Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers are perhaps one of my favorite musicians. Their lyrics are sentimental and poetic while their live show is incredibly energetic and entertaining. I met with Stephen a couple of hours before his show in NYC on april 7, 2007. As he was looking through his set list journal and gathering his thoughts on the evening show, I got a chance to ask him some questions.

Cris: So first of all, introduce yourself as a musician. Like who you are and what your music is about.
Stephen Kellogg: Ok I’m Stephen Kellogg. I am a songwriter. And I would say my music is a combination of Rock and Roll with a lot of lyrics.

C: So you have a new CD coming out, Glassjaw Boxer. What do you want your fans to take away from it? Anything new to expect?
SK: Well, I think the concept behind the new record is that it is written in the format of a letter to our family and our friends; it’s what we want them to know from us and what we want our legacy to be. Every song works towards that end so it’s a little more interceptive. It’s still fun but it is definitely not a party record. It’s a bit on the sentimental side but on a good way.

C: So who are your influences? You put on an incredible live show, I’ve never seen anything like it.
SK: Aw, thank you very much. Well I think different people influence different aspects of what we are doing. Growing up my parents played me a lot of Crosby , Stills and Nash, and The Eagles, and Cat Stevens, and many different song writers, so that was definitely an early musical push. But then, my sister started taking me to 80s metal concerts when I was still pretty young and I just loved the energy of those shows. So that definitely got me thinking: I want the Bon Jovi type show with Crosby , Stills, and Nash type of songs. That is definitely still my goal, to mix those two things. More recently, I’ve been admiring Ryan Adams, the Counting Crows, Jackson Brown, Matt Nathanson.

C: So I am assuming this is where your inspiration for the live show you put on came about…
SK: I think that’s about it. I mean, I have a goofy personality and I definitely want to feel comfortable on stage so what I do when I perform is my combination of that.

C: What do you want people to take away from your music? You have your incredible, energetic live shows but then you have amazing lyrics…
SK: Thank you. What I think I want people to take away from my music has two parts to it. From the live show I want people to go home filled with joy and energy; I want them to feel happy. That doesn’t mean I want every song to be ridiculously upbeat but I ultimately want them to go home feeling hopeful and joyful. And that is in a way what I want from our music too but I hope that with my record and lyrics they can have a quieter, intercepting moment where they can feel hopeful. I think hope is what I want to send along.

C: And this is why you tour 10 months a year, because you want people to feel what your music is about.
SK: Absolutely. It’s the way we make the majority of our fans. Every musicians path is different, and touring is definitely ours. It’s the way we survive. I consider it to be the majority of my job.

C:  What is your favorite type of show to play? I know you did the acoustic tour over the winter were you sat down with the Sixers and played your entire upcoming album straight through but then you have the crazy, unexpected things you do on stage…
SK: There are definitely the rock rooms and then there are listening rooms. Because our music covers different areas I need a variety of shows. A lot of people just want me to focus on one area over the other but my personality just doesn’t work that way. I need some sort of balance. I love the rock shows with crazy lights and me jumping around but I also enjoy listening rooms when I have a more intimate connection and can give more background on the song. That for me is a treat so the theater shows are definitely important to me too.

C: Sorry, but I have to ask. East or West coast.
SK: East Coast for sure. That’s a no brainer right there.

C: Which artist would you like to tour with? I know you mentioned some contemporary artists before…
SK: Yeah. Umm, I would love to go out on tour with Guster; I’ve played a couple of shows with them already but I would love to join them on a full tour. I would probably love to go out with Lifehouse, Counting Crows, and Dar Williams is also a good songwriter I think we would have a good tour with. Basically, I would tour with people whom I think the audience would relate well to our music. So I wouldn’t say I would want to go out with my heroes but people whom I think my music could get along with.

C: Do you have any specific goals in your career? I know you’ve been playing for a long time so is there anything else you would want to work on?
SK: We set a lot of goals, as a band, and as a person. It’s part of who we are. What’s interesting is that if you are not careful with your goals, you achieve them without realizing it. When I started out, all I wanted to do was make a career out of music. So, I’ve been doing it for a couple of years now, and I wasn’t really satisfied. I realized “I’ve achieved that goal now so I guess I better set new ones.” I guess my goals make me a better person. It’s really important for me to realize what I have achieved. You need to keep raising the bar in your life if you want to get somewhere. So I definitely have some goals for us as a band which I guess is what you might expect.  Some goals with the new album: I want the melodies to break your heart right off the bat.

C: Anything else you might want to add?
SK: Well we are really glad to have this job. I hope that more people like and enjoy the band so we can share what we’re doing on a grander scale.


Cristina Carrazza is an interviewer and reviewer for Musiqtone. You can contact her at cristinacarrazza@musiqtone.com.







(C) 2007 Musiqtone. All Rights Reserved. Any part of this interview cannot be used without written express consent from both the representatives of Stephen Kellogg and Musiqtone.