ION INDIE MAGAZINE November 2015, Volume 18 | Page 85
By J. B. Bridges
ION Indie Magazine is appreciative of its
partnership with ReverbNation, as they allow us
to receive submissions from talented artists
each month from various genres. This month
alone we have received 3,015 submissions, our
campaign was served to 1,285,496--and it’s only
the 12th of the month. It is difficult each and
every edition to pick just one artist as the
“ReverbNation Artist of the Month” with such a
talented pool from which to choose. Sometimes
a band or an individual comes along that makes
that a bit easier, and this month, when I came
across KEVIN GULLICKSON and RADIO DRIVE,
I knew the choice was an easy one. Kevin’s
group, Radio Drive (he decided to keep the
name from his recently disbanded group in
2009), has been described as “motivational
rock” and aims to uplift individuals in a time
when so many feel deep despair.
Kevin's music and videos began making their
way to the television networks. July of 2014,
Kevin’s music video "New Direction" was added
to BONGO BOY TV "Bongo Boy Rock n' Roll TV
Show No. 1030"--which airs on 20 syndicated
channels across the USA, including several NBC
Comcast stations. Kevin released his video for
"A Taste of Heaven" in July, and that was also
picked up on the same show. International
music and video site, Beat100 awarded “A Taste
of Heaven” two Bronze Awards--one for “Well
Written Original Song” and the second award for
“High Quality Original Video”.
Kevin received news his music has been used in
the TV show "Pit Bulls and Parolees" on THE
ANIMAL PLANET NETWORK, plus, his music has
been used in the TV show "Epic Log Homes"
seen
on
THE
DISCOVERY
CHANNEL.
International Pop star and actress KYM MARSH
used one of Kevin's song in a documentary she
produced called "Teen Mums and Me".
Gullickson brings a rich musical history to his
work with Radio Drive. Early on, he received
radio play in his hometown of Rochester,
Minnesota, and followed up with a single that
aired on stations in the Twin Cities. He traveled
throughout Europe to develop his own sound
and style, which he later developed with THE
BLOKES-- a band that achieved instant success
on the Minneapolis/St. Paul club scene,
including First Avenue. The singer later moved
to NYC where he continued writing, recording
and playing clubs in Greenwich Village as a solo
musician. During this time, he received interest
from five major record companies and several
Grammy winning producers. He set music aside
after various disappointments, but roared back
as the guiding force of Radio Drive.
2015 began with more success for Kevin's
music, as it began playing on even more radio
stations and featured on webzines and blogs in
the USA, Canada and Europe. "Footsteps" made
the Top 20 list on EGH RADIO, broadcasting out
of the UK. "A Taste of Heaven" made the Top
30 artist list on PACIFIC MOON RADIO,
broadcasting in the South Pacific.
In November 2009, the song “One Life To Give”
from his debut Dream the Impossible was
chosen to represent “Sudan Hope”, a
humanitarian effort to help the people of Sudan.
He appeared at a Hollywood fundraiser to
perform this song live.
In mid-August 2015, Kevin finished a project
with internationally recognized producer,
STUART EPPS (credits include OASIS, LED
ZEPPELIN, ELTON JOHN, BAD COMPANY and
many more). The result was a song called
"Humanity". Working together with his
management team at ARTISTA GROUP, they
plan a world wide release along with plans for a
European tour.
Working together with a radio promotional
company in Europe, Kevin's music began
receiving radio play on a larger scale alongside
major artists. In May, "A Taste of Heaven" hit
the well-known Indie music chart “Top
IndeCourvertes” at #18 the first week and
began climbing the chart. The second week it
reached #7 and the third week #2 spot.