Kennedy's
Kitchen
Home Made Irish Music: Promotional
Video: The Kitchen 2007-2009
Kennedy's Kitchen plays
tear-up-the-floor, break-your-heart beautiful Irish music:
original and traditional
songs, tunes, and well embellished tales.
__________________________
Kennedy's
Kitchen has been making music together since 1998, everything from
backyard birthday parties and weddings to concert halls and
festivals. They have traveled as far as New York City and
Florida, and releasing four
CDs along the way. They appear frequently in local
venues such as Fiddler's Hearth, Kate O'Connor's, LVD's Concert
Hall, The Box Factory for the Arts, and The Acorn Theatre ..... as well
as at National Irish festivals such as Michigan Irish Fest, Erin Fest
in Peoria, IL, and Chicago's Irish American Heritage Center's Annual
Fest. They are rooted in traditional Irish music... jigs, reels,
hornpipes, aires, and songs; but it's all about having a good laugh,
and, if needed, a good cry.
It's Kitchen music... from the home, the hearth, and the heart ....
Much of it original: songs as well as newly composed jigs, reels, and
aires.
Kennedy's Kitchen has performed for straight seven years at LVD's
Concert Hall in Goshen, IN and six straight years at the Carnegie
Center for the Arts in Three Rivers Michigan. They also appear
annually at Michigan Irish Fest in Muskegon Michigan and at Chicago's
Irish American Heritage Center's Annual Fest.
In 2009 the Kitchen played the Riviera Theatre in Three Rivers
Michigan. In 2008, they played the Majestic Theater in
Gettysburgh, The Ramsey Auditorium at Fermilab in Batavial IL, The
Acorn Theater in 3 Oaks Michigan, and at Musikfest in Bethlehem
PA. In 2006 they shared billing with Tommy Makem at the
DeBartollo Performing Arts Center at the University of Notre
Dame. They have played the DeBartolo center four times.
In 2004 they performed at the Kranert Center for the Arts at the
University of Illinois. Kennedy's Kitchen appeared in the Shaheen Music
Series at Saint Mary College along with Dervish, Colcannon, and The
Baltimore Consort. They have performed each of the last six
years at LVD's Concert Series in Goshen Indiana, and at the Carnegie
Center for the Arts in Three Rivers, Michigan. 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.
Based in South Bend, Indiana. Their instruments
include fiddle, flute, whistles, mandolin, bouzuoki, guitars, tenor
banjo, bohdran, and bass.
__________________________
“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 lovely traditional flavor, relaxed attitude, and a fantastic
sound."
A Tommy Makem fan, taken
from the Makem guest site.
"
'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
____________________________
Photos
for press use.
Press Photo..... 4.8
meg. Credits: Steve Echols
Rob Weber, Chris O'Brien, Bob Harke, joHn Kennedy, Nolan Ladewski
|
Press Photo..... 3.2
meg.
Rob Weber, Chris
O'Brien, Nolan Ladewski, joHn Kennedy, Bob Harke
|
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, and the leader of
the band. His rich, deep voice is an instrument unto
itself.
joHn is the 2004 All-Ireland Fleadh Silver Medalist in Accompaniment,
competing on guitar. He has won numerous Gold and Silver
medals in traditional singing and acommpaniment 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.
joHn is a founding member of the traditional Irish band
'Seamaisin' 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 a returned
Peace Corps Volunteer (Chile 79-81), and has a doctorate from the
University of Notre Dame in Development Economics. He left
academic life in 2003 to pursue music full-time.
"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"
Liam Ladewski
Whistles
Liam has been playing whistle since the age of six, studying with his
uncle joHn. At the age of twelve, he joined the band as a
full-time member in the fall of 2008 when his brother Nolan left town
to attend college. He is a guest musician on two tracks on the
bands fourth CD, The Hotting Fire.
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 generation to the next.
Also....
Nolan Ladewski
Whistles, flute, and vocals
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 composed many of the tunes recorded by
Kennedy's Kitchen, and together with Sean Hoffman of the Goldmine
Pickers, has released a CD of original compositions. 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.
Nolan has also released a CD of original tunes with Sean
Hoffman and joHn Kennedy... The Steps to Home.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Kennedy's Kitchen
has played over
100 shows per year for the last five years.
Kennedy's Kitchen has
released four CDs. The
band
released
their first CD, Kenndy's Kitchen,
in July
of
2003 and 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 December of 2007 and was selected by WVPE as one of the
top 25 CDs released for 2008. And in 2009 their fourth CD, The
Hotting Fire was chosen as one of
the top 25 releases, again by The Back
Porch
WVPE 88.1 FM.
In 2009 the Kitchen played the Riviera
Theatre in Three Rivers
Michigan. In 2008, they played the Majestic
Theater in Gettysburgh, The Ramsey
Auditorium at Fermilab in
Batavial IL, The
Acorn Theater in 3 Oaks Michigan, and at Musikfest in Bethlehem
PA. In 2006 they shared
billing with Tommy Makem at the
DeBartollo Performing Arts
Center at
the University of Notre
Dame. They have played the DeBartolo center four times.
Kennedy's Kitchen has performed for
straight six years at LVD's Concert Hall in Goshen, IN and at the Carnegie
Center for the Arts in Three
Rivers Michigan. They also play annually at Michigan
Irish Fest in Muskegon Michigan
and at Chicago's Irish American
Heritage Center's Annual Fest.
In 2004 they performed at the Kranert
Center for the Arts
at the University of Illinois. Kennedy's Kitchen
appeared in the Shaheen
Music Series
at Saint Mary
College
along with Dervish, Colcannon, and The
Baltimore
Consort. They have
performed each of the last six years at LVD's Concert Series in Goshen
Indiana, and at the Carnegie Center for the Arts in Three Rivers,
Michigan. 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 Celtic
Fire Stepdancers frequently perform with Kennedy's Kitchen.
BAND HISTORY
Past members of
the
band.
Joel Cooper
Founding member
of the band, appearing Kennedy's
Kitchen, Music in The
Glen, A Pocketful of Lint, and The Hotting Fire. 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 currently performs with Soltre.
Kennedy's
Kitchen
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Kennedy's Kitchen's EPK