"As a child, I remember writing "gatar" as the number one item on my Christmas list and hanging it on the refrigerator." Kevin Herchen was playing the guitar before he could even spell it and singing every television and radio jingle you could imagine. He entertained passing cars and neighborhood children by playing his nylon-stringed JC Penny guitar on his front door step.
At 15, Herchen took a serious interest in his music, bought himself a Kay starter guitar, and taught himself to play from a Mel Bay instructional book and a little help from his father, Paul. Not long after, he began formal lessons; but found himself bored with the regimen of guitar "homework and as he says, "an ear and a radio was all I needed."
At West Warwick High School (West Warwick, RI), Herchen joined the Jazz Ensemble. As a featured soloist, he won several awards including best guitar solo at the Berklee College Jazz Festival in 1996. "It was the first time I felt that all the hard work had paid off," Herchen says, "and I was glad to be given the opportunity to show what I was capable of. The award made me realize that this was something I could actually pursue further and definitely something I could never give up."
Herchen joined his first rock band, Raiding Neptune, while attending Rhode Island College. The band practiced together for about one year. During this time, Herchen learned to better write songs and create melodies. After the band parted ways, Herchen honed his song writing skills as a solo artist while seeking a band once again.
In 2003, Herchen joined forces with three good friends and musicians to form the band HearSay. The band enjoyed quick success and the locales were good to them - but their time was short-lived and the group disbanded after only a year.
Herchen now enjoys playing local venues as a solo artist. He has a captivating style and a passion that can be heard in his original work and can cover another artist's song perfectly or adapt and uniquely interpret it to fit his own style. He recorded a live compilation at the Rocky Point Pub in Warwick, RI in 2005 and is currently finalizing a 10 track, solo, acoustic album. He looks to go as far as his music will take him. "Music is in my blood," Herchen concludes, "I won't stop until I can't play anymore."
