Top Vermont Critic

"Kimock, who is something of a god amongst neo-jam and groove fans, is the latest in a long line of six-string blowhards who have little to say on their instruments but take plenty of time to do so. Backed by a jam-by-numbers band, the guitarist substitutes technique for soul on one cut after another for an album's worth of aural Velveeta."

That's one of the paragraphs from Casey Rea's review of Steve Kimock's 2005 album, Eudemonic. It was easily my favorite music review of the last year and it appears that others agree because, last weekend, the Vermont Press Association gave Casey the top prize (along with 7D literary critic Margot Harrison) in the arts criticism category. Apparently, the Kimock review was one of the pieces 7D submitted on Casey's behalf.

Since I've been a critic of the local music critics in the past, I'm glad to see the Vermont Press Association give their award to the right person.