Kevin Gullickson – Radio Drive
We selected Radio Drive as our ReverbNation contest winner because we love the runaway hit single A Taste of Heaven. Kevin Gullickson is the recording artist behind the force that is Radio Drive. Not only does Kevin produce wonderful music, he also produces award-winning videos. Radio Drive has won Bronze awards from Beat 100 for the A Taste of Heaven and New Direction videos.
Kevin gave us the secret to producing amazing low-cost videos: “I subscribe to this royalty free stock video footage website. I download clips and do some of my own filming. I hire people through this company called oDesk , where you can tap into resources from all over the world. For A Taste of Heaven, I contracted with somebody from Russia to edit all the video together. The whole project was under $200.” Kevin uses them to help with social media too.
Radio Drive has been compared to Depeche Mode and Coldplay. When I asked Kevin how he describes the Radio Drive sound, he told me: “I don’t know why I have such a hard time describing my own music. I love the groove of the 60’s, the heaviness of the 70’s, the creativity of the 80’s and the pop culture of today. I also like to have a positive influence in my music, to make people feel good and feel empowered.”
Kevin Gullickson has many influences, for sure. Who can we credit with influencing Radio Drive’s sound? “The Beatles and The Rolling Stones were really big when I first started playing guitar and piano and singing. I saturated myself listening to their music. It was easy to play, for the most part. Of the heavier sounds of the 70’s, I love Led Zeppelin. There was so much going on in the 80’s. It was an open door, especially with British pop. Today, there is so much amazing music. I love the simplicity of Somebody That I Used To Know by Gotye. Even the song Royals by Lorde is so simple; I love how ingenious that is. I listen to classical music too. I love how bands like The Beatles and Coldplay brought classical arrangements into their songs. All these aspects have a little bit of influence here and there on my music.”
Kevin has been a solo artist since 2009, and he kept the name of his original band Radio Drive after going solo. I just had to know the history of Radio Drive: “I got the name from a street in Woodbury, which is a suburb here in St. Paul. At the time, I put together a band. I spent several months auditioning, putting together the right mix. It’s hard to keep a group of guys together with the same focus, commitment and vision. So, we ultimately broke up, but I kept the name, because I wanted to put a band together again.”
Instead of forming a new band right away, Kevin decided to keep working and get a new momentum going. Kevin thought: “When I have something put together, then the people will come. I started making music and CD’s in my home studio. Each one seemed to get bigger and better; they generated more and more interest and radio play. Things just started happening; it’s really been great.”
Radio Drive has a wonderful website, so I asked Kevin how he uses the internet and social media to connect with fans: “If you’re doing this yourself, if you’re independent, you have to wear all the hats. You put on the songwriter hat, you put on the recording engineer’s hat and, when the project is finished, you put on the promoter’s hat. I’m always reading articles about how to get more Twitter followers or how to engage and connect with people. Through oDesk, I hire people to help promote. Twitter has been amazing to connect with people from around the world, plus Facebook and communities like ReverbNation. You have to saturate yourself with the resources.”
Kevin has provided our readers with some great tips for videos and social media, and he has more advice for our artists too: “You’ve got to make a quality decision. Then, every day do something to promote your music. Pretty soon, you will start to build a momentum and people will start contacting you about gigs or management or labels. During that time, don’t be desperate. Don’t feel this is the last company that will contact you. Decisions made out of fear are bad news. If you do have a contract, hire a music attorney and make sure there is an out clause. I’ve gotten myself into contracts that I wish I didn’t. Lastly, be positive. Know that you’ll have days or weeks where nothing is happening, so you’ve got to believe in yourself. Keep at it and things are going to happen, without a doubt.”
Radio Drive recently signed with the international management company Artista Group, so he’s going on tour of the US and Europe. We need the scoop, so we can see Radio Drive live: “I’m putting a band together. It’s been a blast playing with musicians again. We’re rehearsing for the tour. Artista has offices in Denmark and agents throughout Europe. They’re busy putting together a tour. We were hoping to have something for this fall, but it may not formulate, so they are looking into 2015 European festival circuit or maybe a showcase tour here in the States with some of the other bands they represent. We’ve got a lot in the works.”
Kevin found out that Radio Drive’s song Footsteps has been accepted for Grammy Nomination by the Grammy Awards. Wow!
Check out Radio Drive’s website to find out more about Kevin’s music, tours and Grammy Nomination.
Amused Now ReverbNation Contest Winners
Radio Drive
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Cynthia Kahn, Founder of Amused Now
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