Memories of Kevin…. by Tim van den Berg

What’s my connection with Kevin? It goes back to the early days (1980’s) in Sunnyvale, California. I was doing recording work with my own band, then known as Pitch Yaw, at T.R.S. – the home of the Giraffe recordings. Kevin wound up being our engineer and producer on several projects. Imagine that! – Kevin’s musical and audio brilliance adding to my young band’s demos. NEVER have I or will I be in such a beneficial situation. Watching him work the board like it was another musical instrument, and being so skillful and creative at the age of 18, the man was years ahead of the rest of us.

Kevin and I became friends and hung out a bit. I as well, contributed to some of his recordings, (pre-Giraffe), as our common endearment of progressive bands like Genesis, and the associated drumming styles, strengthened our bond. We used to crank "Back in NYC" of the "Lamb Lies Down…" album then discuss how much we wished we had caught that Genesis tour. Kevin’s drumming abilities were super-natural. He could sit down on kit and the groove just flowed out of his soul. I need to thank him for helping me become a less "mental" and more soulful drummer.

As others have mentioned, his musical skills were other-wordly. I would like to believe that he is now blessing an other world with his beautiful music.

The last time I saw Kevin was at one of my gigs in L.A. with a band called "DogPark." It had been a few years since Kevin had moved to L.A., and we had only spoken on several occasions. He looked well, and we got a chance to share our most recent studio projects. He helped "DogPark" meet up with Patrick from P.R.A. records. He was a giver.

I have assumed a life-long effort to expose others to Kevin’s artistic brilliance. Knowing Kevin, and knowing his music has helped me forge on in the "odds-against" life as a writer and performer.

I live now for the day when I meet him again. Until then, his CD’s stay in "auto-repeat" mode.

– Tim van den Berg