1000 Clowns

Kevi has many beliefs, one of which is: If a person must get up in the morning, he had better enjoy what he’s getting up to do. That said, Kevi– trust us on this one–most assuredly enjoys what he’s doing. He is, without doubt, having some serious fun.

Another one of Kevi’s beliefs is: Having fun alone is fun, but having fun with friends is double the fun. Welcome to the world of Kevi, Anita, and Michelle. Three distinct personalities. One universally twisted sound. That’s the 1000 Clowns way.

Based in Los Angeles, 1000 Clowns came to the attention of Elektra Records during one of their rare live performances. As an effervescent trio, 1000 Clowns had played a total of four dates, all at the Viper Room. Within months of being discovered, work began on Freelance Bubblehead, their funked-up debut.

Freelance Bubblehead combines the wickedly quirky attitude of Deee-Lite with the soulful merriment of De La Soul, the wacky reality of Cibo Matto and the intense vibeology of Roy Ayers. It’s an inventive merging of sounds and influences that is as frothy as it is deep.

Says Kevi, “I wanted the album to be an amalgamation of all the music that influenced me growing up, and rap and hip-hop were definitely in my world. But I will say that when I first started working on my songs, people were always telling me that no one would be into it. They either found the music too fun, or they found me too happy- go- lucky. I was always told, ‘If you’re gonna use elements of rap, you have to be tough.’ They said: ‘You can’t rap about a Catnobody raps about a Cat.’ Basically, everyone was telling me to not be myself. And all I wanted to do was be myself.”

Freelance Bubblehead was co-produced by Kevi and Mr. Pao, in conjunction with a mighty handful of alternative heavyweights: Carl Stephenson, the man behind Forest For The Trees and co- producer of Beck’s first album, including the single, “Loser”; Mickey P., who has worked with Beck, Dandy Warhols and Moby; Danny Saber, whose credits include the Rolling Stones, Happy Mondays, and Black Grape; and Mario Caldato of Beastie Boys fame.

Lyrically, Freelance Bubblehead is truly an autobiographical journey. “Of course, as a writer, I do embellish,” says Kevi, grinning. Over the course of 12 tracks, Kevi, Anita, and Michelle cover a variety of topics (and then some), ranging from: a lost kitten (“Kitty Kat Max”), the best city in the world (“I Love NY”), “picking up” after one’s puppy (“Pug”), bodily scents (“Everybody Smells So Different”), and AIDS (“Pretty Liar”). The albums first single “(Not The) Greatest Rapper” which wistfully captures the worlds greatest crush.

Born and raised in Philadelphia– where he listened to Run- DMC, Schooly D, Roxanne Shante, and yes, Bruce Springsteen. Kevi attended Bennington College in Vermont where he majored in Theater and Sculpture. Upon graduating, he moved to Los Angeles, where he currently resides. “I moved there because it’s the entertainment capital of the world or something like that.”

Assembling the lively cast of 1000 Clowns was easy. “Basically, if you lived near me, or were my friend, then you could be in my band. Mr. Pao lived downstairs from me. He told me he was a club DJ, I asked him if he wanted to be in my band. He said, ‘O.K.’ And then I was looking for wholesome, intelligent, fun girls to be my singers. I wanted them to be sexy, but not slutty. My thought was this: if I got fresh, intelligent and wholesome girls, they would be sexy because of their wholesomeness and not because of breast implants– which neither of them have. Anyway, my friend Yvonna introduced me to her sisters Anita and Michelle. When I met them, I said, “Do you want to be in my band?’ and they were, like. ‘Sure. O.K.’”

Now, about the name. Kevi had rented the ’60s film, “A Thousand Clowns,” and it occurred to him that would be the perfect name for a band. Recalls Kevi, “When I first moved out here, everybody was like, ‘I’m a producer. I’ll put you in my movie.’ Or ‘I’m a director, I’m an executive, I control the whole industry.’ All these people were actually assistants or whatever. They all had fancy business cards. I was so inundated with these cards that I had one made that said ‘Professional Shepard.’ I would tell people,’ I have my own flock, but I freelance.’ Don’t get me wrong, though. I love it out here. But it really is the city of 1000 Clowns.”