Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers

"You try and you try and you try again/But you can't try enough," Stephen Kellogg sings on "Shady Esperanto and the Young Hearts," a key track from The Bear, his latest recording — and that pretty much sums up his worldview. Through much of the album, he comes across like...

By Michael Roberts

September 17, 2009

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"You try and you try and you try again/But you can't try enough," Stephen Kellogg sings on "Shady Esperanto and the Young Hearts," a key track from The Bear, his latest recording — and that pretty much sums up his worldview. Through much of the album, he comes across like Horatio Alger with an acoustic guitar, certain that bad times are temporary conditions: Witness the "Everything's gonna be fine, fine, fine" hook that distinguishes "Oh, Adeline." True, Kellogg, who'll share the Fox stage with Carbon Leaf and Toby Lightman, occasionally dabbles in downerism. But even on "Dying Wish of a Teenager," he can't resist underscoring lyrics about ropes, chairs and hopelessness with a soaring chorus that symbolically tells the protagonist not to give up. This attaboy attitude would wear thin sooner than it does were it not for Kellogg's abundant melodic gifts and a refusal to surrender, musically or otherwise. Because if at first you don't succeed...

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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