LATEST NEWS

7-24-10
--July has been an extremely difficult month for the Renick family, with the legendary Annabelle Renick and patriarch Mark Renick Jr. now having moved on to the next realm. Kevin has been pouring his emotion and energy into rehearsals for upcoming gigs and some new songs, including "Song of Longing," "Talking To Myself," "The Road to 87" and a few still-being-written numbers that don't have titles yet. A finished new one called "The Ballad of Gerald Corlington," will be shared with director James Roberson soon when Kevin meets with him in Springfield to try get the director's approval of a song written for his film, "In the Interest of National Security."

--It's all but confirmed that Kevin Renick and Friends will be performing at the 4th annual Play: St. Louis festival to be held in the Loop area Sept. 17-19. Look for a listing on either the 18th or 19th; we'll announce it here when finalized.

--There are now three 5-star reviews of Close To Something Beautiful at the CD Baby site. You can check them out here, and by all means, ORDER the CD if you don't have a copy yet!  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/kevinrenick2

--This year marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird, one of the greatest novels ever written. Both the book and the movie were beloved by everyone in Kevin's family, and Kevin counts the latter as one of his favorite films of all time. Early in 2009, Kevin had the privilege of interviewing Mary Badham, who played Scout in the film, and his mother went along as a guest. Here is a link to the article Kevin wrote, published on Playback:STL's website:  http://www.playbackstl.com/art-interviews/8437-keeping-the-mockingbird-alive--mary-badham-recalls-qscoutq

--Here's a German blog that reviews five worthy film soundtracks, including (of course), Up in the Air:
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.film.de/news/Top-5-der-Woche-Soundtracks-1&ei=47EhTJ_4EYvmnAf7ntxS&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CCEQ7gEwBDiKBQ&prev=/search%3Fq=kevin%2Brenick%26start=650%26hl=en%26client=gmail%26sa=N%26rls=gm

--It's not often that Kevin expects to be paired with Elliot Smith in ANY context, or to be referred to as a "shiny object" along with him. But this Portuguese piece about "Up in the Air" does just that:
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=pt&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fseesawseen.blogs.sapo.pt%2F

--Russian fans have alot to say about "Up in the Air" here:  http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ru&u=http://www.kinopoisk.ru/level/1/film/464130/ord/rating/status/good/perpage/10/&ei=a9wrTKG9K8LknAfb2J23CQ&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDsQ7gEwAjge&prev=/search%3Fq=kevin%2Brenick%26start=30%26hl=en%26sa=N%26tbo=1%26tbs=qdr:w

--A terrific Italian review of the UITA soundtrack (a bit rough in the translation in spots) spends an entire paragraph discussing Kevin's song, and includes a quote from Jason Reitman:  http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=it&u=http://www.alphabetcity.it/index.php/com/articolo/id/4324/up-in-the-air---music-from-the-motion-picture&ei=StYxTM_gMI2inQfEpIXgAw&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CFIQ7gEwCDgU&prev=/search%3Fq=kevin%2Brenick%26start=20%26hl=en%26sa=N%26tbo=1%26tbs=qdr:w

--A flattering German review of UITA has a generous discussion of the music and uses the phrase "but still topped by Kevin Renick" when discussing the tunes by Dan Auerbach and Sad Brad Smith, also calling the use of the song "an absolute coup." Like, wow! Again, there are translation issues, to say the least, but you can follow the bulk of the discussion without too much trouble:  http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.critic.de/film/up-in-the-air-1985/&prev=/search%3Fq=kevin%2Brenick%26start=30%26hl=en%26sa=N%26tbo=1%26tbs=qdr:w&rurl=translate.google.com&twu=1&usg=ALkJrhisGyskgBUZIpONYCIUwmc4Us0fHg

--There were SO many reviews of UITA around the world, that it would've been pointless to include them all on this site. But these three that we missed before are well worth taking note of. A site called "Ron's Popcorn Reviews" chose the film as Best of 2009, bar none: http://www.ronspopcornreviews.com/apps/blog/show/2461860-year-in-review-the-best-and-worst-of-2009
Later in the same piece, Ron also chooses the UITA soundtrack as Best Compilation Soundtrack, "without a doubt" he says. Thanks, Ron! Next, an exceptionally intelligent blogger writes about UITA as a "Futurism opus" here:
http://criticalblows.wordpress.com/2010/01/04/upintheair/
Finally, we thank Darrel Manson from the Hollywood Jesus website for his strong UITA review which notes that "There is a small reward for those who stay around for the closing credits." We agree, Darrel...good of you to mention it:  http://www.hollywoodjesus.com/DVDDetail.cfm/i/BAEB157F-0AF9-5BF9-DC24A02DABCBF4AD/ia/5A1A332B-BFCD-4F22-2AF7C1A93F0A5359

7-09-10
--We're sad to report the death of Kevin's father, Mark A. Renick Jr., yesterday morning at Bethesda-Dilworth. He'd been struggling for quite a while from the effects of a stroke and a more recent respiratory infection. Mark was a well-liked man known for his interest in photography, nature, classical music and history. He was also an amazing carpenter and handyman. He passed away just three weeks shy of his 89th birthday. He'll be greatly missed.

6-24-10
--With no shows for a while after the successful Pieta Brown opening slot (which went very well, by the way, and kudos to the superb sound system and staff at the Old Rock House), Kevin has been finishing up some new songs and working out arrangements for others. Almost ready for their live closeup now are titles such as "The Love Store" (a Roxy Music meets the Stray Cats kinda thing), the melancholy "Out of Town" (a set of introspective lyrics Kevin seems fairly proud of), "On My Last Day" (an honest-to-God bluegrass song), "The Kaylee Song" (a warm tribute to Kaylee Holt, the uniquely gifted and vibrant offspring of Annalise Raziq who graduated from high school recently), and the rockin', upbeat "The Box It Comes In," which Kevin co-wrote with Ted. There is certainly no shortage of material to choose from for the upcoming August gigs!

--Two more blogs feature the lyrics to "Up in the Air" and the author's favorable comment. First up is Holly Gruntner's personal take:   http://staygoldponyboy88.blogspot.com/2010/06/up-in-air.html  You rule, Holly! Then, thanks to the wonders of Google Translate, you can check out the Chinese blog "Michelle's little corner of the world," which also digs the song: http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=zh-TW&u=http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/michelle-corner&ei=wCQaTOj3NY2qNtHVlMoF&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CEMQ7gEwBDge&prev=/search%3Fq=kevin%2Brenick%26start=30%26hl=en%26sa=N%26tbo=1%26tbs=qdr:w

--A last.FM user apparently in Japan has Kevin listed as one of his/her top artists for June for the song "Close To Something Beautiful." That's terrific...if only this sort of thing could be duplicated elsewhere! Maybe in time?

--The Kirkwood High School Class of '75 is holding their reunion this weekend, June 25-26. If conditions are right, Kevin will play a few songs there, including the spontaneously written new tune "High School Reunion." But there are pressing questions, such as, will Laura Tilley be there? (She unwittingly inspired an entire section of Kevin's autobiographical writing collection, SELF.) What about Lisa Wills? And how many of the guys will have beer bellies or gray hair? Ah, but there were so many wondrous memories from Kirkwood High, and Kevin wrote at least a dozen songs there, though none are on his current setlists.

6-12-10
--Despite coming down with a bad cold, Kevin did indeed make his debut in New York, with Ted Moniak, on June 6 at Bar On A. The small crowd was appreciative, and the venue's booker, Dee Dee, was especially gracious and kind, telling the duo they could definitely play there again. New York is filled with venues of all types, and the boys plan to return next year, for sure.

--Some years back, Kevin and Ted co-wrote a song about oil spills called "Black On Blue." With the unprecedented disaster in the Gulf, (dis)courtesy of BP, Kevin pulled this song out from the archives, added a couple of lines, spruced up the arrangement and made it part of the current song playlist. The song cries out for a YouTube video, and the boys are mapping out a strategy for this. They'd like to solicit help from any amateur videographers to make this come about. The video would be something simple and stark--Ted already has a pretty good idea. If you are a filmmaker/videographer and would be willing to work gratis on this project, please contact Kevin at kevin@kevinrenick.com or call 314/368-3637.

--Tonight is Kevin's first appearance opening for a national touring act, that being singer/songwriter Pieta Brown at the Old Rock House in St. Louis. Hope some of you will be able to attend this sure-to-be-interesting gig. Details here:
http://oldrockhouse.com/pieta-brown/

--The sea in a small folder of splim. No, that's not some weird reference to the oil spill, it's the apparent title of a Korean blog about the UITA soundtrack. In this poorly translated but flattering piece, Kevin is referred to as "the hero of the recording." Nice! You can read this blog here:
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ko&u=http://splim.tistory.com/852&ei=QJsTTMz0J6bgM4SrhakL&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAgQ7gEwADjmAQ&prev=/search%3Fq=kevin%2Brenick%26start=230%26hl=en%26sa=N

--Oh, that wacky, wacky internet. A Subaru advertising site of some sort, inexplicably contains a list of links to "Kevins," or accomplishments by various guys named Kevin. Thus, you get Kevin Costner on a solution to the oil spill, Kevin Smith's filmmaking, and of course, Kevin Renick singing UITA. Nothing new here, we just think this sort of juxtaposition weirdness should be noted: http://wrx-sti-blog.ru/index.php?key=Kevins

--A low-key, casual performance of Kevin's version of "Up in the Air" from the Greenville show on May 9 is posted here:
http://www.jotpix.com/vyt.aspx?yy=e1AOfcpU_f0

--Last FM is a wonderful music site where fans can share what they are listening to and encourage other listeners to check out various artists. Here's a link to a Spanish sector of the site where lots of folks are listening to "Up in the Air" apparently. Gracias, you guys!
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://www.lastfm.es/music/Kevin%2BRenick/%2Blisteners&ei=a5kTTLzbKYXqNcP4vKcL&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CBkQ7gEwBDiWAQ&prev=/search%3Fq=kevin%2Brenick%26start=150%26hl=en%26sa=N

5-29-10
--The opportunity to perform outside St. Louis has been one of Kevin's hopes all along, and since he has been planning a trip to New York City for a while, his troops have been working on securing any kind of gig there for this June excursion. So, the good news is, a small establishment called Bar On A, located at 170 Avenue A at the corner of 11th and A, has said yes to a booking; it's scheduled for Sunday, June 6, from 6-8 p.m. The bad news is, most of Kevin's friends and associates won't be there, and it's not much advance notice for the New Yorkers in the area. Still, Kevin and Ted relish this opportunity to play in a brand new market and test their musical mettle. For more info about Bar on A: http://site.baronanewyork.com/About.html

--The ribald, distinctive drinking blog run by the one and only Al. K. Hall, has rerun the unforgettable interview with Kevin from February, featuring two photos of Kevin with Erin McGrane from his recent trip to Kansas City. If you didn't see this interview before, it's essential reading and pretty darn funny, so check it out: http://pjensi.wordpress.com/2010/05/23/reruns-the-booze-talkin-my-exclusive-interview-with-kevin-renick/

--They love it in Portugal! Here's a review of the UITA soundtrack from there:
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=pt&u=http://raining-frogs.blogspot.com/&ei=8hkATKKzB4KINqTi0Ts&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CFYQ7gEwCQ&prev=/search%3Fq=kevin%2Brenick%26hl=en%26sa=X%26tbo=1%26tbs=qdr:w

--There were tons of reviews of UITA around the world; many we linked here, many we didn't, depending on whether or not Kevin's song was mentioned. After 10 full months of coverage, this might be the last link to a UITA movie review that we include, because it's well written and because it does mention that song: http://hanagoestothemovies.com/?p=267

5-22-10
--The Greenville Advocate has published a wonderful writeup of the Mother's Day show in their May 13 edition. It's not available online, so we will feature a few quotes here for you:
     "Sunday, Renick's travels took him to Greenville, IL as he sat on The Globe Theatre stage, strumming a guitar and singing his original songs. They were a combination of touching, thoughtful tunes, with several of them having a mother theme. A few tugged at the heart as Renick told the audience about recently losing his mother and putting down some of his grieving feelings into words...There were also a few humorous songs thrown into the mix, including 'I'm Sorry' (sic). Appearing with Renick was Annalise Raziq, a Chicago-based singer and musician. She has been vocalist with the band Nobody Nobody Sent. The harmonies and solo singing of the two sounded very good. Raziq also contributed kazoo playing on 'I'm Sorry.'"
     "It will be fun to watch the career of Renick continue to rise. He is a very genuine person who has wonderful stories to tell through his songs. I hope he is able to return to Greenville and perform in the near future so more people get a chance to see and hear this gifted performer. While 'Up In The Air' has been a very big success, Renick still has his feet on the ground..."

--Kevin has been trying to make his CD, Close To Something Beautiful, available in as many places as practical...that now includes the two top independent record stores in St. Louis, Euclid Records and Vintage Vinyl. If you live in St. Louis, you can pick the disc up at one of these stores at a good price. Look in the "Local Music" section.

--A wonderful blog on the tumblr.com site is a virtual mini-community of fans who like UITA and Kevin's song. Go here to read all sorts of comments from fans and bloggers:   http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/kevin+renick

--The latest issue of Webster World, the Webster University publication, features a paragraph about Kevin's UITA adventure. Read it here:   http://www.webster.edu/websterworld/2010/spring/news.shtml

--KDHX-FM radio in St. Louis has been playing "Read A Book," one of Kevin's songs from the CD. Special thanks to Fred Friction, Rob Levy and any of the other great DJs on the station who have taken notice of the disc. Support them by visiting KDHX.org and checking out their stellar programming!

5-19-10
--A video of Kevin and Annalise Raziq performing "The Sorry Song" at the Songwriter's Showcase in Greenville is now posted on YouTube. You can watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kwWXt9lZtY

--Some things are definitely worth noting here. Radio 1 in Czechoslovakia included "Up in the Air" on their playlist the week of March 16. Kevin was thrilled to find out his song shared airspace with cool artists like Hot Chip, Beck and U2! Here's the list for the show that night:

:: Playlist 16.3.2010
Bjelleklang - Rod Rod Vin
The Dodos - This is a Business
RE:JAZZ - People Hold On
Dick Dale and the Dell Tones - Misirlou
N.O.H.A. - Dejalo
Assalti Frontali and Zubz - Movement
Beastie Boys - Triple Trouble
Bent - To Be Loved
Bad Brothers - Love I never Had it so good
Hot Chip - One Life Stand
Gong Gong - Coline

Tunng - Hustle
Beth Orton - Shopping Trolley
Fiordmoss - Tigermy
Digit All Love - Po Co Sie Budza Pragnienia Szalone
The Notwist - Pick Up The Phone
Charlotte Gainsgourg - Master´s Hand
Chumbawamba - Wagner At The Opera
Eric Serra + Diva Dance - Aria from "Lucia di Lammermoor" (Fifth Element soundtrack)
Basta Fidel - Drunk in Bass
Andels - Hold On
Fun Lovin´Criminals - Mars
Outkast - Morris Brown
Jason Webley - Icarus

Amanda Palmer - Oasis
Arcade Fire - No Cars Go
Parov Stelar - Coco
Sweet Trip - Misfortunes Are Cruel)
Robert Smith - Very Good Advice
Kevin Renick - Up In The Air
Beck - Everybody´s gotta Learn Sometimes
NIN - Burn
Tindersticks - She Rode Me Down
5Nizza - Ja s toboj
U2 - With or Without You

--Also in March, a blogger who writes a column titled "Girls Gone Child" had  nice things to say about the "Up in the Air' tune. Here's a link to her piece:
http://www.girlsgonechild.net/search/label/mix%20tape?updated-max=2010-03-09T20%3A13%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=5

--Deep searching of Google always seems to turn up new reviews or blogs of UITA that have something to say about Kevin's song. Here's an article from Italy:
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:Tz21YaNu-M0J:www.settimopotere.com/index.php%3Foption=com_content%26task=view%26id=1648%26Itemid=58+kevin+renick&cd=474&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

And here's a cool one from Hungary:
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=it&u=http://www.alphabetcity.it/index.php%3Fcom=articolo%26id=4324&ei=24vyS-aiKJLIM9_K8fgN&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAgQ7gEwADiSBA&prev=/search%3Fq=kevin%2Brenick%26start=530%26hl=en%26sa=N

And yet another one from Portugal, where UITA was apparently released as "Love Without Scales." Hmm, scales? Anyway, they were sweet on the song.
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=pt&u=http://www.opperaa.com/232-clooney-e-um-viajante-solitario-em-amor-sem-escalas.html&ei=24vyS-aiKJLIM9_K8fgN&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CBsQ7gEwAziSBA&prev=/search%3Fq=kevin%2Brenick%26start=530%26hl=en%26sa=N

--Kevin is always pleased to meet other musicians heading down the uncertain path towards self-realization, productivity, networking and artistic communication. Lots of very talented folks out there. Singer/songwriter Ryan Kirby crossed paths with Kevin at a workshop and impressed him tremendously. Ryan will join Kevin and friends at their show at The Grove Deli on May 28; he's worth taking note of, for sure.

--Life gets weird for Kevin at times. He apparently had a sleepless night a few evenings ago, got up in the wee hours, wrote a complete new song called "Damn! You're Beautiful!" that he describes as a lilting rocker with a textured chorus, and went right back to bed. No junk food consumed during this...

5-14-10
--The Songwriter's Showcase on Mother's Day that Kevin performed with Annalise Raziq was a big success. Kudos to Craig Baumberger and Erin O'Toole and their many helpers, for a well-run production and a terrific sound system that allowed Kevin to create the intimate bond with the audience that he always strives for. The set list included several songs Kevin decided to perform for the very first time, including "The Letters They Wrote" and the nostalgic narrative "The Horse on the Old Brown Card." The second half of the show featured Matt O'Toole, Erin's brother, who is an exceptionally gifted songwriter, and had a small but memorable role in Up In The Air. Kevin hopes to return for an encore Showcase someday soon.

--Kevin has now signed on the dotted line, so to speak, to write a closing song for the documentary film In The Interest of National Security. This hard-hitting look at the history of U.S. Agricultural policy is being directed by Springfield, MO-based filmmaker James Roberson. To learn more about the film, visit the website at  http://www.intheinterestofnationalsecurity.com/info.html.

--It's always flattering when someone covers one of your songs, but the delicate, unique approach taken by the female Australian artist who performs as "Stray Thread" with her cover of "Up in the Air" is really something special. Check out her highly individual, achingly emotive YouTube performance here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrLcwwhiQyc&feature=related

--The Planet Vinyl blog has a short review of the UITA soundtrack here:  http://planetvinyl.blogspot.com/

--We overlooked this review of UITA from March from the Hoopla website, which has favorable comments about both the film and the song:  http://hoopla.nu/films/up-in-the-air/up-in-the-air.html

--A partial transcript from one of the interviews Kevin did in Japan can be read here:
http://msn.gaba.co.jp/star/vol41/e_script03.html

--Kevin has always been thrilled and flattered to receive emails from around the world from people sharing their responses to "Up in the Air." Deserving special mention is a memorable email from "Catherine" in South Africa. She writes:

5-05-10
--At last! The debut CD, Close To Something Beautiful, is available for purchase digitally or as a regular CD, from cdbaby.com. Order up, friends, and write us some positive reviews if you like what you hear! Just go here to order: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/kevinrenick2

--Kevin was invited to the set of Wolfgang Lehmkuhl's upcoming short film Scratcher on May 2. Lehmkuhl had the idea of getting the film's star, renowned St. Louis musician Bob Reuter, together with Kevin for the possibility of the two artists collaborating on a song for the project. The freewheeling atmosphere at the south city location did indeed generate creative vibes, so Bob and Kevin began messing around with their guitars, and some productive things happened. Looks like there may be a Renick/Reuter composition in the works for this film, if Lehmkuhl likes the final result. For more about the director's work, here's a link to his site: http://www.wolfganglehmkuhl.com/

--A spree of mad energy has resulted in Kevin commencing work on 3 or 4 songs at the same time. Almost finished are new songs "I'm Gone" (a Dylan-esque narrative) and a somber yet lilting tune probably called "Out of Town." Still being developed: "You in Your Purple Dress" and a rousing song likely to be titled "Care of Mine."

--A Wikio page about the Up In The Air soundtrack features the lyrics to Kevin's song, and a whole batch of positive fan comments about the song. You can read them here:  http://www.wikio.com/article/air-entire-soundtrack-lyrics-movie-clooney-156398689

--Wisconsin college student Kevin Mahoney wrote a nice review of "Up in the Air" that mentions Kevin's song; you can read it here:   http://wudfilmreview.com/2010/04/26/up-in-the-air-2009/

--Numerous Asian bloggers have posted their thoughts about UITA, and while much is "lost in translation" in these essays, they are certainly worth reading. Here are a couple more of them, the first from Korea, the second from Japan:
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ko&u=http://splim.tistory.com/852&ei=itfaS8egOITWNu7y9Ho&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CE0Q7gEwAA&prev=/search%3Fq=kevin%2Brenick%26hl=en%26sa=X%26tbo=1%26tbs=qdr:d

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://kedama7movie.blog43.fc2.com/blog-date-20100502.html&ei=r4vgS8CFCYfOM9K_ib0H&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CGwQ7gEwBzgU&prev=/search%3Fq=kevin%2Brenick%26start=20%26hl=en%26sa=N%26tbo=1%26tbs=qdr:w

4-26-10
--The first full band performance by Kevin Renick & Friends, featuring Ted Moniak on bass, Larry Perlmutter on drums, and Angelo Shaw on sax, took place at the Hwy 61 Roadhouse and Kitchen on April 23. It was a great success, and the restaurant was full. The band rocked madly, Kevin broke a record four guitar strings, and he also debuted a funky new song called "Promise Man" which went over very well. What fun!

--Sincere thanks go out to American Airlines and specifically the C.R. Smith Museum, who invited Kevin and sidekick Ted Moniak to play at their "Administrative Professionals Day" gathering in Dallas on April 21. Kevin wrote a special song just for this event, "Hats Off to the AA Administrative Pro." American Airlines has been a crucial, supportive part of the entire Up in the Air adventure.

--For those of you wishing to see Kevin and his special guest Annalise Raziq perform at the Songwriter's Showcase in Greenville, Illinois on May 9, here is a link to more information about the event, as well as a map to get there:
http://www.semoevents.com/greenville-il/events/show/112976925-kevin-renick-and-matthew-otoole-at-songwriters-showcase-in-greenville-il
Kevin will do roughly an hour of original material, including a few Mother's Day-themed tunes. The event will apparently be recorded...stay tuned for details regarding that. Hope some of you can make it to this unique performance!

--Kaylee Holt wrote a wonderful blog about Kevin's CD, with a link to the song "Janey." You can read the blog here:
http://goodnightdearest.tumblr.com/post/512393884/janey-by-kevin-renick-kevin-apart-from-being#disqus_thread

--A blog called "It's more than just an addiction," which appears to be coffee-centric, has some nice things to say about the "Up in the Air" song. Check it out:
http://twocupsofcoffee.wordpress.com/2010/04/04/when-you-are-up-in-the-air/#comments

--Look for an announcement next month about a special house party to be held sometime this summer at the home of Leslie Elpers, an energetic gal who has been an instrumental part of the KRAF adventure lately. In fact, Kevin wants the readership to know that he and the band are DEFINITELY available for private parties of all sorts, so get in touch if that's something you are interested in!

4-09-10
--Excerpts from one of the TV interviews Kevin did during his stay in Japan, have now appeared on the net and in several YouTube videos. Courtesy of SankeiUp, here are 3 segments you can watch:
(Part 1 of Sankei interview from Tokyo premiere)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5T23nV_9A4Q&feature=related

(Part 2 of Sankei interview)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkeLd0-lU7M&feature=channel

(Part 3 of Sankei interview)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5u_BKbfGXdM&feature=channel

--Time Out Japan has a piece about UITA, with a mention of Kevin's song:
http://www.timeout.jp/en/tokyo/feature/643

--Here's a Chinese blog, apparently called "Sportsman's Flight Log," which covers UITA:

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=zh-TW&u=http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/carol-enjoy/article%3Fmid=1428%26prev=1430%26next=1425&ei=-lazS5XkOZfKMJrEnYsE&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CGMQ7gEwCTge&prev=/search%3Fq=kevin%2Brenick%26start=30%26hl=en%26sa=N%26tbo=1%26tbs=qdr:w

--It has been remarkable to see the way the "Up in the Air" song has moved people around the world, and bloggers often quote the entire lyric in their posts. Here are two such posts, with the first blogger speaking with particular enthusiasm about what the song means to him. Scroll down to the April 8 post to read his words:   http://ladinlately.tumblr.com/
And the other, from a blog titled "Chua Shuyi's Portfolio": http://chuashuyi.wordpress.com/2010/03/05/up-in-the-air/

--Two years ago, Kevin collaborated with Canadian sound wizard John Sobocan on an ambient/spoken word project called "The Road to Olandra." The project was temporarily put aside when both artists had other things occupying their time, but recently John was in St. Louis to help tweak a few tracks and work on the cover art, which will likely be a photo taken by Kevin's father, Mark Renick Jr. Looks like this thing is just about finished now, and should see the light of day by the end of April. Watch this space for news of the release.

3-21-10
--Kevin says, and we quote, "My entire psyche was recalibrated after this amazing trip to Japan. The people were wonderful, the food was fantastic, and the vibe was one of continuing inspiration and wonder." He'll be blogging about it soon, he promises.

--The media coverage of the UITA premiere in Japan was intense, and there have been blogs and news items all over the web. This one features excerpts from Anna Kendrick's press conference, with Kevin's UITA song playing for part of it and a brief excerpt from Kevin's performance:

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://www.movie3mai.net/d-Zi4Hs1TgAY.html&ei=68WmS_ewAYO0tgfdg6XyCQ&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CEMQ7gEwADgK&prev=/search%3Fq=kevin%2Brenick%26start=10%26hl=en%26sa=N%26tbo=1%26tbs=qdr:d

--Mr. Sany-ya blogs about UITA and Kevin's song here, but the translation is hit or miss, though charming. Fascinating to note that the movie's title in Japanese comes out to "Mileage, My Life."

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://max1963.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2010-03-21-1&ei=IF2mS7-lAseXtgeZ2b2hCg&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CFcQ7gEwBTgo&prev=/search%3Fq=kevin%2Brenick%26start=40%26hl=en%26sa=N%26tbo=1%26tbs=qdr:w

--OK! Magazine has a March 16 entry about the premiere of the film in Tokyo, with pics of Anna Kendrick in her fetching blue frock, and one photo of Kevin performing his song:
http://www.okmagazine.com/2010/03/anna-kendrick-travels-up-in-the-air-to-tokyo/
--Here's another photo of Kevin from that same event (published in Life):
http://www.life.com/image/97746871

--Here's a Chinese blog that talks about UITA and Kevin's song:

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=zh-CN&u=http://www.chongweikk.com/&ei=GtKiS46dMYmINIrjjd4I&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=14&ved=0CGYQ7gEwDQ&prev=/search%3Fq=kevin%2Brenick%26hl=en%26sa=G%26tbo=1%26tbs=qdr:w

--A guy named Lucas Gansmoe appears to have posted a Journalism class assignment online about UITA. It's pretty interesting, and does give a shout-out to Kevin's song. Worth reading:
http://gansmoenews.blogspot.com/

--A North Dakota blogger named Marilyn shares her detailed thoughts about UITA in her "Brief Insights" blog, here:   http://briefinsights.blogspot.com/2010/03/up-in-air.html

--A Korean piece, with a problemmatical translation into English, has alot to say about the music in "Up in the Air." They seem to like Kevin's song, but...who can be sure? Read it here:

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ko&u=http://news.d.paran.com/entertainment/newsview.php%3Fdirnews=736859%26year=2010%26pg=1%26date=20100311%26dir=5&ei=1G-ZS7D9OZXkNevjlHs&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CEMQ7gEwADgK&prev=/search%3Fq=kevin%2Brenick%26start=10%26hl=en%26sa=N%26tbo=1%26tbs=qdr:d

--Kevin wrote two or three new songs on this trip to Japan, one of which was a collaboration with Ted Moniak. The only one finished so far, however, is something he is calling "A New and Better Thing," and he will try singing it for the first time at the CD release gig this Friday, March 26, at the Grove Deli.

--Joe Williams did a nice preview of Kevin's CD release gig in his March 21 column for stltoday.com. You can read it here:  http://interact.stltoday.com/blogzone/joes-movie-lounge/joes-movie-lounge/2010/03/friday-cd-release-party-for-kevin-renick-of-up-in-the-air/

3-12-10
--Kevin is off to Japan tomorrow, with sidekick Ted Moniak in tow, to help promote UITA in advance of its March 20 opening there. The junket will include performances of the song, radio and press interviews, free give-aways of a 5-song CTSB sampler Kevin prepared, and hopefully, lots of fun! Stay tuned for blog descriptions of the merriment.

--Joe Williams of the Post-Dispatch updates readers on the latest chapter of Kevin's remarkable journey.

--A very interesting blogger who writes as "RubyTwoShoes" has listed six songs that contain some of her favorite lyrical moments. Kevin is extremely flattered to be part of the list (with UITA), and the list includes Joni Mitchell, an all-time favorite, as well. Ruby...well, you GLOW, girl!

--The Spanish playlist linked here includes a bunch of cool songs, and is kind enough to refer to "Up in the Air," which makes the list, as "the perfect song to end a playlist."

--The DVD of UP IN THE AIR has been officially released, of course, generating yet another round of press reviews. All we want to know is, does Jason Reitman say anything about Kevin's song in his director's commentary? Anyone? Anyone?

--Kevin is working on a new song, tentatively titled "A Question For You." The refrain involves sliding way up the fretboard from an E minor, something the Kevster hasn't done in a song before.

3-8-10
--Kevin appeared on KSDK Channel 5 in St. Louis this morning on their 5:30-7:00 a.m. news broadcast as part of the post-Oscars coverage. Several segments were taped; you can view a couple of them here.

--A website called Showbiz Monkeys offers their own choices regarding "Best in Film for 2009." Their writers select their own nominees, then award a winner. Kevin was surprised to discover that "Up in the Air" was one of the five nominated songs, although "The Weary Kind" took the top honor. But still, that's awesome!

--The bloggers have really been kind to UITA overall. Here's another one, by blogger Susan Shuyler, devoting some attention to Kevin's song.

--Here's a Chinese website that discusses UITA and seems to have alot of enthusiastic words for Kevin's song, depending on how this translation strikes you.

3-6-10
--It can now be told officially: Kevin has been invited to come to Japan for a round of publicity preceding UP IN THE AIR's opening there on March 20. Kevin and versatile sidekick Ted Moniak will travel to Tokyo on March 13 and return to the states on March 18. They should come back with a heap of interesting stories, for sure!

--You'll all be tuned in to the Oscars this Sunday night, right? Although anything can happen, pundits are predicting that Up in the Air will win Jason Reitman an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, but probably nothing else. That's okay...you GO, Jason! And have a blast at the show and the parties after!

--A satisfying new mix of Kevin's song "About A Kiss" by R. Walt Vincent was approved, marking the completion of recording and mixing for Kevin's CD. The disc is now being mastered by Jack Petracek, and will be completely finished, except for packaging, by the end of next week. Get those pre-orders in, everyone!

2-26-10
--As expected, the feature story on Kevin written by Christian Schaeffer appears in the Feb. 24 issue of the Riverfront Times. It's a well-written, honest piece that gets the quotes right.

--Bob Kuban, legendary St. Louis musician, has written a story for the online Globe-Democrat comparing Kevin's "Up in the Air" story with the way Frankie Avalon ending up having a hit with "Venus." Hey, we love these sorts of comparisons, Bob...thank you, sir!

--We've noted previously how Japanese to English translations can garble and weird-up the story being translated. Here's an article about UITA that discusses Kevin, but have fun trying to figure out exactly what they were saying. We THINK it's flattering, but...we're just not sure!

--Here's a Polish review of UITA that devotes a paragraph to Kevin's song.

--Kevin met with artist and filmmaker James Roberson in Springfield on Feb. 24, to discuss the possibility of writing a song for his documentary In the Interest of National Security. The focus of the film is the history of farming and agribusiness in the U.S., and the meeting went well. Roberson has an informative and powerful angle on the topic and Kevin looks forward to working with him on the project.

2-22-10
AT LAST, YOU CAN NOW PRE-ORDER KEVIN RENICK'S DEBUT CD! HERE ARE THE DETAILS!
--Okay...the official pre-order phase of the release of Kevin's debut CD, Close To Something Beautiful, has begun. The cover has been designed, the mixing has been completed, and the disc is at the mastering stage.  Here are the details: This is almost entirely a homegrown recording, containing 13 songs (12 originals and one cover), and the expense of producing it was considerable, especially for a guy who is still unemployed. Those of you with deeper pockets than some have the opportunity to assist Kevin in paying for the recording, mastering and packaging costs, and to then receive extra items as a special bonus. Here are the pre-order categories:

1. $200 SPONSORSHIP
For those of generosity and means, you will receive a copy of the CD, a special DVD containing live performances of songs Kevin recorded at the Grove Deli, an additional DVD with unique videos of Kevin's songs "Close To Something Beautiful," "About A Kiss" and "Goodbye Typewriter" (or "Lost Time," if you prefer, from the YouTube video) that were filmed by Canadian artist John Sobocan, a complete set of autographed lyrics for the songs on the CD, an 8x10 autographed photo of Kevin, and a personal letter of thanks and sharing from Kevin.

2. $75 CONTRIBUTOR
You get a copy of the CD, the DVD described above with the three special videos filmed by John Sobocan, an autographed photo and a letter of thanks.

3. $15 ORDER THE CD ALONE
If you simply want the CTSB disc by itself, that's perfectly fine with us!

Each price includes all shipping costs domestically and to most foreign destinations, but please add $3 to countries in Asia, Africa or the Australian area. Please e-mail for shipping costs on multiple orders.

Thank you, everyone, for making this CD possible with your enthusiasm and support!  

 


--The weekly German magazine Die Zeit will be running a story on Kevin in their Zeit supplement on March 4. We'll post a link here if it ends up being online as well.

--The DVD and Blu-ray release of Up In The Air is officially set for March 9, two days after the Oscars.

--The UK publication The Mirror has a piece about the "10 things you need to know" about Up in the Air, and one of them is the story behind Kevin's song. Which surely everyone knows by now, right? Anyway, you can read it here.

2-18-10
--One of the best and most entertaining interviews with Kevin since the UITA adventure began appears in the humorous and irreverent "Drinking Blog: Diary-a of a Chronicle Drinker," the witty escapades of one Al K. Hall. Read it here:  http://pjensi.wordpress.com/tag/interview/
A bonus element of this amazing piece is the world premiere of Kevin's song "All I Want Is...," the first song he's decided to share from the planned album about his mother, titled Our Mother's Place. Hey Al, that's some mix of ingredients you got on your site! We'll recommend the Bar None to everyone!

--The Riverfront Times story about Kevin is definitely schedule to appear in their Feb. 24th issue.

--There's a Swedish review of UITA that mentions Kevin's song. Oh, how we wish we could speak that lovely language! Read the review here:  http://www.moviespot.se/film.asp?id=178

--Anything translated from Japanese to English ends up sounding rather disjointed and stream of consciousness, but we can't resist including this link anyway, as it's kind of fun and it does mention Kevin's song:

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=zh-CN&u=http://www.douban.com/subject/discussion/21382138/&ei=p-F1S961GcOBnQeS_6ikCQ&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CBcQ7gEwBDisAg&prev=/search%3Fq=kevin%2Brenick%2Bup%2Bin%2Bthe%2Bair%2Bsong%26hl=en%26sa=N%26start=300

2-15-10
--Last week, the Riverfront Times sent Christian Schaeffer, one of their most esteemed music writers, to interview Kevin. The resulting story should appear in next week's issue.

--The Nashville Songwriter's Association (NSAI) has invited Kevin to be a guest speaker at their St. Louis Workshop on March 8. This is truly a great opportunity to share stories and insights with fellow songwriters, and we'll share the highlights here soon as we can!

--Jackson Truax of the awardscircuit.com website has written a very positive and thorough review of the UP IN THE AIR soundtrack album. You can read it here:  http://www.awardscircuit.com/TVMusic/Music/upintheair_soundtrack.html

--Austin Cinephile has a mixed review of the movie, but the writer, Daniel Metz, insists that viewers stay through the credits so they can hear Kevin's "beautiful little song." Thanks, Daniel...we second that suggestion!  http://www.austincinephile.com/2010/01/04/id-much-rather-up-in-the-air-2009-win-an-oscar-than-precious/

--Now HERE'S something you don't see every day...a YouTube video showing you how to play one of Kevin's songs. Chris Moore, in a column called "The Laptop Sessions ," features his thoughts about the "Up in the Air" song, a transcription, and a video of him performing it. All very flattering, Chris, except for a minor problem. An E minor, to be exact. You've got the chord wrong at the end of the second line of every verse. It goes C, G, E minor, NOT C, G, C. We'll undoubtedly contact you about this soon, but thanks for the attention to the song...we're lovin' it!  http://laptopsessions.com/category/kevin-renick-songs

--And now for the second drink-centric blog site to single out the "Up in the Air" song for praise...hmm, we sense an unspoken sort of kinship developing here in cyberspace. We love that closing comment, but doggone it, can't use it in our press kit because we need a name, sir. Any name at all!  http://another-vodka-stinger.tumblr.com/post/360502436/up-in-the-air-a-beautiful-romanticization-of-my-ugly
 
--The Witness, a South African news site, has a review of UITA that mentions Kevin's song. The movie is clearing reaching the far corners of the world now, and Kevin is enjoying the resulting press ride!
http://www.witness.co.za/index.php?showcontent&global[_id]=35149

--It's difficult to keep up with all the foreign reviews of UP IN THE AIR, and we're not sure how interested most of you are...but here are google translations of three reviews that single out Kevin's song for mention. These come, respectively, from Germany, Portugal and Italy:

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.filmtauchgaenge.de/up-in-the-air/&ei=6Qd6S56jM9STnQe0oKWhCQ&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CE0Q7gEwAjge&prev=/search%3Fq=kevin%2Brenick%26hl=en%26sa=N%26tbo=1%26start=30%26tbs=qdr:w

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=pt&u=http://avidaemcenas.blogspot.com/2010/02/up-in-air.html&ei=TwV6S-vfCdD_nAe3k4C6CQ&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CFoQ7gEwBzgU&prev=/search%3Fq=kevin%2Brenick%26hl=en%26sa=N%26tbo=1%26start=20%26tbs=qdr:w

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=it&u=http://it.blogbabel.com/notizie/143946/suicida-l-ultimo-giorno-di-lavoro-l-azienda-l-aveva-messo-in-cassa-torino-la-repubblicait/&ei=TwV6S-vfCdD_nAe3k4C6CQ&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CFIQ7gEwBTgU&prev=/search%3Fq=kevin%2Brenick%26hl=en%26sa=N%26tbo=1%26start=20%26tbs=qdr:w

2-6-10
--Mixing of Kevin's CD has been finished...but some last-minute work is being done on a couple of songs by Walt Vincent in L.A. We still hope the CD will be out by late February or early March, and we will be taking pre-orders here starting next week. Stay tuned for the official announcement.

--A charming California blogger named Kate has written about Kevin and the UITA song in her current blog. It's really unique, and you can read it here:  http://justloveblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/kevin-renicks-dream-takes-flight.html

--Two more blogs that mention Kevin's song, this first one being some sort of drinker's blog or something. Hey, whatever take you have on things is fine with us, just keep talking about us!

http://pjensi.wordpress.com/

http://read-watch-listen.blogspot.com/

--An Italian writer named Marco Conti talks about Kevin in his blog. The first link it the one in Italian, followed by the English translation:

http://marcoconti.blog.deejay.it/2010/02/04/tra-le-nuvole/

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=it&u=http://marcoconti.blog.deejay.it/2010/02/04/tra-le-nuvole/&ei=QBdsS-jLLZP8Ne_h7dUE&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CA0Q7gEwAQ&prev=/search%3Fq=marco%2Bconti%2Band%2Bkevin%2Brenick%26hl=en

--Here's a link to a German article (translated) that talks about UITA and Kevin's song:

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.critic.de/filme/detail/film/up-in-the-air-1985.html&ei=3cBpS9LPB8GxngeGyKXBBw&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CCoQ7gEwCDiYAg&prev=/search%3Fq=kevin%2Brenick%2Bup%2Bin%2Bthe%2Bair%2Bsong%26hl=en%26sa=N%26start=280

--Congratulations to the UP IN THE AIR crew for garnering six Oscar nominations on Feb. 2. Those are for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Clooney), two for Best Supporting Actress (Vera Farmigan and Anna Kendrick), and Best Adapted Screenplay. Good luck, gang, on March 7!

1-30-10
--A few new videos have been posted on YouTube. There are two different versions of Kevin's new song "Goodbye, Typewriter"...a grainy b&w live version from the Wine Press, and a decent version filmed in Kevin's living room by John Sobocan. Both feature Ted Moniak. Here's the better link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAwiwBQJyAg
At the Wine Press show, which Kevin was invited to guest at by Harmony (Jim Ford and Steve Galati), Kevin sang lead on Neil Young's "Mr. Soul," and that performance can be seen here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5npJCPQA25Y&feature=related

--Despite being ill, Kevin did some more mixing work with Mike Martin on the debut CD Friday night. It resulted in the completion of 8 tracks, with just 4 or 5 remaining to be mixed. The release of the CD is getting closer!

--Kevin's musical hero Neil Young has been honored this Grammy weekend with a star-studded tribute honoring Neil as MusiCares Person of the Year. You can read the AP story about Neil here:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100130/ap_en_ot/us_music_grammys_neil_young
Neil is quoted as saying, after looking at classy oldster Tony Bennett, "All right, I can do this. I'm going to keep on going, and I hope you do, too." Words to live by, even in tough times...

1-27-10
--Kevin will be speaking to an Associated Press reporter today about his UITA experience. This could result in a rather widespread blast of publicity, so it's a pretty exciting new development! Stay tuned for updates.

--The affable and upbeat blog "Marshall and the Movies" has a fresh interview with Kevin posted on their site. You can read it here: http://marshallandthemovies.com/2010/01/27/kevinrenickinterview/

--William Coffey, a movie buff, has posted his favorites in every 2009 category on Facebook. For Best Original Song, he lists:
1. “Take It All” by Marion Cotillard, Nine
2. “I Can See in Color” by Mary J. Blige, Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire
3. “The Weary Kind” by Ryan Bingham, Crazy Heart
4. “Friends on the Other Side” by Keith David, The Princess and the Frog
5. “Cinema Italiano” by Kate Hudson, Nine
6. “All is Love” by Karen O. & The Kids, Where the Wild Things Are
7. “You’ve Got Me Wrapped Around Your Little Finger” by Beth Rowley, An Education
8. “Almost There” by Anika Noni Rose, The Princess and the Frog
9. “Up in the Air” by Kevin Renick, Up in the Air
10. “Time for Miracles” by Adam Lambert, 2012
We appreciate being part of that list, Sir William. Thanks!

--Danny King has also blogged about songs from the year, discussing the plethora of "impressive original songs," including Kevin's. You can read his piece here:
http://thekingbulletin.blogspot.com/2010/01/year-of-original-song.html

--Beth von Behren, a former classmate of Kevin's from their days at Webster University, has written an "Opinion Shaper" column for the St. Louis Suburban Journals, with the title "The pursuit of creativity at mid-life." It's a nice little article with a slightly different take on Kevin's saga; you can read it here:
http://suburbanjournals.stltoday.com/articles/2010/01/26/west/opinion/0127wc-opshaper0.txt

--Thanks to everyone who attended the standing-room-only crowd at The Grove Deli on the 22nd for the latest Kevin and Friends show. It was a fun evening with many new faces. It seems like a long time ago, fall of 2008 to be precise, that KRAF made their debut at this distinctive little Webster Groves eatery, and we're grateful to owner Jason Henry for allowing the musical merriment to continue there.

--Although Kevin's first CD is currently wrapping up, the opportunity to begin the second one, a tribute to Kevin's late mother tentatively titled Our Mother's Place, has presented itself thanks to writing colleague Philip Gounis and his engineer pal Rick Kruse. On Jan. 24, versions of two tracks were recorded at Rick's O'Fallon studio--"All I Want Is..." and "Annabelle R." Contributing mightily to the sessions were Gretchen Hewitt, Ted Moniak and John Sobocan.

1-22-10
--Now this is what we call progress. At long last, Kevin has made it to the incomparable website cdbaby.com. You can now purchase the song "Close to Something Beautiful" there, and additional recordings will be available soon. Help Kevin put gas in his car and keep on truckin' along by supporting his music through this site:   http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/KevinRenick

--Kevin has completed two brand-new songs for the new year. One was started last year and finished early this month; it's titled "Hold Me," and it's a jazz-flavored love song. But the first of Kevin's new songs to be entirely written in 2010 is called "Goodbye, Typewriter," and it's a whimsical ode to the passing of familiar devices thanks to technological progress. Listen for these songs at the upcoming gigs!

--Jim Ford is the husband of Kevin's cousin Nanette, and he is one-half of the singing folk duo Harmony, with Steve Galati the other half. Harmony performs around St. Louis regularly, and they invited Kevin and his pal Ted Moniak to sit in for part of their gig Saturday night, Jan. 23, at 8:30 at the Wine Press, near Lindell and Olive Blvd.  Come on down and check the group out; you can also learn more about them at their web site: http://www.stlharmony.com/home

--A fine TV interview Kevin did with Holley Sinn and Jerome Ritchey of Studio 10 in Tampa Bay can now be viewed here:  http://www.studio10.tv/video/segment.aspx/122428/97069/Meet_Kevin_Renick/Success_is_in_the_Air.asx

--Two substantial bits of press in the U.K. have made Kevin smile recently. The first is a review of the UITA soundtrack in the British edition of Esquire that devotes a paragraph to Kevin's song, and the second is a nice review of the film that praises the song. Thanks, dear Brits!
http://www.esquire.co.uk/2010/01/air-play/
http://www.britfilms.tv/index.php?id=9722

--KUSA (9News) in Colorado posted this feature about Kevin on their website:
http://www.9news.com/life/entertainment/article.aspx?storyid=131029&catid=343

--A lengthy and positive review of UITA is posted on a fairly new website called "Celluloid Fun," and it has a couple of lines about the song. You can read it here:  http://www.celluloidfun.com/

--Occasionally in our regular Google scans of the net, a foreign article will appear about Kevin, and sometimes they are rather interesting, although you have to hit the "translate" link. Here's an Italian article that is worth checking out, although (to be expected), some parts are not quite clear:

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=it&u=http://www.settimopotere.com/index.php%3Foption=com_content%26task=view%26id=1648%26Itemid=58&ei=RZdVS9_FF4qINLC90IwJ&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CCUQ7gEwBjjqAw&prev=/search%3Fq=kevin%2Brenick%26hl=en%26sa=N%26start=490

1-18-10
--Another one of Kevin's recent satellite TV interviews, with "Don and Marty" of WJZ in Baltimore, is now posted. You can watch it here:   http://wjz.com/morningedition/singer.entertainer.Kevin.2.1432823.html

--Jess, Jess, you're the best/Jess, Jess, we're so impressed! We are fans of a blogger in Ontario by that name; she's a film production student in Windsor, and her blog is called "My Life Without Me." She says some very nice things about UITA and Kevin's song, and we thank her for that.  http://wastedwords4.tumblr.com/post/339302865/up-in-the-air-review-11-11-a-m

--Another blogger also gets our sincere thanks...Julia Steincross, you rule! She wrote about 5 "Songs the Academy probably won't recognize," including a nice paragraph about UITA. Read it here:
http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/community/blog/16155

--And yet another shout-out to Steven Shomler, whose blog is entitled "My Westward Journey." He offers up some words of his own on the UITA saga here:  http://stevenshomler.com/

--Here's a review of the UITA film by "Haunted Flower" on the rottentomatoes website. It's a nice review, and it does mention the song favorably:
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/user/708725/reviews/view.php?type=2&id=1208137

 --The "Getafilm" blogspot offers "alternative" and personal reviews of films that are fun to read. Here's the one for UITA, with a lively comments section after...well worth reading:  http://getafilm.blogspot.com/2009/12/taking-it-home-up-in-air.html

--We all know how intense Jason Reitman's media activity has been since the UITA journey got under way, and now he has made a short film called "Lost in the Air: the Jason Reitman Press Tour Simulator." Read about it here:  http://newteevee.com/2010/01/07/jason-reitman-uses-vimeo-to-show-what-its-like-to-be-lost-in-the-air/

--Film Score Monthly is the leading source of information and commentary about the unique world of film music. In the current issue, Kevin's brother Kyle has written a piece about Kevin's journey from CSNY-lovin' wanna-be songwriter to feature film credit closer, or however you want to think about it. The publication is only available by subscription, but the cost is minimal, just $4.95, and it's well worth it. Subscribe or learn more about this interesting site here: http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/daily/index.cfm

--As work winds down on Kevin's debut CD, it's worth saying a little bit about the most time-consuming, involved and yet deceptively simple song on the disc, called "Read a Book." Says Kevin, "It's essentially a tribute to the old-fashioned joy of reading actual books, and a plea to appreciate libraries, which some say are in danger of being phased out or radically changing. Although it will be viewed as a children's song, I intended it as a joyful celebration of what seems to me to be a lost art these days." The recording of this song took more hours than anything else on Kevin's disc...it features piano, guitar, bass, saxophone, trumpet, a children's chorus and a tap dancer. Hopefully this will be a song that gets some attention, as it's definitely unique!

--Congratulations to Jason Reitman on his win for Best Screenplay at the Golden Globes last night. We know, Jason, it would've been nice to nab that Best Picture prize, too, but nothing can stop that Avatar juggernaut, buddy. But hey, being recognized for your crisp writing with Sheldon Turner...that's some consolation, isn't it?

1-13-10
--Recording sessions for Kevin's debut CD are winding down; a talented local sax player named Angelo Shaw contributed his playing to two songs entitled "Hold Me" and "Read A Book" this week. A few songs still need work, but it should all wrap up by around next weekend, then the mixing will begin. A tentative release date of Feb. 12 has now been set, and we're all pretty darn excited! Watch for news in a few days on how you can pre-order the CD, and get special extras!

--Don't forget to watch the Golden Globes this Sunday evening, the 17th...with any luck, UP IN THE AIR will win some awards!

--A reviewer in one of our fave Missouri towns, Springfield, has posted his assessment of UITA; read it here, along with a comment from Kevin's cousin Lisa: http://sbj.net/main.asp?SectionID=18&SubSectionID=23&ArticleID=86094

--Another U.K. website has posted a short but favorable review of the soundtrack; jolly old England, we thank you once again:  http://www.thestar.co.uk/music/LIstening-Post.5966107.jp

--A travel website features an interesting assessment of the film from a traveler's perpective, along with numerous reader comments:  http://www.gobackpacking.com/Blog/2009/12/30/up-in-the-air-ultimate-travel-movie/

--The website www.edge.org is truly fascinating...they pose provocative questions and let various luminaries give their response. We draw your attention to the ultra-relevant query, "How has the internet changed the way you think?" One of Kevin's artistic heroes, Brian Eno, has some interesting things to say in his post; this is definitely worth reading:
http://www.edge.org/q2010/q10_2.html#eno

1-08-10
--The MTV interview Kevin did with Larry Carroll is now posted on their site; you can read it here:
http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2010/01/08/up-in-the-air-songwriter-kevin-renick-amazed-by-his-real-life-feel-good-tune/

--Esau Kessler of the interesting and hard-to-summarize blog "UN" (http://un.tumblr.com) posted a nice little testimonial for the UITA song...we'll post it here since there is no direct link to the specific page:
» For those of you who have seen "Up In The Air"    If you missed this post about Kevin Renick, the song writer for the final song should definitely read the backstory.  Also, Mr.Renick took the time to email and express appreciation for my support. Best part; he said un.tumblr was “interesting” - haha! Fractals, post modernism and bits of late night conversations from the dashboard must seem insane!  Fact is his song is simple, heart warming, and truthful. It also holds a greater message for victims of the current economic catastrophy. Kudos to Jason Reitman for including it.
--Another blogger, who apparently calls his work the "Beardblog," liked UP IN THE AIR and posted a somewhat oblique rating for both it and Kevin's song. You'll need to scroll down once you go to his site, but it reveals that he liked the song well enough to include a link to the video from Nov. 14:
http://kindagreatguy.blogspot.com/

--Lots and lots about UP IN THE AIR can be found at this info site:
http://www.instantcast.com/AllStars/Up_in_the_Air_(film)

--The Central Ohio Film Critics have chosen UITA as the year's best. Here is their list of top 10 films of 2009:
Best Films
1. Up in the Air
2. Up
3. An Education
4. Fantastic Mr. Fox
5. Inglourious Basterds
6. The Hurt Locker
7. In the Loop
8. (500) Days of Summer
9. A Serious Man
10. A Single Man

1-06-10
Wow, can that date really be right? It's 2010? Seriously?
--Kevin did two interviews recently: one with Jeff Maxwell and Rick Shoemaker of radio station KFWB 980 in Los Angeles on Jan. 2, and one with Larry Carroll of MTV News on Jan. 5. We're not sure if the former is available to listen to online yet; check here to see: http://www.kfwb.com/pages/5715181.php    The MTV segment should appear on their website this week.

--Kevin and Ned Watson returned to the studio to polish off two more songs last night. The basic recording for about 8 or 9 songs is complete; just a few more to go and we can start mixing the CD!

--Here's another great review of UITA that is kind enough to mention Kevin's song:
http://marshallandthemovies.com/2009/12/20/upintheairreview/

--A 5-star review can also be read here:
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-8086-Pop-Culture-Examiner~y2009m12d28-Up-in-the-Air-review

--Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly has written an interesting column about how the Best Picture category at this year's Oscar ceremony may come down to a race between UP IN THE AIR and AVATAR. Fascinating stuff; read it here: http://movie-critics.ew.com/2010/01/02/avatar-vs-up-in-the-air/

--The Vancouver Critics nominations for the year's best have been posted and UITA leads the pack with five nominations (Film, Director, Actor, Supporting Actress and Adapted Screenplay).

--Tom Brook of the BBC has chosen his five best films of the year, which are: DISTRICT 9, LEBANON, PRECIOUS, AVATAR and at No. 1, UP IN THE AIR. Thanks, Tom!

--A slot opened up at Fred's Six Foot Under Club for the evening of Wed., Jan. 20 at 10 p.m. Kevin and Ned have grabbed it, and with luck they'll be joined by Ted Moniak again. So come on down to Fred's for some rough and tumble, soulful songmakin'!

12-31-09
--Empire is perhaps the most notable film magazine in the UK. One of their scribes, Danny Graydon, has reviewed the UP IN THE AIR soundtrack, and he nicely singles out Kevin's song. Here's the paragraph he wrote--thanks, Danny boy!

Up In The Air

Review
Jason Reitman’s corporate-downsizing dramedy is bolstered by this effective selection of warm folk from the likes of Crosby, Stills & Nash, Dan Auerbach and Elliott Smith. Notably, Kevin Renick’s title track provides a perfect tone of wistful melancholy. Rolfe Kent’s score displays its quirky charms on two tracks, but is eclipsed by Charles Atlas’ instrumental Genova, which beautifully evokes the disconnectedness of constant air travel.
Reviewer: Danny Graydon

--St. Louis Magazine has a nice piece by Jordan Oakes about the experience of watching the St. Louis-lensed UITA at the city's most beautiful theatre, the Moolah. We especially like this sentence: "Renick seemed to psychically tune into the zeitgeist that made it possible for such a film to thrive in the first place." Anyway, read Jordan's article here.

--The fascinating blog "Cultural Learnings" has a particularly incisive piece about UITA which addresses both its strengths, and the possible reasons why many people are hating on it. Read here.

--The moviehole.net site not only likes UITA, they've picked it as their #13 film of the decade.

--More press love for UITA, with the first two of the following four reviews linked here calling it best film of the year.

http://jam.canoe.ca/Movies/2009/12/27/12274766-qmi.html?cid=rssentertainmentmovies

http://www.stjoelive.com/news/2009/Dec/22/review-air/

http://blogcritics.org/video/article/movie-review-up-in-the-air/

http://thepasswordisswordfish.wordpress.com/2009/12/29/up-in-the-air-a-first-class-film/

--Awards season is fully under way, with the Golden Globes just around the corner (Jan. 17). Prognosticators are knocking themselves out prognosticating, but the consensus is that the battle for Best Picture will be waged between UITA, Avatar, The Hurt Locker and the comin' up from behind Tarantino flick Inglorious Basterds. Should be interesting to watch this one play out. Happy New Year, everyone!

12-30-09
--Q: What does Kevin's UITA song have in common with the relationship between Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt? Well, you will just have to read this fascinating little essay by James Hirsen to find out.

--The Riverfront Times in St. Louis has a small update on Kevin's UITA saga.

--Joe Williams of the Post-Dispatch has chosen his Best Films of the Decade, but he also picks some celluloid highlights, and one of them gives a shout out to Kevin's saga. Thanks, Joe...you were the first St. Louis journalist to draw attention to this story.
http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/joes-movie-lounge/joes-movie-lounge/2009/12/my-favorite-films-of-the-decade-a-work-in-progress/

--The website reviewstl.com gives an A+ grade to UITA. Read two different reviews of the film here:
http://www.reviewstl.com/review-up-in-the-air-reitman-clooney-1211/

--Good reviews are coming in from all over; here are some of the more interesting ones:

http://social.richmond.com/blog/mward/2009/12/up-in-the-air-review/

http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/films/films.php?id=19525

http://movies.tvguide.com/air/review/299381

http://blog.beliefnet.com/bibleandculture/2009/12/up-in-the-air-leaves-you-----up-in-the-air.html

http://www.timesleader.com/entertainment/movie/_lsquo_Up_in_the_Air_rsquo__makes_the_connection_review_12-25-2009.html

http://hungryhorde.blogspot.com/

12-24-09
--The segment about Kevin on the CBS Evening News did indeed air last night, and it was a well-edited little piece. It can also be seen online now.  http://search.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6016313n&tag=contentMain;contentBody

--Emails have been coming in regularly due to the CBS News segment; lots of people wanted to say they like the song, or they were somehow touched by the story. We appreciate each and every one of you who has taken the time to contact us and let us know your reactions!

--A TV station in New Zealand, beautiful land of Lord of the Rings film locations, did their own story about Kevin's song, using the footage from the CBS interview. This is just utterly, utterly cool. Thank you, New Zealand! Hope to see you sometime!

http://www.3news.co.nz/Mans-life-changed-by-Clooney-movie-seriously/tabid/312/articleID/135404/Default.aspx

--Some of you may not know that Randall Poster, a very respected and important name in film music, was the Music Producer for UP IN THE AIR. The sonicboomers website has a nice piece on Randall's recent soundtrack work, and it has a great bit on Kevin's song. Definitely read this story if you only have time to check out a few.

http://www.sonicboomers.com/boomerangst/poster-guy-music-supervision

--Here's a stellar review of the film from New Orleans.

http://www.nola.com/movies/index.ssf/2009/12/up_in_the_air_george_clooney_t.html

--The Canadian Press has posted their top 10 films of 2009, and UITA is definitely one of them. Here is what they wrote in its entirety:

“Up in the Air” – If you haven’t yet made it out to the theatre to see this one, consider yourself lucky – one of the year’s richest, most satisfying cinematic experiences awaits you. “Juno” director Jason Reitman has come of age with this funny, melancholic, bittersweet look at frequent flyer Ryan Bingham (George Clooney), a hatchet man who eschews lasting relationships in favour of life on the go. It’s Clooney at his disarming, vulnerable best, with formidable support from Vera Farmiga (“The Departed”) and Anna Kendrick (“Twilight”). For the firing scenes, Reitman enlisted the help of real-life laid-off employees. That master stroke is one of many reasons “Up in the Air” feels exquisitely of the moment and seems a slam dunk to clean up come Oscar time.

--This is likely the last news update till next week, so MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone! Eat, drink and hug all your loved ones! UP IN THE AIR's wide release is Christmas Day, so there should be lots of fresh reviews and articles on the way!

12-23-09
--95% of you will already know this, but in case you landed on this page accidentally, go to the home page and you'll see that you can now purchase downloads of Kevin's songs "Up in the Air" and "Close to Something Beautiful."

--After a bit of back and forth scheduling, it now appears that the CBS Evening News segment on Kevin will air tonight, Dec. 23. The show airs in St. Louis at 5:30 p.m. CST. Check your local listings. Kevin was interviewed by Jim Axelrod, and he thoroughly enjoyed this interview experience. The footage may include a visit to one of the recording studios where Kevin has been working on his CD.

--Here is yet another great review of UITA, from a site called "Associated Content." It quotes Kevin's song in discussing one of the movie's themes.

--Joe Williams of the Post-Dispatch has been good to us from the start...we appreciate it, Joe! Here's another piece he wrote on his blog; we love that last line!

12-21-09
--Total Film is one of the leading monthly film magazines in the U.K. A review of UITA appears in the new issue, and it's the first major British film review to specifically mention Kevin's song.

--Here's a fresh review of UITA by Kaitlin Perry at The Vista. It talks about the music and Kevin's song especially, at the end.

--Oh, that cheeky Chicago.com website! Sorry, we mean cheekychicago.com, which has a piece on the UITA soundtrack that asks, "Who knew midwestern rockers were in such high demand?" The secret is out, Neph Basedow, if that's your real name. Soon everyone will know...that obscure midwestern rockers are quietly plotting to revolutionize the music industry!

--The website popmatters.com has alot of outstanding articles about pop culture, with an edge sometimes missing from other magazines and websites. Here's a nice piece about UITA. 

--Joe Williams of the Post-Dispatch wrote a piece about the songs qualifying for an Oscar nomination, and he mentions that Kevin's song is not among them, sadly. Snub? Or just the way it is? Probably the latter, since rules are rules, whether we like 'em or not.  

--There's another interesting piece at the wordpress.com site, where the author blogs about "Mirth and Motivation" and has a few things to say about UITA and Kevin's song.  

--KPLR 11 in St. Louis has a Dec. 16 piece on Jason Reitman and UITA's probably status as an Oscar front runner. Read it here. 
 

--A website called jobcon1 includes Kevin's performance of his song at the St. Louis premiere of UITA as "appropriate" to watch for job seekers. Interesting endorsement!  

--With all the hoopla over his new career as a songwriter, it could be easy to overlook the fact that Kevin still writes reviews himself, especially for playbackstl.com. Kevin has chosen his 10 Best CDs of 2009, and that piece should be posted on the Playback site within a week or so. Kevin's list is as follows:

The Flaming Lips: Embryonic
Wilco: Wilco (The Album)
Low Low Low La La La Love Love Love: Feels, Feathers, Bog and Bees
Helvetia: Helvetia's Junk Shop
Fever Ray: Fever Ray
Sonic Youth: The Eternal
U2: No Line on the Horizon
Yo La Tengo: Popular Songs
Monsters of Folk: Monsters of Folk
Bat For Lashes: Two Suns

12-17-09
--Eclipse Magazine has a fantastic, A+ review of UP IN THE AIR that is kind enough to single out Kevin's song for attention.

--The SAG (Screen Actors Guild) Awards were announced today, and following suit from other award organizations, nominations went to George Clooney, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick. Meanwhile, the Chicago Film Critics nominated UITA in 5 categories, and the Dallas-Fort Worth Critics already chose their winners for 2009, honoring UITA for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Screenplay. Their are so many awards organizations doing their thing right now that it's best to just keep checking www.awardsdaily.com regularly for the latest. But UITA is doing fine, that's for sure.

--Here are a couple more great reviews of UITA, the first from City News in Toronto, and the second from the disturbingly titled Geeks of Doom site.

--As much as we appreciate any attention given to Kevin's song, what's up with Matt Goldberg at the colliner.com website writing an article about how Brad Smith's TWO songs from UITA are ineligible for Oscar contention? Uh, Matt...it's called fact checking? One song is, um, by Kevin Renick...

12-15-09
--Opinions differ as to how influential the Golden Globe Awards are, but the Hollywood Foreign Press Association always makes their annual awards ceremony a lively, much talked about event. The latest Golden Globe nominations were announced this morning, with UP IN THE AIR earning six nods: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress (for both Anna Kendrick and Vera Farmiga), Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. This most probably means that the Oscars will follow suit when their nominations are announced on Feb. 2.

--Kristopher Tapley over at the thoroughly entertaining incontention.com website has chosen his best films of 2009. Although he gives top honors to the Coen Bros' A SERIOUS MAN, he picked UP IN THE AIR as his number two film. Here's his assessment: 

“UP IN THE AIR”
Directed by Jason Reitman

Second-generation filmmaker Jason Reitman continued a stellar latter-decade start to his career in features with "Up in the Air"  a zeitgeist-engaging study of selfishness and connectivity. The film is at once a sophisticated character piece and a comedic star vehicle that works on Hollywood’s terms. In so many words, it is a miracle hybrid of art and commerce. But it is also a treatise on the steady decline of tangible human interaction, and as such, a socially relevant piece of cinema in entertainment’s clothing. It will define Reitman and his work forever.

--There's a nice review of UITA at the Suite101.com site, even though it mistakenly says that Kevin left his song on Jason Reitman's answering machine. Seriously, folks, how would Kevin have gotten Mr. Reitman's phone number last February? Anyway, read it here. 

--Kevin will head back into the recording studio today to work on two new-ish songs for his CD; the bigger news is that a major news organization may be following him, for a segment to air next week. Watch this space for details...

12-14-09
--Awards season is well under way, and you can find out what most of the major organizations are choosing for Best this or that by logging onto awardsdaily.com. For the record, though, UITA has been chosen Best Picture of the Year by the Southeastern Film Critics Association, who also picked George Clooney as Best Actor and the UITA screenplay as Best Adapted Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner. Those same three awards were given by the Indiana Film Critics. But while George Clooney also was honored for Best Actor by the prestigious New York Film Critics' Circle, UITA was otherwise passed over by that organization. The Los Angeles Film Critics awarded Reitman and Turner the Best Adapted Screenplay honor, but UITA as a film got the runner-up prize (losing to The Hurt Locker). UITA also garnered eight nominations from the Broadcast Film Critics Association, which you can check out here.

--It's always worth checking imdb.com when you want to find out more about a new film; it's a great website. Right now, the user reviews of UP IN THE AIR are coming in thick and fast, and many of these fan-written essays are gems. Most are very positive about the film, and a couple even mention Kevin's song. Anyway, check some of these out if you have a few moments.

--The mighty Frank Rich of the New York Times has written a fantastic article about the relevance of UITA in these times. Read it here.

--KSDK Channel 5 interviewed Kevin about his reactions to UITA on Dec. 11. Although only a few of his comments aired, the complete segment can be viewed on KSDK's website here.

--Once upon a time in St. Louis, there were two daily newspapers. The one not called the Post-Dispatch was known as the Globe-Democrat. Ah, nostalgia. Anyway, there appears to be some web action for whoever is running the GD these days, and they cared enough to mention Kevin and his song in this particular posting.

--Radio station 106.5 The Arch in St. Louis interviewed Jason Reitman recently, and you can hear part of that interview here. Yes, he talks about the song...how could he not?

--So many websites, so little time. This one is called "Deep in Sight," and it has a nice review of the film that mentions Kevin's song.

--Another video has been posted on YouTube, this time for a melancholy little song called "Go Ahead and Dream." The sound quality is not so great, but the video is notable for being almost certainly the last time Kevin will sing anything in front of the house where he grew up, the legendary 1050 Barry Court address. It has passed into the hands of new owners, but half of Kevin's memories adorn this property. Anyway, here's the link to that video.

--A site called Cut the Crap Movie Reviews has posted a nice review of UITA.
12-11-09
--UP IN THE AIR officially opens in St. Louis today, and it's a big event for this burgh. You can read Joe Williams' 4-star review of the movie here.

--Kevin has made his second appearance on the Huffington Post website, in a cool little "newbie artist" section. Read it here.

--Pete Timmerman of Playback:STL has interviewed Jason Reitman. Let's see, um, does he ask about that, um, song? Well, yeah! 

--The Jewish Light also talked to that Reitman fellow about this and that and certain songs in his film, etc. Oy!

--The website cheekychicago.com has a few paragraphs about the UITA soundtrack. Read what they had to say here.

--Eric D. Snider, of film.com, has written an interesting article about the Oscar eligibility rules in the Original Song category, and how it affected both Brad Smith and Kevin. Read his piece here.

--The Independent Eye has a worthwhile piece titled "The Musical Coincidences of UP IN THE AIR," and it includes a paragraph about Kevin's story.

--Kevin gets a mention in a piece about recent soundtracks on Black Book Magazine's website.

--A review of UITA on the Film Monthly website by Matt Fagerholm ends with a sentence that is the sort of thing musicians and publicists just love, because they are perfect for bios and  press releases. Great review, Matt...we sincerely thank you!

--The second of two videos that John Sobocan and Kevin filmed out at Busch Wildlife Area is now posted on YouTube. It's for a new song of Kevin's called "About a Kiss," and since this song may not be recorded for quite a while, this is your only way to hear it for the time being.

12-07-09
--Kevin and his friend John Sobocan went out to Busch Wildlife Area on Dec. 6 and John shot a video of Kevin singing his original song "Lost Time" at sunset. It's unadorned, but rather nice. You can watch it here.

--For those wanting to overdose on every review of the film they can read, the site metacritic.com is your drug. It assigns an overall score to a film based on the cumulative critical response, and also includes readers' scores at the bottom. Lively to peruse, so check out how UITA has fared here.

--Here's a very interesting New York Times feature comparing the themes and insights of UITA to the Cameron Crowe film Jerry Maguire.

--Here's an interesting, if erroneous, bit on the "movie stinger" website about how the UITA song was chosen

12-05-09
--Thank you, Sean Daly! The St. Petersburg Times pop music critic officially becomes the first critic to weigh in with a specific review of the UITA soundtrack. It's included in a new article in which he discusses albums suitable for the "Season of the Airport." As a bonus, Brian Eno's Music For Airports is also included, which means that Kevin's first soundtrack is shared with CSNY, a big influence, and his first soundtrack review is shared with Brian Eno, the other big influence! Great piece, so check it out. 

--Avi Offer, a writer who blogs as "The NYC Movie Guru," is another of those tuned-in reviewers who bothers to mention the music. He said the following at the end of his positive UP IN THE AIR review:

"At a running time of 1 hour and 49 minutes, Up in the Air manages to be smart, quietly moving and funny with charismatic, lively performances and a witty screenplay. Be sure to stick around through the end credits to listen to the beautiful title song written by an unemployed musician, Kevin Renick."

--An iTunes customer posted something nice about the UITA soundtrack. What the regular people say out there is just as important as any critic, and it's much appreciated. Anyway, here's that posting:

...wonderful...  (by rainysanctuary)  "Saw the film back in September when it played at Telluride and was wonderfully entertained & touched. Jason Reitman has a way with telling stories and the same goes for his choices in music for his films. Great selection of songs, both well-known as well as the soon-to-be-known, Kevin Renick's "Up in the Air" and Sad Brad Smith's "Help Yourself", especially, are treasures. Worth the money and so is the movie. Seamless filmmaking and an unparalleled performance by George Clooney."

--A site called Pegasus News has a particularly enthusiastic review of UITA that singles out Kevin's song for special mention at the end. Love that "lemonade" comment! 

--The Dec. 4 issue of the Webster-Kirkwood Times, a publication edited by Kevin's old journalism teacher Don Corrigan, has a feature story on Kevin. Check it out online here.

--The Associated Press is spreading the Washington Post interview around the net, apparently, and here's a particular visually pleasing version of Jen Chaney's nice piece, on the GuelphMercury.com site, which went to the trouble to use Bryan Sutter's recent pic of Kevin from the Vintage Vinyl event. --Yet another great review in Chicago Now.

--And another rave, this time in the all-important, very influential Los Angeles Times.

--Kevin's song has already been played a few times on KDHX in St. Louis. Thanks to the cool DJ's over there for their unstoppable awesomeness!  Check out their programming at kdhx.org.

--It finally happened. On Dec. 4, 2009. Direct communication between Sad Brad Smith and Kevin Renick, the two songwriters who contributed original tunes to UITA. It was only a MySpace exchange, but still...mutual kudos and plans to eventually meet up were made. These two are ridin' one hell of a wave together, for sure...

12-03-09
--Big news, as the Awards season kicks off with the National Board of Review's picks for the year's best. The NBR has chosen UP IN THE AIR as Best Film of the Year, George Clooney tied with Morgan Freeman for Best Actor, and Anna Kendrick won Best Supporting Actress. Will this be a trend? Should be very interesting to follow what other award-giving organizations do......

--NPR featured a nice interview with Jason Reitman on the Fresh Air program yesterday. Yes, he was asked about "that song" again, at the very end of the program. You can listen to the interview here.

--You can watch Kevin's appearance on the Great Day St. Louis show yesterday on their website.

--The esteemed Washington Post has two nice pieces about UITA in their Dec. 3 edition and online. One article is an interview with Reitman, with a quote from Kevin included; the other article is an interview with Kevin (marking Kevin's first official national interview in conjunction with the movie), with a quote from Reitman included.

--Yet another interview with Reitman with yet another question about the song (how many times can the poor guy say essentially the same thing?). It's all part of the promotion racket, though.

--Great review of UITA from the University of Washington.

12-02-09
--The in-store at Vintage Vinyl last night was a success; the store sold many copies of the UITA soundtrack, which was finally released today, and Kevin was overwhelmed to see people from his past show up for the event, as well as new fans wanting him to sign flyers and CDs.

--There's a website called Hollywood Jesus, and they have an interview with Jason Reitman, where he talks again about Kevin's song, this time referring to the chatter about Oscar nominations.

--You wouldn't expect a finacial blog to single out Kevin's song for attention, would you? But Jay MacDonald's column for Bankrate.com does just that.

--Screen Crave reviews UITA and alludes to Kevin's song as an example of something good that can happen when you lose your job.

--A few more rave reviews of UP IN THE AIR can be read at these links:

hollywoodandfine.com
culturecatch.com
aintitcool.com

11-27-09
--Kevin has now made his official first appearance in the All Music Guide, an online guide to just about every recording in existence. The paragraph about the Up in the Air soundtrack describes Kevin's song as "quite moving."

--Clips from the UITA soundtrack are now playing at the movie's official web site, including a snippet of Kevin's song.

--Some readers may not be familiar with truveo.com, a site that helpfully gathers all the videos on a given topic. There are dozens of links to videos about UITA and interviews with the stars. A video that might be of particular interest here is a press conference from the recent London Film Festival that featured Jason Reitman, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick. In the last minute or so of this segment, a journalist asks Reitman about Kevin's song, and you can hear his detailed reply.

--The site "pop culture nerd" has another positive review of the film; they just keep coming!

--Yet another great review of UITA from Cinema Blend.

 

11-23-09
--The date has changed for Kevin's appearance on the KMOV show Great Day St. Louis. Instead of Nov. 30, Kevin will now appear on the Wed., Dec. 2 show, at 10:00 a.m. on Channel 4.

--The Fox 2 News segment on Kevin is now posted on their website.

--The December issue of GQ has a fantastic review of UP IN THE AIR calling it "The movie of the year, the movie of the moment." Check it out.

--The Washington University newspaper Student Life has a feature story on Jason Reitman, with a mention of the song.

--Kevin was surprised to find his song mentioned on a local hip hop website called feedstitch.com. He had this to say about the unique notice:

"Man I think it's cool to be on this site/It sparked my interest, and it's dyno-mite/Dude should be rockin' with every mention/Cause it's harder than #*%@ to get a mutha's attention/Breakin' down borders is da truest funk/Cause when ya shut out yo neighbors, bro, your 'tude is just bunk."

--In yet another example of the awesome weirdness of the net, the website goodthaigirl.com features a direct link to Kevin's Nov. 9 segment on KSDK. But hey, why shouldn't good Thai girls everywhere have the same chance to discover Kevin's music as anyone else?

11-18-09
--Kevin will appear on Fox 2 News in the Morning, this Friday (Nov. 20) at about 7:15 or so, with guitar in hand.

--A live performance of "Think Twice About It" from the gig at the Iron Barley on Nov. 6 is posted here.

--Some photos from the Saturday evening UITA premiere are posted here, including nice ones of Kevin and Jason Reitman.

--Kevin has been in the studio several times with Mike Martin to record tracks for his debut CD. Getting the disc out by Christmas or shortly after is still the goal.

11-16-09
--Kevin's performance of "Up in the Air" at the premiere Saturday night has been posted on YouTube. Watch it here...

--Jason Reitman had a few nice things to say about Kevin's song before the screening; go here to listen to his comments about this and other UITA things.

--There's a photo of Kevin from Saturday night's "red carpet" posted on the KMOX website.

--The Wikipedia entry for UP IN THE AIR is packed with information and links to reviews and articles. One paragraph is devoted to the music, and Kevin's song is mentioned.

11-15-09
--Reporters from the various local television stations interviewed Kevin on the "Red Carpet" for the premiere of UP IN THE AIR last night at the Tivoli theatre. Here is a link to the Fox 2 News story about this memorable evening, with an excerpt from Kevin's performance.

--The nice story written by Joe Williams about Kevin's lucky break is now online and was fittingly printed in the Fri. the 13th edition of the Post-Dispatch.

--Mark Reardon's interview with Kevin on KMOX Friday afternoon can be heard here.

--Kevin has this to say about the movie, after seeing it twice: 

UP IN THE AIR is simply an amazing movie in every way. It hits hard on the subject of downsizing and job loss, but it finds a surprising balance between laughs and witty dialogue in the first half, and genuine poignancy in the latter half, when its relationship themes become more prominent. The film is thoroughly engrossing...it moves along at a nice clip and the performances by George Clooney, Vera Farmiga and young actress Anna Kendrick, are unforgettable. Visually, the film is also striking, with its aerial views of cities and landscapes, and well-lit interiors. I've seen it twice now, and both times the movie captivated me. It resonates on so many different levels, and really makes you think about life, not only with the current economic conditions in America, but just in a general philosophical way about the need for relationships in our lives and the sense of purpose we're all searching for. It's just a great, compelling movie, and I am so proud to have my song in such a worthwhile modern film.

11-12-09
--Kevin will be on KMOX Radio (1120 am) from 4:20 - 4:30 p.m. on Friday the 13th. He'll discuss the song, and an excerpt will be played.

--A very nice article written by Jason Green of Playback:STL has been posted. You can read it here.

--At long last, the St. Louis International Film Festival begins, with the special benefit screening of UP IN THE AIR scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14. Kevin and Friends, with guest Ted Moniak, will play a short set before the film. And a Q&A with Jason Reitman, conducted by Joe Williams of the Post, will follow. That should be amazing, for those lucky enough to have tickets. Kevin will post his thoughts about the movie sometime this Sunday.

11-11-09
--The interview Kevin did with Rob Levy and the performance of UITA are posted on Rob's Facebook site.

--A new song of Kevin's called "When You Meet Someone New" is posted on YouTube here. (the performance itself is an acoustic one done at Kevin's house with Ted Moniak, but the visuals are just static scenes edited by John Sobocan)

--Christina Warren of the AMC Entertainment website posted a short piece about the Oscar disqualifications of Kevin and Brad Smith.

11-10-09
--KSDK's cover story on Kevin aired last night as planned, and will repeat several times, including on Wed., Nov. 11 during the Noon news hour. It can also be viewed on the net here:   http://www.ksdk.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=189284

--A new YouTube video has been posted of Kevin and Ted Moniak playing a simple acoustic version of Kevin's song "Close to Something Beautiful," which will be the title of Kevin's upcoming CD. It was shot with an HD camera so it looks nice.

--The great Joe Williams of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch updated readers on the crazy Oscar disqualification in his latest blog.

11-08-09
--The St. Louis Post-Dispatch is set to run a story about Kevin's amazing luck with the UITA song in their Friday the 13th edition this week.

--The St. Petersburg Times in Florida posted an interview with Jason Reitman, and he talks about Kevin's song and the circumstances behind its appearance in the film.

--Travelandleisure.com has a piece on their site about the film, again mentioning Kevin's song.

--KPLR Channel 11's short interview with Kevin and his friend Ted Moniak aired on the Noon news on Nov. 6; it can be seen on YouTube here.

10-31-09
--Paramount Pictures posted a news release about the UITA soundtrack, and yes, it mentions the title song.

--Yet another piece of writing at incontention.com about the Oscar situation, this one stating that Sad Brad Smith's "Help Yourself" song is also not eligible to be nominated. So Kris Tapley mentions Kevin's song again with regard to this whole matter.  

--Kevin's interview with Sonya Potter from Channel 5 now has a scheduled airdate. The segment will air on Monday, Nov. 9, at 10 p.m.

10-28-09
--It's been quite a wait for details about the official UP IN THE AIR soundtrack album, but it is now listed on several websites, including amazon.com. The release date is December 1. And the first piece of writing specifically on the soundtrack is on featured on theplaylist.blogspot.com. What a kick for Kevin to appear on an album with Crosby, Stills & Nash, one of the most influential groups in his musical life!

10-22-09
--At the London Film Festival, during a press conference with Jason Reitman after a screening of the film, a reporter asked Reitman about Kevin's song. Part of his answer:  "It’s an authentic song... I guess my feeling was that we’re in the middle of one of the worst recessions on record in America and about a million people have lost their jobs in the last year. But we really don’t experience who these people are, they’re often just numbers on newspapers, percentages. And here was a guy who was able to sing very authentically about how he felt and I thought what a better tribute than to end the movie..." Sounds like this was a slightly inaccurate translation from a foreign reporter, perhaps.

10-20-09
--The KMOX website has posted a story about Kevin's song with a short sample. Check it out here.

--Although "Up in the Air" is not eligible for an Oscar nomination according to most pundits, the website incontention.com has listed it two weeks in a row as one of five likely nominees:

Music
(Original Song)

• “Nine”
• “Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire”
• “The Princess and the Frog”
• “Up in the Air”
• “Where the Wild Things Are”

Naturally, this is a terrific honor even if it would take a miracle to alter the stated Oscar eligibility rules. And a different section of the site has now demoted Kevin's song from "Also in play" to "Other possibilities".

10-16-09
--Brett Blume of KMOX Radio interviewed Kevin about the Up In The Air phenomenon. The segment will air on KMOX 1120 Monday morning, Oct. 19, between 5 and 9 a.m. A clip from the "Up in the Air" song will be played.

10-11-09
--Two more news items of note. A great piece about Kevin's song and the Oscar controversy, by Alex Billington at the firstshowing.net website.

*Note that this generated an interesting comment thread.

 
--On Sunday, no less a person than Mayor Slay of St. Louis mentioned Kevin's song! Here's the full posting:

I have spoken about “Up in the Air” several times recently – and quite a lot when the crew was filming in St. Louis. The movie is getting very strong reviews from critics and audiences at the film festivals at which it has been shown – and we’ll have our own chance to preview it during this year’s St. Louis International Film Festival.

Over the past several days, “Up in the Air” has been mentioned quite a lot in the blogosphere – though, the news falls into the “too bad” category. The film’s title track, written by a St. Louis musician, will not be eligible for Academy Award consideration, because (say industry bloggers) it was not written specifically for the movie (the musician handed a copy of the song to director Jason Reitman after a Webster U event) and because it plays during the second half of the credits, instead of the first half (rules, rules, rules).

I suspect, though, that most St. Louis audiences will hear Kevin Renick’s song, because we’ll be watching for our neighbors throughout the fine print of the closing credits.

--The full itinerary for the St. Louis International Film Festival has been announced, and yes, UP IN THE AIR will indeed be screening on Sat., Nov. 14, at 7:00 p.m. It's a benefit screening, and director Jason Reitman will be there. Tickets are $25, and the show will likely sell out quickly. Kevin will be performing a half-hour set at the Tivoli Theatre before the show.

10-8-09
--An interesting news day! Steve Pond's article about Kevin not being eligible for an Oscar, prompted Joe Williams of the Post-Dispatch to write about it in his blog. Joe has been supportive from the start, and it is much appreciated.

--Randall Roberts, an accomplished writer and former colleague of Kevin's at the Riverfront Times, attended a screening of Up in the Air, and here's a link to his comments, which also mentions Kevin's song.

10-7-09
--On a website called "The Odds," writer Steve Pond talks specifically about the songs in UP IN THE AIR, and he discusses Kevin's song, although he says there are reasons why it'll be disqualified from Oscar consideration. But...he does talk about it! Read his comments here.

10-1-09
--Strategy meeting with his manager led to the decision to work towards releasing a 6-song EP in  November, rather than a full CD. Songs were selected, and one of them, "Read a Book," will feature Gretchen Hewitt on piano and several children from Keysor Elementary School.

--The October issue of Sauce magazine features a short article about Kevin's song and the band's upcoming anniversary show on Oct. 23.

9-23-09
--Kevin received an offer from Robynn Ragland to be his manager/attorney; offer was informally accepted and a contract was drawn up.  Robynn's years in the industry as both a successful singer/songwriter herself and an attorney and networker with a fantastic base of contacts, should prove invaluable.

--Rhino Records put forth an offer to include "Up in the Air" on the official UITA soundtrack, scheduled for a Nov. 3 release. Offer accepted.

9-16-09
--Annie Zaleski of The Riverfront Times gave props to Kevin for his UITA song. Check it out here.

Guy Lodge of incontention.com listed Kevin's "Up in the Air" song as one of three likely nominees for Best Original Song. Click here to read the article.

9-15-09
--An Oscar prediction website, incontention.com, lists Kevin's  song "Up in the Air" as being "In Play" in the Best Original Song category for next year's Awards ceremony.

--On Sept. 15, Kevin was interviewed by Sonya Potter of KSDK Channel 5. The interview should run in the next week or two; stay tuned for official details.

--A video has been posted on YouTube of Kevin's original song "The Woods Around That House." Click here to listen.

9-08-09
--Joe Williams of the Post-Dispatch wrote about Kevin's song in his blog.