Artist description A little rock, a little alt country, a little folk. Fairly nice person. Brown hair.

Music Style a little folk, a little alt country, a little rock

Musical Influences Among others, Neil Young, Elliott Smith, Joni Mitchell, Elvis Costello, Ryan Adams/Whiskeytown, Liz Phair

Similar Artists dunno. Joni Mitchell, Neutral Milk Hotel, Bob Dylan, one friend thinks. Perhaps I flatter myself.

Artist History Small town Utah to Chicago for quite some time, then back to small town, then to London for a short while, then back to the small town, then to Salt Lake City, then to Portland, which was even better, and now back to Slick City, at least for the time being. Right now, I'm working, teaching and going to school. That's all.

Instruments Just me, my guitar, and occasionally drums (courtesy of Mr. Jacob Stringer) and bass (courtesy of Ben's friend, whose name I never quite caught).

Albums May of 2002? Don't hold your breath.

Press Reviews Open for Kelly Joe Phelps——mention at the bottom (nuthin' big) http://www.chronicle.utah.edu/red/redarchives/0413/beat0413.html Kelly Joe Phelps - Marriott Center for Dance - Monday, April 17 by Matt Thurber When a legendary jazz guitarist like Bill Frisell says that Kelly Joe Phelps is one of his biggest influences, chances are his music is probably a lot better than most artists’ creating groove combinations of country and folk music. From his slide guitar to Southern-style rock, Phelps has come a long way from his days of strumming little ditties on a beat-up guitar somewhere deep within the Mississippi back country. As some people will argue that Phelps was a jazz bassist in his past life, others agree that his music has such a roots-based sound influenced by everything from Ornette Coleman to Skip James, which makes him such an amazing guitarist and songwriter as well. The last time Phelps made his way to Salt Lake City, he entertained the crowd as the opening spot for Greg Brown at Joseph T. Kingsbury Hall. To those at the show, that little taste of honey was so impressive that he’s back on his own bill where the music can really take off without the time constraints of his previous appearance. Having burst onto the scene with Lead Me On, Phelps has gone from playing coffee houses and pubs to landing on the Ryko Disc record label within an extremely short amount of time. With a mesmerizing live show and spiritual message of peace and love, Phelps has taken music into directions never before imagined as heard on the latest release, Shine Eye Mister Zen. On the new album, Phelps has a few drinking songs such as “Dock Boggs Country Blues,” to tracks about what it could have been like in “House Carpenter.” There’s even the occasional ode to running away from real-life problems when the going gets tough featured on “Wandering Away.” From start to finish, the songs have the distinctive Phelps sound, yet each track is a different story of traditional blues or folk themes told with a contemporary twist. One of the keys to Phelps new found success lies in his underlying fascination in the possibilities stemming from free-form improvisation. Instead of coming up with chordy tracks that stick to a particular formula, his sound is more like an experience filled with heart and soul. But when it comes down to the wire, the best representation of each of Phelps’ albums is a generous serving of the blues. And it’s not as much his demographic upbringing which has helped shape his own style as it is a passion for the artists that really opened the door and brought this kind of music to the masses. Another factor which has helped the guitarist over the years is rave reviews in every blues and rock publication under the sun. From Acoustic Guitar Magazine to Blues Revue calling his record “The Acoustic Blues Album of the Year,” the press has been especially receptive to his sound which sticks out above the rest of the mediocre blues guitarists. Adding a bit of local flavor to the show, Kathryn Cowles, a University of Utah student, will be opening for Phelps. Cowles has played on the University of Utah campus three times previously, each time enjoying an enthusiastic response from the gathered crowd. Her smooth, folky vocals and guitar work will be sure to compliment Phelps. You can download some of Cowles’ songs from mp3.com. Monday’s performance is in part sponsored by KRCL Community Radio. For more information on this show, or other upcoming concerts, call the Associated Students of the University of Utah Presenter’s Office Hotline at 585-ASUU.

Additional Info The omnipresent 10:00 train.

Location Salt Lake City, UT - USA

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