If you would’ve told me three months ago, when I was reaching out to artists, that I’d get the chance to do a spotlight on Kenny Feidler, I’d have told you you were crazy. Kenny is one artist I’ve listened to for as long as I can remember. I couldn’t tell you how I found his music, but getting the chance to do a spotlight on him is an honor for me. I’ve been waiting to drop this not only because of my love for his music, but also because of who he is as a person, and if you’ve met him, you know what I mean. So without further ado. Who is Kenny Feidler?
Kenny Feidler is an artist out of New Underwood, South Dakota. He first got his start playing music, saying, “I started writing songs in college. I had just moved to Oklahoma and didn’t know anyone, so I hunkered down learning to play guitar some.” How would Kenny describe his sound to someone who’s never heard his music? He said, “I’d say western rock n roll. Songwriting has always been my main focus, so despite the feel musically, I strive for lyrically meaningful songs. Really dig the emotion behind the heavier stuff lyrically and musically.” I love this answer because I refer to his music as “cowboy rock n roll,” so knowing he calls it western rock n roll is badass.
What inspired Kenny to start making music? He said, “I started writing songs when rodeoing was my main focus. Being a kid from town getting into that life, I really absorbed and appreciated those moments and wrote about them.” Who are some artists that have influenced Kenny the most? He told us, “I really got into Tom Russell, Ian Tyson, Dave Stamey, then Lucero and Drive-By Truckers was kind of a beacon to playing rock n roll while still writing meaningful things.”
Now, what’s been Kenny’s favorite show or venue to play so far? He said, “We opened for Colter Wall at Mission Ballroom a while back. That was the biggest crowd we’ve got to play for so far. Perspective-changing for a band that’s doing mostly clubs.” A lot of artists have “dream” venues, but a majority don’t look at them as a must-play, more of an “it’d be cool to play” and that’s how Kenny is. When asked about his dream venue, he said, “I’m not a big bucket list guy, but Red Rocks would be cool if that happens one day.”
As I always say, every artist has a turning point, and they will come in different ways and be different things for everybody. So, for Kenny, when we asked about turning points, he said, “It’s been a steady climb, to be honest. The past two years have been the best feeling, mostly since my current bandmates joined. Just the creativity and collective focus. I’m really proud of what we do each night and thankful for them. Also, in that time, we got on with Ted Krause/Wild River Talent for booking. Ted’s in sync with us and our goals, and I trust the way he treats people and that it reflects how I like to do business and treat folks.”
When you’ve been in the business a long time, you learn and see a lot. You also start to learn more about yourself, but there’s always something that people don’t expect. So, when we asked Kenny what’s something about him that people might not expect, he said, “There’s a lot of my old songs from college that got popular, me learning how to play guitar, finding my voice. People don’t expect the show they get now if those recordings are their only experience with me. I’m thankful for all those songs, but people are kinda blown away by what we do now, and rightfully so, it’s a big difference.”
Which I’ll agree with. When I saw Kenny open for Josh Meloy earlier this year, there was a kid next to me who said something along the lines of, “I knew his bigger songs, but I didn’t expect the rest of his music to be like that.” So yeah, I agree. I don’t think people expect what they get but end up loving what they get.
What does Kenny hope people feel when they hear his music? “That the songs are real, that nothing I make is filler. I write about things that matter to me.” Success looks different for everybody; it depends on how they define it. So, what does success look like for Kenny in music? Well, he said, “Writing songs meaningful to me, making a modest living for me and my bandmates.”
Now, balancing life with a career can be stressful and hard at times, and it has to be even harder when your career is one that’s on the road constantly. So, how does Kenny balance his music career with the rest of his life? He said, “We go home every week. We normally drive through the night on the way out to make the first load-in with a few hours to spare and then take off after the show Saturday nights and drive through the night home.”
Every person has some advice to give, so what’s one piece of advice Kenny would give to someone just starting out in music? He said, “Do as much as you can by yourself for as long as you can. Help others if you can. This isn’t a competition. Be nice to people. Never mail it in.” I think all of that can apply to life in multiple ways, even if you aren’t a musician. Now does Kenny have any releases or projects coming soon? Well, he said, “We just released ‘K.O.W.’ We’ll be releasing ‘Idaho Hippies’ Oct. 3rd and the rest of our album The Western Tragedy Oct. 17th.” And let me tell y’all, this album is awesome and is currently in my top five albums for the year, so tomorrow when it releases, go check it out. You can follow Kenny on Instagram @kennyfeidler or on Facebook under Kenny Feidler & The Cowboy Killers, and the link to his website is below!
Thank you for reading this week’s artist spotlight! I hope you enjoyed getting to know who Kenny Feidler is behind his music. Go check him out, and go catch him at a show. As always, be good to yourself, stay western, and stay tuned
Get Western 
Leave a comment