Kennedy's Kitchen

History

joHn Kennedy helped to form and lead the band Seamaisin in 1990. With that group, he co-produced two recordings (Joseph Harvey’s Fiddle was Left in the Rain and Seamaisin: Live at the Tin Shop) as well as produced music for the sound track of Dennis Courtney’s film of James Joyce’s Araby in 1997; Araby was nominated for a Student Academy Award in the Narrative Film Category. These experiences served as a foundation and background for the formation of Kennedy’s Kitchen.

A weekly music session in a South Bend coffee shop constitutes the place where Kennedy’s Kitchen is rooted. Many of the tunes still played today mirror the band’s initial focus on cultural traditions and family lineage. In fact, the name of the band reflects joHn’s experiences growing up, where song was a part of family gatherings in the home; for Kennedy, Celtic music is one of his “deepest roots.” Kennedy’s Kitchen regularly performs at national Irish festivals such as the Milwaukee Irish Fest, Chicago’s Irish American Heritage Center’s Annual Fest, the Michigan Irish Music Fest, the Dayton Celtic Festival, and the Erin Fest in Peoria, Illinois. Other highlights since 1998 include a performance at the Shaheen Music Center at Saint Mary’s College, Indiana in 2001 along with Dervish, Colcannon, and the Baltimore Consort; a performance with The Chieftains in 2004; a 2005 concert at the University of Notre Dame with world champion step dancer Paul Cusick and USA national champion Caitlin Allen; and a performance with Tommy Makem in 2006 at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center at the University of Notre Dame. In addition, the band regularly plays the region’s premier venues for acoustic and folk music, such as LVD’s Concert Hall in Goshen, Indiana; The Front Porch in Valparaiso, Indiana; the Acorn Theater in Three Oaks, Michigan; the Riviera Theater in Three Rivers, Michigan; Kraftbrau Brewery in Kalamazoo, Michigan; and the Schauer Arts and Activities Center in Hartford, Wisconsin. Kennedy’s Kitchen averages 80 performances a year. The Celtic Fire Stepdancers frequently perform with them.

Success and recognition

Instrumentation for Kennedy’s Kitchen includes guitar, tin whistle, low D and other whistles, fiddle, mandolin, bouzouki, bodhran, bass guitar, harmonica, and tenor banjo. Jigs, reels, aires, hornpipes, recitations, stories, and songs comprise the band’s traditional repertoire. Many of the recordings come from music sessions in Kennedy’s home, where spontaneity is captured. The band’s first individual CD was completed in 2003. Self-titled, Kennedy’s Kitchen, was selected by National Public Radio (NPR) Affiliate WVPE FM 881’s The Back Porch as one of the top 25 folk releases of 2003. Music in the Glen, produced in 2004, reflects the band’s versatility; from joHn’s self-written recitation by the same name to the lively reel, “Earl’s Chair Set,” the South Bend Tribune commented that several selections on this CD make the listener "feel as if he or she is at the performance.” The band's third CD, A Pocketful of Lint, was produced in 2006 and specifically honored the immigration of band members' ancestors to Ellis Island. In a review of this album, the March 2007 Irish American News included praise for the band’s ability to maintain the melody of ethnic music and include original compositions; similarly, Celtic MP3’s Music Magazine commended the musical qualities of these selections, while the South Bend Tribune noted the "intricate" compositions. In 2009, the band produced The Hotting Fire; as is characteristic of Kennedy’s Kitchen’s music, renditions of traditional tunes ring true to the past while newly composed songs by band members highlight the personality and talent of each individual. In a commentary on this CD by Celtic Radio Network, joHn Kennedy’s recitation, “The Crickets in the Hearth,” is cited as a wonderful story of his grandmother from Donegal in 1904. In the Irish American News March 2013 review of the 2012 CD, The Birds Upon the Trees, it was noted that the CD is "by far the best they've done and it has something for everyone." Josh Curll of 67 Music stated of this CD: "Listening to this album is like watching a trad band in a pub." To summarize the talent and success of this band, the Irish American Heritage Center’s website comments, “It’s Kitchen music. . .from the home, the hearth, and the heart.”

joHn Kennedy

joHn is the leader of the band and a singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist. He is the 2004 All-Ireland Fleadh Silver Medalist in Accompaniment, competing on guitar. He has won Gold and Silver medals in traditional singing and accompaniment in the Midwest Fleadh. 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.

joHn is a returned Peace Corps volunteer (Chile 79-81), and has a doctorate from the University of Notre Dame in Development Economics. A faculty member at the University of Notre Dame from 1991–2001, he is currently a Professor of Economics at Saint Joseph’s College, Indiana. He is a Celtic music instructor as well.

Liam Ladewski

Whistles

Liam is a multiple medalist in the 2011 Midwest Fleadh on both whistle and flute and has competed in Ireland, where he also attended the Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann music school. He has been playing the tin whistle since the age of six, having studied with joHn. Liam joined the band as a full-time member in 2008.

Chris O’Brien

Fiddle, tenor banjo,mandolin, and vocals.

Chris began classical violin at the age of nine and later turned to Appalachian and traditional Irish music. Her early influences include the tunes of Tommy Peoples from County Donegal, Ireland and the all Irish born Bothy Band. She studied fiddle at the Willie Clancy Summer School in Miltown Malbay, County Clare, Ireland.

Rob Weber

bass, really low vocals

Rob, a musician since the age of twelve, lived in Texas and performed with many blues, jazz, and R&B artists. His longest tenure was with the renowned "Midnight Flyer Band," an eight-piece R&B group featuring Jimmy Luke, the famous R&B singer and harmonica player. Rob has played with Kennedy's Kitchen for ten years.

Nolan Ladewski

Whistles, flute, and vocals

Nolan has been playing music since he was six years old, having studied with joHn. He is a multiple medalist in Midwest Fleadhs on the tin whistle and has competed in Ireland. Nolan studied with Brian Finnegan of Flook (band) and attended the Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann music school in Ireland. He composed many of the tunes recorded by Kennedy's Kitchen.

Jacob Turner

Bodhran

A student of St. Joseph High School in South Bend, Indiana, Jacob has been playing the bodhran since the age of eleven and has played with Kennedy's Kitchen since 2011. He received a silver medal in the 2011 Midwest Fleadh and competed in Ireland. Jacob has attended workshops at the Craiceann Bodhran Summer School in Ireland.

Past Band Members

Discography