Kelley
Vice brings together diverse elements of acoustic rock, jazz,
and innovative technique in an unconventional style rich with
modal tunings, vibrant melodies and passionate vocals.
Influenced heavily by James Taylor, the late Michael Hedges,
Chris Cornell and Dave Matthews, Kelley's songwriting is
evocative and painfully honest, conveying a depth of emotion
that keeps listeners coming back for more.
Kelley's music encompasses a wide spectrum of style and emotion,
ranging from the explosive
Give In to
the haunting statement of
I Can Still Fall.
His instrumentals move easily from dark sensuality to playful
innocence. Though all are executed with the same unique
character developed over two and a half decades of performance,
no two songs are alike.
Kelley performs solo at numerous open mics, acoustic shows,
weddings and other live events around the Puget Sound. He is
also a member of Seattle's Fireweed (http://fireweed-music.com),
an acoustic rock group; Bebe Le Strange (http://bebelestrange.com),
a Heart tribute band; and is the producer/engineer owner of
Sturm und Drang Studios (http://sturmunddrangstudios.com) in
Bothell, WA. Most recently, Kelley has been assembling musicians
for a new rock project, Razorburn, which he expects to
begin performing live in early 2006.
He has been singing and playing
musical instruments for over 25 years, including guitar, drums,
bass, piano, pots and pans, armpit, and kazoo. He used to play
several reed instruments, but he kept getting splinters in his
tongue, so he gave them up.
Kelley began performing live as a dorky 12-year old kid, when
Matthew and The Mandarins, a popular SE Asia country group,
invited him to be a guest performer at a live show in Singapore,
playing drums with the band at the Shangri-La Hotel. From 1984
to 1990, he was the guitarist for Seattle power trio Alliance,
who performed extensively in the Puget Sound area. When Kelley
was in his late teens and early twenties, he was a fixture on
the streets of Seattle, playing guitar regularly at Pike Place
Market and on University Way, and also worked as a recording
engineer and live soundman for regional acts such as Edison
Jones, Tantrum, NVU, Rail and many others.
He has been a session musician and producer for a variety of
artists in the area, including
Robert Glenn,
Dave Coznowski,
Violent Silk, Aristo, Adrianno, Aaron Fitzgerald, Darin Isaacs,
and Love Brother 9. In the mid-90's, he became a producer and
eventually the VP of A&R for BMC Records, an independent Seattle
label, frequently working at Triad Studios in Redmond. Kelley
co-owns the record label and publishing company Mountain Man
Music with friend and bandmate John Enga.
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