Music
The best kept secret in music
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Rock This Town Catch Kennedy is a big band with a big set list By Joshua Hammann.
Catch Kennedy (a large portion of it, anyway) is, from left: Todd Fonda, Jeremy Kennedy, Houston Gray, Aaron Hanka, Malcolm McLaughlin and Brad Thorn.
Catch Kennedy does not play well with others. That is not to say the funk-rock-rap-soul collective from New Albany is a gaggle of pretentious snobs who refuse to share the stage with other bands. It's just that when Catch Kennedy is onstage, there isn't a lot of room, or time, for anyone else. First of all, there are nine guys in the band, and secondly, a typical set isn't 45 minutes and an encore. Catch Kennedy plays for hours on end, morphing into different bands married to different sounds.
Background
Catch Kennedy came together two years ago when guitar player Malcolm McLaughlin and lead singer Jeremy "Catch" Kennedy split from their previous band Jet Lawrence. Todd Fonda, who plays bass and keyboards, and guitarist Brad Thorn came over from Ear Show. Kennedy's roommate, Houston Gray, joined to play drums and Aaron Hanka added a little percussive flair. Still, the band wasn't finished. In order to add a hip-hop element, Kennedy recruited his brother, Josh Kennedy, and his two friends, Steve Keenan and Jason Bates, to rap over the rock and funk rhythms.
Sound
With such a huge lineup, you would expect a huge sound, but Catch Kennedy, despite its numbers, delivers a smooth, well-integrated rock and funk medley. With Kennedy, Keenan and Bates rhyming overtop, Catch Kennedy resembles an electric, slightly more melodic, version of LL Cool J's famous "MTV Unplugged" performance. There are also touches of Jamiroquai and Sublime. The band has already released one album, last year's "Superlove," and has plans for another in a few months.
Outlook
You can catch Catch Kennedy live at Main Menu, 3306 Plaza Drive in New Albany, on Saturday for what the band is calling Mayfest. There will be a large tent and plenty of beer to go around. "We have a rockish set and a Catch Kennedy set and a hip-hop set," Jeremy Kennedy said. "It's three or four hours of original stuff." - Velocity Weekly - The Courier Journal
Discography
"Superlove" (2005)
*2nd cd to be released summer 2006!
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Catch Kennedy was formed in early 2004, in a small New Albany, Indiana basement. Jeremy Kennedy and Malcolm McLaughlin had recently parted ways with Jet Lawrence. Around the same time Todd Fonda, Brad Thorn and Houston Gray had a project called Earshow. They had just finished up their self-titled cd and had been practicing in Houston’s basement, who was roommates with Kennedy. Songs were being written at a rapid pace and a few jam sessions later it was evident that a new but far from normal project was imminent. The final piece of the puzzle was put into place with the addition of percussionist Aaron Hanka. The super group that Kennedy envisioned had come together in a matter of weeks. For the next few month things progressed steadily. Finding ‘the catch kennedy sound,’ members figuring out their new roles, shows being booked, a demo disc was in the works. By the time the bands second show, at Headliners Music Hall, it was obvious that something special was happening between the band and the fans. Over the next few years the fan base has only gotten bigger. Record alcohol sales, sold out shows and the ever changing set lists have kept the band at their peak.
The Catch Kennedy sound can be defined by the diversity of its members. All share a great love of music and the creative process. The bands sound has been compared to 311, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Cherry Poppin’ Daddy’s, Beastie Boys, Jamiroquai and Sublime. Every member has such a broad list of influences. From Pink Floyd to Nirvana, The Doors to Michael Jackson, Jim Croce to Todd Snyder, the list is never ending. Maybe that’s why the band is constantly writing and recording. What goes in must come out.
After the success of the bands first release, Superlove in 2005, they have headed into Liquid Sound Studios to work on the second cd. Which will be released in summer of 2006.
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