My Worst Gig: Kevin Long Used to Drink and Play Waterslide Parks . . .

Peggy O'Neill

Every once in a while here at Reverb, we get the idea to ask musicians about the worst gig they ever played. This week, our guest is Kevin Long, a singer/songwriter who grew up in Spokane but now calls Seattle home. The 27-year-old recently released his first album, recorded with Grammy-winning producer Kory Kruckenberg, titled Small Town Talk. You can stream the record in full (and of course, purchase it) at Bandcamp.

Long counts opening for "idols" Damien Jurado and Dave Bazan as among his best shows, but . . .

"Before I quit drinking, I had some real train-wreck performances. I think I broke two strings in one night somehow. I've played at plenty of places where nobody listened to me, too. Funny/interesting places I've played? A waterslide park. A hardware store grand opening. Both of those places paid well, at least."

Kevin Long plays Columbia City Theater on Saturday, July 9 with Sean McGrath and Noah Gundersen. The show starts at 9 p.m. and tickets are $8.

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