Artist: Kevin Andrew Prchal
Hometown: Chicago
Song: “American Oblivion”
Album: Unknowing
Release Date: May 27, 2022
In Their Words: “I’m proud to call America my home. Its freedoms have afforded me experiences and opportunities so many around the world could only dream of. Its music changed me and set me down an infinite path of discovery and inspiration. Its people raised me, instilling in me values that are timeless and resilient. And its history, while stained, decorated with stories of courage, dissent and progress.
“But no matter which way you look at it, the past few years have been a sad chapter in American history. The pettiness, the righteousness, the abhorrent meanness displayed by everyone from strangers on the street, to quote-tweeting trolls, to the most celebrated public and political figures. And perhaps most concerning, the complete disregard for human life throughout what should have been a unifying front against a devastating global pandemic. Who or what you choose to blame for how we got here depends on where you get your news, but all I know is this place has been utterly unrecognizable.
“And so rather than dissolving into the outrage and noise, I did what any sensitive guy with a guitar would do: I found a quiet room and wrote a song about it. It’s a silly song. Absurd, even. But as the great Nina Simone once said, it’s an artist’s duty to reflect the times. How we move forward from this moment in oblivion, I don’t know. But there’s hope in remembering one thing: America’s story is still being written.” — Kevin Andrew Prchal
Photo Credit: Brett Rhoades
