Outspoken

Outspoken emerged as a rowdy, raucous five-piece punk-pop ensemble rooted in Louisville, Kentucky, with David “E” Frazier serving as its founder. Frazier had secured a short-lived recording contract at the turn of the millennium, yet questionable circumstances prompted him to abandon Nashville and settle in the Kentucky hills. From there he posted an online advertisement seeking musicians, and the sole reply came from guitarist Kevin McCreery, leaving Frazier energized. McCreery began making the 600-mile trek from his Saginaw, Michigan, residence to Louisville to collaborate, but the repeated travel grew unsustainable. Both men therefore relocated permanently to Louisville, where guitarist Shaun Kennedy, drummer Donnie Highland, and bassist Frank Green completed the lineup and established Outspoken as a working band. Lava Records offered a contract within three months, and by late 2001 the group was tracking material in a Seattle studio alongside producer Rick Parashar, known for his work with Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, and Blind Melon. The resulting debut, Bitter Shovel, arrived in February 2003 as a fiery, high-energy statement.