Kevin Danzig's album recorded in Cape will soon be released

When singer-songwriter Kevin Danzig came to Cape Girardeau in March to rerecord his song "The Great Mississippi," he was not expecting a new album would be the end result. But seven months later, Danzig is getting ready to release "Never Give Up," an album that was mostly recorded at Ken Keller's IBS Studio 2 in Cape Girardeau.

The songs on the new album will be debuted live tonight when Danzig performs at Tunes at Twilight, along with local musicians Keller, Jerimy Obergoenner and Jill Watkins.

A North Carolina resident, Danzig had performed in Cape Girardeau several times before being asked by the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau if they could use "The Great Mississippi" to promote the Fourth of July celebration Libertyfest.

Danzig rerecorded the song with some new lyrics that tied it to Cape Girardeau and an all-volunteer local chorus sang backup. Also lending their talents were Obergoenner on drums, his sister Jill Watkins providing harmony vocals and Keller on bass.

The recording of "The Great Mississippi" went smoothly and the musicians worked well together, so Danzig readily agreed when Keller suggested recording another track.

"I said, 'Sure, there's a song I just finished called 'Fear of the Unknown Woman','" Danzig said. "I started playing and Ken and Jerimy started jamming on it."

Keller also recorded Danzig on "Shimmering Waters," a song Danzig had wanted to record for a while.

Danzig had written several songs that were just waiting to be recorded. With a studio and musicians to record with, Danzig decided Cape Girardeau would be the place to do it.

Eleven of the 14 songs on the new album were recorded in Cape Girardeau, including "The Great Mississippi." The rest are live tracks.

On Thursday, Danzig was back at Keller's studio, adding some tracks that were recorded outside of Cape Girardeau. He was also getting ready to perform at an Underberg House Concert on Thursday night.

Tonight Danzig will perform at Tunes at Twilight, along with Keller and the other Cape Girardeau musicians who recorded on his latest album.

Tonight's performance will not be the last time Danzig performs in Cape Girardeau, even though he will be moving to Southern California in December. Danzig said he is planning to hold a release party in Cape Girardeau for "Never Give Up" on Dec. 7, although the album will be released nationally Nov. 18.

kalfisi@semissourian.com

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