NEW SINGLE RELEASE - SCREAM

Scream - New release for 2025

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Scream is a musical offering. An offering to a friend. 
A battle cry for those that remain selfless while facing a known end to a story with more to tell. 

This is the first of several tracks that I recorded over my short time with drummer John Tracey. An incredibly gifted drummer and great all around human being. John and I connected through a friend over a new project. Goals were set for developing music for a demo. Ideas flowing, we began working.

Much of the audio recorded during this time was not intended to be used for final release. We had several tracks that we were working with, most all were left in the "demo" stages of development. I also had many fragments of ideas that were in various "sketch pad" states. John would send drum ideas without any context. Just drums. Simple said to "...play what you feel." This track was one of those. 

John Tracey - Drums
Kevin Burnes - Guitar & Bass

Composed by Kevin Burnes
Engineered & Mixed by Kevin Burnes
Mastered by Kevin Burnes at All Things Music Studio
Shake Music (ASCAP)
©2025

NEW SINGLE RELEASE - MOCKINGBIRD

Faster - New release for 2025

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Mockingbird

Symbolizing innocence and beauty.
One that is here to only do one thing.
Sing.

This is the third single of several tracks, the first being the track Scream, that I recorded over my short time with drummer John Tracey. John and I were brought together by a friend for what became the beginning of a new project.

The project was to be a new band. Something "new and heavy" according to John. John and I began writing. A lot of ideas went back and forth between long travels between us and expedited files over the internet.

Much of the audio recorded during this time was not intended to be used for final release. We had several tracks that we were working with, most all were left unfinished and in the "demo" stages of development. Included was also a good amount of musical fragments. Ideas that were in various "sketch pad" states. John would send drum ideas without any context. Just drums. A beat with someplace to go.

Mockingbird was a track that John had recorded and sent to me. He asked me to make a drum mix for him. Drums only. We never revisited the track after he sent it.

After rediscovering it, I made multiple attempts at creating something on John's drum work. Each time, not completely satisfied. Borrowing from an earlier song of mine, Birdsong, I changed keys and chords and this song began to sing.

In the spirit of the original Birdsong, we have Mockingbird. A copycat not unlike a Mockingbird itself with its ability to recite the songs of many other birds.

Lastly, with the light John brought to all of the things he touched, this song is for him. He to was here for only one thing.

To sing.


John Tracey - Drums
Kevin Burnes - Guitar & Bass

John Tracey - Drums
Kevin Burnes - Guitar & Bass
Composed by Kevin Burnes
Engineered & Mixed by Kevin Burnes
Mastered by Kevin Burnes at All Things Music Studio
Shake Music (ASCAP)
©2025

NEW SINGLE RELEASE - SCREAM

Faster - New release for 2025

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Faster

When all suffering ends. Most times we don't get any say. Faster is about a swift and unplanned transcendence from darkness to light. 

This is the second of several tracks that I recorded over my short time with drummer John Tracey. An incredibly gifted drummer and great all around human being. John and I connected through a friend over a new project. Goals were set for developing music for a demo. Ideas flowing, we began working.

Much of the audio recorded during this time was not intended to be used for final release. We had several tracks that we were working with, most all were left in the "demo" stages of development. I also had many fragments of ideas that were in various "sketch pad" states. John would send drum ideas without any context. Just drums. Simple said to "...play what you feel." This track was one of those.

John Tracey - Drums
Kevin Burnes - Guitar & Bass
Composed by Kevin Burnes
Engineered & Mixed by Kevin Burnes
Mastered by Kevin Burnes at All Things Music Studio
Shake Music (ASCAP)
©2025

NEW RELEASE - The Mockingbird Sessions


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NEW RELEASE  - The Mockingbird Sessions 

The Mockingbird Sessions pays homage to a good friend and drummer John Tracey. John and I were working on ideas for material of what was to become a new band. The music on this release was only in the beginning stages when John passed. We were in the process of putting together ideas and demo’s of songs. Adding to the challenge, this project started right on the doorstep of Covid. Much of the music was created under the pandemic cover of phone calls, texts, laptops and file transfers.  

After John passed, I was left with a bunch of unfinished songs, scratch vocals, scattered and fragmented rough drafts of ideas. I felt compelled to make all of what John had sent to me into music that he would approve of. John wanted to do a rock project. I was happy to go back to my roots and turn the amps up to eleven.

The title for this release "The Mockingbird Sessions" comes from an animal rescue located in New York named Mockingbird Farm Sanctuary. Besides being a great drummer and fantastic human, John was also an animal lover. John had built his own animal rescue on his property in Pennsylvania. He rescued and housed donkeys, goats, dogs, cats and even a lama. John re-homed most of all of his rescued animals with Mockingbird Farm Sanctuary before he passed. 

Proceeds from sales of this release on will be donated to the Mockingbird Farm Sanctuary.

Direct Link to Donate : https://www.mockingbirdfarmny.com/

Kevin Burnes - All Guitars & Bass Guitar
John Tracey - Drums
Callie Tomblin - Vocals
Alice Marie - Violin

Composed by Kevin Burnes
Engineered & Mixed by Kevin Burnes
Mastered by Kevin Burnes at All Things Music Studio
Shake Music (ASCAP)
©2025

NEW SINGLE RELEASE - SWAY

Sway - New release for 2024

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BANDCAMP (96k Hi-Res Version)

This track is a special moment of music captured between three musicians. Daniel, Chris and myself had been getting together for morning recording sessions several times during the spring. Jamming and recording various songs that each of us brought to the table. It was always an inspiring musical get together each time we all met up. Over the course of our sessions, I received a call from Daniel that he had sustained a pretty bad hand injury and would be out for a while. It would have been a devastating injury for anyone. Most definitely for a musician. For anyone else this would have been a time to put up a white flag of surrender and call it and say it's time to do something else. I was pretty moved by the whole event and challenge for Daniel. "But"...Daniel said "I will be back in 6 months to play again."

This hand injury brought about the challenge of literally relearning an instrument entirely by switching from right hand to left hand. No easy feat. To his word, 6 months later Daniel returned. I had a song that I had bounced around in multiple ensembles over the years that needed to be finally realized. I put this one up on the mornings music menu and after a few run throughs, Sway was born. 

Sway is life. We adapt and persevere.

Kevin Burnes - Guitar
Daniel Davis - Bass
Chris Compton - Drums

Composed by Kevin Burnes
Engineered & Mixed by Kevin Burnes
Mastered by Kevin Burnes at All Things Music Studio
Shake Music (ASCAP)
©2024

NEW SINGLE RELEASE - NAUGHTY BY NATURE

A Gem from the guitar vault.

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BANDCAMP(96k Hi-Res Version)

Naughty by Nature was originally written out of necessity. I needed new music for an upcoming audition. I had been contacted from a friend in Los Angeles about a band that was looking for a new guitar player to replace their current one. The band was Dokken. The guitarist I was to possibly replace was none other than George Lynch. Big hair and big guitar shoes to fill!

I composed, performed and recorded the first version of this track in under a week. This song, along with a few others, was put on an audition "tape" and sent off to Los Angeles by the weekend. Not but a few days later, I received a call from drummer "Wild" Mick Brown and was invited to come out to L.A. for an audition. In two weeks from the time this song was finished, I had a guitar in hand and bound for Los Angeles. After all was said, done and played, I got the gig!

Fast forward a few years and I had a new project. The band featured a power trio with bass player Ned Meloni (Burning Starr, Joe Lynn Turner) and drummer Joe Hasselvander (Raven, Pentagram). We were playing this song live at shows as an instrumental that highlighted my guitar playing. Also gave our singer Heather a mid-set break. 

We decided to record a new version of Naughty by Nature during recording sessions for a new album. After time on the road, show after show with this track, we felt it deserved a a spot on the next album. It also recieved some much needed freshening up. This recording captured an incredible performance from all three of us.

This was originally recorded at a local studio in Maryland. We found ourselves in the hands of a great drummer and engineer - Tim Biery. Tim's drum resume includes drummer for the Nils Lofgren Band, Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush and Danny Gatton.

The original session recordings from this project were lost somewhere in time and travel. What I did have in my possession was the original mix on DAT (Digital Audio Tape). After revisiting the music vault, I pulled this track out and decided it was time to give it new life. After restorative efforts to the original audio and some sonic mastering magic, I am happy to return this track in to the universe and guitar-dom.

Here, now in 2024, is Naughty by Nature with a fresh Remastered version made by yours truly.

Kevin Burnes - Guitar
Ned Meloni - Bass
Joe Hasselvander - Drums

Composed by Kevin Burnes
Engineered & Mixed by Kevin Burnes and Tim Biery
Mastered by Kevin Burnes at All Things Music Studio
Shake Music (ASCAP)
©2024

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NEW SINGLE RELEASE - PULSE

PULSE - A first release for 2024. An Acoustic Splendor!

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BANDCAMP(96k Hi-Res Version)
A friend of mine, Ziad approached me and asked if I would compose a piece of music based on a chord progression that he had been playing. He had been playing a group of chords that he found inspiring and wanted to see if I could take things further and ultimately build it into a song. Ziad is an incredible artist in his own right. He is the owner of Pulsar Modular, (www.pulsarmodular.com) and creates some of the most unique and incredible sounding audio “hardware" plugins that I have used. All of which can be heard on this recording. 

A unique element that Ziad added to his request was that the instruments be tuned to the frequency of 432Hz. 432Hz is known as the "heartbeat" tuning. This alternate tuning is said to resonate sympathetically with the earth's vibration, our body, brain waves, thoughts, consciousness and even at a molecular level with our DNA. It is considered by many to be a spiritually elevating tuning.

Enlightened by the idea, I pulled out my choice of guitars from the guitar closet and set it to pitch at 432Hz - Strings at E-A-D-F#-B-E. Over a period of 3 months, I interacted with the guitar in this peculiar tuning every day. Playing and listening. After a consistent amount of strum time and the fruitful harvest of a handful of ideas, I began writing. 

Pulse - It starts where it began with a solo guitar strumming a variation of Ziad’s original idea. Immersed in an interplay of strumming, resonant harmonics and haunting legatos created by the unorthodox use of an E-Bow, we are handed off to an added percussion section and carried through multiple textures, time and timbres. All alternating between meters of 4, 5 and 6. Somewhere between tuning and time, we find the essence of Pulse. 

Note : The E-Bow, through manipulation of the magnetic field, can awaken a single guitar string and cause it to vibrate indefinitely without ever having been plucked. Typically these odd magnetic devices have only been paired with electric guitars. Electric guitars have a well-established relationship with magnetics through the inner workings of guitar pickups. The E-Bow, working in concert with guitar pickups, makes for a magnetic madness and can create long sustaining notes that seemingly start and end as if being bowed. The use of the E-Bow on an acoustic guitar, as well as the technique involved, is unique to me as I know it. This is the second song I've released with this odd and somewhat haunting sound. Check out the track "Little Things" for a little more E-Bow.

Composed and Performed by Kevin Burnes
Engineered, Mixed & Mastering 
by Kevin Burnes at All Things Music Studio
Shake Music (ASCAP) 
©2024

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NEW ALBUM FEATURE - Angels of Babylon - AQUARIUS

New Metal for March 2024! I am guitar-guesting on the new the new Angels of Babylon release. Drummer Kenny "Rhino" Earl, former drummer of MANOWAR, invited me onboard for what is the third Angels of Babylon release titled Aquarius. This is a great METAL offering from Angels of Babylon. There is always a depth and unique style to anything that "Rhino" puts his hands into. Check It Out! SPOTIFYAPPLE MUSIC

Kevin Burnes - Guitar
Rhino - Drums
Ned Meloni - Bass
Guest Guitarists - Andy Mornar and Andrea Moretti

  Aquarius
  Stormzone
* I Rule The World
* When The Spirits Fly Away
* I Believe You
* Zachery
* Fallen Ones
  Into The Darkness
* Fallen Ones

* Tracks Featured On

NEW SINGLE RELEASE - Beyond The Borders

I am guesting on the Nylon String for a great collaborative Single Release. I was asked to create an Intro piece leading into some phenomenal drum work by John Macaluso. Additional guitar lead work by Daniel Fauaze in Brazil. A great cast of characters on this one! Look for it Online. YOUTUBE

Eduardo Slayer: Vocals
Marcos Diantoni: Vocals
Daniel Fauaze: Guitars
John Macaluso: Drums
Axel: Bass
Kevin Burnes: Acoustic Guitars

Concept by Phil Simons
Composer: Daniel Fauaze
Songwriter: Daniel Fauaze
Song Intro: Composed and Performed by Kevin Burnes 

Executive Producers: Eduardo Slayer & Phil Simons
Artwork by Paulo Monteiro at LFX Music Works®
Drum Sound Engineer: Enrico Brunori 

Eduardo Slayer Vocals Recorded at LFX Music Works®, Salvador, Brasil, October, 2023
Daniel Fauaze Guitars Recorded at LFX Music Works®, Salvador, Brasil, September, 2023
Marcos Diantoni Vocals Recorded at Masai Mara Studio, Feira de Santana, Brasil, October, 2023
Axel Bass Recorded at JL Studio, Caxangá, Brasil, September, 2023
Kevin Burnes Intro Recorded in All Things Music Studio, Maryland USA, October, 2023
John Macaluso Drums Recorded at Studio Mac 9000, Rieti, Italy, September, 2023

MUSIC

Shake - Deluxe Edition Keeping true to the original release, the "Deluxe Edition" of Shake features everything plus two additional tracks that were not included on the original release. The two songs feature Zeljko Zuber playing bass guitar on alternate versions of both "Stride" and "Birdsong". The Alternate Take versions were both recorded during the same recording sessions as the original album release. Both songs offer a very different color and attitude from the originals, as well as have received a fresh new mix and master from Kevin Burnes.

Mix by Frank Marchand Master by Grammy Award Winning Engineer Charlie Pilzer Additional Mix and Master by Kevin Burnes

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Naughty By Nature - Big hair and big guitars! Originally written for a demo to use for an upcoming audition, Naughty By Nature helped me make my way out to Los Angeles and score a gig with the band Dokken. This updated and remastered version features a awesome power trio lineup with bass player Ned Meloni (Burning Starr, Joe Lynn Turner) and drummer Joe Hasselvander (Raven, Pentagram). 

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Pulse - An Acoustic and Harmonic Splendor! Guitars tuned to the frequency of 432Hz, this alternate tuning is known as the "heartbeat" tuning. It said to resonate sympathetically with the earths vibration, our body, brain waves, thoughts, consciousness and even at a molecular level with our DNA. It is considered by many to be a spiritually elevating tuning. Beginning with a solo guitar, we are quickly immersed into an interplay of strumming and haunting legatos, created by the unorthodox use of an E-Bow. Handed off to resonant harmonics and an added percussion section, we are then carried through multiple textures, time and timbres. All parts alternating between meters of 4, 5 and 6. Somewhere between tuning and time, we find the essence of Pulse. Pulse was created by one of my favorite guitar's made from Hawaiian Koa. The cover art for this track is the back of the guitar. A perfect pairing of vibrant wood and visual delight. 

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Aisea's Ha - Acoustic Single. An extremely special acoustic offering from guitarist Kevin Burnes. Kevin's unique approach to acoustic music unveils a new texture with none other than a Ukulele as the center voice for this small acoustic adventure. The acoustic guitars are hardly treated as an after thought as they envelope the smaller "Uke" voice with a warmth and gentle strength, keeping a very clear and distinct voice of their own. The combination of the two together is both rich and colorful. This piece is an expression of Kevin's deep felt connection with the islands of Hawaii. While in Hawaii, Kevin crossed paths with a great artist, Sua Suluape Toetu'u, Aisea who's art and tattoo work became the inspiration of this piece. The title, Aisea's Ha was a dedicated musical offering of thanks or "Mahalo" to Aisea for his work. The translation of "Ha" in Hawaiian being - life's breath, energy or breath of life. Coincidentally, "Ha" also has a secondary translation and musical meaning of the fourth note of a traditional major scale or Fa. The fourth note of a traditional major scale creates the Lydian Mode which is the tonality and key of the music of Aisea's Ha. It is indeed a small musical piece of paradise.

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Shake - Birthplace of the Eclectic-Electric sound! A groundbreaking release from guitarist Kevin Burnes. This guitar instrumental CD has broken new earth with a very new and unique sound and style. With sweeping melodies, terrorizing solos and subtly fingered accompaniments Kevin serves up a wildly varying "Eclectic-Electric" jazz sound that overflows with energy and creativity. Along with a host of other musicians, Keny Ruyter's dynamic drums ooze Latin influences as well as stoic funk leanings. Keny turns the drum-set into a harmonic instrument. Bass player Mike Cykoski brings it all together with a swift pummeling in the low end. It is truly a gem!

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The Shake Trio The Shake Trio is a companion release to the original studio version of the album - Shake from Kevin Burnes. Newly remastered, the music was originally performed and recorded live for an "On-Air" internet broadcast. The music has a hint of flavorings from the "Old-School" recordings of Jimi Hendrix and the mid 1960's John Coltrane recordings. Being a live performance it keeps the songs and improvisations as honest as they can be. The music was recorded direct to 2-Track so there were no over-dubs or edits. Simply just the truth! It is Kevin and his music in a stripped down and honest trio package. It includes the bonus track "Spiritual Popcorn". Guitarist Kevin Burnes, drummer Keny Ruyter, and bass player Patrick Recob come together and create a very new and unique sound!

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Little Things - An Acoustic Instrumental Single. A long awaited acoustic release from guitarist Kevin Burnes. Little Things was composed for an on-line photo gallery featuring the works of photographer Kerry Murphy and Kelli Seeger Kim. The gallery, featured at Lil Galleries, displayed their very intimate "macro" works.With an effort to capture the essence of the pictures, the music has quite a unique flavor of acoustic sound. The guitars are delicately fingered offering the listener ever-changing textures almost simulating the walk down a row of pictures hanging in an art gallery. The music's connecting tissue is a mystical harmony in the background of what at first seems like the sounds of an accompanying string section. Quite the contrary, the sounds are all guitar! Kevin creates a very unique set of sounds and harmonies that lead us from one color and texture to the next.A very intimate and unique piece of music!

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Shake! - The Original Release. Imagine John Coltrane with the Band of Gypsys! This is the original Shake release from guitarist Kevin Burnes and drummer Keny Ruyter. Laden with heavy jazz, blues and improvisational influences, this instrumental CD was the beginning of a new sound - Electric Jazz!. While some of the song titles are the same as featured on Kevin's release The Shake Trio don't let the names fool you. The performances and arrangements are entirely different. This CD is filled with layers of sounds offered up from everything from a full horn section to a timpani drum, tubular bell and a marimba. You will find everything and the kitchen sink on this one! A must have!

For some Shake throwback from the original release, interviews and info: 

 CLICK HERE

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CONTACT

Email - kevin@kevinburnes.com

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