Chicago-based multi-instrumentalist John Kehl (pron. /kel/) spent many years as a music teacher before getting back into songwriting as a New Year’s resolution. Quirky lyrics, groove, and weird guitar are hallmarks of his style, having grown up listening to 60’s electric-era Miles Davis and 90’s grunge and indie bands. The result is a type of genre-fluid alternative rock that combines tunefulness with dissonance, the poetic with the prosaic, and irony with sincerity.

The first Oodles EP, Life After Death, is about transition and change, spanning topics from love to death to the effect metaphysical concepts can have on our psyche. The songs were written early in the morning and recorded late at night in John’s home studio, with John playing and singing most of the parts (17 instruments in all). Watch for Life After Death on Bandcamp and Soundcloud on August 6, 2021 and on streaming platforms, amazon, and youtube August 13, 2021.

Life After Death

Online Dating Is Killing Me! feat. Dan O

I wrote this song after protestor Heather Heyer was murdered by a white supremacist in Charlottesville and our president was unable to bring himself to condemn the murder, instead blaming "both sides."  The lyrics are a series of thoughts about our general disconnection from and normalization of violence in the US as well as our valuing of celebrity and ideology over human life.

Ad Nauseam

The devil sitting on my shoulder sure has a lot to say...

The Quarantine Rehab Cha - Cha - Cha

A song built from a guitar loop and inspired by Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom.

September Song, feat. Renée Catrine

How The Multiverse Theory Helped Me Feel Better About Myself

This song is about a ridiculous summer spent getting tests run and how absurd that experience can be.  With the sax solo I was trying to imitate Lou Reed's "Walk On The Wild Side."

A cover of the Chordettes' classic; a self-indulgent affair with lots of guitars, metallophone, trumpet, and djembe (courtesy of my grade school music room). Originally arranged for the Song Spark monthly songwriting challenge: "modernize a classic song" then updated with some new mixing and mastering.  


Mister Sandman was written by Pat Ballard

Oodles

Popular tracks