The Kennedys

Nov. 1, 2006

It has been said that the only thing to break up quicker than a marriage is a rock band. But what happens when the band is married -- to each other? That must be a recipe for disaster, or is it? The Kennedys, a folk-pop duo, has proven that it is a recipe for success.
Pete and Maura Kennedy are out touring in support of the release of their new CD, “Songs of the Open Road,” a collection of cover songs that they have been performing for years. Known to their fans as the “First Couple of Folk,” The Kennedys will make two appearances in Northern Michigan; on Monday, October 30 at Shorts Brewery in Bellaire (a replacement gig because township officials in Elk Rapids have, for the time being, put a kibosh on Traverse Brewing hosting concerts), and the couple will perform in the Warehouse District of Traverse City at the Inside Out Gallery on Friday, November 3.
LIFE ON THE ROAD
The Kennedys know a little bit about the road. Since forming and eventually marrying 12 years ago, the duo has logged nearly a million miles (in three different touring vans) and performed in excess of 1,000 shows. During that time on the road they listen to a lot of music that has served as the influence for their popular SIRIUS radio program “Dharma Café,” and certainly in their own songwriting. So when the couple sat down to start a new album, they thought it would be fun to record some of their favorite songs.
  “We’ve been performing some of these songs on this album for years at our live shows,” said Maura Kennedy. “Our lives and our music are based on certain philosophies and principles and these songs speak to that. If there is one common thread it is that these songs all evoke a sense of freedom. So in that sense we hope that people adopt this CD as their music when they are on the road.”
“Songs of the Open Road” has a late 1960s California folk-rock-country influence to it. From such songs as The Byrds’ “Eight Miles High” (a standard at The Kennedys’ live performances) to “Sin City” by the Flying Burrito Brothers, the duo proves that have captured psychedelic spirit of the 1960s. Other highlights include Bob Dylan’s “A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall,” as well as Glenn Campbell’s hit, “Galveston.”

HOOKING UP
In many ways this album is a tribute to the fact that Pete and Maura Kennedy met on the road. Their story is right out of the musical fairytale books. Pete was a successful session musician in Washington D.C. when he was asked to join Mary Chapin Carpenter’s band as her lead guitarist in the late 1980s. In 1991 Carpenter announced to her band that she was taking a sabbatical to write songs. So Kennedy knew he needed to start looking for another job.
“Our last concert was on the Austin City Limits program and another guest, Nanci Griffith, asked me if I would sit in with her,” said Kennedy. “After the program she asked me if I would join her band. I did, and when we were not touring, I would pick up side gigs as a solo artist.”
One night in Austin while Pete Kennedy was performing at the Continental Club, Maura -- who was touring with her country rock band The Del Rays -- came in on her night off between gigs.
“We instantly connected on a soul level and obviously it was something more,” said Pete. “We met up the next day before I went back on the road and we wrote our first song together.”

OBVIOUS CHOICE
When Griffith needed a harmony singer to replace Iris Dement on short notice for a British tour in Spring ’93, Maura was the obvious choice, and her touring life alongside Pete began. While boarding the plane to England, Nanci informed the duo that they would serve as the opening act for many of the shows on her tour, as well as performing in her backing band. With a need for material to fill their set, Pete and Maura wrote an inspired set of songs in Dublin that would become the basis for their first album, 1995’s “River of Fallen Stars,” which earned an “Indie” award as “Best Adult Contemporary CD” by the National Association of Independent Record Distributors. 
The following year they parted ways (on good terms) with Griffith and married and launched their successful musical duo. Traversing the North American and European folk circuits The Kennedy’s have built a strong following. Their live show is energetic and entertaining. Both are accomplished guitarists and songwriters. While their performances in the region will feature several cover tracks, expect plenty from their original works.
 
The Kennedys perform at Shorts Brewing Company in Bellaire on Monday, October 31 and again at the Inside Out Gallery in Traverse City on Friday, November 3. For additional information visit www.insideoutgallery.com or call (231) 929-3254.