Playlist: https://spoti.fi/3NxGAyD

1

It was released fifty years ago Sunday.

The Raspberries were an AM band in an FM world. FM started on the coasts, San Francisco and New York, and by time “Go All the Way” was released every metropolis had an FM outlet. And that meant if you listened to FM you never listened to AM, unless your car only had an AM radio. But by ’72 8-tracks were invading cars, you didn’t have to listen to the dreck on AM anymore. But some still did.

I never ever heard the Raspberries on FM radio. Sure, somewhere sometime they may have gotten airplay, but the Raspberries were decidedly uncool. Not only were they an AM band, THEY WERE TOO GOOD!

Punk rock did not emerge for a few years, the first Ramones album came out in ’76, but that was a reaction to prog, to overbaked records by trained players, not against power pop, which actually had its own renaissance at the end of the decade, and ultimately became part of new wave.

But I knew the Raspberries. You couldn’t escape “Go All the Way” and the follow-ups. But I never ever bought one of their records. Why? It seemed formulaic, of the moment, disposable, when in truth it was anything but.

There was coverage in the rock press, mostly about the scratch and sniff sticker on one of their albums, but if you were cool you didn’t own Raspberries records. They were never on the bill of the show you wanted to see. And then, all of a sudden…

2

“Well I know it sounds funny

But I’m not in it for the money”

The Raspberries were getting fantastic reviews. Everywhere. From credible writers. About their 1974 album “Starting Over.”

Huh? Just as the band’s star was fading, they never had another hit long player, “Starting Over” peaked at #143, the cognoscenti were into them. It’s like they grudgingly agreed they liked all their hits and now that AM was no longer interested, they could laud the band from Ohio.

So I bought it.

Oh, to be an active record buyer in the seventies. It meant you hung out at the store, you knew every outlet in town, at one you were a regular known by name, they saved records for you. You read all the rags, had a mental shopping list and went to the store and bought four, five or six records. You needed them, they were as vital as air and water. And they were always a surprise, even the biggest albums only had a few radio tracks, you dropped the needle and went on an adventure.

Which wasn’t always satisfying. But that was part of the magic, what you thought would be great wasn’t, and what you bought on a whim became your favorite record you testified to everybody about.

And most records went unheard. To get someone to buy an album was a huge feat, to get over that threshold. And the best ways were radio and live, but it was hard to get on the radio and even harder to be seen, especially when no one wanted to pay to come.

“Well if the program director don’t pull it

Then it’s time to get back the bullet

So bring the group down to the station

You’re gonna be an overnight sensation” 

“Bullet.” This was insider language. Which the hoi polloi didn’t know, never mind having no idea there was a program director, never mind what he did.

“I’ve been tryin’ to write the lyric

Non-offensive but satiric too”

Wait a second, weren’t the Raspberries mindless AM pap, non-thinking fly-by-nights? No, the band was thinking all about it, which too many acts today do not. It’s like the formula’s been lost. I mean all you need is verse, chorus, bridge, but that’s too much for them, whereas the Raspberries had learned at the feet of the Beatles, that was the starting point for so many of the baby boomer acts.

“I fit those words to a good melody

Amazing how success has been ignoring me

So long I use my bread making demos all day

Writing in the night while in my head I hear

The record play, hear it play”

The game hasn’t changed whatsoever, everybody’s laboring in obscurity, looking for a hit. I mean you can post it on Spotify, but that doesn’t mean anybody will listen to it.

Now I’d never heard “Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)” before, I just dropped the needle on the Dual turntable and this sound came out of the speakers, this mini-symphony, an analogue to “Good Vibrations,” really, “Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)” should be in the pantheon, but it’s not. Times had changed. In 1966 AM played everything, in 1974 the playlist was much more constricted, most of the big classic rock tracks never even got played on AM radio, and the Raspberries fell between the cracks.

3

But I was a fan, I immediately bought Eric Carmen’s first solo album, I needed more. And now the public agreed, “All By Myself” was a number one record, however Eric was still relegated to the AM world. But there was more, “Never Gonna Fall in Love Again” and a song that Shaun Cassidy ultimately turned into a monster hit, “That’s Rock ‘n Roll.”

“I played at parties

Played in bars

I spent my money buyin’ new guitars

I screamed my heart out

But how I loved it

That’s rock ‘n roll”

AND IT MOST DEFINITELY WAS! Scratch a boomer in the music business, they all had an electric guitar and an amp, they all dreamed of making it big, they had bands, they were inspired by the Beatles.

“Well come on everybody

Get down and get with it

Come on everybody

Get down and get with it

Come on everybody

Get down, that’s rock ‘n roll”

A mash-up of Freddy Cannon and Jan & Dean/the Beach Boys, this is the sound of the early sixties, when rock ‘n roll infected the youth, smoothing the cleaving away from the old fogeys, the establishment.

And having proved he could do it, that he possessed the magic, knew what he was doing, Eric proceeded to produce and record his unjustly ignored masterpiece, “Boats Against the Current,” which wasn’t even available online for eons, you see it was a legendary stiff, I bought my copy as cutout, where all the disappointments came to live, if they weren’t buried, literally.

“She Did It” was a very mild hit, with its “Sail On Sailor” intro, but it was too sophisticated for most mindless listeners, this was the analogue to the Beach Boys’ “Marcella,” but Carmen could populate entire albums with this stuff, which the boys from the beach no longer could.

But the heart of the album literally comes in the heart of the album, track 5 of 8, “Love Is All That Matters.” This is late night music, majestic, in an era where corporate rock was dominating, it was akin to a late sixties production, soft and meaningful, heartfelt, almost a male Laura Nyro.

But the piece-de-resistance is the closer, “Run Away,” an eight minute opus that will pick you up and fly you away from this mortal coil, will overwhelm you with its richness. Today everything is hard, or pulling directly at your heart, whereas “Run Away” has no concessions, it’s just banking on being so damn good that it’s irresistible, and it is!

Not that anybody today will admit liking this kind of music. The black jeans and leather jacket crowd hate strings, if something can be perceived as wimpy it is buried, but “Run Away” is part of why classic rock is classic. Brings tears to my eyes listening to it. Never heard it on the radio, never heard anybody talk about it, I just played it turned up loud enough on the JBLs to take up all the space in the room.

There was one victory lap, after the subsequent albums missed the target, I’m speaking, of course, of “Hungry Eyes” from the “Dirty Dancing” soundtrack, a B movie that became a classic, unheralded at first, but a big hit in both the theatre and home video.

“I’ve been meaning to tell you

I’ve got this feeling

That won’t subside”

You might put on a tough image for the guys, but when you’re lying in bed alone at night, what goes through your mind? When you’ve got more than a crush, you’ve actually connected, all you can think is about them.

And then…

4

Nothing.

Hip-hop and the Seattle sound took over the airwaves. AM bands were relegated to the oldies stations, which now existed on FM, but didn’t play anything that wasn’t known by every member of the audience.

But I found out I wasn’t the only one who knew the magic of Eric Carmen and the Raspberries.

And then they re-formed.

That’s what you’ve got to know, so many of the acts of yore that you want to see don’t get back together and go on the road because of the economics, the venues won’t guarantee enough to meet the costs, and will oldsters show up, on a weeknight, even on a weekend?

But the Raspberries did. For a little bit more than fifteen years ago, and I was there, at the House of Blues.

You know how it is going to see these old heroes, whose records you know by heart, you’re rooting for them, urging the little engine that could to gain speed and chug along. But they rarely do. The singer’s voice is shot. The sound is a facsimile of what once was. If you know the songs you can fill in the parts, overlook the clams, but it’s just nostalgia, you leave the building feeling slightly queasy, you were there, you saw them, but you never need to see them again.

That was not the Raspberries at the House of Blues back in 2005.

And they played “Overnight Sensation (Hit Record),” along with “I Wanna Be With You,” Tonight” and Let’s Pretend,” but the finale, the final encore, was…

“Go All the Way.” Which we couldn’t believe you could say on the radio, then again, Bread had “Make It With You” a couple of years before.

But the stunning thing was the sound, that slap of Wally Bryson’s guitar, it was just like the magic coming out of that small speaker in the dash of your car. You thought that was a studio sound, you didn’t think it could be replicated live, but Bryson did.

And Eric Carmen still sounded like the guy on the record and…

This was a band.

There aren’t many bands anymore. I mean bands with big hits. They’re afraid of looking bad, they go out with supporting musicians, hard drives, it’s all a little bit fake, and you can tell. But when there are slight imperfections the sound imparts humanity, and absent that element music is just sheen, it bounces off you, it doesn’t stick.

It’s a lost art. No one practices, hones the sound to get it just right. It’s just too much work. But if you wanted a hit record in the old days, when so many people were paying attention, this is what you had to do.

I didn’t go all the way with the Raspberries in the beginning. It took a while for me to commit. Which is how so many long-lasting relationships are.

But those are the ones that stick.

“Go All the Way” live: https://bit.ly/3PIu5Co

If you could resuscitate one dead musician, who would it be?

Tune in today, May 24th, to Volume 106, 7 PM East, 4 PM West.

Phone #: 844-6-VOLUME, 844-686-5863

Twitter: @lefsetz or @siriusxmvolume/#lefsetzlive

Hear the episode live on SiriusXM VOLUME: siriusxm.us/HearLefsetzLive

If you miss the episode, you can hear it on demand on the SiriusXM app: siriusxm.us/LefsetzLive

“Halsey Is the Latest Artist Complaining About the Music Industry’s Reliance on TikTok”: https://bit.ly/3lEKIkz

TikTok is the new MTV.

The world runs on information. And he or she or they who knows the most triumphs.

But wait you say, doesn’t the world run on relationships?

Yes. But those relationships run on information. Did you see the HBO Max series “Tokyo Vice”? I don’t recommend it. It’s too slow and not quite good enough, but it all comes down to who knows what and how they use what they know in negotiations, to secure an advantage.

But the old concentrated sources of information are no longer delivering for us. I’m not talking about the big outlets, the NYT, WaPo or WSJ, but the trade papers/magazines. Used to be the best info was from the trade press because they had access, which the hoi polloi did not. They knew the players. But they were also beholden to their advertisers, the industry itself. So to find out negative information required further research, mostly being on the phone with others.

And then “Billboard” went consumer instead of industry. And “Variety” hired insiders, but not being known for music coverage, most people never see it. And “Rolling Stone” went monthly and its news is behind a paywall and…

I just researched to see if “Variety” is behind a paywall. And finding it is not, I clicked on the publication’s “Music” tab I found a story on the same topic:

“Halsey Claims Label ‘Won’t Let Me’ Release New Song ‘Unless They Can Fake a Viral Moment on TikTok”: https://bit.ly/3MNGSl2

But I would have missed all of this if Apple News+ hadn’t featured the “Time” article in my feed. I’m paying for this information, you should too, because without it you’re a second class citizen. And while you’re at it, subscribe to the digital edition of the “New York Times,” irrelevant of your political persuasion, the U.S., if not the entire world, runs on the “New York Times.” Did you see the article about the resurgence of the clubs in Ibiza?

“Making Up for Lost Time as Ibiza’s Clubs Reopen – After more than two years of pandemic-mandated uncertainty, Europe’s nightlife industry is hoping for a return to the days before Covid-19.”: https://nyti.ms/3yREB4d

Young people are being infected with Covid at a much higher rate than oldsters, who are at a greater risk of dying from the virus. Do youngsters just not care, how will this affect the live business?

But what I’m talking about here is TikTok.

The gatekeepers are gone. Do you know what it’s like trying to sell in an era sans gatekeepers? Very hard. Much harder than in the past when you controlled what was played in the radio station (only major label records because of a legal judgment supporting indies, I know, confounding), and the relationship was even stronger at MTV.

But MTV is essentially history and terrestrial radio is a vast wasteland of oldsters and it’s young people driving the new music business and the hot place of exposure is not streaming services, although Spotify’s custom made playlists and genre playlists help (youngsters are on Spotify, active music listeners are on Spotify, much more than on Apple or Amazon, its two significant competitors), it’s TikTok.

TikTok not only grows stars, it makes them!

And conventionally musicians have signed to major labels for the check. But what they’re giving up more and more is control. Because music is a business, and the people running the labels need to make money. Mazuma always trumps art, never forget it.

So what you’ve got is the signed artists complaining, and the unsigned having a free-for-all, and TikTok can aid the labels, but they cannot generate views, which is the essence of the platform.

I know, I know, you don’t post on social media and think TikTok is the devil. Well, it’s gonna take a long time for you to break, and that’s another point, how hit music has detached from the rest of the industry, it used to be one continuous continuum, now they’re completely separate. The majors don’t want you if you’re roots-oriented, musically and/or marketing-wise, the development is too slow, they can’t get paid. So if you’re doing it independently and succeeding, that’s great, but don’t complain most people have never heard of you, that requires TikTok. Print isn’t even close. That’s right, information comes from print, but the youth don’t read, they follow trends, go where their buddies do and gain critical mass oftentimes before traditional media even knows.

So, we’ve had a complete flip from the seventies, when the artists took control from the labels. Now the label is king. You do what they say. They’re your own personal gatekeeper, as Prince said back when, you’re a slave to the company.

But the game is different now. The cycle is so much faster. And is it really about maximizing the short term or having a career? THE SHORT TERM! The label doesn’t care about your career!

And the labels are undercutting the credibility of the artists, of the whole music sphere. The Kid Laroi staging a fake feud with Scooter Braun? That’s closer to WWE than classic rock. When they asked for people who would do anything to make it, they didn’t mean this, they meant dedication to your craft and working 24/7, not manipulating the audience with falsehoods.

So if you go viral on TikTok you can blow up, even though you were hiding in plain sight, even if the label had marketed your track years ago. That’s the story with Glass Animals. And of course there’s the Fleetwood Mac/cranberry juice story. The Mac video was spontaneous, but the labels would like more control, they’d rather circumvent the process by paying people, but ultimately the audience is in control, and there are essentially unlimited offerings. The music business is always a harbinger of what comes next in not only media, but the general marketplace. Your competitor is not the usual suspect corporation, but some individual maybe in the middle of nowhere using the new tools to put a spin on the item you didn’t foresee. You have to constantly reinvent yourself, or have a monopoly, and even then you’ve got to have your eyes attuned to both the rearview mirror and the future.

Will the artists win this battle against their labels?

Note, Capitol didn’t say Halsey was wrong.

But history tells us protesting against the entity paying you beaucoup bucks never works. As for consumers, it’s only a hard core attuned to your plight, and one thing we’ve seen over and over again, especially with the Tidal launch, is no one has sympathy for wealthy musicians complaining about their income.

Food for thought.

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.

_______________________________________

Subject: I Miss Kevin Sutter

Dear Bob,

Kevin’s sudden death really took me down. At this state of my life my friends are falling like flies. We used to speak twice a week… shoot the shit… talk radio/record business gossip… recent music and sports.

He made me swear not to talk about his decision to retire. Honestly, that was a decision that came 5 years too late. The business was not kind to him. The new era of radio programmers were disrespectful and it would piss him off. Trust me, none of these people have any sense to speak of. He would have to take inferior projects to make his “nut”.

The last few weeks our calls have had an air of tension. He was disinterested in everything I talked about and would hang up on me for no reason. I knew his health was failing by the tenor of his voice. He had an appointment with his doctor, but he felt too weak to attend. I advised him he needed to go. He couldn’t drive. I suggested that he take Uber or a taxi. Again, Kevin would chastise me for offering my opinion and asked me not to mention his weak state to anybody; which I complied with.

I owe so much to Sutter. I was fired from Arista when I returned from my honeymoon. Pretty fucked up!

He hired me and it was the beginning of a great relationship. My career blossomed under his tutelage. We had been friends for over 35 years.

I miss him already…

There are lessons in all this… Always call your friends no matter how busy you are. Even a voice mail or a text would suffice. Don’t brood.. Don’t carry a grudge…

Jeff Laufer

_______________________________________

From: Ian Anderson

To: Jim McKeon

I received word of this a couple of days ago via Anne Leighton, our US PR. I also read the Bob Lefsetz obituary.

Very sad to hear of his passing and last few years of struggle. When we last met in Seattle at a concert, I felt that things were not great for him.

He was a huge help and inspiration regarding the promotion of Crest Of A Knave and kept things rolling on the PR front relentlessly. Drove me mad, sometimes, but the end result was a gold album and a Grammy. In fact, Kevin was the one to call me in the UK very late at night to inform us of the Grammy win.

Salutations,

Ian Anderson

_______________________________________

Devastated and distraught about Kevin.

Your tribute is beautiful. You give his Life and career well deserved meaning.

We’ve stayed in touch over the years. As soon as we announced the release of a vinyl album, he would reach out to ask for one… which I gladly sent immediately.

We had incredible Road-trips together. 

His expressions were priceless… “dude” especially.

We went to see David Lynch’s “Blue Velvet” when it opened and he became obsessed, quoting the characters constantly.

He spearheaded Icehouse, Tull, Divinyls and so much more.

Our World Party and Waterboys campaigns were famous.

Spoke with Chris Wright today who felt horrible about our loss.

He was so proud to buy his home in Seacliff, LI . It was an amazing house.

Lots and lots of stories.

Thank you for writing about our dear Friend and esteemed colleague. He should not be forgotten.

Daniel Glass

_______________________________________

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

_______________________________________

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

_______________________________________

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

_______________________________________

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

_______________________________________

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

_______________________________________

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

_______________________________________

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

_______________________________________

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

_______________________________________

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

_______________________________________

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

Mister Zero

_______________________________________

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

Bob Morellli

_______________________________________

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

_______________________________________

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

_______________________________________

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

_______________________________________

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

_______________________________________

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”

Wendy Morris

_______________________________________

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

_______________________________________

Sorry to hear Bob.  Such a great era when so many of us were in it for the music, always championing a longshot.  Kevin was a wonderful guy and true to his passion.  It is not easy to let go of one’s passion in the face of massive changes.  And yet to Kevin’s detriment or his credit, he was determined to hang on as long as there was a glimmer of hope.

John Brodey

_______________________________________

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

_______________________________________

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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Thanks for your great piece about Kevin Sutter

Kevin was one of my best friends. We met  over 35 years ago when he worked for Chrysalis and I was MD at WPYX in Albany, NY. Years later I was looking to make a career change and wanted to get involved with developing websites – this was at the dawn of the Internet age in the mid-90’s. Kevin introduced me to Jim McKeon in Seattle and we started a business that continues to this day. I moved to the Seattle area and Kevin and I spent lots of time together – listening to and talking about music, going to shows , and hd loved to show me all the great places to enjoy in the Pacific.Northwest.

My internet company shared offices with Kevin and Jim’s firm M3.  Both as a former MD and PD on the receiving end of his calls and as a fly on the wall at the M3 offices, I witnessed Kevin’s unique style of working records. He was passionate and loved to talk about the music he worked and loved. As years went on we had numerous meals together, conversations about the Seahawks and Mariners, and shared more adventures than I can remember.

Today I join all the others who are truly saddened that we will never get to enjoy his company again. He was a great friend and this is a tragic loss

RIP Sutterman .

Yours,
Joe Moss

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Thank you for your very kind and heartfelt  remembrance of Kevin.

He was a great Promotion man who possessed more than an ample amount of kindness and compassion.

He was passionate and when he committed to a project, he was steadfast in his pursuit of airplay and artist development, which served him well over  the years.  Radio people knew he meant what he said.  (That can be rare in this business)

I will miss our conversations and our mutual obsession with finding the next great undiscovered artist.

Also, he touched so many artists’ lives in his career and all of us that knew him were well aware he was a force for good in the world.

Kevin will be missed by so many.

Jeff Cook

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Pic: https://bit.ly/3lCTS0N

Back row: Kevin Sutter, uncertain, Al Jardine, Mike Love, Carl Wilson, yours truly, Bruce Johnston, Walter Winnick

Front row was Brian Wilson, and several staffers from WBBF / WMJQ Rochester NY.

Oh, the stories I could tell…

You got the essence of my friend of 42 years mostly right, and for that I thank you.

Barry Lyons

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Dear Bob,

I just wanted to say “Hello,” and my condolences to you and everyone who knew and adored the Sutterman.  He will always be with us in his humor and uncontrollable wit!  I read your letter re Kevin passing away…and just would like to correct some facts and him and I.

First, we met on Long Island, and I was managing a record/CD store in Roslyn NY…called Stone Cellar.  He was the local promo guy for Epic… Our first date was a head banging band from England at My Father’s Place, owned by Eppy… It was wild and fun. He got promoted to Buffalo and I moved back to Vermont… We dated and got married one year later in Buffalo and eventually moved back to Long Island.

We were married for 14 years…. The reason we split up was because of substance abuse. After 3 years of me going to therapy for what was going on, and the complications associated with substance abuse (coke) I gave him an ultimatum to get help and he wouldn’t. So I moved to Scottsdale to take care of my grandmother. We almost got back together 3 times, but the drugs were still in the picture. Unfortunately Kevin was doing coke with friends the day he had a massive heart attack and a stroke.

My Dad, a Neurologist, loved Kevin. My entire family did. They were upset when we got divorced. My Dad called Kevin every day at his hospital, when he had his heart attack in SEA; we all did, he wouldn’t let us come see him….Not for years after. I am not sure where you got your information from , but my family LOVED him, and never thought they were better than him. I can’t believe he would think that, so please if you can correct that piece of info. Way off base.

I’m not sure that you knew that Kevin was a huge classical music and country fan as well. He and my Dad shared the love of Classical music, and Kevin would find rare pieces of music and send them on to my Dad, and my Dad supplied some of the Classical music with Classical stations in Montreal, Burlington, and Toronto. My Dad was always in touch w him… My entire family always has been in touch w Kevin. Me as well. We talked regularly, and most recently he was upset that everyone around him was dying…. Childhood friends, record /radio friends. He was sometimes in a dark place some of the time and didn’t want to talk.

We had annual Christmas parties where we started with a blank tree, and everyone had to bring an ornament, we had great food, fun people and great music and times. He rescued ourt cat ENA  out of the garbage can.  Named ENO until we found out it was a girl (hee hee).

We had mostly great times and I am very sad in finding out this news. I was the first person they called from the coroner’s office. I am deeply saddened. He had great jokes, did a church lady impression and always had us rolling in laughter telling jokes. My family is very sad, and I just want you to have the facts straight… He was a great husband.    We are very sad.

Glynis Sutter