Kevin Dickerson may originally hail from Alaska but he’s put down his roots in San Francisco and embraced his new home. Crafting lush arrangements over which he spins detailed and thoughtful yarns, many of his narrative-style stories are set on the streets of The City, as beautiful and inspiring a locale as any in the United States. While he offers his own perspective and approach to experimental folk, an obvious touchstone is fellow San Francisco resident Mark Kozelek. Today we are excited to premiere the latest single from Dickerson, “Twelve Hours.”
At nearly 10 minutes long, Dickerson uses a slow drum machine beat over which he lays a simple acoustic guitar figure. Recorded in 2019, he paints a vivid picture of a February day in the foggy city by the bay. Delivered in a plainspoke manner, Dickerson gives minute details of his day, injecting beauty into the mundane.
About three minutes into the song following a dissonant instrumental interlude, when most songs would be winding down, Dickerson offers words that in 2019 he could not have imagined would be so relevant in the midst of a global pandemic, receding economy, social unrest amd political uncertainty:
“The world gets more complicated every day / But maybe that’s just about the decisions that we make / To keep going / And keep persisting / It’s not eady to push forward in this world, is it?”
https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/862579960
“I remember writing “Twelve Hours” when I was tired. Really tired,” said Dickerson. “I recorded it in early 2019. It was raining a lot, and I was facing one setback or another. There was some astrological event happening with the moon and I couldn’t care less about it. I remember sitting down in a room writing songs, joints aching, reflecting, not really paying attention to the rest of the world. I don’t let anything get in the way of my writing. I find joy seeing hard-working artists succeed. Jessica Pratt’s been making beautiful songs for years now and is finding some success. Bob Mould had just released Sunshine Rock. I remember thinking back on a recent sunny trip to LA when I saw Jessica Pratt sitting down at a bar in Echo Park. I never take a moment of sunshine or good news for granted. More friends have been featured on NPR since then, and we’re a few weeks away from a presidential election and more global chaos. Sometimes you just get tired of feeling cold and wet, but then before you know it, the sun comes out.”
“Twelve Hours” follows the 2019 release of Dickerson’s fourth album Ginger Grapefruit.
Leave a Comment