Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with Kevin Holdson
Kevin Holdson is a Kentucky raised, North Carolina based Americana/Folk singer-songwriter whose music feels like a late night conversation. His latest release, 2025 EP Campfire Songs, is a collection of heartfelt, acoustic driven tracks full of nostalgic storytelling and gentle melodies. Recorded on a 1940 Martin 000-18, the EP captures the warmth and intimacy of songs meant to be shared.
What is your earliest memory connected to music?
My earliest memory is listening to Elvis with my Grandmother and dancing around her house.
How did your passion for creating music begin?
At 15 I picked up bass guitar. Immediately started playing music with some friends from School. It was terrible music, but a lot of fun.
What’s the story behind your current music project?
Campfire Songs started as a way to capture the kind of tunes I love playing most. Simple, honest stories that feel like they belong around a fire with friends. After years of moving around and gathering experiences from Kentucky to small-town North Carolina, I wanted to put together a collection that felt intimate and real. I wrote, produced, mixed, and mastered it myself, with some great help on bass and strings. It’s nostalgic Americana at heart songs about family, change, love, and finding light in everyday moments. Tracks like “Lay Me Down,” “There is a Light,” and “Red Bandana” came from voice memos on my phone and late-night strumming on my old 1945 Gibson.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
Warm, acoustic Americana with a folk heart. like sitting on a porch in the evening with an old guitar. Think gentle flatpicking, honest storytelling, and soft melodies. Somewhere between classic country-folk and modern indie singer-songwriter vibes. Rich vintage guitar tones, a bit of strings here and there, and lyrics about real life.
What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
Learning to trust the simplest ideas. Early on I’d overthink and layer everything, but now I know the best songs often come from one raw voice memo or a quick strum on the guitar. Stripping it back keeping it honest and unpolished lets the story breathe and connect deeper with people.
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?
When I am writing it comes down to having my 1945 Gibson J45 and my iPhone. Recording voice memos and writing in notes is how I get everything done.
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
If You Know Me – Hudson Freeman – Such a cool grunge vibe.
How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?
Yes, very much. Moving around the country and living in different places. I grew up in Louisville, Ky and moved to a very small town in North Carolina.
That change had the largest impact on me musically.
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
In the most ideal situation folks will be able to hear their own stories in my work. Feel something they have felt before.
All the music I love makes me feel something I am already connected to.
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
Learning to trust the simplest ideas. Early on I’d overthink and layer everything, but now I know the best songs often come from one raw voice memo or a quick strum on the guitar. Stripping it back keeping it honest and unpolished lets the story breathe and connect deeper with people.
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
Telluride Bluegrass Festival would be top of the list.
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
John Prine, hands down. His songwriting is masterful funny, heartbreaking, and profoundly human all at once. He could say so much with simple words and melodies, and his stories always felt like they came from real life. Collaborating with him would be like sitting at the feet of a legend, learning how to make songs that last forever.
Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links)
You can find my music on Spotify (just search “Kevin Holdson”), Apple Music, Bandcamp, and all the usual spots.
Website: https://kevinholdson.com/ (shows, merch, mailing list)
Instagram: @kevinholdsonmusic (or check the link on my site I post regular updates, clips, and behind-the-scenes)
Support means the world stream, share, come to a show if I’m near you!
Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
I am working on recording and releasing new singles throughout 2026
What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?
That I’m just a regular guy who loves telling stories through songs. I’m influenced by the places I’ve lived, the people I’ve met, and the simple joys like playing an old guitar. Hopefully they’ll see the honesty in it that these songs come from real experiences, and I’m always trying to grow and connect through music.
