Friday, 16 July 2010
Kennedy Bakery * Melissa Savcic * Stephen Rawlings
James learned to play electric guitar in junior high by listening to Metallica and playing in garage bands, which explains his penchant for complicated chord progressions and rock star tricks. James now plays all flavors of guitar, as well as bass and mandolin. He has played bass with a variety of groups throughout Texas. Erin began playing piano at the age of five, and picked up the clarinet at 11. She was raised listening to folk artists such as Peter, Paul & Mary, which explains her focus on harmony and melody. In college, Erin performed in the Wind Ensemble, Chorale, and Women's Chorus, studied clarinet with Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra clarinetist John Reeks, and learned guitar from New Orleans folk/blues guitarist John Rankin. If Erin had her way, every song would have three or four chords, and about eighteen vocal parts. Fortunately, James keeps her in check, and makes sure some chords other than G, C and D make it in there on occasion. The band is named Kennedy Bakery in honor of the oldest building in Houston still in its original location. The Kennedy Bakery building is located downtown, and now houses La Carafe, which has the best jukebox in town. James and Erin share a love of architecture, historical buildings, Houston, and La Carafe, so the name seemed appropriate. |
After relocating to Houston I teamed up with lead guitarist, Chris Garver in November 2008. I guess we hit it off because we've been playing together ever since and have written 11 songs. We think that "acoustic/alternative/pop" describes our music nicely. After several months we added a bass player, Craig Nelson to our lineup and he has added some nice melodic dimension to our music. On January 2010, we finally found our drummer, Andre Berry who has taken our music to a bigger funkier electric sound playing shows around the Houston and Austin area. |
Combining melodic phrases and subtle wordplay, his songs take on such topics as life, love, and the infinitely confusing nature of both. Listeners can discover themselves falling in love with Parisian women, living in sarcastic denial, or just leaving everything behind to run away to Fiji all while giving in to the rhythms of acoustic and electric guitars and just about any other instrument he can manage to get his hands on – including keyboards, harmonicas and banjos, to name a few. As a live musician, Stephen provides an energetic performance that showcases his songwriting ability and musical talent as he simultaneously takes on the roles of several missing band members. In true one-man-band style, minus a bass drum on the back and cymbals on the knees, his sets offer the audience a variety of performances ranging from simple acoustic songs to intricate compositions involving layered guitar parts and random percussive instruments usually found under a stomping foot. In addition to playing small shows in the Houston area Stephen is currently writing and recording tracks for what will eventually become his debut album. |
Last Update Friday 18 June, 2010