Kevin Cadogan
Kevin Cadogan |
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Kevin Rene Cadogan (born August 14, 1970 in Oakland, California) is a musician best known for his role as the former lead guitarist in the band Third Eye Blind. He is currently the lead guitarist for the band Radio Angel.
Personal history
As a child, Cadogan spent two years in England while his father taught on sabbatical. Later, the family would return to the United States and settle in Berkeley, California. The Cadogan family maintains their Irish heritage, and Cadogan holds dual American and Irish citizenship. Cadogan's song "Waiting For Me" refers to his close ties to Ireland.
Cadogan attended Berkeley public schools up to his graduation in 1988. Cadogan later attended San Francisco State University, graduating in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in broadcast communications.
Third Eye Blind
Cadogan began learning the guitar at age 12 and began playing in bands shortly after. Cadogan was introduced to Stephan Jenkins, who would become his songwriting partner in Third Eye Blind, at a concert in San Francisco in 1993. The two began jamming together before starting to perform as Third Eye Blind in shows around the Bay Area.
According to an interview with Cadogan, it was his understanding that Third Eye Blind was a 50/50 partnership between himself and Jenkins, while the other musicians -- like bassists Arion Salazar and Jason Slater or drummers Brad Hargreaves and Michael Urbano -- were considered to be hired help.
Having signed to Elektra Records in 1996, the band released their self-titled debut album the following year. Cadogan co-wrote ten of the 14 songs on the album. The album spawned a number of Billboard Top 10 singles, and the album has sold in excess of six million copies to date.
Cadogan co-wrote six of the 13 songs on Third Eye Blind's second album, Blue. Subsequently, Cadogan was awarded, along with Jenkins, the award for best songwriter at the 2000 California Music Awards.
Departure from Third Eye Blind
Cadogan was "released" from Third Eye Blind in January 2000, allegedly following a vote by the band's other members.
According to Cadogan, he was fired without warning because he didn't agree to a deal that would have yielded a $1 million advance to record an EP and start an Elektra Records imprint. Allegedly, the other three members agreed to the $1 million advance and EP deal.
Following a show at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2000, Cadogan was fired from Third Eye Blind. The band proceeded to travel to California to perform on "The Tonight Show" with new lead guitarist Tony Fredianelli, who had played with the band at Sundance and jammed with Jenkins during an early incarnation of Third Eye Blind in the early 1990s. Cadogan was subsequently left stranded in Utah with the hotel bill slid under his door.
Cadogan subsequently filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against his former band, manager, lawyer, and record label in a San Francisco federal court. Cadogan's lawsuit cited fraud, breach of contract, and wrongful termination. The lawsuit ended in June 2002 with a settlement of an undisclosed amount paid to Cadogan, who said, "A big weight has been lifted with the resolution of this case, and now I feel ready to rock."
A major point of contention between Cadogan and Jenkins was an original understanding that Cadogan and Jenkins were to be 50/50 equal partners in Third Eye Blind, but Jenkins established Third Eye Blind Inc. on the eve of signing the band's original record deal with Elektra Records in 1996. All payments were subsequently directed in the record contract to be paid to Third Eye Blind Inc., effectively cutting Cadogan out of any partnership and making Jenkins the sole "owner" of the band. Cadogan says several years went by before he realized that this change had been made in the contract.
New band and solo career
Cadogan started a band shortly after his exit from Third Eye Blind, called Bully. The band underwent a couple of name changes, from Cadogan, to Cousin Kevin and then back to Bully. Under the name Cousin Kevin, Cadogan released two full length LPs: Bully For You (2000), and Coming Back From Yesterday (2001). Both albums were released in limited production from Cappagh Hill Music.
The collection of songs he had written with Bully and by himself were compiled and released as Thousand Yard Stare, Wunderfoot and 12 Nights in Studio A.
As of April 2007, Cadogan has started a new band called Radio Angel with Steve Harwell of Smash Mouth on vocals and Eric Stock on drums. Their first single is called "Never Turn You Down".
Gear
Cadogan, known for his use of alternate tunings and unique effects combinations, is known to use the following equipment:
Amps:
Mesa/Boogie - Heartbreaker head
VOX - AC30
Marshall - 1969 Plexi Super Lead Head -> Marshall 4x12 w/ 25-watt Greenback speakers
Mesa/Boogie - Subway Rocket
Peavey - 5150 (studio)
Marshall - JCM-800 (studio)
Fender - Hot Rod DeVille (studio)
Fender - 1959 Bassman (studio)
Effects:
Morley - Switchless Wah
Dunlop - Rotovibe
BOSS - GX-700 (x2) rack units
Z-Vex - Sequa
Creamy Dreamer
BOSS - RV-3 Reverb
BOSS - Heavy Metal Distortion
Guitars:
Paul Reed Smith - Hollowbody ("So High and Solo" live 2006)
Paul Reed Smith - McCarty
MJ Guitar Engineering - Catalina ("Never Let You Go" video, "Semi-Charmed Life" live @ Voodoo Fest '99)
MJ Guitar Engineering - Mirage GT ("Losing A Whole Year" video)
MJ Guitar Engineering - Mirage Rally ("Jumper" video, "Graduate" live @ American Music Awards)
Gibson - Les Paul Custom w/ 3 humbucker pickups ("How's It Going To Be" video)
Epiphone - Casino (studio)
Hamer - 12-string electric (studio)
Hamer - Duo-Tone acoustic/electric
Gibson - J-200 acoustic
Gretsch - Country Gentleman (studio)
Music Man - Sabre (studio)
Gibson - RD (studio)
Other Instruments:
Sitar ("Camouflage")
Autoharp ("How's It Going To Be")
Guitar Tunings:
Third Eye Blind - Third Eye Blind
"Losing A Whole Year" - F# A C# F# G# E
"Narcolepsy" - F# A D F# A E
"Semi-Charmed Life" - E A D G B E
"Jumper" - E A D G B E
"Graduate" - D A D F# A D
"How's It Going To Be" - E A D G B E
"Thanks A Lot" - E A D G B E
"Burning Man" - D A D F# A D
"Good For You" - D A D G B E
"London" - D A D F# A D
"I Want You" - E A D G B E
"The Background" - D A D F# A D
"Motorcycle Drive By" - E A D G B E
"God of Wine" - D A D E A D
Third Eye Blind - Blue
"Anything" - E A D G B E
"Wounded" - D A D E A C#
"10 Days Late" - E A D G B E
"Never Let You Go" - E A D G B E
"Deep Inside of You" - E A D G B E
"1000 Julys" - D A D F# A D
"An Ode To Maybe" - E A D G B E
"The Red Summer Sun" - D A D F# A D
"Slow Motion" - F A# D# G# C F
"Darkness" - F# A C# F# G# E
"Darwin" - E A D G B E
Third Eye Blind - Miscellaneous
"Gorgeous" - E A D G C F
"Walking With The Devil" - E A D G B E
"The Light That Hits The Room" - E A D G B E
Kevin Cadogan - Thousand Yard Stare, Wunderfoot, 12 Nights in Studio A
"Lipstick" - E A D G B E
"So High and Solo" - D A D F# A D
"Surfacing Submarine" - D A D F# A D
"Painted" - E A E C# B E
"Waiting For Me" - E A D G B E
"This Life" - E A D G B E or F# B E A C# F#
"Gift Horse" - E A D G B E
"Easy to Sing" - F# B E A C# F#
External links