Kevin Hotte ITN’s October 2011 Artist Of The Month has spent his lifetime focused on creating. Kevin has a beautiful collection of photography and original compositions of music that he shares with us during this interview.
Kevin also shares details about a course that he offers called Circular Motion -- A Journey of Self Discovery.
Kevin has released three solo instrumental CD’s Inventing Fire (2000), A Different Drum
(2005), and just recently Illumination (2010), through his own independent record label Da Vinci’s Notebook Records. Kevin’s music has recieved airplay all over the world on public and campus radio (China, Australia, Eastern Europe, Isreal, the United States and Canada) and has been used in film and television in the USA…
A veteran of the Ontario circuit, Kevin now performs around the area with his “One-Man” live show. This unique show features him on- stage alone, playing drums while incorporating midi, digital sampling and looping technology to fill the space of the other instruments in real-time which he also played and recorded in his studio. “ As far as I know, I’m the only one in Canada doing what I do. One person controlling all of the instruments via percussion triggering is very different.”
Kevin Richard Hotte
This “different” approach is common to Kevin’s philosophy about everything he does with his music. “All my life I’ve believed that ‘once you become a slave to the rules you’re just doing what everyone else is doing and once that happens, you don’t stand out from the crowd.’ I am comfortable writing instrumental music. That’s not to say that I don’t write music with lyrics because I do. I just don’t put any pressure on myself to rely on lyrics to complete the music. If I was to do that every time I write a piece of music, I believe that I would be risking mediocrity by stuffing a song with lyrics just because it’s part of the supposed formula. I’ll be the first to admit that usually, very little of what I say is prolific so why put it in the music? If I really have something that I want to say, I’ll write lyrics, but if not…it’s OK because we all know that music is a universal language all on its own.”
Kevin is an accomplished drummer which becomes clearly apparent the moment he sits down behind his drum kit. Like all musicians at this level of proficiency, he seems to melt into his drum kit and become one with it. He plays his instrument effortlessly, passionately, intricately, and powerfully with a thunderous style of controlled aggression. At the same time, he approaches his drums with a Zen-like reverence. He has even been known to talk to his drums as if they were living beings.
Kevin is also the founder of a local organization called The Alliance of Independent Canadian Recording Artists or AICRA . They host the INDIE GIVES RISE Music Showcase Series for independent artists like himself. It takes place in Niagara on a casual basis as funding comes along.
Circular Motion
Along with performing his “One-Man” show, Kevin also continues writing and recording music for film, television and other media. He has also put together a drumming workshop that he calls Circular Motion -- The Rhythm of Life. Kevin performs this workshop for corporate and educational clients for the purpose of promoting team building, performance enhancement, bonding and self-discovery. He is also very keen on performing for charity and fund-raising events. “It is absolutely important for me to give back. I have been blessed with talent that I don’t take for granted and I want to use it to help other people. For me…that’s really what life is all about!”
