UNDER THE WISHING TREE (s/r 2013)
A 16-track opus that Kevin worked on throughout 2012, featuring "Goodbye Typewriter," "The Box It Comes In," "Feeling My Way," "Lost Time" and "Figure Out," a popular song that trended widely on the internet. $12 (physical CD). Also available thru iTunes and CD Baby.com
UP IN THE AIR
(Original Soundtrack Recording, Rhino Records, 2009)
The official soundtrack to Jason Reitman's film. Features Kevin's original cassette recording as presented to Reitman, along with CSNY's "Taken At All," Sad Brad Smith's "Help Yourself," Elliott Smith's "Angels In The Snow" and many others.
CLOSE TO SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL
(s/r, 2010)
Kevin's self-released debut. Features an evocative studio version of "Up In The Air," the hilarious "The Sorry Song," the No Country For Old Men-inspired rocker "Call It, Friend-o," and "Read A Book," Kevin's first children's song. Currently available only as a download.
COME ON DOWN (s/r, 2011)
This 7-song mini-album released in 2011 features Kevin rocking out with a full band comprised of Ned Watson (lead guitar), Ted Moniak (guitar, bass and mandolin) and Andrea Spencer (drums). It features the country song "It's Gonna Be Hard Without You," a catchy tune co-written with old high school friend Christa Juergens, "No Second Dates," and the poignant ballad "Call It A Life," recorded with Grammy-nominated engineer Adam Long. Currently available only as a download.
THE ROAD TO OLANDRA (s/r, 2011)
This unusual ambient/spoken word disc was a collaboration between Kevin and Canadian soundscape artist John Sobocan. Utilizing poems and introspective essays Kevin wrote before "Up In The Air" happened, Sobocan created haunting, ethereal soundscapes that perfectly complemented and magnified the impact of Kevin's ruminations on loss and loneliness. $10.00 (Only available as a physical release through this site.)
"Homey and nostalgic, that's how one might describe Kevin Renick's newest album Under The Wishing Tree...There’s an air of serenity that surrounds the entire album. Every track
fills you with tranquility, solace, or lightheartedness—a laidback and
serene sound. It’s one of those albums you throw in on a Sunday morning
while enjoying a nice, calming moment and a cup of coffee."
PlaybackSTL.com
“I
knew halfway through listening to it that I was going to put the song
in the movie. It was beautiful...it was authentic. Here was a guy
singing in an honest, authentic way about what it's like to search
for purpose, and it became very important for me to include this song
in the credits. It lent a voice to the enormous amount of people who
have lost their jobs in this country."
Film director Jason Reitman
“I
just wanted to say how much I enjoyed your song at the end of Up in
the Air. As a filmmaker, I usually stay through the credits if I know
somebody who worked on the film. In this case I didn't, so I was on
my way out of the theatre when your song came on. It stopped me in my
tracks. Needless to say I didn't mind making my friends wait in the
hall for the few minutes it took to enjoy your song.”
Film director Alex Houston
"Your story is so rich on so many levels, and offers hope to all artists working hard to be recognized."
Jeff Maxwell, KFWB 980, Los Angeles
"Having written a song called, quite cannily, 'Up in the Air' before he even
knew about the movie, Renick seemed to psychically tune into the
zeitgeist that made it possible for such a film to thrive in the
first place...Renick imbued the track with a sincere blue collar
humbleness.”
Jordan Oakes, St. Louis Magazine
"Jason Reitman's gently funny drama had a soundtrack chock full of delights, from Crosby, Stills & Nash to (a not-so-young) Young MC. But the
record’s highlight was possibly the most life-affirming story of
the year. Out of work and down on his luck, Missouri musician Kevin
Renick discovered that the lo-fi song he’d written chimed almost
perfectly with the themes of Reitman’s film, right down to the
title. So he did what anyone in his shoes would have done: he tracked
him down, pressed a demo into his hand and the rest, as they say, is
history."
Empire
Magazine (UK), "Best of 2010" Wrap-up
"The soundtrack is apt and lovely, specifically the title song 'Up in the Air' by Kevin Renick. When he was sacked, Kevin penned the song and
by chance met Reitman, handed him a cassette tape and shared with him
the story behind the song, and Reitman and his diligence converted
the tape and used it on the soundtrack to the film. This act sums up
this film perfectly.”
Amy V. Gathercole, Britfilms.tv
"I've had the soundtrack for a while and I can't stop listening. It closes with the title tune, written by Kevin Renick, a St. Louis songwriter and regular-joe job-loss victim who gave his demo to director Jason Reitman. It's pretty, but brutal."
Sean Daly, St. Petersburg Times
"Much of the soundtrack is sweet, gentle and, in the case of the title cut by Kevin Renick—a singer/songwriter who was laid off from his job,
just like so many characters in the film, and submitted the song to
Reitman unsolicited—quite moving.”
AMG Music Guide
“If
you stay through the end credits of UP IN THE AIR, you’ll hear a
song by Kevin Renick, an independent musician based in St. Louis, MO.
Renick sent the song to Reitman, which he'd written a year before the
film was announced (coincidentally, the song and film share the same
name). The song’s inclusion is a fitting coda to a film about the
connections between strangers in an overcrowded world fraught with
alienation.”
Matt Fagerholm, filmmonthly.com