Reed Kendall
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Reed Kendall

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"Reed Kendall - Profile"

With the second semester quickly approaching at the University of Richmond, students are buzzing around dorms and off-campus houses, retrieving televisions from storage units, and heading to the bookstore. Some might be feeling the pressure of the classes the coming weekdays will bring, but Reed Kendall, a Junior returning from a semester abroad in New Zealand, has other things on his mind.
Reed is a musician, and has been since age fourteen. He is a singer-songwriter from the Philadelphia area whose talents defy his youth. In a world of self-involved teenagers with guitars, Reed’s songwriting and stage presence demonstrate a level of maturity beyond his years. His talent transcends the clichés one imagines when picturing a young guitarist performing original music.
“He’s really not that into going to school. School won’t really help him with his career,” says Annie Hayden, Kendall’s girlfriend of two years, who met him after following the sound of his voice down a dorm room hall. Annie is a Psychology and Criminal Justice double major who at least has some plans for after graduation. Reed, on the other hand, barely has a major, which might not even be approved come next year.
When one hears about a musician “making it,” usually the stories involve only what happens with regard to their music careers. Reed’s development as an artist, however, depends equally on aspects of his life outside music. College has slowed down Reed’s production. During his semester abroad, Reed was able to act more independently of a rigorous curriculum, and wrote three songs about which he is especially proud. “Is that a lot? I guess I felt like it was because I was so proud of them,” Reed said.
His curiosity and personal interests have recently interfered with his academics to the point where he considered not returning to Richmond this semester. “By not going to school, I’ve never learned so much.” Kendall says of his experience in New Zealand. “I guess I’ve always just talked about it without really meaning it that I’m going to drop out of college, just to say it to be cool or something, but now I’m actually struggling.” He flunked a class abroad, and his independently declared major, Indigenous Cultures, may not allow him to graduate on time.
Herman Hesse’s novels have also inspired Reed, as well as Ariel Chernin’s Fan.Fare, a collection of accounts of people’s encounters with Dave Matthews. “I’m obsessed with him,” Reed says of the subject of the book, now on top of his dresser by his bed. “I guess I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to be him.” He also lists Jack Johnson, John Mayer, John Lennon, Bob Dylan, and most notably Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes as his major influences. Reed gives each album he buys up to a month of study, consuming as much commentary and behind-the-scenes background he can.
The question about where his songs come from renders Reed relatively inarticulate, as it does for so many artists. “I don’t know where my songs come from,” he says. “I’ve always admired the Frank Zappa types who can just go sit and write for however much time. I could never do that.”
Reed’s songs do hint at his strong religious upbringing. He spent free periods in junior high at Episcopal Academy attending Christian Fellowship meetings. He says he has since lost touch with those roots, but he still reads the Bible for its inspirational value.
Early on in his career, Reed’s catalog featured predominantly Matthews covers. When he was just getting into guitar, Reed won a raffle ticket redeemable for time at Silvertone Studios, a nearby recording studio. His mother encouraged him to use it before it expired, but he let it sit there for close to a year. “He had this integrity about him that he wasn’t going to record a cover song,” Sue said. He waited until he had some original material, and laid down his first tracks.
His parents, Sue and Phil Kendall, she a small scale publisher and he a Professor of Psychology at Temple University, are both very supportive of Reed’s ambitions, though they know how harsh the commercial side of the music industry can be. “I know it’s a tough business,” Sue told me, “I want him to pursue his dreams. I think it’s hard to separate the artistry from making a living.” Phil wants Reed to commit to promoting himself and pursue the marketing side of things if he wants to make music a full time gig, which Reed does not feel ready to do.
Reed says that he will continue to perform solo and focus on his craft until he feels he can perform with a band and really take on the industry. “With every song I write, I’m growing, and I guess I want to grow more on my own,” he says. “I haven’t grown to the point where I can be in a band with people as good as I dream about playing with.”
The people he has played with have been generally older, more prominent musicians on the Philadelphia scene. He’s played with guitarist Kevin Hanson of the Philly-based band Huffamoose and Chuck Treece, a drummer in one of - Colby College Paper - John DeBruicker


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Reed Kendall is a Singer- Songwriter born and raised outside of Philadelphia. His music can be described as a mix between John Mayer and Jack Johnson and his unbelievable talent is no surprise until you find that he is still in his early 20's. Performing in the public eye for a while now, his musical chops exceed that of a young man and his songwriting ability harkens back to the sensitivity of a veteran. Playing mostly original songs, Reed will captivate audiences with his charming personality and will make them laugh with his sense of humor. Peppering his set with some popular cover songs adds to Reed’s ability to connect with any audience and makes for an incredible evening of musical entertainment.