Kevin Burnstein packs in all his raw emotions with the song “Distraction” out on 10/9
ATTACK DISTRACT DIVIDE
Album 0ut 10/23
This is rock, raw, and the truth. Joe Strummer would be proud.
Coming to a new town is hard enough, but during a global pandemic is tougher and then mash that with a stay-at-home lockdown, guitarist and songwriter Kevin Burnstein thought he was going to go out of his mind in Nashville. And he did; creatively, so he began to purge his emotions to create a 10- song opus called ATTACK DISTRACT DIVIDE out on 10/23. The single “Distraction” will be out on 10/9 via all digital platforms.
“In the past, I have always been too shy to express the things I’m feeling, but this project was a breakthrough for me from a songwriting perspective.” – Kevin Burnstein
As a recent transplant to Nashville, a pandemic is a wrong time to be in a new city “I had almost zero work for several months. I am a news junkie and I would wake up, look over the headlines and my finances, only to feel so sad, angry and disappointed in Trump’s leadership and worried about what the future would bring.” So, he went into his studio to create an outlet for his feelings and, at the same time, help him forget about the world outside.
“I started going into my studio every morning at 8 AM to play some guitar and maybe write a song. I thought I would make an E.P., but it quickly turned into a ten-song record called ATTACK DISTRACT DIVIDE. I’m very passionate about the message in the lyrics and crafting an entire album that’s thematically consistent.” – Kevin Burnstein
The thought process to create an impact with the album is seen starting with the imagery for the album art. As Kevin describes his effort, “The grotesque illustration reflects the continuous leak of misinformation and the melting away of our democracy. The section of the American flag splitting the cover in half over the president’s eyes represents the divided country that we are living in and the president’s unwillingness to see the reality of the events that have taken place in 2020.”
“The song ‘Distraction’ is about being an unwilling accomplice to a moment in history and feeling powerless and confused. It didn’t help with all the finger-pointing by our political leaders. When people really need to unite, we are instead the most divided we have been in decades. As the lyrics of the chorus say, the president and some of the media have chosen to adopt a formula of, ’Distraction, Divide, Distraction, Divide, Distraction, Divide.’ This loop of voyeuristic confusion along with political rhetoric was the core of ATTACK DISTRACT DIVIDE and the inspiration for this song.”
To watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYel831XRSI&feature=youtu.be
Musically, the guitar and drums of the verse have a military marching kind of feel. “This is meant to reflect the propaganda-based environment and military obsessed dictators that our president idolizes as he pushes away our normal democratic allies. His lack of decency yet ability to convince his supporters that he is blameless is truly his greatest skill. Like a magician, he distracts us so we forget to watch the other hand.” Kevin determined vocals almost spit through the speakers, and he doesn’t mince his words.
“This is an album I’ve been trying to make for a long time and it’s disheartening that the inspiration behind this album has been a time of political division, racial tension, and a worldwide pandemic.” – Kevin Burnstein
Kevin didn’t have to look far for inspiration as he continually saw it everywhere in news and social media. The headlines were an excellent source of inspiration, changing by the hour. The following three songs are just a taste of what ATTACK DISTRACT DIVIDE is all about.
“Wartime President” – This song was inspired when President Trump self-proclaimed himself a wartime president at one of his press conferences. Compassion and understanding are key elements to being a good leader – like most countries and organizations, “Think before you speak” is usually a good rule of thumb. Trump has no capacity for empathy and instead only throws gasoline on the fire in the attempt to excite his never wavering supporters. Trump continually ignores warning signs and yet tries to persuade us that he has done a great job.
“Alright” – Much to my amazement, Donald Trump seems to be the most untouchable human being, regardless of his actions. As the chorus of the song states, “somehow it all just turns out alright,” at least for him it does, while the rest of us suffer the consequences. Our president has used his control of the news cycle to alter the narrative of conservative media and influence his supporters and the nation into confusion over what is real. His ability to walk away unscathed from virtually any given situation was the inspiration for the song.
“Hard Choices” – I read a news article that said some hospitals were so low on ventilators and PPE that they had to decide which patients had the best chance of survival and prioritize equipment for those patients. A situation that no doctor ever wants to face. There have also been several articles about how difficult it can be to breathe and the loneliness of being in the hospital without visitors. This song was inspired by the doctors that have to make that difficult decision and patients that struggle with COVID-19.
ATTACK DISTRACT DIVIDE is a rock album from top to bottom, but the message goes across all genres so you can put this anywhere in your collection.
About Kevin Burnstein:
Born and raised in Kansas City, Kevin’s eyes were opened when he discovered music at age 15. His love of art, both visually and musically, has always been woven together through his work as a songwriter and a photographer. Kevin graduated from Chapman University with a major in cinematography and studied music production and songwriting through various workshops around the Los Angeles. In late 2019, he and his wife picked up and moved to Nashville, TN, where he continues to thrive through the art scene.
For more on Kevin Burnstein: https://www.kevinburnstein.com/
To follow Kevin on his socials:
https://www.facebook.com/kevinburnsteinmusic
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