Kevin Zarnett

What kind of artist is Richmond Hill’s Kevin Zarnett? You could say he writes thoughtful, layered songs delivered with a warm, laid-back vocal vibe and tasteful, intricate guitar playing. What have some of Kevin’s artistic contemporaries said? “Kevin Zarnett is a humble talent with incredible precision and subtlety through out his well thought out music, both vocally and acoustically.” - LoveisFree. “He keeps you wondering what is going to happen next. He keeps you thinking. He keeps you feeling. And he keeps you wanting more. Kevin Zarnett really, really, delivers the goods.” - Soozi Schlanger. 

In addition to his own individual musical pursuits, Kevin has worked in the studio or performing all across Canada with Juno-nominated and CCMA nominated artist Kirsten Jones, Juno-nominated artist Gregg Lawless, Grammy-winning artist Jennifer Gasoi, Jayhawks & alt-country legend Gary Louris, Six Shooter Records artist Whitney Rose, and sought-after singer-songwriter Laurelle Augustyn. “There’s A Right Way (To Break My Heart)” co-written with Kirsten Jones and appearing on her “Mad Mile” CD, was featured in medium rotation on CBC Radio 2. Other artists who have recorded Kevin’s songs include Canadian band Longshot, The Paper Chain Gang, and CCMA award winner Lisa Hewitt. 

Autumn 2017 saw Kevin make two new CD’s available at his gigs. Recorded over a few afternoons in August 2017, “Ghost Notes” serves as both an up-close introduction to Kevin’s music, as well as the perfect live performance souvenir; it’s an un-produced live-in-the-studio recording, all single-takes with no edits, just Kevin’s voice and guitar playing both newer and older original songs. “City Lights” gathers various studio session recordings from the past decade, adding a few more puzzle pieces to Kevin’s musical story. 

Says Kevin: Some people say my songs sound like Paul Simon (I assume mostly based on height similarities), Neil Finn (based on shoe size), Jackson Browne (based on the number of syllables in our first name), and Father John Misty (we both use the same recipe for homemade body wash: part old spice classic, axe snake peel, and something that gets spots out). I led and wrote for a band called "The Complements" that perhaps sounds familiar. I tend to be recognized by people I've never met and meet the rest for the first time repeatedly. The C-Ments (a nickname I am inventing right...now), did make their way around southern Ontario, some radio and tv, and got some neato reviews: "...strong writing avoids the sappy cliches that bogs down lesser breakup discs." (NOW MAGAZINE) ".. originals that are definite gems, whether you base your criteria on songwriting or performing. Kevin's voice is undeniably one of a folk singer - melodic but gritty, clearly passionate about the words he is singing." (BEING THERE MAGAZINE) "...glimpses of a young Dylan are evident...catchy choruses and thoughtful insight." (SOUL SHINE MAGAZINE)