Thursday Noon Soapbox Tour

Thursday (April 9) at 12:00 NOON
Dan Kennedy with Joseph O'Seph.

Dan is currently in the middle of his 2009 Great Midwest Soapbox Tour throughout the Midwest. He and Joseph will be at Stumpjack tomorrow at noon. Come on down for lunch and some tunes. Check out Dan's music at www.myspace.com/dankennedymusic. Been listening to Dan's tunes a lot in the past couple weeks...his songs are very seductive and sticky (voice and rhythms sticking in my head). Good, unusual stuff.

Joseph's music...I'm not quite sure how to describe. He lists it as J-Pop (Japanese Pop), Folk Rock and Minimalist. I guess that's as accurate as anything. It's raw, aural landscape. His voice creaks and squeaks, guitar sounds jangly and rough (I suspect he's a crappy guitar player, which I say with a measure of admiration...it's punk, man), it's immediate. I like it. Here's Joseph's site if you want to give a listen.

From his site:
Combine the soft lullaby-like young man that used to aspire to make people cry with an angst-ridden youthful exuberance and you have Dan Kennedy's recent music. Gone is the idea that he wants music to sleep to - messages that keep you awake. Now, the Detroit-born singer/songwriter expresses what he feels with a passion that takes most first time listeners by surprise. Frequent listeners are consistently drawn to his deeply personal, no-holds-barred lyrics and the stories behind them.

Although a Dan Kennedy album will put you through the emotional wringer, the overall experience is soothing and calm. While Kennedy questions the meaning of life, the existence of God, and the sanity of Man, there is one thing he never seems to doubt: Love. Even in his more sorrowful songs, love reigns King of all, staying afloat in a sea of uncertainty. Perhaps this is the reason his music is so effective. There is something reassuring about the man who seeks love above all things.