Artist description Kenny Howes and the Yeah! is a critically acclaimed power pop group from Atlanta, GA. The band is known for its catchy hooks, strong melodies, thick harmonies, sincere lyrics, and direct and powerful delivery. In 2002, Kenny Howes introduced a new version of the Yeah! adding a keyboard player and a new drummer/vocalist. The new lineup features Kenny Howes, vocals/guitar; Kyle Harris, bass guitar/vocals; Mark Bencuya, keyboards, vocals; and Alex McGill, drums/percussion/vocals. Kenny Howes and the Yeah! has performed headlining sell-out shows at Atlanta music venues such as The Echo Lounge and The Star Bar and have opened for such artists as Jonathon Richman, Alex Chilton, Pat DiNizio (of The Smithereens), and Marshall Crenshaw. Kenny Howes and the Yeah! has been featured in the Atlanta music magazine Stomp and Stammer and has received constant critical praise and coverage from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Creative Loafing, Ink Nineteen, In Music We Trust, JAM, Popsided, Bucketful of Brains (England), JEM Magazine (Japan), and Ruta 66 (Spain). The band has performed for three consecutive years at the Atlantis Music Conference in Atlanta and twice at the acclaimed International Pop Overthrow festival in Los Angeles. They also performed at the 2001 Music Midtown Festival in Atlanta. Kenny Howes has released five CD’s of original material – including the debut band recording Kenny Howes and the Yeah! (released locally and scheduled for national release in March 2002).

Music Style Power Pop, Alternative Rock

Musical Influences The Beatles

Similar Artists The Who, Big Star, Cheap Trick, Posies, The Smithereens, The Beatles, Beach Boys, Guided By Voices, Casper Fandango, The Rosenbergs, Nick Lowe, Sugar, Marshall Crenshaw

Artist History The History of Kenny Howes and the Yeah! as told by David Davidson, KH&TY authority and biographer Kenny Howes started his first band when he was fourteen years old. The band's name and musical selections are far too embarrassing to mention here; suffice to say he joined, formed and left many as time went on. Jump ahead to 1993 when Howes was based in Tallahassee, FL. After his group The Mustardseeds disbanded, he headed to the recording studio to record some of his own songs. Howes, not a drummer by anyone's standards (especially his own), asked co-worker and Ultraboy drummer Kelly Shane (see photo, left, in 1995) to pound out the percussion in a quick, mostly one-take session, while Kenny would play the other instruments himself. Shane, a powerful and talented rock drummer, accepted and, while the sessions were far from magical, the two quickly developed a musical chemistry and a rapport that continues to this day. With the release of any recording (in this case the nothing wrong with that cassette) comes the need for a record release party and so out of this necessity came Kenny Howes and the Richards III, a one-off group comprised of Howes, Shane, guitarist Bob Anthony (of legendary Tallahassee twang/space rockers Casual T's) and bassist Ben Pringle (of Nubby's Garden, now of Santa Barbara pop group Kerosene Hero). Again chemistry prevailed and the combo decided to keep the momentum going, changing its name to Kenny Howes & the Curious Yellow (see photo below from the Howlin' Wolf in New Orleans, summer 1995. l-r, Anthony, Shane, Howes, & Pringle). This group (with the eventual substitution of bassist Chuck Vaughan, on bass) continued to perform together regionally and in the Tallahassee area until 1996, when Shane relocated to Georgia, with Howes fast on his trail. Once settled in Georgia (Howes in Atlanta, Shane in Rome) the two hit the studio again, to record what would become the Back To You Today! CD (they had also recorded and released Kenny Howes' Second Album in 1996), and had one hell of a time getting a new group together. Howes had met multi-instrumentalist Jason NeSmith (below, left) at Howes' new workplace, Wuxtry Records, and after a candid and humorous exchange about the joys of Pop Music they traded tapes and fast became friends. NeSmith, a studio wizard in his own right (more so than Howes), was and is a huge talent and fine pop songwriter who at the time wasn't performing his own material with a group...but he was playing drums for the psychedelic pop group Orange Hat, who needed a new keyboard player before long and so Howes, still without his own performing band, was recruited. [The two of them continue to record and perform with Orange Hat.] Shane, meanwhile, took some time off from the still-unnamed Kenny Howes project to work on material of his own (with the artists Newsboy Legion, Enemy From Space, and New Albanion Riots). Howes and NeSmith, after going through a variety of lineups, and band names, finally settled on Kenny Howes and the Yeah!, which also featured Atlanta music vet Wayne Glass (see photo, left, center) on drums and bassist Kyle Harris (see photo below, far right). Harris, who had much less experience onstage than his new band mates, read an article in an Atlanta music periodical (which mentioned Kenny needing a bass player) and showed up at one of Howes' solo performances and introduced himself, and the rest is history. Their first gig as KH&TY was on June 18, 1998 at the Dark Horse Tavern in Atlanta. This lineup remained intact until May 1999, when Glass amicably parted ways with The Yeah! and Shane returned to the fold. The chemistry, again, sent off sparks, which brought the band local props (see reviews page). Since then, Kenny Howes and the Yeah! have performed at the Atantis Music Conference in Atlanta three times and twice at the annual International Pop Overthrow festival in Los Angeles, opened for musical legends such as Jonathan Richman, Alex Chilton, Pat DiNizio (of The Smithereens) and Marshall Crenshaw, and continue to entertain and rock regional audiences in all directions. The band also performed at the 2001 Music Midtown Festival in Atlanta - a 3 day festival that draws over 300,000 music fans. (Left: The 1999-2001 lineup of KH&TY; L-R, Jason, Kenny, Kelly, Kyle. Photo by Steve French, October 2000, Atlanta.) Their debut group CD entitled Kenny Howes and the Yeah! was released on Royal Fuzz locally in December 2001 and is scheduled for national release in March 2002 . The new CD was recorded by famed producer David Barbe (of Sugar and Mercyland). In 2002, Kenny Howes introduced a new version of the Yeah! adding a keyboard player and a new drummer/vocalist. The new lineup features Kenny Howes, vocals/guitar; Kyle Harris, bass guitar/vocals; Mark Bencuya, keyboards, vocals; and Alex McGill, drums/percussion/vocals.

Group Members In 2002, Kenny Howes introduced a new version of the Yeah! adding a keyboard player and a new drummer/vocalist. The new lineup features Kenny Howes, vocals/guitar; Kyle Harris, bass guitar/vocals; Mark Bencuya, keyboards, vocals; and Alex McGill, drums/percussion/vocals.

Instruments rickenbacker guitar, electric guitar, electric bass,hammond organ, vox organ, drums

Albums Nothing Wrong With That, Kenny Howes Second Album, Back to You Today, The Right Idea, Kenny Howes and the Yeah!

Press Reviews "His band's amalgamation of power chords and melodic chiming glimmers with the inspiration of Pete Townshend and Alex Chilton. There is no more entertaining band in Atlanta. And the fact that Howes hails from Tallahassee almost makes up for that city's foisting the intolerable Creed upon a shallow and gullible world...Howes digs his old Who and Big Star records and channels that enthusiasm into rousing, unpretentious rock 'n' roll with a pronounced '60s and '70s bounce. Anybody who flaunts mutton-chop sideburns and plays a Rickenbacker deserves your undivided attention." - Steve Dollar, Atlanta Journal-Constitution -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Mr. Kenny Howes with his band The Yeah! took the stage and managed to kick more ass than an entire class of TaeBo enthusiasts." - reviewer Anna Borg -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Although I'd never heard of Kenny Howes until I got this compilation of remixed and remastered songs from his first 3 CD's (all originally on AAJ Records and now out of print), one trip through The Right Idea and I was heading to Ebay to try to find the originals. The Right Idea explodes with some of the most perfect power pop I've heard in quite some time, drawing to mind the likes of everyone from The Beatles and Who to Trip Shakespeare and Matthew Sweet, and even throwing in a bit of garage rock. Although he has a touring band, the Yeah!, Howe's virtually a one-man band in the studio, writing the tunes, co-producing and handling most of the vocals and instruments himself. Hopefully someone out there will have sense enough to reissue the originals, because this stuff needs to be heard. (Look for a new disc sometime in 2001) - Geoff Melton, In Music We Trust,June 2001 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "This collection of songs [The Right Idea] from Howes' first three records (remixed and remastered "to make them all shiny for the New Millennium!") will hopefully help break this witty popster's career wide open. The CD also includes three tracks from other sources; the infectious title track, a lost b-side called "The Ballad Of Zelda", and the Rundgren-esque "You Thought My Name Was Jay". Howes sings layers of vocals and excels instrumentally, playing everything but drums (ably handled by the energetic Kelly Shane). Weaned on the masters of power pop, Howes' sound evokes classic artists like The Beatles and The Who while retaining his own identity. His pen is sharp; put downs like "Thought You'd Never Go" are as clever as they are irresistibly hummable. This new collection is a strong showcase for Kenny Howes' hook-filled, harmony-laden, well- written pop gems. Not to steer you away from gathering his complete catalogue (where gems like "Gonna See Cheap Trick" and a plethora of hidden bonus gems reside), but getting The Right Idea would be a good idea." - Bill Holmes, Cosmik.com

Location Atlanta, GA - USA

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