Hey, Mike Kevin here. Hey, Kevin. How are you? I'm good, man. This is very exciting. I've been a fan of yours since
1980. I mean, I'm an old dude. So I've been a huge fan of yours forever. So this is great.
Hey, man. You know, you're probably a puppy compared to me, but you know what? It's, it's, you know,
music at say it every night rock and roll keep you young forever and you know, those of us,
you know, you're included who are fortunate enough to be able to have their job be all about
music, human music, play in music. It's, you know, we're we're the luckiest guys in the world.
That's why I look at it. You got that right. I mean, when I was I was in college from 1979 to
82 and there was not a dorm room at, at Winona State University that was not cranking out your
voice and, and RIO. So it's, you know, this is cool. I mean, I, matter of fact, I'm going to get a
hold of some of my buddies that I'm still in contact with and tell them, check this out. Listen to
who I got to talk to. So this is pretty cool. This is, this is great. So you're going to be at
Treasure Ellen casino Saturday night. People are looking forward to seeing you again. And I was thinking
about that. You, man, how long have you been out on the road? It's like how many years has it been
Kevin? Seriously? Well, the first, the first tour I did was in the winter of 1972. So, you know,
and what's what's awesome about it is that, you know, because I started playing guitar when I was
11 years old, right? So every time I pick up a guitar and, and walk out on stage, walk up to
the microphone, I've got the direct line to that, to that 11 year old kid, man, who, you know,
wasn't a great athlete, you know, but my guitar teacher told me that I had natural rhythm. And I was
like, wow, you know, this is, this is what I was meant to do. You know, I saw the Beatles play on
the Ed Sullivan show. And, and I just, I just had this feeling that that's that's what I not only
wasn't what I wanted, but I just got this feeling like I could do it. And so I've been playing guitar
ever since, man, it's been my constant companion. It's been there for me through through good times
and bad. And, and it's always been an outlet for me. And, you know, you know, dealing with, with
your emotions is can be can be, you know, it can be confusing. It can be scary. And, and having that
guitar with me has, it's, I can say it's been an outlet. And then when I realized that, that I could
write songs, that was really a turning point. Because then now I can, I can, you know, I can make
sense of what's going on in my soul by, by writing about it. And to this day, man, if, you know,
you know, I'm a pretty sensitive person. And so when, when things kind of start boiling up inside
of me, I, it's my go-to. I sit down, I start writing. And if I've got a guitar in my hands,
you know, a lot of times it turns into a song. Some songs are, are, are things that I want to share
sometimes, you know, not so much. But, but it's, but it's always been there for me. And it's,
and it's still there. And, and, and the beauty of it is that, you know, come into Minnesota,
has, has always been a, a safe place that, that I felt because I don't know the people,
the people of Minnesota and Wisconsin. You know, I'm married a badger. You know, my wife is from
Racine. She's really a graduate of, yes, she went to Madison and, and she's just an amazing,
amazing woman. And so I just feel, I feel a comfort level, you know, in your neck of the woods
there. And to have the first show for the, for the Kevin Cronin band to be, you know, in, in that area,
just feels good to me, man. And it's, hey, it's, it's, you know, I'll be honest with you. I'm,
I'm devastated that, that, that, that the name Aureo Speedwagon has been, that I'm, I just can't,
I'm prevented from, from touring under that name, even though if you saw the band, you saw Aureo
Speedwagon anytime from November of 23 up until the present. You know, we did, we toured with
train last year. We toured with Rick Springfield, lover boy, night ranger. We did,
probably a hundred shows last year as Aureo Speedwagon. And those same guys, you know,
Dave Amato, who was, who took over for Gary Richrat in 1989, and it's been with me ever since,
an amazing guitar player. Great singer. You know, Brian Hitt, again, 35 year veteran of Aureo Speedwagon,
practices for hours every day. He's, his work ethic is, is something to be admired.
Still with me, man, stuck with me through this thing. Derek Killan, who joined us when, when
Neil Dowdy, a, a Minneapolis guy retired. Still with me. And Matt Bisonette, it came off at 12
years without John, and joined up with us when, when Bruce Holland, I had a, had a, takes some time
off for back surgery. And something happened, man, something, there was just a chemistry between
this band that just, um, just lifted me up. And everybody in this band feels the same way I do.
And that is, you don't rest on your past accomplishments, man. You've got to keep striving to get
better. And, and keep loving what you're doing. It's got to be brand new every night. And, you know,
I, I, I've been working with a vocal coach for the past four years, you know, because, because I
want to get better. I want the band to get better. I want the music to get better. And so,
that's the vibe, man. And, you know, it's a, you know, the Kevin Crowding band. We can't call it
R.I.O. Speedwagon, but it's the same songs, same band, new name, you know, we're at, hey, dig this,
a Treasure Island on Saturday. We're playing the whole high insinality record in sequence.
Awesome. We're playing, you know, all the hits that if we don't play them, they'll be an angry mob
waiting for us to revise, you know, roll the change. It's time for me to fly. I can't fight this
feeling right in this drama. Keep pushing all all that stuff. It's just a, it's a, it's a, it's an
80s style rock and roll party Saturday night at Treasure Island. And, um, and the Kevin Crowding
band is going to keep that R.I.O. Speedwagon energy going. And, you know, if people want to experience
an R.I.O. Speedwagon concert, then come to see the Kevin Crowding band because that's what we're
doing. It's just under a new name. Hey, so many people are talking about it. So they're really
excited, Kevin. This is, uh, this is going to be fantastic. So we're looking forward to it.
It's Saturday night. We've got the, uh, the link on our website. So folks, you want to get tickets.
I got another pair of tickets. I'm going to give away yet this morning. So be listening for that.
One more thing before I let you go, Kevin. And this is totally unrelated to music. But since,
since you, you know, you said you're an honest guy and you like to do this every day, I put a question
on for our listeners to answer. Today's was when you're at a, when you're driving, you got a
car in front of you. You're stopped at a red light when it turns green and they don't move.
How long do you wait before you honk the horn to let them know they need to get going?
Well, I'll tell you what, you know, I've, I've been known to, uh, to, to daydream a little
at stoplights myself. So you're the guy. So I've got, well, you know, well, I give people
the benefit of the doubt. There you go. Sometimes it's, it's, it's your apparent and, and your,
and your, your return to the text to your kid or something like that. So I, I give it a few
seconds, but, you know, there's a, there is a limit to, you know, to, that where people need to be
mindful of what's going on around them. And if I, if I, if I see someone that's just totally
gone, you know, in another place, I'll, you know, I'll tap the horn, but I'm not one of these
guys that's going to lean on it. And, you know, and then, and then, you know, pass the car and
give them the finger as I go by. That's why I like to hear good man. Good man. Yeah, you're going to,
if it cycles, if it cycles through to the next green light, then you're going to have to give them
a little to it and let them know. There you go. Yeah. Okay. If that's a case, I, I might like
interrupt behind it, like give them a little, a little touch. There you go. All right. Kevin
Cronin Saturday night, the Kevin Cronin band is going to be a Treasure Island casino in Red Wing.
It's going to be so much fun. Just stoked up for it tomorrow night. It's going to be so much fun.
Kevin, I appreciate the time. This was, and again, I'm totally serious. This is, this was just,
this is on my bucket list to talk to somebody that was, that I was such a huge fan of from,
from, you know, back in my younger years and college years, that this is just, uh,
this has been really exciting. So thanks again, Kevin. Thank you very much. You got it, brother.
We'll see you Saturday. Bye bye now.
