Kepi Ghoulie (real name Jeff Alexander[1]) is a Sacramento pop-punk songwriter and visual artist, best known as the former frontman of the Groovie Ghoulies, who has pursued a prolific solo career since that band split.[2] Submerge describes him as a "local pop-punk impresario" whose relentless touring and recording pace keeps him in near-constant motion.[2] He is characterized by a "cartoony voice, a love of the Ramones, and inclusive spirit."[1]
At a glance
- Sacramento-based pop-punk artist; ex-frontman of the Groovie Ghoulies.[2]
- The Groovie Ghoulies were formed in 1983 in Sacramento and split in 2007; Kepi went solo afterward.[2][3]
- By late 2011 he had released five solo albums in roughly four years (averaging about one per year).[2]
- Records and tours on Asian Man Records, the label run by Mike Park.[2]
- Also a painter, hand-creating album-cover art for releases.[2]
- A connective figure in Sacramento's scene, recurring alongside Dog Party, Pets, and Kevin Seconds.[2][4][5]
Origin and local status
Submerge repeatedly frames Kepi as part of Sacramento's local music community: he is called a "local pop-punk impresario,"[2] and he is grouped among "Sacramento musicians" performing at a Sacramento gallery event.[6] His career is rooted in the Sacramento/Midtown scene, where younger local acts describe him as one of the "Midtown musicians" they look to for support.[4] His local status is high-confidence.
The Groovie Ghoulies
The Groovie Ghoulies were formed in 1983 in Sacramento, California, giving Kepi a band career spanning 1983–2007.[3][7] The core lineup featured Kepi Ghoulie (bass, lead vocals), Rochelle "Roach" Sparman (guitar, backing vocals), and Nora "Scampi" Fasano (drums, backing vocals); earlier drummers included Wendy Powell.[3][1] The band released nine studio albums, beginning with Appetite for Adrenochrome (1989) and ending with 99 Lives (2007), with Lookout! Records as their primary label during their peak years.[3][1]
Around the early 2000s, as Lookout! Records was in decline, Kepi and the rest of the Ghoulies also formed a country-rock side project called the Haints, which released two albums before disbanding in 2007.[1]
The Groovie Ghoulies announced their breakup on May 9, 2007, just days before the release of their ninth studio album 99 Lives.[3][7] The breakup was driven in part by the divorce of Kepi and guitarist Roach Sparman.[3]
Submerge consistently refers to him as the "ex-Groovie Ghoulies frontman."[2]
Going solo and solo discography
After the Ghoulies split in 2007, Kepi launched a productive solo run on Asian Man Records. He began by simultaneously releasing an acoustic record and an electric record so listeners couldn't pin him to a single style.[2] His full solo discography on Asian Man Records includes:[1]
- Hanging Out (2008)
- American Gothic (2008) — released as Kepi and Friends; acoustic
- Life Sentence (2009)
- The New Dark Ages (2009) — a collaboration with Vic Ruggiero of The Slackers
- Live album (2010)
- I Bleed Rock and Roll (2011)
- Kepi for Kids (2012)
- Kepi Goes Country (2014)
- Fun in the Dark (2014) — a re-recording with Dutch punk band the Accelerators
- Lost and Lovin' It! (2017)
Kepi also established an annual tradition of releasing a new single every Valentine's Day.[1] In 2014, according to the Pirates Press EPK, he partnered with Eccentric Pop Records to begin reissuing Groovie Ghoulies albums, starting with Flying Saucer Rock-n-Roll! and Appetite for Adrenochrome.[1]
Solo releases and recording (Submerge coverage)
- I Bleed Rock 'n' Roll — his fifth solo album, released Nov. 29, 2011 on Asian Man Records.[2] Kepi described it as a deliberately big, loud, three-chord rock record meant to be danceable at after-parties, citing songs like "Nikki Lee," "Part Time Romeo," "Break My Heart," "Rock 'n' Roll Shark," "I Just Wanted You to Know," "Love to Give," "Cupid Is Real" and "Hard to Forget."[2] Unusually for him, it was tracked over about a month at a friend's studio in Oakland, allowing layered production rather than his usual three-day or week-long sessions.[2] Rusty Miller of the band Jackpot contributed playing on several of the album's love songs.[2]
- A planned children's record — Kepi said in late 2011 he would begin tracking a kids' album in December for a March/April 2012 release, encouraged by Asian Man Records head Mike Park, who told him his songs were "already kids' songs."[2] He aimed for short, catchy, roughly two-minute songs in the spirit of Schoolhouse Rock.[2]
His minimalist songwriting approach—keeping songs short and not over-arranging them—is something he attributes to influences like the Ramones, Little Richard, and T. Rex's Marc Bolan, and he likened his creative freedom to artists such as Neil Young and Johnny Thunders.[2]
Touring and performance style
Kepi tours extensively and internationally, including being flown to Oslo, Norway for a single show and to Nebraska to play a "zombie walk."[2] He toured with the Canadian pop-punk band Chixdiggit, playing bass for the group and opening their shows while they served as his backing band.[2] To make solo international bookings feasible, he developed a flexible act that can be performed to backing tracks; he recounted an improvised "live karaoke" set in Rome, singing along to a Groovie Ghoulies record (plus Monkees, Kiss, and Johnny Thunders songs) when an acoustic set proved unworkable.[2] He also performed in Austria, citing a club called the PNK as inspiration for his danceable rock direction.[2]
Visual art
Kepi is also a painter whose work Submerge characterizes as fun and seemingly simple but instantly memorable, mirroring his songwriting.[2] For the I Bleed Rock 'n' Roll release he hand-painted 30 album covers, selling test pressings paired with original art for $150 (15 at the show, 15 online).[2] He was also among the Sacramento musicians slated to perform at a March 10, 2012 celebration at the Fe Gallery honoring local artist John Stuart Berger.[6]
Scene relationships
Kepi is a recurring connector across the Sacramento pop-punk and all-ages scene:
- Dog Party — the teenage Giles-sister duo (Lucy and Gwendolyn Giles) played numerous shows with Kepi, toured a two-week run through Arizona, New Mexico and Southern California with him and the band Pets, and later traveled to Italy and Berlin alongside him to perform.[4][8] Kepi backed Dog Party's December 2011 album release for P.A.R.T.Y!!! and shared bills with them.[4]
- Pets — Kepi played an acoustic set with Pets, and toured with Pets and Dog Party.[2][4]
- Kevin Seconds — Kepi played drums on Kevin Seconds' fifth solo album Don't Let Me Lose Ya (Asian Man Records, Oct. 9, 2012); the album's Oct. 13, 2012 CD release show at Naked Lounge doubled as the kickoff of a U.S. tour by both Kepi and Kevin Seconds.[5] Kepi was also listed among performers at the Fe Gallery event alongside Kevin and Allyson Seconds.[6]
Notable Sacramento-area shows
- Dec. 2, 2011 — CD release show for I Bleed Rock 'n' Roll at Bottom of the Hill, San Francisco.[2]
- Dec. 9, 2011 — acoustic set at Naked Coffee with Pets.[2]
- Dec. 30, 2011 — plugged-in set at Luigi's Fungarden with Dog Party as his backing band; he also played Dog Party's P.A.R.T.Y!!! release there alongside Nacho Business.[2][4]
- May 25–28, 2012 — listed among new artists for the Sacramento Music Festival (formerly the Sacramento Jazz Festival and Jubilee) in Old Sacramento.[9]
- Oct. 13, 2012 — performed at Kevin Seconds' release show at Naked Lounge, launching a joint U.S. tour.[5]