Re-Kevin Sutter

Kevin was one of my best friends. We saw a lot of shows in the Seattle area over the years. He was a wealth of knowledge about the business. I learned much. We did not hear from Kevin for a few days so I called the police to check on him. He had passed away. He had COPD and died from a cardiac incident according to the coroner. I and many others will miss him. Love you brother !

Rick Mercer, Jr.

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I worked with, “The Sutter-man” at M3 and then followed him to, “Tazmoe Music”!  You would be hard pressed to find another promotion man more passionate about music and the job of promoting it.  Simply, one of a kind and his passing hits me hard and leaves me riddled with guilt that I failed to keep in better contact with him.  You always think there’s never ending time and opportunity to keep in touch until it’s too late.  “The Sutter-man” will be missed.

Mark “Rad-man” Radway

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Sorry to hear about Kevin.

The Silencers owed him a debt of gratitude for his support in the USA.

Even when the American label company turned their backs on us, he didn’t. We so wanted to tour the States again to promote A Blues for Buddha, they never did forgive us for not going right back into the studio after the ’87 US tour, instead we toured Europe.

By the time we released the 2nd album in”89 they were over us and onto the next thing.

Thanks again for your kind words about our music, much appreciated.

All the best

Martin Hanlin

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Wounded, indeed.

I met Kevin in Houston, 1992, the 9th Annual KLOL Rock&Roll Auction….instant brother. You know exactly what I mean.

Like you, we talked every week for many years, then it eventually tapered off. That’s just life sometimes. Still, every couple months, Sutterman would call, ask about me, then proceed to tell me everything about HIM! Just part of his charm.

I’m only learning of his passing from your email, and I am crushed.

Thank you for such a passionate and poignant tribute to a wonderful soul.

RIP SUTTERMAN!

Gary Poole

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Thanks for honoring Kevin. He took on my band Visitor Jim and worked us to Triple A radio via his company Tazmoe. He was working Jack Johnson’s debut at the same time, guess which one blew up? But he always treated us with respect. If he liked your music and believed in you as a person, he’d work hard for you. Respect, Kevin

Jimmy Leslie

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Very sad news, Bob, I’m so sorry to hear this. I was the promotions coordinator at Chrysalis with Daniel and Kevin for a short time and interned at IRS before that when Kevin was there. Kevin was kind, fun to be around because I felt he knew so much, a hard worker, intense and smart, helpful when I was just starting out, and a super all-around music guy. I had so much respect for him, seeing him every day doing his job well at Chrysalis every day.

Difficult news.

Beth Winer

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I worked over the last 8-9 years on various projects with Kevin. Every phone call was over 30 mins. Likely an hour. He was one of a kind. We recommended each other often for projects. We liked working together. I remember his bike accident when he had an episode. That was scary but he Bounced back. We talked divorce and life  He always asked about my kids.

I don’t know the last time I talked to him. During the pandemic I know.
Damn. Really bummed to see this one today.

Life is short.
Melissa Dragich

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Oh my gosh! This was certainly not news I was expecting to hear when checking my phone a moment ago on Saturday night.

 

Kevin and I worked at I.R.S. Records together in the ’80s, on opposite coasts, and in nearly opposite disciplines (press – radio). But he couldn’t have been nicer and more helpful, always the extra mile, always the extra phone call…hell, if I needed anything at all, especially while 3,000 miles from home, Kevin was always there to tell me which subway to take, where the stage door was, what the best deli was…he even introduced me to a few key New York press people who became valuable contacts and friends.

 

Kevin introduced me to the word “geek.” He went one farther to coin the word “geekdom” The word seemed more disparaging in 1984 than it is in 2022 when its something of a compliment, tantamount to “maven.” No matter the context, I think of him every time the word comes up in daily dialogue.

 

Kevin and I worked a few projects as indies in the past decade or two. There are a lot of great Triple A promo specialists, but there was something special about Kevin — his passion, his drive, his caring, and, yes, his absolutely endearing geekdom.

Rest up, old soldier until we meet again.

Cary Baker

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Kevin was a good man.  He was always passionate about the music. We weren’t best friends, but we would talk often when I worked at Geffen after he moved to Seattle.
He always said good things about you.
Jim told me of his passing yesterday.

You spoke of him very fondly and beautiful.
Sorry you lost a good friend.
It is very sad.

Alan Oreman

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Remember Kevin from Buffalo when my gig would take me there to write up some band.  Nice guy.  Good times.  Sad side two.

Jonathan Gross

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He worked some singles for us, he was a good guy, sad to hear this.

Mister Zero

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Very sad. Too young. A very good record man. Very sad.

Bob Morellli

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That’s a great and nice thing you did on Kevin. He was a good guy and a music lover. You got it really right.  He was always a big defender of yours too as you know 🙂 You’re a good man for doing this. You don’t get to hear that often do you. .)

Thanks

Harry Levy

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Thank you for this.  I was worried that his passing would go unnoticed in these batsh@#t crazy times.

I met The Sutterman in 82. My passion has always been music [skiing was business for me] and over the years he introduced my to so many artists.  With Kevin I was able to dine with Ian Anderson [who was not in a great mood that eve], hung with Huey Lewis, Blue Rodeo and many others. His care packages came regularly and he turned me on to so much new music.

Kevin [and Glynnis] are the Godparents for our oldest.  We were tight for 40 years.  We had regular check in’s where as you know, you were a listener on those calls.

The music business is brutal and most of the time makes no sense – he lived through it all, the highs and too many lows.  At Christmas I would send him gift cards to Costco to feed his DVD addiction.  I could never repay him for the music he turned me on to – and yes I still listen to Was Not Was and Go West.

He loved his artists and passionately promoting them with anyone.  He made me feel like a music industry insider. Loved that guy (he still called me Dude!).

Stay safe.

Mike

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Very moving column about a former music biz compadre.
You portrayed Kevin’s vibe so well. (He was especially active with us when my brother and I ran the Triple A Summits in Boulder for Gavin up ‘til 2000.) Your piece stresses the deeeeeeep camaraderie of our biz, one I only partially found later in the publishing/literary set with editors, lit agents, writing clients…blah blah. Would have been IMPOSSIBLE to replicate something so priceless anyway.

You touched on the importance of creative career reinvention later on, which some talented passionate lifers like Kevin simply couldn’t achieve. You often say it’s every man for himself, and as gratifying and rewarding our fraternity was/is, many scale a deep chasm towards the end. Maybe that’s the price you pay when you do something you adore for a living…

Keith Zimmerman

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I can’t say I knew Kevin well – but I worked several of those small releases with him. I always enjoyed his love of the game and life. Loved that he called himself Sutterman. He was one of my tribe. I am so sorry to hear that he has passed.

Adam Lewis

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I’m so sad reading this. We spent a wonderful day with him, he drove us all around Seattle in his Acura. He spoke of his role cheering you on through your trials he was so gentle and caring. He won me over when we were driving through residential neighborhoods and he pointed and said “I love this house, it’s just so cute”

He was still angry about his wife leaving him but he then told the story of having the smoked salmon sent from some English rocker to his former father in law.

Wendy Morris

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Wow. Thanks for the memories and words.  I  hired him to do local in Buffalo a real music junkie- I remember the stories he would tell me about his relationship with Ian Anderson.  The above is the same as the below and the below is the above !  Eternal peace-crank it loud and have some of Ian’s salmon  for me!

Harvey Leeds

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Nice piece. I wish there was a fund  established years ago for industry vets like Kevin. I remember suggesting it  but no support then.. I do think “Music Cares” has something to help music vets, but I could be wrong.
I have helped some old record biz pals with “Go Fund Me”,
Thanx again for the good read

Stan Goman

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That’s a very sad story about Kevin. We spoke on the phone a few times, probably about those things you describe as ‘obscure indie records’ but he was a music guy. That’s what I liked about him. Always coming up with ideas and showing enthusiasm.

Then I got to go to Seattle for the first time, probably around 2007 or 08, and I looked him up and called. He asked where I was staying and said he’d come around and show me Seattle. Long story short, that’s exactly what we did. I watched Seattle from his car window and he showed me the sights and finally the cityscape from across the sound. Then he invited me back to his apartment to listen to some tunes and we watched DVDs and just soaked in great music. He was a big fan of David Gilmore live in concert at the time. We traded albums and then he dropped me back to my hotel.

I never forgot those few hours we spent together and one story in particular. Being an Aussie, as we were driving around I asked him how he felt about everyone in the US carrying guns. Its still bizarre to me that the sensible majority have never stood up to the power of the NRA in your weird country, where gun deaths per capita are higher than anywhere else in the world and yet people think they’re safer for actually carrying them. So I said to Kevin, what happens on the roads when the inevitable road rage occurs, do people actually brandish guns? And he said yeh, it was a problem, but he had a solution. As we drove along the highway he reached below his drivers seat and pulled out a massive gun and said, “well I’ve got a bigger one”. I looked in astonishment as he put it back away, more than bemused at this typical display of American bravado.

Kevin, was one of the good ones. VALE.

Rob Scott

The SourceSeeker

Noosa

Australia

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