cook, Butch Walker, Jason Isbell and even Peter Buck.
As Anna explains in the album’s linear notes:
“What started as a milestone birthday celebration for one of the best people I’ve ever known, snowballed into a tribute of the highest caliber for one of the greatest artists the world has known… yet who remains unknown by so many even after 40 years of laudable output, both solo and as lyricist/frontman of Drivin n Cryin (22 releases and counting). I am hoping this astounding compilation will help rectify that as the population at large deserves to be touched by this important, profound music. Those who know of Kevn and his legacy of thought provoking, soul stirring songs can attest to how life changing this man and his audible visions can be. He has always been ahead of his time, channeling messages on tough topics then ingeniously transforming them into pleasing forms that can be assimilated by all in a joyful way; never forcing, never didactic. His body of work is astonishingly vast and spans genres, so the collection is organized in four parts. Each starts with the title track Let’s Go Dancing, reimagined in a new way and every volume is subtitled based on a lyric from that song. The first installment, Said the Firefly to the Hurricane, leans toward an indie avant-garde vibe, with sprinklings of the high-octane ‘drivin’ and also the tender ‘cryin’ elements that are interwoven throughout Kevn’s catalog as a whole. This followup grouping, Let’s Go Dancing: Split a Mountain in Two With a Flake of Snow, brings more of a country/roots feel from bluegrass to gospel. Each record in the collection is, from start to finish, of exceptional musical quality and each fantastic artist/group ‘brought their A+ game’ to do this incredible material justice.”
As the January night set at Eddie’s Attic wrapped with the seminal “Straight to Hell”, it was abundantly clear that Kinney is a living legend and we are all very lucky to still get to see him perform live. Do yourself a favor and go see him / Drivin N Cryin in concert or listen to many of his fantastic releases.