Forget Washington, D.C.-Kenin is a Duke band, through and through. Kenin was born in the frat section of the former Kappa Sigma, and nurtured by the vast network of Dukies who love great music and old friends. The band might have evolved, trading one guitarist for another, moving the base of operations from Durham to D.C., but the spirit is the same-the spirit is all Duke. Kenin is how Duke dreams.
During the day you go to poli sci lecture, physics recitation. At night you wish you could do what you love. Play in a band, start a record label. Kenin doesn't just dream anymore, though.
By day Devin McGaughey, Trinity '03, works for a non-profit environmental group. By night he beats the bongos. By day Sean Gaiser, Trinity '02, is a private tutor. By night he croons to sold-out crowds. Bassist Tommy Bullough is an independent filmmaker; guitarist Mike Erickson works at an architecture firm.
Not that the dual lives aren't taking their toll. Making a band work is more than just an exercise in musical talent; it's a business venture.
"Since graduating it's definitely been a tough thing to get a hold of, because we moved to a large city with a lot of bands in it and no real idea what we were doing," says McGaughey. "We knew we wanted to play shows and record albums and sell them."
At first, Kenin tried to go it completely solo, booking gigs between company meetings and promoting themselves through any avenues they could find. As the shows came faster, they added a booking agent and "press guy," McGaughey says.
"The next step for us is to get some sort of management figure in place or to start making enough money to quit our jobs."
Surprisingly, that's exactly how big Kenin dreams, with a sprinkling of practicality mixed in. "I think ideally we'd like this venture to be our future," McGaughey says. "I don't think any of us can think of anything better than to be able to tour full time-and make enough money to be able live a normal life."
But gigs and tours can only take you so far. Some time in 2004, Kenin knew it was time to put out an album. They'd had some offers here and there, but, says McGaughey, "we didn't want to lose control." In the summer of 2004, the band decided together to form a record label and market the disc privately.
Enter Justin Fishkin, Trinity '01, another Kappa Sig who had made a pretty penny as an i-banker post-college. Looking for some business expertise, Kenin tapped Fishkin as a partner in the band's newest project: Holster Records.
The idea was simple: start a label to put out Kenin's first full-length album, Just Another Blast; find other bands caught between the beat and the biz; invite them along for the ride. McGaughey describes it as a label "co-op." Fishkin is a little more technical.
"[Each band] will share equity on the label, and in exchange each band is going to share equity in the other bands," he explains. If Kenin is flyering cars for an upcoming show, says Fishkin, why not put some other band on the back of that flyer? In exchange, these other bands can talk about Kenin, book gigs with Kenin, spread the word, share the love.
"It's about bands helping each other as a coalition and inviting other bands to be part of that coalition," says Fishkin.
Already, Holster has a handful of other bands committed to the joint venture. And for Fishkin, it's the label that has no limits for the artists involved. "If one day their dreams of being a musician don't work out, there's this company that they had a part in building."
As for Kenin's debut? 2,500 copies sold.
And the gigs, they keep coming. Since opening at D.C.'s 9:30 club in July 2004, Kenin has played the venue four times. The band has scored a promotional partnership with Ralph Lauren's new Rugby line, playing a show at the New York store Oct. 8. The boys are regulars at the Joyce, and throughout the Triangle, tapping into their Duke fan base.
Still, despite what seems like a natural in with the Carolinas, one venue has eluded Kenin's grasp: the nationally revered Cat's Cradle. One of the few legit rock homes in the Southeast, the Cradle has its pick of bands. After three years of "no thanks" from the Cradle managers, Kenin finally got their shot from the mutual back-scratch mentality that launched their record label.
"There's this funny little pocket of regional bands who all know each other," says McGaughey. "Virginia Coalition is way at the top of that; they're really big."
So when Kenin heard that Virginia Coalition-who they'd met at various other gigs-was in the Cradle's fall lineup, they decided to leverage their Duke appeal to score the opening slot.
"We got this show just by e-mailing them and saying 'that's our market, we'd love to play with you guys there.'"
Tonight for the first time, the Cradle will welcome North Carolina's hometown boys home. And the rest of us will be watching, wondering how far a couple of Duke kids with a dream can go.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.