The Search for a "Legendary" Guitarist
**UPDATE: January 24, 2021 - The KIT festival has now been postponed until 2022. If you are a regular to my site and have read any of my blogs throughout 2020 you know my position on the entire Covid situation, masks, lockdowns and all the rest. Due to laws being passed in Europe and elsewhere; mandates for wearing masks on flights and now mandates for "vaccine passports," I will not be traveling to Europe. The Legend performance at the festival has therefore been canceled. I appreciate the invitation, and getting to know some of the people involved a little, Martin, Jesper, Oliver and others, through our communications. I wish them all well.
Legend is, for all intents and purposes, history.
**UPDATE - February 7, 2020 - The Lineup for the KIT performance
Martin Jepsen Andersen, Jesper Bunk, and Ray Frigon
Plane tickets and itinerary in place. Still lots of details to nail down. This gig has really become a reality as the calendar moves along. My thanks to all who are helping out with different things.
*UPDATE - June 30, 2019 - The Guitarist ... Plus ...
The time has come to announce the choice for the KIT concert and this has been a very difficult decision to make, especially given the circumstances that developed. My fellow Legend bandmate, Fred Melillo, is unable to do the concert. That was a heartbreaking blow. Legend fans know the caliber of his bass work on the album. What to do? Cancel? With understanding and encouragement from people I counseled with I decided to forge ahead, as this is an event, like the 40th anniversary reissue, for the Legacy of Legend and Kevin; a tribute to his life and talent.
What made the decision tougher were the thoughts and feelings of people I invited into this decision being divided in their choice, as well. That's how close this was.
I would be thankful to work with the guitarists that auditioned, on any occasion, and would hope that might be the case someday. It really came down to practical matters.
For the Legend, Keep It True XXlll festival concert, the guitarist/vocalist shall be Martin Jepsen Andersen, from Denmark, along with his long-time playing partner Jesper Bunk on bass. Martin and Jesper are recognized from their work together in the well-known Blues Rock band Blindstone, on their eight, very cool recordings. Martin also records and performs with the Melodic Heavy Metal band, Meridian, as well as his own solo recordings.
As an interesting side-note, in looking at a map of Denmark, I mentioned his Danish heritage and Kattegat, which I didn't realize was an actual place. In our correspondence, Martin informed me his family is from the island of Mors, situated in the Danish Limfjord so, he literally comes "from the fjord." Though he lives on the Northern Jutlandic Island now, as does Jesper, he remains close to his ancient heritage, just minutes away.
I look forward to working with them and preparing a memorable performance for KIT XXlll.
I must include an honorable mention and heartfelt thanks to Gary Hendrickson; a fantastic guitarist and wonderful human being. His current album, The Gift, is one of the most unique and incredible collections of songs that I have heard in fascinating blended genres of Rock. It deserves high praise and wide exposure. I hope you will check it out.
To all our candidates, we thank you for your participation and wish you well and success in your future endeavors.
Now, to pull together a great Legend performance for Keep It True XXlll, April 24, 2020.
The time will fly. We hope to see you there.
The time has come to announce the choice for the KIT concert and this has been a very difficult decision to make, especially given the circumstances that developed. My fellow Legend bandmate, Fred Melillo, is unable to do the concert. That was a heartbreaking blow. Legend fans know the caliber of his bass work on the album. What to do? Cancel? With understanding and encouragement from people I counseled with I decided to forge ahead, as this is an event, like the 40th anniversary reissue, for the Legacy of Legend and Kevin; a tribute to his life and talent.
What made the decision tougher were the thoughts and feelings of people I invited into this decision being divided in their choice, as well. That's how close this was.
I would be thankful to work with the guitarists that auditioned, on any occasion, and would hope that might be the case someday. It really came down to practical matters.
For the Legend, Keep It True XXlll festival concert, the guitarist/vocalist shall be Martin Jepsen Andersen, from Denmark, along with his long-time playing partner Jesper Bunk on bass. Martin and Jesper are recognized from their work together in the well-known Blues Rock band Blindstone, on their eight, very cool recordings. Martin also records and performs with the Melodic Heavy Metal band, Meridian, as well as his own solo recordings.
As an interesting side-note, in looking at a map of Denmark, I mentioned his Danish heritage and Kattegat, which I didn't realize was an actual place. In our correspondence, Martin informed me his family is from the island of Mors, situated in the Danish Limfjord so, he literally comes "from the fjord." Though he lives on the Northern Jutlandic Island now, as does Jesper, he remains close to his ancient heritage, just minutes away.
I look forward to working with them and preparing a memorable performance for KIT XXlll.
I must include an honorable mention and heartfelt thanks to Gary Hendrickson; a fantastic guitarist and wonderful human being. His current album, The Gift, is one of the most unique and incredible collections of songs that I have heard in fascinating blended genres of Rock. It deserves high praise and wide exposure. I hope you will check it out.
To all our candidates, we thank you for your participation and wish you well and success in your future endeavors.
Now, to pull together a great Legend performance for Keep It True XXlll, April 24, 2020.
The time will fly. We hope to see you there.
*UPDATE! - 6/26/2019 - We have closed the auditions, and the name of the candidate performing the Legend, Keep It True festival 2020, concert will be announced soon!
*UPDATE! - 6/10/19 - It has swiftly become obvious the search for a lead guitarist that also sings lead is a rarity, indeed. So, we have decided to widen the parameters to a vocalist, too. If we find a lead that also sings, great. If not, we are open to adding a vocalist for the concert, as well. Singers: same info below applies. If you believe you're a good fit, please get in touch with us!
Well, based on things you can read on the Legend page, I'll cut to the chase here.
With the building interest of the reissue of Legend ~ From the Fjords, with Sonic Age Records and their newly created label, Cult Rock Classics, also comes interest in a reunion of the band for a live performance. Hard to believe but, here it is.
Fred and I had always felt, without Kevin, such a performance is just impossible because of the talent and front-man attributes Kevin had. Finding a guitarist with his ability, that can also sing in natural tones and relay the stories in the songs with the same stage presence he had; his personality, winging that 6/12 double neck into the exosphere at times? Seriously? Not possible. Impossible.
We just let the idea go. Fred and I would love to play together again. The task, though, to really honor the memory of our friend and bandmate seems beyond our capacity to meet.
As we have seen in life, "Never say, Never." The reissue is a reality. And now comes an invitation to perform at the Keep It True festival, in Konigshofen, Germany, on April 24, 2020. An hour set, to perform the album in it's entirety with a little stretching out. This is a one-time, reunion concert appearance for us. Well, there's no band. But, there is the internet.
Who are we looking for?
First, someone located in Europe. We have two distinct reasons for that.
1. We want to build a 40 year bridge with the fans in Europe (who are the lion's share of Legend fans today), and playing a one-time only reunion performance in front of those fans with a member of their own land and fan base, would be a great way to say, Thank You, and hopefully, a treat for those fans to see and hear.
2. From a business point of view; plane tickets and other expenses are not inexpensive from the USA to and in Europe. It is reasonable to try and keep the overhead of such a project low to compensate for remuneration received for the performance, which our new member shall share in. Do not glaze over with dollar signs ... well, Euro signs, in your eyes. This is not a huge festival for attendance numbers, as Europeans well know. It is a packed festival with some of the most diehard and energized fans found on the planet, as far as I can tell.
There are a couple other reasons for a European guitarist but, those are the main ones we'd like you to understand.
Now, as you know, if you have read anything I have written about the band or stated in interviews, as well as Fred, we never considered Legend a Metal band, and KIT is most definitely a Metal festival. Legend played a wide swath of music, in various "weights and densities," as I have come to define it. The heavier material has largely placed Legend in a general Metal category by so many fans. We can only shrug our shoulders and go with the flow. "Resistance is futile." I still reject the Metal label but, what is, is. I say this because we are not looking for a Metal guitarist, one way or the other. What matters is Kevin's sound, and playing with his vibe and spirit.
We are looking for a talented guitarist who can sing. One who knows the material, and is a fan of the album, and has the chops and voice to perform it all. If you don't know the material, please familiarize yourself with it before contacting us.
Also, preferably, we'd like to find a young person, who is eager and would love the opportunity to probably see some doors open to further their own life in music. Yes, we are thinking about you, too.
This does not mean seasoned pros should not apply. Nay. We realize this is a needle in a galaxy search, and we are not closing off any possibilities.
If you are not a professional musician, take heart, neither was I when I became a founding member of the band. I had my very first concert experience as well, and loved it. Everybody has to start somewhere. That said, stage fright can cripple somebody. Be aware of that. Do you think my heart will not be racing to walk out on a stage before fans who have been waiting for decades to hear this music live, again? It is up to you to examine yourself and know whether you are up to the task. It's about more than guitar talent. It's about self-confidence at what you do, as well. Now, arrogance, conceit, that's another matter. One we would not entertain.
**A note to singers - If you know Legend, you know Kevin had a very clean and clear voice. He didn't shout or scream (unless he occasionally felt like it), and it was always our decided purpose to make sure that live, as well as on the album, Kevin did not compete with the instruments. His voice was kept above everything so lyrics could be easily understood and his voice was not stretched. We aren't looking for singers who feel the need to scream or sing at the very top of their range all the time. A naturally clean, clear voice, with some resonance is what we are looking for. **
Well, how does one rehearse being thousands of miles apart? Obviously Fred and I know the music well. We, ourselves, live 1500 miles apart but, we have the advantage of knowing the music well enough to jump right in. You, on the other hand, will have the job of knowing this material well enough to be able to sit down for a couple hours before the concert and work out any kinks or bumps in the road. And then, it's showtime. If you are a fan of the album it's certainly possible you have years of listening and playing the songs, and would love to jump right in and play this gig with us.
*One more important thing, and I mean important thing. If you have issues with substance abuse, please, do not apply. We have been down that road and will not do it again. People showing up high or intoxicated and what results? No. Been there, done that. If you have problems, please, get help. We have an actual history with the loss of a beloved friend and musician. Do not dare bring that back into our lives again. If you are a party animal, as well, we aren't. We are looking for professionalism. This is a serious project.*
Have what it takes? Great!
Send us an email and tell us a little about yourself. If you have an online presence that showcases what you do, share it! From there we will choose players to send more detailed instructions for submitting sound files. At some point we will hook up for person to person contact. Then, a person will be chosen, and the months will go by quickly. They sure do for us, these days.
[email protected] subject line: Legend search
One more thing. Please understand the volume of email we may receive and the length, details, and time necessary to invest in this pursuit. Please do not send us an email just to say, Hi (but do say "Hi" here on my Contact page), or tell us about a friend you have or someone you know. If you do, get them to apply. Thanks. We appreciate it.
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Listen up! One thing that always happens is fear. Fear of the unknown. Confidence levels threatened by the task of applying and figuring you will get rejected so, why bother? That's really hard to get around. Well, life has its ups and downs, for sure but, if you don't try, you cannot know if you will succeed. Give it a shot, man. This is a pretty cool opportunity to play in front of an audience that already loves you! You have practiced your heart out for some years and you've been blessed with abilities. What next? An adventure. Go for it.