Published February 15, 2007

Big Apple bound
With a new CD, Raymond alternative country artist Travis Kline is headed for New York to ‘get some work done.’

By Don Perkins 
...There's a buzz around town these days about this young gun. Indeed, Travis Kline of Raymond, could be the area's latest rock star. He's just put out a demo CD of six alternative country tracks. It may be a "Cold New Day"— the CDs opening track — in Raymond, but Kline and his demo are headed for New York City hoping to sign with a label and launch a musical career far away from the "Empty Streets” of Maine.
If (someone) who’s promoting his own record isn't enough of an accomplishment, get this. Kline, who's had almost no formal training, plays nearly every instrument on the album, including vocals, guitars, bass, drums, pedal steel, harmonica, piano and organ. 

Roy A. Clark, who’s worked with Windham's Rick Charette, plays piano on the track "Elsa" and also co-produced Kline's self-titled disc. The demo is the product of split recording sessions that concluded last October.
An equal number of tracks were laid down in both Raymond and Florida, Kline's second home. Although Kline is a Raymond native hailing from the twists and turns of Route 85, he’s spent much of his adolescence in the Fort Myers area of the sunshine state. High school courses were a mix of Maine, Florida and the Internet, he said. 

The Sunshine State is where Kline said he gets his country twang. "Fort Myers is a city," Kline said, "but when you get to the outskirts you see these blues bars and these cool country bars. It sets a new mood for me." 

This mood is what Kline said he falls back on when he's writing alternative country songs. Kline says he considers himself alternative because he combines many musical elements and doesn't want to get pigeonholed. The CD has both country and rock tunes infused with Kline's own Americana-influenced stew. 

A big Grateful Dead fan, Kline has diverse music tastes. Spending time with him this reporter saw plenty of Grateful Dead memorabilia. But Kline also pulled out a Kiss CD and music by Oasis. He counts the Rolling Stones and Creedence Clearwater Revival as some of his favorites. These crossover groups come through in his songwriting. 

"Cold New Day" opens the disc like a loaded freight bound for the heartland — one fueled with a good supply of Grateful Dead lyrical melody and early Johnny Cash rockabilly. There’s a strong bottom to it. A feel-good crossover country rocker. 

"You Don't Change" has a minor tone illuminating Kline's lyrical style-"My admission comes from a long line of loneliness. My confessions come from the times that I've been afraid," Kline sings. 

"Elsa" is largely an acoustic-based ballad. Kline laments a factious lover's return in the song, stating, "So come back to me, my Elsa. Or love I'll never know." On this track, Kline plays the pedal steel, an instrument he has great respect for while helping to set the stage for Kline's New York trip.
He picks a 1968 ZB model, calling the pedal steel his favorite instrument. According to Kline, the ZB, made in Arkansas, is the same brand of pedal steel Jerry Garcia fooled around with. "All the intonations — you have to be right over your frets," Kline said. "It's incredible." 

"Empty Streets" has a Rolling Stones feel, like a Mick Jagger foray into country. The background vocals, heavy guitar riffs and honky-tonk piano bridges musical genres.
"Georgia Roads" is a contemplative tune sung in a laid-back and almost whisper-like fashion that could bend the constructs of place and time. A harmonica occasionally pines in the distance. It’s hypnotic, like staring into a bucket filling with drips of water. 

"Down at Dawn" culminates the disc like a piece of Neil Young grunge laced with Nirvana-like narrative digressions- "Will the ships sail away? Will the lies end today? Will to you your story return? Is today the day you must learn?"
Kline's New York connections are rooted in a relationship he formed with fellow pedal steel player Jon Graboff, currently playing with Ryan Adams and the Cardinals band. "I met him through the Internet, believe it or not, on a steel guitar blog," Kline said, adding that Graboff recently played on Willie Nelson’s Songbird release. Graboff issued a promotional statement for Kline's disc, calling it a "stripped down unpretentious style of solid, song based rock music. Just a straightforward personal statement." 

With connections like Graboff, coupled with Kline's own multifaceted musical abilities, his future looks promising. And Kline is no stranger to travel. "I've been to New York many times," he said, adding, "I love it there. I'm taking my music there. I'm going to try to get some work done."...