Kevin Seconds has never been a slave to expectations, even as his immensely influential band, 7 Seconds, helped to foster the West Coast hardcore scene in the early '80s. Never one to rest on his laurels, Kevin Seconds led his band beyond the confines of straight-edge hardcore and into more defiantly experimental territory, resulting in the tightening of certain areas of their fanbase, and the alienating of others. Dedicating their third - and, at that point, most openly melodic LP - to U2 was, for some, a bridge too far.

Perhaps, even less expected, was the decision for Seconds to strike out on his own as an acoustic singer-songwriter. While he still maintained a career as the frontman for 7 Seconds, the freedom of being one man and one guitar proved to be too tantalizing to pass up. Extricated from the context of the hardcore frontman, Seconds blossomed as both a writer and a performer. The man always possessed one of the best voices in punk, but his true range was given the spotlight once everything else was stripped away.

Read Rev. Adam McKinney's interview with Kevin Seconds in the Music & Culture section.

KEVIN SECONDS, w/Erica Freas, Secret Abilities, Sullivan Street, 8 p.m., Friday, May 23, all ages, Northern, 414 ½ Legion Way, $7, Olympia