2 Cats Making Cool Tunes in Ashland
Gwen Akers
The Ashland Beacon
From a nervous 12-year-old at a band audition to the owner of a national record label–Gary Kesling, the owner and manager of 2 Cats Studio and their record label, 9 Lives Records, is a force to be reckoned with in the music world.
Based out of his studio in Ashland, Ky, Kesling has been performing and recording music since he turned 12 years old.
“In 1967, I was in Boy Scouts in a troop that was actually down by the flood wall, and one of our members was in a group that lost their drummer on stands of grounding for, I guess, misbehaving. They needed a drummer; I was the drummer. I was only 12 years old and auditioned, and I got the job. The name of that little group is called the Soundwave, and I'm still in the same group 56 years later,” explained Kesling.
Ever since, Kesling has performed all over the country and has opened for several major acts including: Loverboy, Three Doors Down, and more.
After working for Marathon for 40 years and obtaining his master's electricians license, Kesling is now retired and puts his heart, soul, and music into 2 Cats Studio. The studio offers top-of-the-line equipment and opportunities for any artist looking to get his/her music and voice out there.
“My goal is to give artists, who normally would not have the opportunity to be heard and to get their music out. I'm distributed through a company called The Orchard, which is the largest digital distribution company in the world, and is a subsidiary of Sony,” explained Kesling.
Artists signed to the label have their music distributed to iTunes, IHeartRadio, Spotify, YouTube, and all your other favorite streaming services. Since their beginning, the artists of 9 Lives Records have amassed over 15 million streams–with the number rising every day.
“My main goal with the record label is just to try to help as many people as possible get their music out. I actually don't reject anybody. I don't try to judge anybody's music, and we do every genre,” stated Kesling.
Not only does the studio specialize in giving artists the recording experience they have been looking for, but they also promote the artist both online and in physical CD sales.
“We also provide a webpage for each artist to put their bio online and their social media contacts, and we also offer something unique–you can order their CDs. We do the manufacturing here, and to this date, we've probably done close to 60,000 CDs that we've manufactured,” Kesling detailed.
Kesling himself is not only an accomplished musician but is also very involved in the community. From his partnership with Gattitown, providing karaoke to students of the D.A.R.E. program, trivia at the hotel in downtown Ashland, and sound work and DJ-ing for various community events, he continues to bring music to the area. Kesling is also catalyzing several different projects and events, including The Ashland Project (which would be a recording event for area musicians), and workshopping a Battle of the Bands for budding musicians ready to enter into the next stage of their career.
Whether your forte is jazz, gospel, rock, folk, or something completely unique to you–this studio has a home for you.
The studio can be contacted through Facebook or their website at 9livesrecords.com.