"The Beauty of It All"...release date 6/30/2023

Staffan Solding of Rootsy describes Brian Kalinec as “a combination of Woody Guthrie, John Steinbeck, James Taylor, and Rodney Crowell in the stories he tells.”  The music Kalinec has created throughout his career is painted from a distinctly diverse palette.  Never drawn to one particular style, he has no problem changing lanes for the sake of the best expression of a given song.  Whether that path is Americana or folk, country or adult contemporary, Kalinec travels comfortably down it. His newest album, The Beauty of It All, is certainly no exception to his past releases.  Masterfully produced by Merel Bregante at Cribworks Digital Audio, this project explores everyday aspects of our existence: from life of a rodeo concession worker to the friendship of two neighbors headed down separate, unexpected paths; from the difficulties of an aging handyman to the late-night routine of a journeyman musician; from the youthful recollections of a fence built during the last vestiges of segregation to the coming together of a community during a flood.  On this album, Kalinec premiers “Big Hearted”, written by Grammy winner Steve Seskin and Kate Schutt.  Bridging our differences in our beliefs is the central theme of this song.  Also featured is “The Wind” a co-write with Mando Saenz, which poignantly demonstrates human resiliency.  All other songs are penned by Kalinec.   The autobiographical title cut, “The Beauty of It All”, examines what he considers the most important elements of his life to this point in time. Kalinec performs most of the acoustic and electric guitar work on this record.  In addition to Bregante’s deft hand producing and providing drums and percussion as well as background vocals on this record, he assembled an exceptional group of musicians: Pete Wasner-Grand Piano, Hammond B3, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer and synth; Cody Braun-mandolin and harmonica; Dave Pearlman-pedal steel; Patterson Barrett-pedal steel; Rankin Peters-bass, Mark Epstein-bass; James Rieder-orchestration; Michael Dorrien-electric and acoustic guitar; Dirje Childs-cello; and Madelaine Herdeman-cello.  Background vocalists include Sarah Pierce, Merel Bregante, Jen Grove, Susan Elliott, Kalinec, and special appearances by Kelly Hanshaw, David Hanshaw, Jordi Baizan, Ken Gaines, and Madelaine Herdeman on “River of Kindness”. “We all try to make the most of our time while we are here,” Brian Kalinec says. “Hopefully this album celebrates some of the quiet victories in our hectic lives.”