Kevin Seconds is a Sacramento-based singer-songwriter best known as the frontman of the seminal California hardcore punk band 7 Seconds, who in his later career became a prolific solo acoustic artist, a coffeehouse operator, and a connective figure across the Sacramento music community.[1][2][3]
At a glance
- Frontman of 7 Seconds, described as one of California's most seminal hardcore punk bands and a "highly influential" hardcore act.[2][1]
- Long-time Sacramento resident; Submerge repeatedly calls him a "legendary Sacramento-based" musician.[1][4][3]
- With his wife Allyson Seconds, ran the True Love coffeehouse, opening the first location in 2001 and operating it for nearly four years.[2]
- Solo career on Asian Man Records (later Rise Records), with releases including Rise Up, Insomniacs! (2008), Good Luck Buttons (2010), Don't Let Me Lose Ya (2012), and Off Stockton (2014).[2][1][4]
- Co-founded/hosted The Tune-Up, a recurring Sacramento songwriter's showcase.[5]
Origin and local status
Kevin Seconds is consistently treated as a Sacramento musician by Submerge, which describes him as a "legendary Sacramento-based singer/songwriter" and notes "Living in Sacramento, and I've been here a long time."[1][2] He has said Sacramento itself shapes his songwriting—particularly his acoustic work, which he began in the city playing open mics and coffee houses.[2] On this basis his local status is assessed as local (origin/home base Sacramento) with high confidence; the corpus does not detail his birthplace, but it uniformly frames him as a long-time Sacramento figure rather than a touring visitor.
7 Seconds
Seconds is the frontman of 7 Seconds, characterized by Submerge as one of California's most seminal hardcore punk bands and pioneers of the original West Coast hardcore movement, which carried a more positive, unifying "posi" attitude.[2][6] By 2010 he described having been "in the game for more than 30 years," recalling an early-days touring model of going out for two or three months straight, returning home for a month, then heading back on the road.[2] The band's longevity and influence are recurring themes; younger bands frequently cite 7 Seconds as an influence, an acknowledgment Seconds finds flattering but admits he handles with self-deprecating discomfort, joking that people should call him "legendary" only after he dies.[2]
7 Seconds' early material is part of broader Sacramento punk lore: musician Brian Hanover recalled getting into punk in 1984 after hearing 7 Seconds' Walk Together Rock Together, and bought The Crew among his first punk records.[7]
Formation and history
7 Seconds was formed on January 17, 1980, in Reno, Nevada by two sets of brothers: the Marvelli brothers (Kevin Seconds and Steve Youth) and the Borghino brothers (Tommunist and Dim Menace).[8][9] The band is believed to be the first to refer to themselves primarily as hardcore — after their first show on March 2, 1980, they described their music in Newsletter NWIN/SPUNK No. 1 as "hardcore new wave."[8][9]
Long-standing members Troy Mowat (drums, joined approximately 1981–82) and Bobby Adams (joined approximately 1986) have been with 7 Seconds for over 20 years.[10] On March 20, 2018, 7 Seconds announced their breakup, citing middle age, injuries, and personal problems.[8][9] The band reunited: on October 4, 2021, they announced a 2022 reunion tour alongside Circle Jerks (headliner) and Negative Approach (opener).[8] For health reasons, longtime drummer Troy Mowat did not join that tour; his replacement was Sammy Siegler.[8]
Studio discography
7 Seconds released ten studio albums across their career:[8][11]
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | United We Stand | — |
| 1984 | The Crew | BYO |
| 1986 | New Wind | Positive Force / BYO |
| 1988 | Ourselves | Restless |
| 1989 | Soulforce Revolution | Restless |
| 1993 | Out the Shizzy | Headhunter / Cargo |
| 1995 | The Music, the Message | Sony / BMI |
| 1999 | Good to Go | SideOneDummy |
| 2005 | Take It Back, Take It On, Take It Over! | SideOneDummy |
| 2014 | Leave a Light On | Rise |
Solo career
Seconds' adult musical life has centered increasingly on solo acoustic singer-songwriter work, a "far cry from the brazen punk rock of his youth."[2] He released two solo albums predating the Submerge-covered period: Stoudamire (Earth/Cargo, 1997) and Heaven's Near Wherever You Are (Headhunter, 2001).[11] His subsequent records were released through Asian Man Records (run by Mike Park) and later Rise Records:
- Rise Up, Insomniacs! (2008) — described as a tense, stressful, "downer" record made amid back problems and the failing of his business.[2]
- Good Luck Buttons (released May 11, 2010, Asian Man Records) — a sunnier, more up-tempo, pop-leaning record, much of it written on the road touring for Rise Up, Insomniacs!; its title comes from the song "No Good Eggs."[2]
- Don't Let Me Lose Ya (released Oct. 9, 2012, Asian Man Records) — a 10-track album Seconds called his fifth "official" solo release, recorded at David Houston's studio; the album release show on Oct. 13, 2012 at Naked Lounge doubled as the kickoff of a U.S. tour he and Kepi Ghoulie did together.[1]
- Off Stockton (released Feb. 18, 2014, Rise Records) — an 11-track "man and his guitar" record; Seconds did a free in-store performance and signing at the Dimple Records on Arden on release day and an official release show Feb. 21, 2014 at Fox & Goose.[4]
- Band-Aid On A Bullet Wound (Birthday Money, 2016) — a solo album released after the Submerge-covered period.[11]
Seconds has noted that for Don't Let Me Lose Ya he chose to collaborate after self-producing prior records, keeping things "close to home" with his wife Allyson on vocals, Kepi Ghoulie on drums, Alison Sharkey on cello, and David Houston—a close friend of 17–18 years—recording and playing on it.[1] He has also maintained a home/studio practice; a space near 19th and X streets served as both a painting studio and recording space where much of Rise Up, Insomniacs! was tracked.[2]
True Love coffeehouse
With his wife Allyson, Seconds ran the True Love coffeehouse, opening the first location in 2001 and operating it for nearly four years.[2] He described committing fully to being a business owner as a major life change after years of being "able to get in a van and go," and said the stress contributed to frequent panic attacks; the couple closed the first location "on a high note" amid a bad landlord relationship.[2] He characterized True Love as "a hub for the community"—"a little more than just a coffee house"—and has spoken of possibly opening it again.[2]
The Tune-Up
Seconds created The Tune-Up, a weekly songwriter's showcase that began at his True Love coffeehouse and was revived multiple times at various venues.[5] In December 2013 he and David Houston resurrected it at Café Colonial—a then-newish all-ages venue next to the Colonial Theatre on Stockton Boulevard—as a free Wednesday-night, 8 p.m. showcase starting Dec. 18, 2013, hosting guests including Tom Hutchison of the Knockoffs, Dr. Velocity, Warren Bishop, Autumn Sky, and Jackson Griffith.[5]
Personal
Seconds maintains a drug/alcohol/smoke-free lifestyle but, according to Wikipedia, has no interest in being a spokesman for the straight edge lifestyle. He is vegetarian.[11]
Scene relationships
Seconds is a connective node in the Sacramento scene across the corpus:
- Allyson Seconds — his wife and frequent harmony/recording collaborator; she met Kevin around the Midtown Java City coffee shop scene in the early '90s, and the two played a Bernie Sanders rally at UC Davis in 2016 (booked by Jerry Perry) in front of nearly 10,000 people.[12]
- Kepi Ghoulie — fellow Sacramento (ex-Groovie Ghoulies) Asian Man Records labelmate who drummed on Don't Let Me Lose Ya, co-headlined a 2012 U.S. tour kickoff with Seconds, and has tried sending songs to Seconds.[13][1]
- David Houston — close friend, recording engineer/studio owner, and co-host of the revived Tune-Up.[1][5]
- Pressure Point / Mike Erickson — Seconds sang on Pressure Point's song "Fuck the Kids," invited by Erickson because 7 Seconds were pioneers of positive West Coast hardcore.[6]
- Brian Hanover — Seconds talked the former Hanover Saints frontman into playing his first solo bill in 2005, sparking Hanover's solo acoustic career.[7]
He has also appeared in Sacramento's marquee free-summer series, listed in the June 12 lineup of the 2015 Concerts in the Park at Cesar Chavez Plaza.[3]