Kasey Jo drops debut single, video
By Burton Cole
FORT THOMAS — Growing up in Falmouth, Kasey Jo Bishop was always singing.
“I started singing with the Rick Adams Band when I was 11 or 12 years old,” she said.
Now Kasey Jo Trbovich and known professionally simply as Kasey Jo, her debut single and video, “Wanna Be Used,” was released Friday, her debut EP, “What’s Love,” drops in October, and the full album comes out in January.
“It’s exciting,” she said.
“The first time I ever sang on stage was at the Kentucky Wool Festival with the Rick Adams Band,” the Pendleton County High School Class of 2005 graduate said. “Rick and the guys were always encouraging of me and every year gave me the opportunity to sing Patsy Cline.”
She said she also sang in any bars her dad could sneak her into.
Before all that, she sang at her home church, Blanket Creek Baptist.
In her teens, Trbovich sang at weddings and funerals. “I spent one summer singing at funerals for money for college,” she said.
The singer/songwriter lived in Washington, D.C., for 10 years, and now lives in Fort Thomas, which affords her the opportunity to visit friends in family in Falmouth frequently.
“After graduating college, I dedicated my life and career to nonprofit work. I was working for a nonprofit in Cincinnati to help students get credits to graduate. When COVID hit, I lost that job.
“Between losing my job and trying to find work during COVID, needless to say, I had a lot of time on my hands.”
Trbovich picked up her old Yamaha guitar and starting working her way through Merle Haggard songs and the full setlist of the Rich Adams band from when she was younger.
“I taught myself how to play the guitar during COVID on the Yamaha my parents gave me when I was 10. My daughter is now learning using that same Yamaha.
“My debut solo act with just me and my guitar was at the Smoking Pig Tavern with Bill Lea. After that, Smoking Pig invited me back to perform with my band, 75 South,” she said.
“I loved it. I’ve been doing live shows for four years,” she said, but noted she prefers to leave the guitar playing to the professionals.
She eventually landed another job with a nonprofit, “but I realized I wanted to sing.”
Trbovich’s goal at age 37 — to get enough work in the music industry to quit her day job.
THE DREAM
Trbovich said she gave up on her dream for a long time because she couldn’t afford to go to Los Angeles or Nashville to record. However, the Cincinnati area is emerging as a major player in the music industry, she said.
The Queen City and area is known as the birthplace of several styles of soul music and home to many famous musicians, including the Isley Brothers, the National, Bootsy Collins and Pure Prairie League. James Brown recorded for much of his career in Cincinnati with his band of local musicians, the J.B.’s, who had their own chart-toppers.
“Everything is so digital now, you can do it from anywhere,” she said, noting that Billie Eilish and her brother, Finneas O’Connell, recorded and produced their first songs in Finneas’ bedroom.
Doghouse Studios in Cincinnati, where she recorded her album, boasts state-of-the-art equipment and top line production values. Trbovich said she couldn’t be happier with the quality of her upcoming album and videos.
Studio co-founder Darius Byers co-wrote “I Wanna Be Used” with Trbovich.
USED
Trbovich said the songs on her upcoming album, including “I Wanna Be Used,” “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” “I’ll Be Gone,” are about love — finding, making, losing, yearning and regaining love.
Despite the title, “I Wanna Be Used,” rather than “trashy,” the song is “an emotional liberation of being seen by the one you want to see you.”
“Everyone craves a genuine connection,” she said. “It hit the sweet spot between sultry and heartfelt.”
“In a world where we are constantly on the go, controlled by our jobs and daily tasks, this track invites you to strip away the stress and be your true self. In the safety of your intimate space, embrace your desires, experience love without boundaries, and feel truly alive.
“We want you to feel a deep, intimate connection and a thrilling sense of adventure,” she said.
The song is set to catchy, playful, soulful grooves.
She said she grew up on classic country, but sings what she calls Americana — a mix of country, blues, soul and classic rock. She lists among her influences Bonnie Raitt, Bob Seger, the Eagles and Linda Ronstadt, but also Conway Twitty and Merle Haggard.
She describes her style as “something that sounds very familiar but nothing that you’ve heard before.”
The Kasey Jo sound ranges from sultry ballads to rock anthems.
She and her music can be found on Instagram @kaseyjomusic, on Facebook as Kasey and at her website, www.kaseyjo.com .