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Kev Nolan is a self titled polymedium artist, predominantly known as a
singer/composer/author.
(B.1981) Nolan had been writing and recording his songs since the age of
thirteen with recording techniques of his own invention. He eventually
began recording on an analogue four-track at sixteen years old. In 2006 he
decided to form a band which he called Fredrick & The Golden Dawn. The same
year he began writing his debut album. Nolan played many shows in Dublin
City. Nolan is self thought however worked more like a author or composer
than a band leader, he would teach his musicians his music on all the
different instruments. Nolan continued making his debut for eight years. He
forged his own quirky process, working again more like an author than a pop
singer, waking up extremely early and sitting down at his desk to work
relentlessly every day for almost a decade, a process he continues to this
day.
During the making of his debut album "Fredrick…" Nolan published his first
volume of poetry titled 'Vibrations Of The Soul' 2008. He also began
composing sound sculpture, found sound, field music and concrete music
among others and recorded many contemporary compositions under the name The
K/rouac Orchestra, this name was given to him by The Jack Kerouac Family
Foundation of which he since became an honorary member.
One of these sound pieces would eventually be released under the title We
Are Not The Voices, They Are But Shadows Now which was exhibited by Bauhaus
University, Weimar. Also he put out an Ep titled 'Here’s A Piece Of Ivan’s
Head' which was eventually placed in the hands of Choice Music Award winner
Julie Feeney, who immediately understood Nolan’s vision. Soon Nolan would
finish his debut with a song titledAubade which is a duet with Feeney.
In 2014 on April 4th after eight years of tirelessly creating he finally
released his debut independently titling it after the name of his first
band, Fredrick & The Golden Dawn. Nolan composed, performed, recorded and
produced the album. Around the same time Nolan met the artist/poet Susanne
Wawra who created the album art and was to become a long time collaborator
with Nolan. The record enjoyed extremely favorable reviews and a
considerable amount of attention in art circles however it failed to gain
any mainstream interest.
In 2015 Nolan published his first collaborative volume of conceptual poetry
which he had written with Wawra in 2013 titledFragments Of Mind, Nolan and
Wawra coining their schema technique Schizo-poetry. The book was published
by Shine and considered as a pioneering concept by critics. Nolan then
began work on his second album. During the making of Nolan’s currently
ongoing second album he worked on a collection of remixes and covers of his
debut album Fredrick… by artists across Europe, which include Vyvienne
Long, Jan Frisch and Conor O to name a few. This album was released
independently the title taken from a lyric by Nolan, How is it how it is? -
The Songs Of Kevin Nolan 2018.
Nolan also finished his second collaborative conceptual book with Wawra
titled Wake Narrow The Naked Phrase and other poems + accompanying
installation this time the duo coining a new schema process they call
Ping-Pong. This book was commended by the Author of John The Revelator,
Peter Murphy who wrote the foreword to Wake Narrow… and subsequently the
book was included in an exhibition of selected works by Nolan curated by
The Baby Forest Collective, Cork. The exhibition also included some of
Nolan's paintings, photography and film.
Nolan now knee-deep into the second album, decided to pause and cast his
eye back at the recordings he made beforeFredrick... that he himself had
not listened to since he began work on the debut in 2006.
Nolan then released in 2018 a 38 track album. “Absent At The Moment When He
Took Up The Most Space” is a selection of recordings Nolan made between ‘97
and ‘05. The thirty eight songs that make up this album are taken from
Nolan’s archive of over 150 recorded during that period; none of which were
ever released.
“It's been over 20 years since the earliest of these recordings. In that
time, I have learnt more and more about my process and the different ways I
have tried to understand it over time. I see these songs as a significant
part of my growth as an artist, I simply would not be the artist I am
without first being the artist I was. And so in a way, I am paying my
respects to a former self. I see this time as an immensely significant part
of, and integral to, any reading of my work as a whole thus far, first and
foremost for myself.”
Over twenty years on, Nolan decided to release these recordings in an
effort to both map his musical chronology and also re-understand his work
in the light of today, applying the musical wisdom he has gained since to
the innocence that created it. Nolan has cited Rilke’s Letters To A Young
Poet when explaining his latest retrospective offering. He understands this
release as a return to a past self. For him, these songs are letters from
his younger self to his present self, which will most definitely inform his
future understandings.
Currently, Nolan has been working on his second album, to follow after
Fredrick… and also what will be his fourth book among other projects. This
new album is set for release in 2019.
www.kevinnolan.info
