Welcome fans and friends! I have been eagerly anticipating the launch of my website as part of the 2016 master plan to make Steve Kent a household name, in at least a few thousand households. I have some songs, some pics, some videos up for you to check out with much more to come. Unfortunately, I have been struck by some sort of tendinitis or tendinosis and as of now my insurance company has denied my doctor’s request for an MRI. This test is required in order to determine exactly what is going on and thus plan a course of treatment. So I have to lay off playing guitar until we know more about my situation. This state of affairs has seriously bummed me out. My evening routine had been to spend a couple hours practicing my songs with my lovely girlfriend, Laura, as my audience and critic. And now I look longingly at my Washburn while wrapping my elbow in a brace each night.

A few days ago, as I was listening to a podcast on Beethoven’s 9^th Symphony, I was reminded of Beethoven’s Heiligenstadt Testament, a very moving letter written (but never sent) to his family as he discovered he was going deaf. Of course he couldn’t have known at the time that he would write some of his most sublime music (including his 9^th) when his hearing was completely gone. He only knew that “the one sense which should have been more perfect in me than others” was in fact failing. I am in no way comparing myself to a giant like Beethoven, however, I believe that all artists who have come after him, no matter what style, medium or genre are in one sense following in his path. The forceful projection of his personality and his inner struggle as something that all could relate to was unheard of at the time. And this is what I hope to communicate to all of you: the feelings, thoughts, pain and joy common to us all.

Thinking about his plight also gave me some much needed perspective: I still have my ears, I can still play piano, I have modern medicine at my disposal. I will be able to play guitar again, likely quite soon. In the mean time, I am writing more piano-based songs and adapting some from guitar. I may need to go on the warpath against Cigna to get the approval for the necessary tests, but I won’t let them stand in the way.  So welcome everyone, I hope you enjoy the songs I have up here and look forward to many more. It has been a particularly fruitful year for songwriting and I can’t wait to share them all with you.