Emerging American folk-rock singer Todd Kessler has released his new single, Lost Or Found, from his new album, Here Is All We Have. We asked him the BIG questions . . .
Born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, Todd graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in Music Theory and Composition and shortly after graduating, he released his first LP, We Are the Musicmakers.
We need your consent to load this Spotify contentWe use Spotify to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
In 2023, he travelled to Ireland to begin work on Here Is All We Have with producer Hally, drummer Graham Hopkins (Glen Hansard, The Frames, Swell Season) and bassist Rob Malone (David Gray, LiR) in Arthouse studio Kildare, Ireland.
Tell us three things about yourself . . .
I'm from just outside of Chicago and have been lucky to be a part of the best music scene in the States for 20 years (!!) this year.
My new album, Here Is All We Have (out 13 January), was recorded almost entirely in Ireland with Irish musicians.
Fans of The Voice may recognize me from season three of the US version of the show from back in 2012.
How would you describe your music?
At the core I am a Folk-Americana singer/songwriter but early on in my career my music was described as "organic rock", which I then rebranded as alt/folk/pop when I was leading my indie rock band The New Folk. At this point I usually just go with singer/songwriter to make things less complicated.
Who are your musical inspirations?
The artists on my Mount Rushmore of musical influences are Paul Simon, David Gray, Glen Hansard and The Beatles (sorry if the Mount Rushmore analogy doesn’t track over there in Ireland lol).
What was the first gig you ever went to?
The first gig I saw was the Australian grunge band Silverchair at the famed Metro in Chicago. It was revelatory for my 12-year-old self.
What was the first record you ever bought?
The first time I went to the record store and bought my own albums I bought Green Day’s Dookie and Aerosmith’s Get A Grip.
What’s your favourite song right now?
Red Cardinal by Jacob Jeffries. Everything about it hits me just right, from the arrangement, production, performance and lyrics. It’s an instant classic for me.
Favourite lyric of all time?
"One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain" from Bob Marley’s Trenchtown Rock. Does it get any better than that?
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
This is an almost impossible question for a musician to answer but I always come back to Say It To Me Now by The Frames, but specifically the live version from Swell Season’s Deluxe Edition of their album Strict Joy. I went to see that tour so I was able to see Glen play it completely unplugged and what hits me every time I hear it, aside from his stellar and gut wrenching performance, is the huge roar of applause from the crowd at the end. It always brings me back to the power a performer has from the stage in front of a captive audience, and I strive to bring that same dedication and energy to every performance of mine.
Where can people find your music/more information?
You can find all of my music anywhere music is available (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon) and the best place to connect with me and keep up with everything I have going on is Instagram @toddkessler. My website has everything there as well.
Alan Corr
