Photo by John Lacaze
Recently, KUTX launched Stage To Studio: each month, we’ll take a few artists from the monthly Open Mic at the Cactus Cafe (usually the first Wednesday of every month) and bring them into the KUTX studios to record a few tracks. Then, fans can vote on which artist they liked best, and the winner will get their song played on-air as the song of the day.
And the first winner is…(drumroll, please)…Steven Bacon and Kendra Kinsey, who garnered 33% of the votes. The Austin duo originally met at the Kerrville Folk Festival, but their pre-Texas history takes them all across the U.S. Bacon grew up in Alaska before moving to Boston, where he first made a name for himself as a street performer. He soon scored gigs with the Swell Season and the Bacon Brothers, but don’t be fooled by his last name–he’s not directly related to Kevin. In addition to her musical work, Kinsey earned a B.F.A. from the University of Texas, and art fans might recognize her work around local galleries.
The duo is hard at work on a debut album, but they’ve been slowly unveiling songs both online and in the live setting. At the Cactus Cafe, they performed an original called “No Place Like Oklahoma.” Bacon and Kinsey sing in perfect harmony about a childhood home among our northern neighbors, describing a colorful cast of characters that any kid (or adult) could relate to. They’re pulling from a strong folk tradition, and KUTX is excited to present them as our first Stage To Studio winners.
