Punk pioneer Kevin Seconds gets a little help from some friends

By Phil Stilton

Kevin Seconds, the front man for the 80′s and 90′s hardcore punk band 7 Seconds is trying to get his solo act on the road.   There’s just one problem.  He has no van to tour with and being a punk rock idol never came with a 401k plan.   Now 50, Kevin Seconds has been trying to prolong his musical shelf life by asking for some assistance by his loyal fanbase that has stuck with him since the 1980′s.    Thankfully, many of his fans “Still Believe” and have been more than willing to lend a helping hand.

“Since the age of 19, I have made my life all about writing, performing and recording music and traveling all over the world to share it with people.” he said “It hasn’t been easy, it’s rarely been glamorous and I can’t even say that I’ve been all that successful with it in the grander scheme of rock & roll things, but it’s really the only life I know and the life I want and need, in order for me to stand upright and be happy.”

7 Seconds formed in the 1980′s and quickly grew to be one of the most influential punk and hardcore bands of the day.   In fact, 7 seconds was one of the first bands to coin the term hardcore.   7 seconds, along with bands like Minor Threat have also been credited with sparking the straight edge movement in hardcore music.  The band has also been credited with being an influence to musicians in the late 1980′s straight edge Youth Crew movement in New York City.

However once the popularity of hardcore began waning as early fans began moving on to their own careers and starting families, bands like 7 seconds were left with scenes that were either dying or evolving into something completely different.   While other bands of the era, such as Social Distortion, Danzig and Bouncing Souls adjusted their music to be more acceptable to the newer grunge and post-punk generation, and found periods of pop stardom,  Kevin Seconds and his band continued down their own evolutionary music path.

“For the past 10 years or so, and besides the occasional 7Seconds gig, I have also spent a lot of time touring by myself, just me and my acoustic guitar.” he said “I’ve made a handful of CDs and records and have been lucky enough to have traveled all over Europe, Canada and the U.S., playing with the likes of Elliott Smith, John Doe, Jonathan Richman, Bob Mould, Exene Cervenka, Chuck Ragan, Evan Dando, Juliana Hatfield, Tim Barry and so many more great artists.”

“I feel that I am now at a sort of ‘crossroads’ as to what I will do now to keep myself active and working as a touring singer-songwriter, musician and performer. ” he added “At the moment, there is only one thing really keeping me from being on the road more often and that is the lack of a decent mode of transportation.”

So Kevin decided to launch a kickstarter project with the goal of raising just $7,000 to purchase a touring van that can get him from show to show around the United States.    Kevin had 30 days to raise the money under the program or he wouldn’t get it.  Unsure of the situation, he reached out to his fans on facebook and within 48 hours, has raised nearly $6,000.

Kevin says the money raised will help him bring his creative talents back out on the road and save him from a life that could have brought him back full-circle to his first job, working at McDonalds.     He also hopes to get back into the music production as he and wife Allyson have started a new label, Cheap as Nothing.

He has also started a facebook website for those willing to help him at http://www.facebook.com/groups/kevkickstarter/.

As for the fate of 7 Seconds, while they are no longer a full time band, they have been known to get back together over the years and Kevin says the van will also be used for future 7 Seconds tours.    They will be playing this month, September 24 at the Philadelphia Riot Fest.

If you want to help Kevin Seconds get his van and get on the road, visit http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kevinseconds/kevin-seconds-needs-a-tour-vanbadly

Posted by Ocean County News on Sep 1 2011. Filed under Jersey Shore, Towns. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.