http://www.sundancechannel.com/sunfiltered/2010/02/soft-spots-half-a-house/
Last night I unrolled my prints from the home they have become far too acquainted with, slipping them carefully out of a cardboard tube which, although dusty on the outside, was immaculately pristine beneath the several corrugated layers. With my hands encased in white cotton gallery gloves, I tacked my work to the walls of a Brooklyn basement where I felt both honored to present and genuinely privileged to be among the presence of such talented company. The surrounding images encompassed this small basement with an unapologetic sense of ownership; they spanned every surface of the space, extending, in places, to disperse across the ceiling. As a result, I too became engulfed with this overwhelming, unlimited, and unprecedented artistic energy which I have come to regard with permanence among my peers.
In the morning, I will return to the space to celebrate the success of the show and sip mimosas while also, inevitably, scrubbing the floors. A stroke of the sponge for the footprint of every soul who chose to show their support, and so I must confess, I do hope we are cleaning all day.
Today, the arrival of two huge boxes of Soft Spot t-shirts, to the excitement of some but much to my dismay, marks the subsequent and impending departure of my two best friends on their tour of the eastern US.
Who will I drink coffee with in the mornings from our giant French press? The question remains unanswered, the only absolute being it will certainly not be my roommates Sarah and Bryan, who will embark in February on their very first national tour.
Below is the t shirt Bryan designed, crafted from one of his drawings and screen printed on the softest cotton shirts. (BK don’t kill me for posting this! Also- this picture was totally his idea!)
Want one? Go to one of their shows! For tour dates visit www.myspace.com/withlovesoftspot.
Soft Spot- New Bio!! (written by me!)
When given the prompt to illustrate his aspired career with crayons and crepe paper, a kindergarten aged Bryan Keller may just as well have devoted his efforts to drawing the blonde haired beauty three seats away, who was diligently scribing herself as a singer. Surrounded by dreams of firefighters and racecar drivers, homemakers and movie stars, Sarah and Bryan’s destiny was far too articulate to be resolved with gradeschool mediums of craft. Had Bryan been told that in just sixteen years, the little blonde haired Sarah Kinlaw would become his soul mate and band mate, touring the country and performing the incarnate of their combined talents and mutual affection, would he have believed his incredible fortune, and more importantly, could he draw that with crayons?
Although romantically the two progressed from puppy love to teen love to their present adoration of true love, musically their collaborations had a much later arrival. Bryan spent his adolescence grooming his skills as a guitar player, bassist and drummer, while separately, Sarah studied classical opera and lyric soprano from behind tightly sealed and sound proof doors. Though Sarah consistently occupied the front row of the audience at any of Bryan’s shows, she maintained her status as a spectator who, regardless of her aspirations and musings, was never a participant and always a voyeur. It was not until the formative year of 2009 that Sarah was able to develop the courage to share her music with others. She emerged to the public with heartfelt and handwritten songs, easily recognized through their use of the ukulele but often incorporating other elements such as the accordion, keys, melodica, and perhaps the greatest addition of all, her long time best friend and boyfriend Bryan Keller.
Soft Spot was born as the lovechild of two passionate artists, emerging to the public with an insatiable desire for omnipresence. From local venues to radio waves, and now in preparation for an upcoming national tour in late February, Soft Spot is the song you cannot get out of your head, the subtle scent that lingers on your pillow, and the girl in the classroom three seats ahead who, try as it may, can never be rivaled for attention with arithmetic.
Prior to their approaching February tour dates, Bryan and Sarah will release their debut EP, complemented in conjunction with the premier of their very first music video for the song Half a House. Their route will cover the entire Eastern United States, with notable stops such as their hometown of Wilmington, North Carolina and even pausing to spend a night in a commune of tree houses in southern Georgia. They will be accompanied by their live percussionist and dear friend Jarrod Drobot for this eastern tour, (which although already scheduled, is still open to inquiries for additional stops).
Soft Spot is music to dance to and music to sit to, music to wake to and music to make love to. For as childhood ambitions once scribbled in crayon and existing only in daydreams, this product of two passionate hearts can only have the sweetest of fruits.
