Musician Kevin Anderson: It's Been A 'Long Time Coming'

Kevin Anderson is a man of many convictions and strong beliefs. He knows his talents lie within a few skill sets, and he’s satisfied with that.Sitting in a window seat at Gators restaurant in Hampton Bays, with his longtime love, Kitty, across the table, he radiates a sense of pride.

He has every reason to feel that way on the occasion of his debut CD release—a 12-song collection of acoustic six-string and 12-string instrumental compositions, all originals. And at 56 years old, the musician says it’s aptly titled: “Long Time Coming.”

An East Quogue native and graduate of Westhampton Beach High School, Mr. Anderson has never taken a lesson—he is completely self-taught. And don’t ask him to play a cover tune.

He started on drums at approximately age 6, followed by a guitar passed down to him by his father—“an old Martin,” he says with a smile. These days, he can now play 42 instruments total, among them woodwinds. He proudly shows a photograph of what he calls “the family,” a collection of nine guitars.

His early influences include The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, ZZ Top and Carlos Santana. Nowadays, he looks to classic guitarists, including Stevie Ray Vaughan, Joe Satriani and Tommy Emmanuel.

Mr. Anderson’s first stages were open mic nights across the East End, though mostly in Quogue in the 1970s and 1980s. He paid his dues in a number of bands, one called MUTT, which played at Hot Dog Beach in Quogue, and another with a rather non-politically correct name that he prefers not to utter aloud.

“I can tell you I haven’t played a cover tune in 22 years,” he does say proudly. “People would tell me, ‘You’ll never make it with originals.’ Whenever I go to see live music, everyone plays the same stuff. I watch musicians yawn on stage, playing the same old stuff. It kind of defeats the purpose of playing music when you’re not into it.”

His tenacity for originality recently caught the attention of audio engineer and musical consultant Paul Andrejack, who owns PMA Recording Studios in Medford, where Mr. Anderson’s album was produced.

“I took a real liking to what he was doing,” Mr. Andrejack explained. “I could really identify with his music and knew I could take it to where he wanted it to be.”

Mr. Andrejack, who is a recording artist in his own right, said of the album, “It’s easy to listen to for the average music-lover, but there’s stuff in there for the musician, too. I think it will appeal to both and find a wide audience. There’s a feel-good sound to it.”

Initially, Mr. Anderson planned to simply record the album with Mr. Andrejack, but it quickly became apparent to the pair that he should produce it, as well. The collaboration has even led to talks about future tours together, both nationally and around the world.

“He invited my ear in and I became personally involved,” Mr. Andrejack said. “The other thing is when you listen to it, his personality is in there. Kevin is a natural and it was an easy process. It’s a refreshing sound and I think it’s going to be very popular, especially on the North Fork and at wineries and such.”

The track list behind “Long Time Coming” is nearly four decades in the making, Mr. Anderson says, though he wrote the majority over the last six years, all inspired by Kitty and their scenic surroundings in Westhampton Beach. “These are songs in there to play on a Sunday morning when you’re waking up and the ocean and beach are there,” he says. “Some folks have called it ‘meditation music.’”

There are songs he calls “driving music,” such as “Traveler” and “Takin’ It West,” perfect for cruising the Southern State or Belt Parkway, not to mention the Long Island Expressway or Sunrise Highway. “They are just songs you want to play as you’re just driving, hitting the open road,” he says. “It’s about escape, just leaving it all behind and just getting in your car and driving.”

Others are simply titled, but very complex musically. For example, “Look At The Moon”—a song about the moon rising—or “Dancing Cloud,” which he wrote in three minutes, were all created to “grab you, hold you, keep you,” as Mr. Anderson puts it, and written freestyle.

“I like to do things on a 12-string—play chords, open notes, octaves apart—lifting my fingers, changing tempos, to create something else,” he says.

For his live shows, Mr. Anderson favors a rare 12-string Garrison GL120, and he’ll make it sing during his record release party on June 6 at O’Brien’s Restaurant and Pub in Coram.

“When you hear me play, you will definitely know and remember you heard me play,” he says. “I’m an animal. And I play my own music.”

When Kitty first heard her beau’s new album, she recalls, “I had goosebumps on every part of my body.” Mr. Anderson reaches across the table and takes her hand, as they finished lunch at Gators. The next stop on their list? Hampton Music & Arts, not surprisingly.