Back story

Kevin Kareckas is a multi-instrumentalist, educator, producer, and sound designer, out of Addison County, Vermont (U.S.). A self-described lifelong learner, Kevin enjoys weaving his hobbies with his ultimate pursuit of capitalizing on teachable moments every day.​ His passions for education and teaching are realized through his work as an elementary/middle grades classroom teacher.

Kevin's passion for the processes of learning and sharing stories led him to study education through the lens of multi-disciplinary learning environments, teachable moments, natural consequences, and place-based education.

His educational journeys have provided opportunity to explore much of Northern New England (U.S.) and spend an immersive year of teaching in Rzeszow, Poland. Kevin and his wife enjoy spending year-round, quality time outdoors with their family and friends.

Kevin goes by he/him pronouns. Why include pronouns?

Early years

Kevin was born with an interest in music and sound. His older brother and parents tell stories of how Kevin used to "bang" his head while riding in the car to the rhythm of the road. That rhythm was not always enjoyed by fellow, concerned passengers. Kevin took an early interest in building sound systems using speakers, amplifiers and discarded, single-stranded pyrotechnic "blasting wire" collected from construction sites that his dad worked on. It was through these pursuits that Kevin acquired a desktop single deck electric organ from the "swap shop" at the transfer station in his hometown. In fourth grade, he began taking trumpet lessons at school.

An avid entrepreneur, Kevin staked out yard sales while delivering papers in his neighborhood. He bought his first electric guitar at 11 years old (a Samick Stratocaster) for two dollars, which he then carried home in his paper-delivery bag after finishing his route.

Kevin played in several bands and duos throughout high school. Most notably, Kevin linked up with Josh Routhier-Fenton in 2006 to co-found Roots, Rhythm, & Dub. Kevin left the band when he moved to Boston in 2008. Roots, Rhythm, and Dub remains under the direction of Routhier-Fenton and continues to represent a blend of Jazz, Rock, Blues, Classical, Folk, and Hip-Hop styles mixed with an infectious love of Reggae. Kevin then took his tone quest forward to begin a serious study of acoustic and electric music production.

While attending Wheelock College (now BU) in Boston, Kevin begin collaborating with Jonah Faigel and Kayla Drescher to capture a sound catalog of the sounds of the city. Kevin used the sounds of traffic, sirens, birds, planes, and wind to hone his skills in multitrack and matrix recording in uncontrolled sound settings. To this day, Kevin prefers to record his studio work in untreated studios after experimenting and exploring their acoustic variabilities. It can take upwards of six months for Kevin to find the correct location to conduct his recordings.

It was during this time that Kevin also began experimenting with video and photo production.

Kevin moved from Boston to Castleton, Vermont where he continued his educator studies. While working on his graduate degree in education, he linked up with fellow singer-songwriter Nikki Adams. Kevin engineered and produced a demo and an EP for Nikki. Nikki and Kevin still collaborate through music.

Kevin moved to Poland in 2015 to teach English through a Fulbright Grant. Three days into his 10 month stay, he bought a ukulele. Kevin wrote and recorded over 50 original songs using ukulele and vocals. Liberated from the distractions of conventional recording equipment, Kevin instead studied the nuances of a built-in macbook microphone and spent unknown hours studying limits of post recording production tools.

It was back home in Vermont in 2017 that Kevin finalized and recorded his first album, Caledonia Country, out of a sprawling, musty on-campus apartment at what was then Lyndon State College.

Kevin released a rap album in 2018 and several subsequent folk/Americana singles; all of which he wrote, engineered, and produced. He currently has three live performance setups: singer-songwriter; instrumental looping layers; and as a supporting musician other acts (Eric Dowd, singer/songwriter; Decaf Road Soda, reggae/instrumental backline).