JOSEF KARDELL
BY MARLI GUZZETTA INDEPENDENT ARTS EDITOR
He's got the look of a young Chris Carrabba, down to the first forearm tattoo.

But 18-year-old Josef Kardell has at least a fiveyear jump on the Dashboard Confessional frontman, who cut his first CD when he was out of college. Kardell has recently completed his first CD, "Nothing Starts without a Spark," and is celebrating with a release party downstairs at the Methodist Church on Monday night.

The Nantucket High School senior describes the CD as "dark" but with well thought-out composition.

"It travels within different genres," said Kardell, who lists four different types of songs on the album: the classic verse-chorus-verse song, ambient soundtrack songs ("which will scare you, the kind of music you'd see in an apocalyptic scene in a movie"), the 'big' songs with ascendant, layered tracks ("where everything is getting huge, full drums, a lot of instruments, just layering") and then also more relaxed jazz songs.

Kardell recorded the music on his laptop, using a program called Acid 5.0. Nantucket High School students River Bennett (cello), Blake Sylvia (guitar) and Evesha Kenlyn (vocals) make guest appearances. But Kardell is the voice, piano and/or guitar behind most of the tracks and also the producer. "I do a lot of drum programming," he said. "And I also did a lot of sound production. I'll record myself singing a note, then put effects on it so it comes out sounding like something different, like a fog horn or something. Then, I'll arrange it in rhythmic patterns, and change pitches so it becomes chords. It's like it becomes its own instrument."

In January, Kardell beat out students from 75 schools to win in the musical composition category at the Southeast District Music Festival in Duxbury, Mass. NHS Music Director Barbara Elder called Kardell a hard-working, "natural talent."

He financed the CD himself. (Well, with a little financial help from Mom, which he intends to pay back.) For $1,500, Disc Makers printed 350 copies of his CD and also designed the jewel case's art based on his ideas. Kardell used the same company his mother used to produce a CD of her own work several years ago.

Kardell is the youngest of three sons born to Nantucket musician and musical instructor Diane Lehman. He credits his mother with instilling in him - and in his brothers - a love of music in an environment that allowed them to explore their own interests and identities without fear of undue retribution or judgment. "The reason I'm so driven is that she supports what I do," Kardell said.

Kardell has no immediate plans of trying to pursue a solo musical career. Having recently been accepted to the Boston Conservatory of Music, he intends to defer to spend a year in Baltimore, working alongside his older brother, who teaches music there.

While there, he means to gig with a band called Aria Dies. (It's Latin for "another day.") The band includes fellow Nantucketers Blake Sylvia and Vince Veilleux, who will also make the trip to Baltimore.

Kardell produced the solo CD as a tribute to his love of music, and to have something to show for himself as a musician - which is, I think most people would agree, something more than is normally expected for a musician his age.

"I think the fact that a high school kid came out with a CD is a pretty big thing on Nantucket," Kardell said. "I hope, if people understand my goal and that I spent a lot of time on this, the community

will come out and support it." I

JOSEF KARDELL CD RELEASE PARTY

When: Mon, May 21, 5 p.m. Where:United Methodist Church

(downstairs) Cost: Free. $10 for a CD. For more information, please

call 280-7687.