The Kennedys

The Syracuse, NY 19th Guitar League Anniversary Celebration will be taking place at our former venue, The Quality Inn & Suites,100 Farrell Road, Syracuse, NY 13209. All other essential information remains the same: Doors open at 5:45pm Opening Act: Power of Two duo plays from 6:30-7:00pm Featured Performers: The Kennedys play from 7:00-9:00pm Free for active guitar league members; $15 for non-members Tickets: https://www.guitarleague.com/syracuse-ny.html Get your tickets while there are still seats available! For further info, call Bob Lewis: 315-882-8704 Bobflewis94@gmail.com _____ The Kennedys release HEADWINDS - their first CD of all newly-minted original songs in five years! Songwriting duo Pete and Maura Kennedy make a strong return to the studio, stage and radio after three years of weekly livestreamed lockdown- era concerts online. The decision to perform a different playlist every week led to them to play over a thousand songs during the pandemic. That vast overview strengthened and refined their own writing. “We were ready to create this body of songs”, says Pete. “After such a deep dive into American roots music, we felt that we had a new set of writing tools, and inspiration from across a really broad musical landscape.” “And there is SO much to write about” adds Maura. “During our five-year hiatus from writing and recording, America changed in a massive way, a divisive way that has shaken our whole foundation. That has to be addressed by creative artists, those of us who have a voice to speak for others. Our love of the great things about this country, things that are under threat, is the reason we decided to make “Headwinds” the title track of the CD. Political and social headwinds are making it hard to get back “home’ to our greatness as a nation. We want to push back in a positive way against those winds... In addition to singing and writing, Pete and Maura are multi- instrumentalists. The thirteen songs are cast in a soundscape that draws from the classic canon of American roots, in keeping with the theme of getting back “home” as a nation. Acoustic and electric guitars, a vintage steel guitar, a gospel-inflected piano/organ mix, and even a slide ukulele all add colors to a songbag of sounds that have drawn us together during hard times. Pete and Maura believe that those sounds still have the power to pull us through again. The Kennedys began their writing and touring life three decades ago as members of Nanci Griffith’s Blue Moon Orchestra, developing their own sound as a frequent support act on Nanci’s tours across America, Ireland, Scotland and England. Collaborations with Nanci continued, culminating in Pete and Maura producing her final album, “Intersections”. Along the way, they hosted a nationwide radio program, “The Dharma Cafe” on Sirius/XM, wrote and released sixteen CDs of original music, and have been core artists on folk radio, expanding their audience further since the inception of the AAA and Americana formats. www.kennedysmusic.com