Kevin Hearn

Last updated

Kevin Hearn
KevinHearn2.jpg
Kevin Hearn in 2005
Background information
Birth nameKevin Neil Hearn
Born (1969-07-03) July 3, 1969 (age 55)
Grimsby, Ontario, Canada
Origin Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genres Alternative rock
OccupationMusician
Instrument(s)Keyboards, vocals, guitar, accordion, mandolin
Years active1988–present
Website kevinhearn.com

Kevin Neil Hearn (born July 3, 1969) is a Canadian musician who is a member of Barenaked Ladies, and his own group, Kevin Hearn and Thin Buckle. He primarily plays keyboards and guitars. He is also a member of Rheostatics. [1]

Contents

Early life

Hearn was born to a relatively large family, and they lived in a small home in Grimsby, Ontario, Canada. [2] He recalls buying the Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour and a Beach Boys greatest hits record, and having them become his first two favourite albums, which led him to an interest in performing music. [2] He has also cited electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), and folk punk group Violent Femmes, as formative influences. [3] Hearn has a classical piano background. He attended Inglenook Community High School. He also attended St. Michael's Choir School. [4]

Career

Hearn joined Look People in 1988 and played with the band until their break-up in 1993.

In 1995, he replaced departed keyboardist Andy Creeggan in the Barenaked Ladies. Hearn did not own any of the band's albums and had to learn all of the band's songs in a matter of weeks. His early contribution to the band can be heard on the live release Rock Spectacle , which was recorded on his first tour with the group. He played mostly keyboards on the songs included on the album, and some accordion. His first music video with the band was "Shoe Box", followed by the video for "The Old Apartment", although he had not played on the recording of either song. Thanks to the opportunities afforded him by his BNL gig, Hearn subsequently released his first solo album, Mothball Mint .

After extensive touring in the United States, building upon the increasing success of Rock Spectacle, the band recorded their fourth studio album, Stunt . This was Hearn's first album with the band. While Andy Creeggan was mostly focused on acoustic keyboards (mainly piano), Hearn was experienced with electronic keyboards, synthesizers and samplers. This contribution to the band's sound is evident on Stunt. Hearn also contributed some lead electric guitar to the album, having a noticeably different style than Ed Robertson or Steven Page. On August 27, 2011, Hearn played piano and sang backing vocals for Steven Page's performance of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" at Jack Layton's state funeral.

Illness

Hearn performing in 2003 KevinHearn3.jpg
Hearn performing in 2003

Shortly after the recording of Stunt, Hearn was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia. He began treatment at the same time the band was shooting the video for "One Week", and as such, does not appear in many of the shots. [5] He was hospitalized in Toronto while the band continued to tour in support of the new album. [2] Several of the band's friends filled in at different points (including Chris Brown, Andy Creegan, and Greg Kurstin). Hearn ultimately required bone marrow transplants from his brother Sean Hearn, and eventually his cancer went into remission. [2] [6] He rejoined the band in 1999, though still dealing with the effects of the disease. He also released another solo album, called H-Wing (named for the hospital wing he was in when he wrote most of the songs) which centered on his illness. This time his album was performed with his band, Kevin Hearn & Thin Buckle.

Return to work

Kevin Hearn playing the mandolin, 2005 Kevin Hearn with fellow Barenaked Ladies, Steven Page (left) and Ed Robertson (right).jpg
Kevin Hearn playing the mandolin, 2005

BNL's next album, Maroon , featured one of Hearn's songs, "Hidden Sun" as a hidden track at the end of the disc; his song "Born Human", later re-recorded for Thin Buckle, was recorded and left off the album. Starting with the release of the band's sixth studio album, Everything to Everyone , the band entered into a new writing process in which Hearn and Jim Creeggan brought not only songs, but also song ideas that the band would complete together. Everything to Everyone saw Hearn's first writing credits on the regular body of a BNL album. He learned to play the mandolin for the album and it has become a common instrument for him on tour. Hearn also released a third solo album, Night Light in 2003 with Thin Buckle.

A fourth album, The Miracle Mile , was released on July 11, 2006, in Canada and online. The BNL writing process from the previous album continued for their seventh studio album, Barenaked Ladies Are Me , released in September 2006.

Rheostatics

Of note are Hearn's collaborations with the Rheostatics. For their tribute album to Canadian painters the Group of Seven, entitled Music Inspired by the Group of Seven , he co-composed the music, played keyboards, and sang the song "Yellow Days Under a Lemon Sun". For the Rheostatics' 1999 release, The Story of Harmelodia , a thematic, and somewhat psychedelic, children's album, Hearn is listed as a member of the group in the liner-notes. He contributed significantly to the album and composed the songs "Wingophone" and "Monkey Bird".

In addition to Hearn's contributions to the recordings above, he performed live with the Rheostatics on many occasions throughout the latter part of the group's career. He is pictured in the group's official portrait at Zunior Records' Independent Music Hall of Fame. [7]

Touring with Lou Reed

Hearn was part of Lou Reed's live band from 2007, including a European tour in 2011. He performed on piano and keyboards. His friendship with Reed dated back to 2001, when Hearn received a "get well soon" phone call from Reed during his fight with leukemia.

Personal life

Hearn currently lives in downtown Toronto, Ontario. He also spends time at a cottage which he acquired in the early 2000s. The isolated cottage is on a lake where his family spent time when he was a child. [2] Hearn has a daughter, Havana Winter Hearn, born in December 2003 with girlfriend Yvonne.

Hearn's cousin is actor and comedian Harland Williams, with whom he spent a lot of time as a child. They released two albums together in 2004 and 2017, as a duo known as The Cousins. [8]

Despite the departure of Steven Page from Barenaked Ladies, Hearn has maintained a friendship with him. [9]

His ongoing lawsuit against a Toronto art gallery, after learning that a Norval Morrisseau painting he had purchased was an apparent forgery, was profiled in Jamie Kastner's 2019 documentary film There Are No Fakes . [10] Hearn was eventually awarded $60,000 in compensation in September 2019. [11]

Discography

Look People

Corky and the Juice Pigs

Rheostatics

Barenaked Ladies

See Barenaked Ladies' discography; Hearn's contributions include releases from 1996 until present.

Solo

Kevin Hearn & Thin Buckle

The Cousins

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barenaked Ladies</span> Canadian rock band

Barenaked Ladies (BNL) is a Canadian rock band formed in 1988 in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough, Ontario. The band developed a following in Canada, with their self-titled 1991 cassette becoming the first independent release to be certified gold in Canada. They reached mainstream success in Canada when their debut with Reprise Records, Gordon, featuring the singles "If I Had $1000000" and "Brian Wilson", was released in 1992. The band's popularity subsequently spread into the US, beginning with versions of "Brian Wilson" and "The Old Apartment" off their 1996 live album Rock Spectacle, followed by their fourth studio album Stunt, their breakout success in 1998. The album featured their highest-charting hit, "One Week", as well as "It's All Been Done" and "Call and Answer". Their fifth album, Maroon, featuring the lead single "Pinch Me", also charted highly. The band is also recognized for creating and performing the theme song to the American sitcom The Big Bang Theory.

<i>Born on a Pirate Ship</i> 1996 studio album by Barenaked Ladies

Born on a Pirate Ship is the third full-length studio album by Barenaked Ladies (BNL), featuring the songs "Shoe Box", "The Old Apartment", "When I Fall" and "Break Your Heart". "The Old Apartment" would become BNL's first US hit in 1997.

<i>Stunt</i> (album) 1998 studio album by Barenaked Ladies

Stunt is the fourth full-length studio album by Canadian alternative rock band Barenaked Ladies. Their most successful album, it entered the US charts at No. 3 and sold over 4 million units by the end of its chart run. Its first single, "One Week" became the band's breakthrough single in the US market by hitting No. 1. The song also reached No. 5 in the UK, and helped revitalize their career in the band's home country of Canada, where their fame had diminished since the days of their debut album Gordon. In addition, follow-up singles "It's All Been Done", "Alcohol" and "Call and Answer" were each successful to some degree.

<i>Everything to Everyone</i> (album) 2003 studio album by Barenaked Ladies

Everything to Everyone is the sixth full-length studio album by Barenaked Ladies. It was released in 2003 and was produced by Ron Aniello. Singles from the album include "Another Postcard", "Testing 1, 2, 3", "For You", "Celebrity" and "Maybe Katie". The content of the album is noted for its increased political commentary over previous albums. This was their last album with Reprise Records before switching to a more independent label, Desperation Records and subsequently Raisin' Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rheostatics</span> Canadian indie rock band

Rheostatics are a Canadian indie rock band. They were formed in 1978, and actively performed from 1980 until disbanding in 2007. After a number of reunion performances at special events, Rheostatics reformed in late 2016, introducing new songs and performing semi-regularly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boothby Graffoe (comedian)</span> British musician and comedian

Boothby Graffoe is an English comedian, singer, songwriter and playwright. He is particularly known for his surreal sense of humour and work with Canadian band Barenaked Ladies.

<i>Barenaked for the Holidays</i> 2004 studio album by Barenaked Ladies

Barenaked for the Holidays is a holiday-themed studio album released by Canadian band Barenaked Ladies on October 5, 2004. The album includes Christmas and Hanukkah songs as well as "Auld Lang Syne", which is traditionally sung on New Year's Eve. There are also several songs that are simply about the winter season. The album was the first album recorded at Steven Page's studio, Fresh Baked Woods and was the first released independently by Barenaked Ladies' Desperation Records label. It was the band's first studio album for which a "naked track" was not recorded. This album achieved Gold status in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One Week (song)</span> 1998 single by Barenaked Ladies

"One Week" is a song by Canadian rock band Barenaked Ladies released as the first single from their 1998 album, Stunt. It was written by Ed Robertson, who is featured on the lead vocal of the rapped verses. Steven Page sings lead on the song's chorus, while the two co-lead the prechoruses in harmony. The song is notable for its significant number of pop culture references and remains the band's best-known song in the United States, where it topped the Billboard Hot 100. Coincidentally, when the song reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, it remained in the top spot for one week.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Hearn and Thin Buckle</span> Canadian band

Kevin Hearn and Thin Buckle are a Canadian band consisting of Barenaked Ladies multi-instrumentalist Kevin Hearn as the front man, bassist Chris Gartner and drummer Great Bob Scott. The three had previously collaborated as members of the Canadian alternative rock band Look People. Guitarists Martin Tielli and Derek Orford were originally members; the former left the band to pursue other musical interests in the early 2000s, while the latter left due to injury shortly after the release of Night Light in 2004 and never returned to the band other than as a guest performer on four tracks of The Miracle Mile. Brian MacMillan joined the group on guitar and keyboards after Night Light was released, effectively replacing Orford. MacMillan left the group to pursue his own career after the recording of Havana Winter. Mike Rathke is credited as a member of the band on guitar on that album, although he has never performed live with the group. Sheena Ko began performing with the band in 2010 on keyboards and vocals.

<i>Mothball Mint</i> 1997 studio album by Kevin Hearn

Mothball Mint is a solo CD by Kevin Hearn, keyboardist of Barenaked Ladies. This album was produced by Michael Phillip Wojewoda and released in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyler Stewart</span> Canadian drummer

Tyler Joseph Stewart is the drummer for the Canadian music group Barenaked Ladies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Creeggan</span> Canadian musician

James Raymond Creeggan is the bassist for Canadian alternative rock band Barenaked Ladies.

<i>Barenaked in America</i> 1999 film

Barenaked in America is a 1999 documentary film about the Canadian band Barenaked Ladies filmed during the 1998-1999 Stunt tour. Directed by actor Jason Priestley, the film was first shown at the Toronto International Film Festival. The band and director introduced the film at the Winter Garden theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Creeggan</span> Musical artist

Andrew Burnett Creeggan is a Canadian musician, known for being a former member of the alternative rock band Barenaked Ladies. He was also a member of the trio The Brothers Creeggan, and a solo artist having released three albums.

<i>Barenaked Ladies Are Men</i> 2007 studio album by Barenaked Ladies

Barenaked Ladies Are Men is the eighth full-length original-material studio album by Barenaked Ladies, and the second release of material from the 29-song session that bore the companion album Barenaked Ladies Are Me. The two albums were released together under the Are Me title in several "deluxe" release methods before Are Men received its own proper official release in February 2007. In this way, Are Me and Are Men together may be considered the band's seventh full-length original-material studio album. The album's artwork was created by Team Macho who also did similar artwork for the Are Me releases. The title is an extension of the Are Me title. During touring for the two albums, a pre-show video showed an unidentified hand adding various other extensions to the Barenaked Ladies Are Me title.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barenaked Ladies discography</span> Band discography

The discography of Canadian alternative rock band Barenaked Ladies consists of 14 primary studio albums, three themed studio albums, 41 singles, three live albums, two greatest hits compilations, and three video releases. This list does not include material recorded by band members individually or with other side projects.

<i>All in Good Time</i> (Barenaked Ladies album) 2010 studio album by Barenaked Ladies

All In Good Time is the ninth studio album by Barenaked Ladies, released by Raisin' Records 23 March 2010 in Canada, and 30 March 2010 in the United States. It is the first album recorded following the departure of founding member Steven Page in February 2009, and the band's second album recorded as a four-piece.

<i>Silverball</i> (album) 2015 studio album by Barenaked Ladies

Silverball is the 11th full-length original-material studio album by Barenaked Ladies. The album was released on 2 June 2015. The album is the band's third studio album since the departure of founding member Steven Page in February 2009. The album was recorded in late 2014 and early 2015 with producer Gavin Brown.

<i>BNL Rocks Red Rocks</i> 2016 live album by Barenaked Ladies

BNL Rocks Red Rocks is the third official live album from Canadian band Barenaked Ladies. The album was formally announced on 1 February 2016 via the band's official Twitter page and was released on 20 May 2016. It was recorded at Red Rocks Amphitheatre to promote the release of Silverball on the Last Summer on Earth 2015 tour, The band held a Last Summer on Earth 2016 tour with Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and Howard Jones in conjunction with the new live album. This is the band's first commercial live release since the departure of Steven Page in 2009.

<i>Detour de Force</i> 2021 studio album by Barenaked Ladies

Detour de Force is the thirteenth studio album by Canadian rock band Barenaked Ladies, released on 16 July 2021 by Raisin' Records. It was released in CD, digital and double transparent-blue vinyl formats.

References

  1. Liner notes. The Story of Harmelodia. Rheostatics. 1999.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Jim Creeggan, Kevin Hearn, Steven Page, Ed Robertson, Tyler Stewart (2004). The Barenaked Truth (Television documentary/DVD). Take 3 Productions/Casablanca Media Television.
  3. "Kevin Hearn of Barenaked Ladies". Cryptic Rock. April 12, 2017. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  4. "Kevin Hearn - Actors & Actresses - Debate.org". debate.org. 2014. Archived from the original on January 14, 2014. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  5. "Kevin Hearn Is A Survivor" [usurped] . Chart Attack, November 08, 2001
  6. Moll, George (executive producer) (2000). Behind the Music (TV-series). New York, NY: VH1.
  7. Rheostatics's page at The Independent Music Hall of Fame, presented by Zunior. Accessed May 22, 2010.
  8. The Cousins at Allmusic.com.
  9. Kaplan, Ben. "Baring It All". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved January 16, 2012.[ permanent dead link ]
  10. Paola Loriggio, "Barenaked Ladies’ Kevin Hearn bought a ‘Norval Morrisseau’ painting and ended up in the middle of an art-world feud". Toronto Star , January 31, 2020.
  11. Adam Wallis, "Barenaked Ladies guitarist awarded $60K after buying fake painting". Global News, September 4, 2019.
  12. "Kevin Hearn Gets Lou Reed, Ron Sexsmith, Dan Hill for 'Days in Frames' LP, Shares New Single | Exclaim!".