Biography
Late in 2008 the tenderly troubled songs of Bro. Stephen first took shape when Louisville, Kentucky musician Scott Kirkpatrick, previously active in the rock band Chemic, felt driven to pursue a separate body of work. Alone inside the quiet of his own home, he produced six songs during a single night, deliberately steering clear of loud textures in favor of a spare approach built around stripped-down indie folk. By February 2009 Bro. Stephen had left those living-room origins behind and entered the sphere of live performance; Kirkpatrick initially appeared on stage by himself, yet growing momentum soon prompted him to gather an assortment of supporting musicians for shows. What began as local gigs expanded into regional touring by fall 2009, with occasional contributions from members of Husband & Wife, Sleeping Bag, Rapider Than Horsepower, and additional friends who enriched Kirkpatrick’s expansive vocals and acoustic guitar through stormy processed guitar and further atmospheric instrumentation. After issuing a 7" and multiple tour-only EPs, he delivered his debut full-length, Baptist Girls, in January 2012. Although the album had been tracked from late 2009 through summer 2010, its wider release was deliberately postponed until appropriate arrangements for distribution, scheduling, and promotion were secured. The twelve deeply personal and beautifully tumultuous songs that comprise Baptist Girls address subjects extending from Kirkpatrick’s highly religious upbringing to his experiences traveling internationally as a civilian contractor for the military. Throughout the opening months of 2012, Bro. Stephen sustained an unrelenting tour schedule in support of the record.
Albums