Hello reader,
How are you today? Hope you’re well.
Today, we’re excited to introduce another artist who is making some great music: Field Medic. This is the longstanding project of San Francisco, California native, and LA-based singer-songwriter Kevin Patrick Sullivan. A project that he began after playing in Westwood & Willow, a band with his brother Sean, and Rin Tin Tiger, a trio that also included drummer Andrew Skewes-Cox. Field Medic’s lengthy discography has primarily consisted of self-released EPs, a couple of self-released albums, and a few studio albums released on the Run for Cover Records label. Plenty to explore once you finish reading all of this Spotlight. Field Medic’s debut with this moniker was the self-released Crushed Pennies EP (2013), followed by fuck you grim reaper EP (2014), Me, My Gibberish, & The Moon EP (2015), then his first album, light is gone (2015), P E G A S U S T H O T Z EP (2015), That Beer Called Becks Reminds Me of a Haiku I Wrote EP (2016), If I Shout That the Revolutions in My Blind Heart Have Left Me on the Mend, Would I Still Have to Surrender to the Tides to Exorcise This Possession? EP (2017), and then his studio debut album, Songs from the Sunroom (2017), boy from my dream EP (2018), little place EP (2018), fade into the dawn (2019), Floral Prince (2020), plunge deep golden knife EP (2021), Grow Your Hair Long If You’re Wanting to See Something That You Can Change (2022), light is gone 2 (2023) and dope girl chronicles (2023).
From the Field Medic press release, Sullivan states, “I spent the last few years sober and in weekly therapy, which led to a lot of introspection about how everything that has been affects what is now. I spent many years conflating all of my self-worth into the success of Field Medic. I’ve been trying to reconnect with my personhood apart from my persona. The first song on this record finds me wondering if I should just focus on writing sync music for my income instead of dealing with the emotional turmoil of being a front-facing artist.”
At SWT, we’re happy Sullivan is in that state and that mindset. Music comes second.
On Friday, August 8th, Field Medic is releasing a new album, Surrender Instead. “castle peaks” is the second single released after the lead single, “MELANCHOLY,” which features a great ’50s doo-wop melody over weary vocals. As much as I liked that song, I liked “castle peaks” even more, which is why we at SWT are excited to shed some spotlight on it today.
In a press release for the single “castle peaks”, Sullivan shares: “Part of my recent mental break from the music business was taking the entirety of 2024 off from touring. For the longest time, my fiancé wanted us to take a vacation to Europe, so we finally did that spring. I spent the trip writing short observations & poems all along our European route, and when I came home, I pieced them together over a guitar part that I’d been slowly composing over the last few months. The verses are comprised of the poems describing what I observed literally, but the chorus speaks to the constant search for our place in the world, and how changing locations doesn’t always take us away from ourselves.”
The result is the gorgeous song, “castle peaks” that features a beautifully intertwined guitarwork melody over descriptive lyrics that name several adventures on a European vacation, vividly painting scenes, buildings, and landscapes in your mind as you listen along. You’re there, and it’s a lovely journey through this earworm-worthy song. Check out the animated lyric video for the song from Field Medic’s YouTube channel:
(All credits and rights to Field Medic)
Want to know more about the song “castle peaks”? Here’s an excellent video that delves into the inspiration, the making of the song, and more from Field Medic’s YouTube channel:
(All credits and rights to Field Medic)
The cover art for Surrender Instead:
The Surrender Instead Tracklist:
- tricks & illusions
- castle peaks
- simply obsessed
- no hometown
- MELANCHOLY
- opposite fantasies
- INFERNO
- coffee in the morning
- falling out
- the journey to the center of nothing
You can find out more, follow his socials, and listen to Field Medic at the following links:
- His fantastic website: fieldmedic.net/
- YouTube: youtube.com/@fieldmedic
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Instagram: instagram.com/_fieldmedic/
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Bandcamp: fieldmedic.bandcamp.com/
- Facebook: facebook.com/fieldmedicmusic/
- Apple Music: Field Medic – Apple Music
- Spotify: Field Medic | Spotify
Catch Field Medic on tour this fall at some fantastic venues (supporting Richy Mitch & The Coal Miners):
- 10/05 – Kansas City, MO – The Warehouse on Broadway
- 10/06 – Columbia, MO – The Blue Note
- 10/07 – Des Moines, IA – Wooly’s
- 10/09 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
- 10/10 – Madison, WI – The Sylvee
- 10/11 – Chicago, IL – The Salt Shed
- 10/13 – Lakewood, OH – The Roxy
- 10/14 – Detroit, MI – Saint Andrew’s Hall
- 10/15 – Toronto, ON – The Danforth Music Hall
- 10/17 – Boston, MA – Citizens House of Blues Boston
- 10/18 – New York, NY – Webster Hall
- 10/21 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
- 10/24 – Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer
- 10/25 – Charlottesville, VA – The Jefferson Theater
- 10/26 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel
- 10/28 – Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl
- 10/29 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
- 10/31 – Oklahoma City, OK – Tower Theatre
- 11/01 – Austin, TX – Scoot Inn
- 11/02 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall
- 11/03 – Dallas, TX – The Echo Lounge & Music Hall
- 11/05 – Santa Fe, NM – Meow Wolf
- 11/08 – Los Angeles, CA – The Fonda Theatre
- 11/11 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
- 11/14 – Eugene, OR – McDonald Theatre
- 11/15 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom
- 11/16 – Seattle, WA – Neptune Theatre
- 11/18 – Boise, ID – Treefort Music Hall
- 11/19 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
- 11/20 – Denver, CO – Mission Ballroom
Scummy Water Tower Productions co-founder, reviewer, business manager, and editor. Thank you for visiting this site, scummywatertower.com, and YouTube for Water Tower Sessions and SWT Interviews. And all of our socials.
Questions, feedback, or more? Contact me: alex@scummywatertower.com
