story by Charley Rogulewski

Kevin Tihista is a rock star that boozes and uses, someone who sings out to packed crowds shouting requests - a man with freakish, mad-scientist ethics when it comes to making records. But let's face it, you've never heard of him. And you will probably never get to see that rare Mr. Hyde personality that Tihista just admitted to me in possessing.

"I've tried everything. It's just, ah, it's pretty bad…really bad actually. The stage fright is completely beyond my control. Sometimes I get to the point where I am seconds away from canceling the show. There have been a couple of those moments where I am like, 'I can't do this. I cannot do this.'"

Yes, this is the Kevin Tihista you will most likely encounter behind his acoustic guitar and calming, symphonic voice. "My writing songs was a total hobby. I was just doing it for the hell of it. When I started recording, it was only for me and for something to do. I wasn't looking for a record deal. I never expected to get a record deal, but I gave it out to some friends and they passed it out to some people."

TIHISTA'S INNER VIEW "I was just one of those weird kids that didn't talk to anybody and stuff. I just sat in my room and listened to records and those records became my friends. So if my record can speak to someone like those records spoke to me, I'll be really really happy."

His initial recording caught the ear of U.K. label Easy Tiger, which released his first single "Lose the Dress" in 2000. After that, a self-titled EP followed with Rough Trade Records, another U.K. label and current home of bands like the Libertines and Fiery Furnaces. "It is the weirdest thing. I can play in Chicago and no one will come out and I can play there [in England] and the places will be packed. That's all I cared about really in the first place. The only people that snooped around first were these English labels. Then I was like, 'that is what I will focus on…England. I won't even care about America. It's too big and they won't like me.' Which is turning out to be true."

Hold on a second Kevin. In 2001, Tihista finally landed a Stateside recording deal with Atlantic on its Division One subsidiary label. A month after his debut album Don't Breathe A Word with backup group Red Terror came out on Division One, the label folded. Okay, so Tihista got screwed, as he puts it. Luckily, Urbana, Ill. indie label Parasol picked him up, re-released his debut and his second record, Judo, as well as his latest masterpiece, Wake Up Captain.

Wake Up Captain is a true gem, expressing honesty from a songwriter whose feelings make a lot of sense when accompanied by Tihista's melodies and different tempos. Upon first impression the album can lead you to believe that you will be asleep by track five, but with the layering of keyboards, beats, more voice, drums, bass, synths, etc., a symphony arises out of Wake Up Captain that leaves you singing along and in a good mood by the time track two is over. There is so much originality in Kevin Tihista's work it'd be a shame if he ever chickened out before giving an audience a chance to shout "encore."

"Ultimately I do it all for myself. There was a time when I was a kid and music really helped me out. Like The Hurting by Tears for Fears and The Smiths. I was just one of those weird kids that didn't talk to anybody and stuff. I just sat in my room and listened to records and those records became my friends. So if my record can speak to someone like those records spoke to me, I'll be really really happy."

Thank you Dr. Jekyll.

Kevin Tihista :: Schubas :: January 10, 17, 24 and 31.