Kennedy's
Kitchen
Kennedy's Kitchen plays
tear-up-the-floor, break-your-heart beautiful Irish music: traditional
dance tunes,
pub and original songs, stories, jokes, and well embellished tall
tales.
They have played from New York City to Chicago and
from Dayton, Ohio to the Irish Fest in Muskegon, Michigan, entertaining
audiences with their own special sound on: fiddle, whistles, banjo,
bouzouki, guitars, bodhran, harmonica and bass. It's the ancient
tradition and it's as fresh as a spring rain.
Kennedy’s Kitchen is based in South Bend, Indian and has grown over ten
years out of weekly seisuns at Lula's Cafe in South Bend, Indiana. As a
seisun is as much a social gathering as a musical one, so like their
performances, the music is intermingled with stories, jokes and well
embellished tales. No two performances are the same. Out of their
respect for each other's talents comes an abiding drive to share their
enthusiasm for Irish music and culture with others. Rowdy
and
toe-tapping or sweet and sentimental, you'll have it all.
Kennedy’s Kitchen has played
the Krannert Center at The
University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign The Shaheen
Music Series at Saint
Mary
College. In 2006 they shared billing with Tommy Makem at the
DeBartollo Performing Arts Center at
the Universit of Notre
Dame. The
Kitchen is a regular performer at region's premier venues for acoustic
and folk music: The Acorn Theater,
in Three Oaks, Michigan, The Box
Factory for the Arts in Saint Joseph Michigan, The Front Porch in
Valparaiso, LVD Concert Series in
Goshen, and the Mainstreet
Theatre
in Michigan City, IN.
The band’s third CD, A Pocketful of
Lint, was chosen among the top
thirty acoustic CDs of 2007 by WVPE FM 88.1's The Back Porch.
“To
hear Kennedy’s Kitchen is to
experience the heart of music, the culture of the songs being handed
from musician to musician, the beauty of melody untouched by gimmick
and the magic of this group of musicians coming together with one aim -
to leave you, and them, breathless. Then, on the the next song,
they’ll have you partying and dancing as never before. One of
America’s best!”
Tom Schaub, Entertainment
Director Michigan Irish Music Festival
In September 2006 they shared
equal billing with Tommy Makem
at the DeBartollo Performing Arts Center at the Univeristy of Notre
Dame.
"Kennedy’s
Kitchen, was excellent. They
have a really nice traditional flavor, relaxed attitude, and a lovely
sound."
A Tommy Makem fan, taken
from the Makem guest site.
In 2001, Kennedy's Kitchen
appeared in the Shaheen Music Series at Saint Mary
College
along with Dervish, Colcannon, and The Baltimore
Consort.
In 2002 they performed a concert at Notre Dame with world champion step
dancer
Paul Cusick and USA national champion Caitlin Allen.
In 2004 they performed at the Kranert Center for the Arts
at the University of Illinois. In addition, The Kitchen has
played some of the
region's
premier venues for acoustic and folk music: The Front Porch in
Valparaiso, LVD's in Goshen, Indiana, and Kraftbrau
Brewery in Kalamazoo,
Michigan.
The band released
their first CD,
self-titled, in July
of
2003 amd selected
by National Public Radio affiliate WVPE FM 881's The Back Porch
as one of the top 25 folk
releases
of 2003.. Their second CD, a live recording, entitled
Music
in The Glen was released in September of 2004. Their
third recording, A Pocketful of Lint
was released in November of 2006.
"
'A Pocketful Of Lint' contains some of
the best traditional Irish music there is - plus some great original
tunes and songs. The musicianship is outstanding. A thoroughly
entertaining CD - just what you'd expect from one of the top Irish
bands in the Midwest. Buy a copy - you'll be glad you did."
Al Kniola, Host of The Back Porch,
88.1 WVPE Public Radio
Based
in South
Bend, Indiana they play regularly in festivals and venues throughout
the Midwest. Their instruments include fiddles, flute, whistles,
mandolin, bouzuoki, guitars, tenor banjo, bohdran, and bass. They have been
together since 1998.
Photos
for press use. Credit Steve Echols

Press Photo..... 4.8
meg. Credits: Steve Echols
Rob Weber, Chris O'Brien, Bob Harke, joHn Kennedy, Nolan Ladewski
|

Press Photo..... 3.2
meg. Credits: Steve Echols
Nolan Ladewski, joHn Kennedy,
Rob Weber, Chris O'Brien, Bob Harke
|
The Celtic
Fire Stepdancers frequently perform with Kennedy's Kitchen.
Band Lineup
joHn Kennedy See film ... joHn
in 6/8 time
Vocals,
guitar, tin
whistle,
bouzouki,
bohdran, banjo, embellished stories.
John is a singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist musician/promoter who
along the path of life also acquired a doctorate in develoment
economics from the
University of Notre Dame (’79, ’91). Besides playing acoustic guitar,
bouzouki, tin whistle and the bodhran, his rich, deep voice is an
instrument unto itself as he sings his original compositions and Irish
tunes. He has promoted and brought to the South Bend area:
Solas,
Natalie McMaster, Siucre and others. His interest of Irish music led
him to help form the band 'Seamaisin' in 1990 and co-produced two
recordings with that group ‘Joseph Harvey's Fiddle was Left in the
Rain’ and ‘Seamaisin: Live at The Tin Shop’. Seamaisin also produced
music for the sound track of the short-film, Araby, an adaptation of
James Joyce's short story of the same name. Araby was nominated
for an
Academy Award in the Student Narrative Film category. The band
‘Seamaisin’ can also be heard in one of the scenes from the movie
‘Rudy’.
joHn is the 2004 All-Ireland Fleadh Silver Medalist in Accompaniment,
competing on guitar which was held in Clonmel, County Tipperary,
Ireland. He has won numerous medals in traditional singing and
acommpaniment competing at the Midwest Fleadhs.
joHn's solo CD ‘I'll Learn To Fly’ was chosen by WVPE FM 88.1's Back
Porch program as one of the top ten folk releases of 1998. Other
recording credits include: ‘St. Patrick's Day at Notre Dame’, recorded
live with David James, Dan Gellert, Kevin and Maggie Henry, Pat Max,
and Rosie McCormick; ‘The Notre Dame Experience’ with Nolan Ladewski,
Autumn Rhodes and Tim O'Neil on the opening cut of this Piano Brothers
production; and ‘Extra Stout, Live at the Inn at Long Trail’ a
recording which joHn engineered and produced with Pat Max
"His voice is
absolutely phenomenal" Helen
Norris, Senior Life, October 2001.
"joHn Kennedy puts his whole heart into it." Andy Hughes,
South Bend Tribune, March 16, 1996
"The best storytelling songs that I've heard since Harry Chapin", A
fan, overheard in the lavatory at a show at Box Factory for The
Arts.
joHn is a returned Peace
Corps Volunteer (Chile
79-81) and has a PhD in Economics from the University of Notre
Dame. He served on the faculty of Notre Dame from 1991 until
2001. He is now a full-time musician.
Nolan Ladewski
Tin whistle, low D and other whistles
Nolan has been
playing music
since he was six years old. He began learning from his uncle,
joHn. He recently traveled to England to study with Brian
Finnegan of Flook. He has attended the Comahltas
Irish
music school in Ireland three times and studied with a number of
Ireland's master
tin whistle players. He recently began composing tunes for
Kennedy's Kitchen. Nolan took first place in the slow aire
cateory on tin whistle at the midwest fleadh, 2005, age 13-17. He
took first place in his age category for tin whistle at the 1999
Midwest Fleadh and competed in Ireland that year. In 2004 Nolan played
soloist for his uncle joHn's all-Ireland Silver Medal in the
Accompaniment Category.
Bob Harke
Guitar, bodhran, and
vocals
Bob, the eldest of
the group, and the
only member to sport a silver-gray coif started dabbling with the
acoustic guitar when he was ten. In the early days, he was drawn
to and influenced
by the haunting and twangy sounds of Ferlin Husky, Jim Reeves and Kenny
Rogers. Later the harmony and unique lyrics of the Kingston Trio, and
Peter, Paul and Mary was added to his repertoire of listening
pleasures. Bob has been a person unto himself playing and singing the
songs he loved, basically for
his own enjoyment, seldom stepping into the limelight at gatherings. In
1995
while preparing for a trip to Ireland he became immersed in the sounds
and
cultural nuances and rhythms of Irish music ultimately composing and
singing
his first Irish tune 'The Rustic Stone Bridge.' He is much influenced
by
the styles of Dublin Balladeer Paddy Reilly and Noel Nash from County
Kerry,
Ireland. While visiting Ireland this new love was cultivated and
enriched
as he embraced the tunes, songs, ambiance and culture found in the
local
pubs.
In recent years this newly found
joy has been kept alive through his participation in local seciuns and
wherever musicians gather to play Irish tunes. This is how he met
John Kennedy and he now plays acoustic guitar, bodhran and vocals for
'Kennedy's Kitchen.'
As Bob holds a B.S. from Purdue
University and an M.S. from Notre Dame he can be observed sharing his
knowledge of
biology, chemistry and anatomy/physiology with his high school and
college
students in South Bend, Indiana. When he is not in the classroom
or
crooning a tune with his guitar, one may find him in the garden
admiring
and analyzing one of his newly hybridized daylilies.
Chris O'Brien
Fiddle, tenor
banjo,mandolin, and
vocals.
Chris began classical
violin at the age of 9 and later turned to Appalachia and Irish
Traditional music. Her early influences include the soulful and rousing
tunes of Tommy Peoples from County Donegal, Ireland and the all Irish
born Bothy Band. She has studied fiddle at the Willie
Clancy School in Milltown-Malbay, County Clare, Ireland. She is
currently employed in art and frame restoration. She is also an avid
accomplished gardener, just for the joy of taking care of flowers that
have no other place to go. Chris has spent many summers in Kilkee,
County Clare, Ireland
Rob Weber
Bass, really low
vocals
Rob, a musician
since the age of
twelve, lived in Texas and performed with many of the blues, jazz, and
R&B artists for which Texas is famous. His longest tenure was with
the renowned 'Midnite Flyer Band', an eight piece R&B group
featuring Jimmy Luke, the Texas R&B singer and harmonica player. On
his return to his hometown of South Bend, Rob "fell in" with the
session players at the Monday night sessons at Lula's. A writer
with a novel and hundreds of short stories and novellas to his
credit, Rob was completely taken with the story telling qualities
of Irish music. "The cultural similarities of the Irish and the
Jewish peoples have many touchpoints. The both value family, the
home, music, and the traditions of passing the legends, myths,
and the histories from one generaton to the next,
_______________________________________________________________________________________
BAND HISTORY Past members of
the
band.
Joel Cooper
Founding member
of the band, appearing Kennedy's
Kitchen, Music in The
Glen, and A Pocketful of Lint. Joel lives in Minnesota with his
family. He occasionally joins the band for performances.
Bass, guitar, and
vocals.
Joel is a gifted
songwriter and singer.
A founding member of Kenndy's
Kitchen now living
in exile, he is known as Michiana's favorite bass
player. He returns to South Bend as
often
as he can to perform withthe Kitchen and with area folk musicians joHn
Kennedy,
Judy Berg, and Noah and Irene Carver. He has recorded with Noah and
Irene
Carver on their 2000 release You're Always There. He is working with
joHn
on his upcoming solo CD and with Judy Berg on her upcoming CD. He
brings
to folk and Irish music 15 years of singing tenor with various choral
groups,
notably with the Notre Dame Chorale and the Vesper Chorale. He states
that
his last big choral gig was singing Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana" with
the
South Bend Symphony.
Joel is presently the
Director of
information Technology at Carleton College in Minnesota, a position he
once held at
Saint Mary's College.
In Minnesota Joel is
active in several
musical venues including playing bass for the up-and-coming folk/rock
band 'Old
Enough To Be Your Dad'. He is also a singer and composer.
His
composition "Land By The Sea" is on the Kitchen's debut CD. His
composition
Immigrant Song is on the bands second CD, Music in the Glen.
Sally Joyce
appears on Kennedy's Kitchen and Music in The Glen. She is a
gifted multi-instrumentalist. She is
currently enrolled at the University of Harvard.
Fiddle, low D and
other whistle.
Jim Bradberry
appears on Kennedy's Kitchen
and Music in The Glen.
Mandolin, banjo, and
v ocals
Jim is the founder
and owner of Mr.
Bradberry's Violin Shop. He started playing music on the back porch
with his family
and in the seven ties played guitar with Jericho and TD Davis. He now
enjoys
playing country, bluegrass, Bulgarian and Irish music. His wife, Martha
teaches Suzuki violin and they both play with a bluegrass band. Martha
also plays with the South Bend Symphony. Jim appears on the bands
first two CDs.
Autumn Rhodes
Flute, Tin Whistle
A founding member of
Kennedy's Kitchen, she appears
on our first CD. Autumn is a gifted multi-instrumentalist and
arranger. She plays in numerous band, including Mira with Sally
Joyce and Nolan Ladewski.