ACT I

Born an Army brat, Kurt Riley has been on the road all his life. Relocating from state to state often as a boy, he turned to art and fiction as solace from the loneliness that life granted. Stemming from a conservative upbringing, he sought an escape from that stifling mindset; the exodus was granted at fourteen years old, when he discovered The Rolling Stones. Further galvanized by Delta blues, Chess Records, and classic R&B, Riley taught himself how to sing and play both the guitar and harmonica a year later.

Subsequently, enthralled by Fifties rock and roll and the brilliant groups of the British Invasion, he began composing original songs of his own in earnest. Along the way, he added piano, synthesizer, drums, maracas, castanets, tambourine, bass guitar and slide guitar to his palette, composing increasingly melodic, richly interwoven pop songs. Riley's influences grew to include glam rock, Moroccan ritual music, new wave, 1930s pop standards, and Eighties post-punk. All of these and more informed a rich, diverse style of songwriting, which combines disparate elements in new ways while preserving the rockabilly energy and Delta blues grit that first inspired him in the first place.

At 19, Kurt Riley led an energetic garage rock band called The Steel Hearts. Based in South Florida, where he resided at the time, they played high-octane R&B covers, including celebrated versions of Willie Dixon’s “Spoonful” and Larry Williams’ “Slow Down” which had audiences on their feet. Between 2006 and 2007, the band played extensively at venues, house parties - anything they could get into. (This included an unorthodox performance at an arcade, a few seconds of which is the only footage known to exist of the band.) Bassist Sean Murphy, who was born forty years too late to be one of The Stooges, propelled the group with relentless, pulsating bass, while the soft-spoken and kindhearted Brandon Fulton hammered the drums tirelessly. Their perennial show-stopper was a relentless, punky iteration of Buddy Holly’s “Not Fade Away,” which Riley is proud of to this day. Unfortunately, The Steel Hearts disbanded just as Riley's burgeoning songwriting skills were surfacing.

The Steel Hearts recordings remain unreleased.

In 2010, Riley launched as a solo artist with his first record, Brighthead. Self-composed, produced with local musicians, and released independently, it followed the strong DIY ethic he has embraced throughout his entire career. "Something about the way I write and record really aligns with that process, and I adore it. It's like my father said when I was a boy - best to have your own small business, and to be your own boss. That way, at the end of the day, the only one you're accountable to is yourself."

That relentless quest to meet his own high standards was first met with Brighthead. Unfortunately, the promotional concerts for the album were cut short by unforeseen circumstances. "Brighthead vanished before she had a chance to gain legs," Riley says. "It's one of my biggest regrets."