Phil Kennelty

So 2018 has been a quiet year.  Not as much playing in bands.  Mostly jamming and trying out different band ideas.  Right now I ‘ve found a cover band or two to play with to keep my chops up and keep the music flowing.  Also started a “tribute band” called BiG PiNK, which concentrates on the music of Bob Dylan and The Band and the Woodstock scene.  We are looking forward to playing a couple of places and hopefully host a second Dylan Fest on Bob Dylans Birthday.

Meanwhile, on the creative side, a week in Hawaii produced a flourish of new songs and a couple of unknown hits from the Big Island.  I am definitely planning some kind of recording session in the new year as well as some merchandising efforts.  Its about time.

I am pleased to report that the Acoustic Jam at Sunset Grill on Thursdays is beginning to take hold.  We’ve had a steady attendance of critical mass over the past three weeks.  Everybody seems to be having fun and we have been invited back for December.  There will be a two week hiatus for  Thanksgiving Day and the Great South Bay Brass Band who play there on the last Thursday of each month.  But we will be back for the first three weeks of December.  I am hoping to get some more instruments: mandolins, banjos, fiddles and violins, and perhaps a flautist or two to join us next month to add to the variety and push the envelope a little.  If you are here on Long Island or visiting the area, please stop by to join us or just to listen.

Acoustic at Sunset is on Thursday Evenings from 8:00 PM to 11:30 PM        at The Sunset Grill at 4060 Sunrise Blvd., Seaford NY 11783  (1/2 mile east of Route 135).

I am pleased and excited to announce a new venture!  Starting this November, I will be hosting an “Acoustic Night” at The Sunset Grill in Seaford NY.  I want this event to be a little different from the other jams and open mikes going on on Long Island right now.

Right now, there are two basic musician’s nights at bars, restaurants and other venues around the Island: Open Mikes, and Open Jams.  From my experience, the people who go to these events fit into two distinct groups, even though many venue owners do not understand the difference or don’t really care; after all the idea for them is to get as many people to come and spend money as possible.  Nothing wrong with that.  As someone who writes songs, sings songs and plays two instruments proficiently (I think), I have found myself part of two or more separate groups of musicians, very few of whom overlap.  There are Open Mikes which invite people to come and sing a few songs (usually well-known hits of the past 50-75 years) along with a couple of ones that cater to original music by singer/songwriters;  then there are the Open Jams, in which musicians come together to play mostly popular tunes (Rock, Jazz, Pop, etc.) and have fun recreating these songs and adlibbing solos.  For the most part, Open Mikes have individuals performing with acoustic accompaniment and Jams have groups (usually put together on the spot) playing electric instruments (and drums, etc).

So I’d like to try something new.  A place where musicians get together to play acoustically: Singers, and songwriters can have other musicians play along to add and augment their musical ideas; musicians can get together and try new sounds and new combinations and listen to each other as we explore the musical boundaries.  I think that by keeping an acoustical setting for the music, it will raise the level of musicianship and harbor an environment that encourages improvisation and  exploration in addition to performance.

To those of you who read this (if any), please let me know what you think about this. Any and all suggestions will be considered as I try to make this project work.

c

Phil Kennelty and Phriends is on the go again with two shows coming up at the end of the summer.  Check back on the Upcoming Shows page for details of our shows at The Hub in Island Park and KJ Farrell’s in Bellmore, August 27, and September 5, respectfully.

I’m very exciting about our new line-up and the energy they bring to both my songs and our interpretations of some of your favorites.

Keep checking back for more exciting news.

Phil

Phil Kennelty and Phriends has been pushed to the back burner this Spring by an onslaught of dates as a Pianist/Keyboardist sideman.

In addition to a flurry of dates with The Nina Gordon Party, and co-hosting The Mousetrap Café Jam on Tuesday Nights, I am also filling in with The Kathy Patterson B-Side Band at Bobbieque on Friday April 7, and have a few dates with Joe DeMott’s Groove Daddies.

Altogether, 12 dates with 4 bands and also recording and preparing for a show with Lady Laura next month.  Life is full…. full of Music…

I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Check the Upcoming Performances  tab for a full list of dates with times and addresses.

I am proud to announce another performance date of Phil Kennelty & Phriends:  On October 26, thanks to Michael “Eppy” Epstein, the former proprietor of the famous “My Father’s Place” in Roslyn, Long Island,

I will be bringing my Phriends to Page One Restaurant as part of the Original music series Eppy is promoting in Glen Cove (see Upcoming Performances)

Joining us will be my good phriend, MARK VIRGILIO.  Mark is a great songwriter who has just released a new CD, Things Should Get Better.

I have been listening to Mark and his songs for several years and have even shared the stage with him and played some guitar for him.  I am sure you will enjoy his performance as well as my own with the band.

As the summer nears its end I am very excited to announce that the band “Phil Kennelty & Phriends” is taking shape as we approach our first show on September 13, 2016.

The band to date include the following phriends:

Lead Guitar:  Billy Langon

Bass:    Vinnie III

Drums:  Ken  Rodriguez

Keyboards: Roger Silverberg

Percussion: Joanne “J-Bird” Phillips

Looking forward to announcing additional members and guests in the near future.

Right now, making plans for my annual pilgrimage to the Philadelphia Folk Festival where I have volunteered for the past 32 years.  Over the years I have communed with friends for one week a year.  Friends who had babies when we had babies.  Those “children” have been best friends for 25 to 30 years.  The friendships my wife, myself and my children have made dwarf the amazing concerts I have seen including everything from Muddy Waters and Wille Dixon, to Bonnie Rait, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Taj Mahal (numerous times), Janis Ian, Los Lobos, The Band (version 2), Bruce Cockburn, Guy Clark, Kris Kristofferson and so many more.

This year, looking forward to Buffy Sainte-Marie, Del McCoury & David Grisman, Marty Stuart, Los Lobos, CJ Chenier, and many more.

Be back in September with more news about the Band.

So, I’m starting to put the band together.  First booked appearance so far is in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn at a gastropub called Strong Place.

Hope to have a few more dates for you all soon.

This really needs to be  blog rather than a post.  so I’ll keep it short.

Been real hard to keep you all updated since The Storm.

But that time is over and I’ve got a few new projects in the works:

The Nina Gordon Party is a 2 to 5 piece band playing material from the 60’s, 70’s and beyond.  Currently playing at The Manion in Glen Cove an assorted other venues.

Lady Laura is a Blues and R&B singer I have had the privilege to play with over the past few months.

And after a couple of solo presentations of original music including an international webcast Produced by “My Father’s Place” ‘s Eppy Epstien  at The Lighthouse Cafe´ also in Glen Cove.

And getting ready to reassemble Phil Kennelty & Phriends.

Keep tuned in.

Back to the Drawing Board was actually a song I wrote with Harper Evans back around 1976 for Lloyd Price’s production company, who did a full blown demo (including strings and horns and background singers, etc.) but that’s not what I’m writing about today.

For the New Year, I expect to be revisiting my efforts as a singer/songwriter, writing new songs and getting out and performing them.  I hope to be putting together a new version of Phil Kennelty and Phriends or possibly The Mighty Oaks.

Stay tuned for more information as it comes to pass.  In the mean time, listen to my tunes, here and on Youtube and let me know which ones you like the best.  New songs are in the works.