Kendall Roark

October 3, 2005

"You know who else makes me gush? Philadelphia's own Lunchbox Cowgirls. They've only been around a short while, but what they have so far is so special and unique I had to tell you all. The girls number four, all unique, but all synched up. There's frontwoman/guitarist Kendall Roark, she of the sweet voice and some of the most beautiful and twisted prarie love songs this side of Hank Himself....

http:/www.magnaphonemagazine.com - Greg Trout, MagnaPhone Magazine

October 16, 2006
"Next up was Kendall Roark...whose evocative music easily moves between bluegrass, blues and traditional folk (if such a thing can be said to exist). The highlight of Kendall’s performance was the poetic insight of “Black-eyed Susan”."

http://www.wingspan.org/content/news_wingspan_details.php?story_id=347 - Alden Fields, Wingspan News

August 10, 2005

...The Lunchbox Cowgirls are a country cowgirl cabaret band. Kendall Roark ("the Texas Mermaid") writes and sings most of the songs and plays rhythm guitar. . .

The Lunchbox Cowgirls play mostly original songs in the country crooner tradition with a sprinkling of american traditionals and old time country covers. They are not afraid to search out the roots of country and its connections with other styles of music. This experimentation takes the form of everything from country-tangos and blue-grass inspired laments, to country-twanged gypsy-jazz for the burlesque crowd. . . The Cowgirls will be playing to open the show. Johnny still has several more surprises in store. Stay tuned!!!

http://www.johnnygoodtimes.com/archives/001413.shtml - JohnnyGoodtimesBlog

June 30-July 6, 2005

"Part of the reason I don't like to play out that often is that I have a really quiet voice and I fingerpick," says Kendall Roark, a local musician with a penchant for gentle guitar movements and moody vocals. But her ideal audience isn't just paying attention to the music. "I'm a songwriter. I want you to hear the lyrics. I want to play and hear music in venues that allow people to listen, and that don't mind if the promoter asks rowdy bar patrons to quiet down a little." That's why she created 3onTuesdays, a "'mostly' acoustic music series" that puts an emphasis on listener satisfaction while creating a comfortable environment for the performers. . . . "It's really a listening night," she explains. . . . 3onTuesdays has provided a stage for local artists/bands as varied as GhettoSongBird, Amy Pickard, The Weeds, Monica McIntyre, Larry D. Brown, Brian Seymour and Birdie. Roark has taken the stage at 3onTuesdays a number of times — "I am the main and most convenient backup if someone cancels" — but also enjoys lurking behind the scenes, learning to work the soundboard and promoting the event. "It's just plain easier promoting other people," she says, though she admits "self-promotion is a rude but necessary evil." For the anniversary gig next week, Roark plays host to singer-songwriter Susan Steen, bluesy-folkie Aiden James and "lounge-core" act Wayne Hsu.

We caught up with Roark to talk about the power of threes and the importance of switching it up. . . .

http://citypaper.net/articles/2005-06-30/music2.shtml - Patrick Rapa, Philadelphia City Paper