Bro. Stephen

The tenderly troubled songs of Bro. Stephen began in late 2008 when Louisville, Kentucky musician Scott Kirkpatrick got the itch to work on some material different from that of his rock band Chemic. Working alone in the quiet space of his home, Kirkpatrick knocked out six songs in one night, leaning away from loud sounds and opting for a more spartan take with these stripped-down indie folk songs. In February of 2009, Bro. Stephen moved from its living room beginnings into the realm of live performance. Kirkpatrick began doing shows as a solo entity, but as the project gained steam he would eventually enlist a cast of various players to assist him in the live setting. Moving from local shows to regional touring in fall of 2009, Bro. Stephen would sometimes include members of husband & wife, Sleeping Bag, Rapider Than Horsepower, and other friends augmenting Kirkpatrick's expansive vocals and acoustic guitar with stormy processed guitar and other atmospheric instrumentation. Following a 7" and several tour-only EPs, Bro. Stephen released his first full length, Baptist Girls, in January of 2012. The album was recorded between late 2009 and summer of 2010, but was kept from wide release until all the proper channels of distribution, scheduling, and promotion were in place. A deeply personal and beautifully tumultuous album, the 12 songs on Baptist Girls touch on topics ranging from Kirkpatrick's highly religious upbringing to his time spent traveling the world as a civilian contractor for the military. Bro. Stephen continued to tour tirelessly in support of the album for the first several months of 2012.
© Fred Thomas /TiVo