Album: GunshyArtist Name: The Kenny George BandGenre: Country; Alt Country; FolkRelease Date: 04/06/14Reviewed By: Sean Knight
Rating: ★★★★☆

Blurring the line between country and alt country, Aiken’s Kenny George Band seem to swear allegiance to both sides of the coin and its works well for them. That’s the attitude displayed on the group’s latest, the 7-song EP, “Gunshy”: Country music is as country music does, whether it’s by the book or off the map. Embracing the genre’s classic emphasis on brooding love songs along with current Nashville-style gloss, the band also detours into alt country style introspection with smart lyrics, eschewing the whole barbecue and monster trucks imagery that has built the current cash-making contingent of Music City. Singer and guitarist Kenny George has a lucid and penetrating voice- think the soulfulness of a Jason Isbell mixed with a little hard-boiled Zac Brown on its edges. The rest of the band is a real-deal country machine, keeping the proceedings authentic and professional throughout.

First track “Pocket Full of Habits” is a moody, almost tense folk affair. It’s a muted alt country travelling song and it serves to remind the listener that yes, this is traditional music, but don’t get too comfy in that rocking chair, Gramps. “Last Stop Birmingham”, with its perfect steel guitar, is pure country, done the old school way. “Not Slipping Away” has fiddles that time travel it straight back into the better days of country with substance. The mournful and rolling pedal steel in “Sad Country Songs” is perfectly evocative of its title. The well-written title track goes for a commercial sheen and could probably be a mainstream hit, if it gets on the radio. “Hard to Think About” could fit right in on a Drive-By Truckers or Jason Isbell record (that’s an awesome thing to do, by the way). The record ends with “Shouldn’t Have Let You Go”, another laid back love song. It’s a great, catchy straight-up country tune.

Like most country, the songs here are mostly love-songs.When you are writing songs about relationships, you had better bring something new or excellent to the table and the Kenny George Band can do both. They take the best parts of country’s legacy and throw in George’s personality to give it a tweak in a modern direction. The band incorporates a lot of feeling into the production, and they never sound like this is some contractually-obligated, phoned-in affair. If you love country but are dying to hear something a little less Nashville, look no further.

Recommended if you like: Jason Isbell, Zac Brown, Ryan Adams

http://scmusicguide.com/reviews/gunshy-the-kenny-george-band/

Kenny George Band Gunshy (Bueno) Gunshy, the debut EP from Aiken’s Kenny George Band, is coated in a thick layer of Nashville spit-shine, but it feels miles removed from the Music City machine — a credit to the group’s warm and welcoming execution.

 The outfit specializes in a brand of country music that has gone the way of the dwindling caribou in recent years. The focus here is on sincere, well-crafted songwriting rather than chasing some bulls#!t idea of what it takes to become a macho country badass. Bereft of such posturing, Gunshy is dominated by lovesick laments, but like Merle Haggard said, there ain’t no shame in a mixed-up mess of a heart.

Opener “Pocket Full of Habits” is a sparse locomotive of an outlaw strummer. “Not Slipping Away” is a fiddle-driven, toe-tapping ode to infatuation. Pedal steel lines run like teardrops down the up-tempo waltz of “Sad Country Songs.” The lovelorn dirge “Shouldn’t Have Let You Go” harkens back to ’90s hitmakers like Tim McGraw.

 These sounds aren’t revolutionary, but Kenny George and his backers deploy them with utmost sincerity. It’s not so much that these players are taking some ham-fisted stance against the endless party that consumes a large swath of modern country, much of which has more in common with Van Halen than George Strait; they simply operate as if the genre never took that odd left turn in the first place. In a time when country’s mainstream increasingly seems to have lost its way, Gunshy is a welcome sprinkling of genuine Southern soul. -

 http://www.free-times.com/music/kenny-george-band-gunshy-062514

Check out the article on KGB Rene Williams wrote for the Augutsa Chronicle

Back in January, when Atlanta came to a standstill after two inches of snow, the Kenny George Band was nestled in at Zac Brown’s place.

Back in January, when Atlanta came to a standstill after two inches of snow, the Kenny George Band was nestled in at Zac Brown’s place.

Kenny George Band guitarist Michael Vincent Baideme learned about the contest from fellow musician Will McCranie and suggested giving it a shot.

“We went down and ended up winning our round the first night so we went back and we made it to the finals,” said Kenny George, vocalist and guitarist in his namesake band. “After the finals, we found out we were actually “co-winners” because the girl we were competing against had a record deal that prevented her from working with other producers so we ended up winning the two-day recording session by default.”

By default or design, on Jan. 29, the Kenny George Band was powered up and wired for sound when Atlanta got slammed. Snowed in, they recorded for three days instead of two in a studio at one of Brown’s houses.
“There is a big red barn out back where Zac has all his guitar cases, gear and light boards from their first record,” George said. “It was really neat to see, and in the actual studio there is a custom echo chamber with all of Zac’s retired road guitars on the walls too.”

In addition to the one-of-a kind echo chamber, there is also a live room, custom built for artists to play together and an isolation booth where members can play separately for optimal sound, he said.

On May 9, the band played at Sky City in Augusta for their Gunshy CD release performance. The group was finishing Gunshy (produced by Shawn Guess of Aiken) while competing in the open mic contest, too late for tracks recorded at Brown’s studio to be on it. But George said fans will be able to hear the latest songs at several local performances.

The band will perform at 10 p.m. Friday, June 20, at Stillwater Taproom as well as at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 21, at Jessye Norman Amphitheater as part of the City of Augusta Summer Concert Series. Farther out on the calendar, they’ll open for American Aquarium on July 24 at Sky City, and for Montgomery Gentry on Sept. 19 at Lady Antebellum Pavilion. Visit mgentryevans.com for show details.

http://chronicle.augusta.com/things-do/applause/2014-06-18/fans-can-hear-latest-kenny-george-band?v=1403120915

Kenny George Band will be playing with American Aquarium @ Sky City in Augusta, GA on July 24th. Doors @ 8 $5 Cover

Two dates added to the schedule for October and December. More to come soon. 

The Kenny George Band's debut EP "GUNSHY" now available on iTunes, Amazon and Google Play. The seven track EP features the single "Last Stop Birmingham" also available for purchase.

The Kenny George Band's digital single Last Stop Birmingham is now available through iTunes, Amazon and Google Play. As well as here at Bandcamp.

It's finally here. The digital single "Last Stop Birmingham" is now available on iTunes and Amazon. Please go check it out and tell your friends! Also we've thrown in the song "Don't Count on Me" for a B-Side. All of this is to get everyone... pumped for the Kenny George Band's release of it's seven track EP titled "Gunshy". The date for that is April 8. Below are the links where you can buy the digital Single.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/last-stop-birmingham-single/id826721351

http://www.amazon.com/Last-Stop-Birmingham-Kenny-George/dp/B00IL80D50/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1393093485&sr=8-7&keywords=the+kenny+george+band