Biography of Kerry Kelekovich

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Chicago native Kerry Kelekovich is a veteran of both the music and film industries, and has worked as a music producer/recording engineer and musician for over 30 years. He is also an adjunct-faculty member of School Of Media Arts in the Film & Video Department of Columbia College Chicago, the largest film school in the United States, a position he has held since 1984. He served for many years as chief recording engineer for the Film Department's Sound Studios, mixing hundreds of films and recording many more songwriters and bands, and currently teaches Music for Film, Filmsound and Visual Audio.

Kerry made his professional musical debut in 1976 at the original Kingston Mines in Chicago, opening for Blues great, Lefty Dizz with his band, Taylor Bridge.This began a career devoted to the fusion of audio, music and art. In his quest to become a recording engineer / producer, Kerry studied with world-renowned musical acoustics expert Dr Thomas Rossing and the celebrated Chess Records recording engineer, Malcolm Chisholm.

Today, Kerry can be found working with songwriters, bands and filmmakers of all styles. As a musician, recording engineer and music producer, his resume spans a broad range of recording artists, performers and genres, from rock and alternative to country, R&B and even experimental-ambient territory, his resume includes The Wildroots, Scott Benson, Trembling Blue Stars, Cath Carroll, Michael McDermott, The Drifters, Young Jackies, Robbie Fulks, Hollus, Sayonara, Navaab Fischer, Uncle Tupelo, Smashing Pumpkins, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Mick Taylor, John Doe, Eleventh Dream Day and many more. Kerry has served as audio and acoustics consultant, including mixing duties at a number of legendary music venues such as Orphans, Lounge Ax, Riviera Theatre, Vic Theatre, Park West and North American concert halls from Montreal to Seattle to Los Angeles.

A songwriter and composer, Kerry has penned songs recorded by former Factory Records artist, Cath Carroll (whom he married in 1996), The Wildroots, Nomad Planets and Jonnie Warmer. Kerry's compositions for film, television and industrial targets can be found in works by American Mongrel Films, Nuveen, Rockwell International and more.

In addition to teaching and consultancy, Kerry is producing bands for his own Lilypad Records imprint including WorldWideRiot's 2008 debut, Poster Boys For The Apocalypse.

In 2009, Rhino/Warner released the definitive Factory Records Boxset spanning 1978 - 1992. Contained in this historical collection (curated by author Jon Savage, screenwriter "Joy Division" 2008) are two selections from the Lilypad catalogue, When It All Comes Down (Miaow) and Martin Phillips' remix of Cath Carroll's Moves Like You, which were digitally remastered by Kerry for LTM Records.

Recent projects:

Sayonara's debut singles, "Kidnapped" and "Discourage Wolf" currently in the studio with Kerry at Couderay for a 2011 release on Lilypad Records.

Hollus' latest, "Part One" (2010), was mastered with Kerry at Couderay.

Trembling Blue Stars new album "Fast Trains And Telegraph Wires" (Elefant Records 2010) includes "The Imperfection Of Memory" featuring the lead vocals of Cath Carroll which were recorded and edited by Kerry at Couderay Music.

Cath Carroll's "Moon Over Archway" and "It All Looks Good On You" were recorded, mixed, produced and co-written by Kerry.

Miaow's "Priceless Restoration" (Lilypad 2010) The"lost" Factory Records' demo "Priceless Innuendo" recorded in 1987 and digitally restored by Kerry at Lilypad.

Hit Parade recorded Cath Carroll's vocals for three songs for HP's newest collection dropping in 2011.

Hollus' full-length, "The Joker And The Queen" (2009 Hollus) was mastered with three tracks mixed by Kerry.

Kerry Kelekovich and Cath Carroll during the making of The Gondoliers Of Ghost Lake

In 2002, Kerry finished producing and co-writing the fourth Cath Carroll album, The Gondoliers Of Ghost Lake which was released by LTM Records to critical praise both in the U.S. and abroad.

mundanesounds.com

Of course, special mention should be made of Carroll's husband, producer Kerry Kelekovich, because his backing work is just as much a part of what's made Gondoliers a beautiful record. His musical abilities and production skills have given Carroll a full-band backing, when in fact he was the only musician backing her up in the studio! Brilliant production.

Q Magazine

Co-writer husband Kerry Kelekovich's moody guitar textures and flat electronic beats discreetly light [Carroll's] diaphanous waft of a voice and songs which slip along reality's edge, questioning everything. Her key character, in Man Goes Down The Highway, is always "at the point of finding out what it all means". Think Twin Peaks, even The Blair Witch Project, minus screams and corpses.

Uncut

Sensuous and dreamy and capable of uniting diverse influences with a cool grace, here acid-folk, Smiths-esque pop, hippie rock and Latino club romps are blessed with hypnotic understatement and literate guile. This is grown-up pop resounding with heartfelt warmth and steely seriousness.

Time Out New York

Carroll has stuck around Chicago, quietly recording with her husband, multi-instrumentalist Kerry Kelekovich, and writing about music (she's a TONY contributor). The album is Carroll's best since her Factory days, and her most musically adventurous: There's a rich palette of shuffling electro loops, spooky atmospherics and funhouse psychedelia dappled with bright acoustic guitar. May these recordings, old and new, bring Cath Carroll the audience that's long been her due.

Tangents

A grand mix of Latin, folk, dub, psych-rock and even bluegrass seeping out of this album. Standouts for me would be 'Free', with it's hints at '60s psych-soft-pop and rock; 'The Divine Miss A.' which tells the tale of a transgendered Mancunian at the turn of the '70s/'80s and which comes over all Kinks meets Madonna via Morrissey; the eerie sophisticated folk-dub of 'Man Goes Down The Highway' that you could play next to Luscious Jackson and not find out of place; the upbeat romp of 'Mystified' that frolics around the grey streets draping coloured garlands from the lampposts, dreaming of Brazilian sunsets. This is an accomplished and memorable album that will only continue to grow in stature with repeated listenings. I recommend you pick it up at the first opportunity.

In 2000, Kerry enlisted the help of several, longtime, musical friends to promote Cath Carroll (Lilypad/Heart & Soul), which he co-produced and co-wrote with the former Miaow front-woman. (The pairing had previously resulted in Matador Records' 1995 release, True Crime Motel, which received rave reviews in the US and Europe.)

Chicago Tribune September 2000

Leads you into a subversive, shadowy corner of the adult-pop universe occupied by Jobim, the pre-disco Everything But The Girl and Bryan Ferry's "The Bride Stripped Bare". Carroll, a native of England, sings with the detached cool of a bossanova vocalist, and her richly atmospheric songs - written in collaboration with multi-instrumentalist Kerry Kelekovich- are thick with ghosts, innuendo and a vague sense of dread. -Greg Kot

Performing Songwriter December 2001

A shift into fluid, guitar-spiked technopop, a la Portishead or Hooverphonic. Carroll's affectless alto weaves in and around Kelekovich's stinging guitar and the insistently bubbling electronic rhythms, creating a mood of pretty melancholy. The genuine longing in songs like "London, Queen Of My Heart" and "This Is How We Fall" comes with the mitigation of a jetsetter's sophistication. -Neil Murray

L-R: Rich Carroll (bass), KK (guitar), Dan Massey (drums) & Cath Carroll (keys)

The Citizen Cath Tour performed autumn 2000 with the Border's Books Series and concluded performances for Cath Carroll with a grand finale at midnite on St. Patrick's Day at America's premier music, film and multi-media festival- South By Southwest 2001.

Composer for Sacred Hearts (American Mongrel Films 1995)

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