Portland(Maine) has the biggest crush on Pete Kilpatrick, says the Portland Phoenix. And by judging by the wave of success the 23-year old singer-songwriter has had in the past year and a half sharing the stage with such artists as Gavin Degraw, O.a.r, Pat Mcgee Band, Ray Lamontagne and many more while also selling nearly 10,000 records independently it looks like the rest of the nation may find themselves just as smitten with him very soon. The buzz about kilpatrick and his music is ringing loud and clear, so clear the the Portland Phoenix let him know by honoring the young songsmith with two Best Music Poll awards in 2006, for Best Local Act and Best Pop-Rock Act. This is the perfect lead-in for the Vacationlands favorite son as he comes off a record-breaking album for the Great State of Maine his 2005 release Yesterday Love has held strong in the Bull Moose Music Top Ten (one of the biggest independant music store chains in the country) for more than a year and boldy steps forward with a brand new album of his most accomplished work for an end of summer 2006 release. Louder Than The Storm, produced by Jon Wyman (Ray Lamontagne, As Fast As, Rustic Overtones) is a fluid collection of songs that are inescapably genuine, warm and honest, Kilpatrick cleverly weaves songs fueled with urgency and agression ala Queens of the Stone Age, Incubus and Travis, alongside songs that sit as relaxed as a seaside rocking chair imbued with 70's soul and touches of contemporaries such as Josh Rouse, David Gray and the Magic Numbers. Equally important with this batch of material from the gentle, introspective Maine native is that these songs are succulently fresh all written within a few months, in some cases weeks or even days of the recording of them, That was Kilpatrick's plan all along: to keep the material rich with creativitiy and spontaneous impulses, rather than reaching back and uncovering older material. With a clear vision and an eternally open-mind, Kilpatrick mans the vessel on Louder while assembling a very able-bodied crew of Portland and Boston notables such as Adam Gardner (Guster), Spencer Albee (As Fast As), Ryan Zoidis (Soulive), Matt Lydon (Averi), as well as his staple Portland support of Hutch Heelan on bass and Calvin Goodale on guitar. Whats most important is that the songwriting is consistanly interesting, and (Pete's) not afraid to take chances, says Sam Pfeifle (Portland Phoenix) of 2005's Yesterday Love. With Louder Than the Storm (August 22nd), Kilpatrick reaches even further into the realm of chance and the result is a subtle and contagious string of songs that ebb and flow though heartache, uncertainty, the open airs of Maine and are already causing a rumble of thunder throughout the music industry. recorded from may-june 2006 in portland,maine