Article From the Long Island Blues Society's Back Yard Blues Newsletter May 2008. To Sign Up for the Backyard Blues Newsletter go to http://libluessociety.org/ and sign up under "mailing list".

On the Road Again...with the Kerry Kearney Band

On Saturday, April 26^th, the Kerry Kearney Band played their first gig at the Horton Smith House in upstate Hensonville, a cozy little town just south of Windham. Not quite sure what to expect, the band arrived to find a charming country inn tucked away in the heart of the Catskill Forest Preserve. It turned out to be the perfect spot for a rocking good time.

Horton Smith has it all. The front room houses a roomy bar area, a fireside lounge, a dance floor surrounded by tables, and plenty of room for the band to set up. This opens up to a larger dining room for the restaurant which is also run by owners Peggy and Joe. The band was treated to a delicious meal. The menu includes many mouth-watering selections such as eggplant stacked with herbed goat cheese and basil pesto, fettucini with blackened shrimp and sliced andouille sausage in a cajun parmesean cream sauce, a selection of steaks, and baby back ribs with a bourbon honey barbecue glaze. The food was extraordinary and the prices reasonable. 

Horton Smith also has a quaint 14-room inn, and the band stayed the night. Peggy and Joe made it clear that they wanted the band to consider themselves "family." They could not have been more accommodating. They even prepared a midnight snack for the band and had coffee and donuts waiting in the morning. The rooms in the inn are clean, comfortable, and reasonably priced. This is a ski area, so spring, summer and fall are the off-season.

Around nine o'clock, the music began. There was a huge crowd, and not too many people remained in their seats. There was Prancin' Paula, a huge KKB fan from nearby Hunter, who danced every dance, a few local farmboys out having a good time, and some downstaters who had come up for the Beer Festival at Hunter Mountain. There was even a contingent of KKB fans from the Maples, including Dancin' Doug and his Darlin' Delia. Lex Grey and Vic Deyglio, who are peacefully raising chickens down the road a piece, sat in with the band for an electrifying second set. The people who stayed for the last set were treated to the Kerry-style surfer guitar of Chop Suey, vintage Rolling Stones, and even some Grateful Dead.

There was an amazingly good energy in the place all night, and everyone there had a great time. The merchandise table was set up on the side of the dance floor. There was so much partying going on that the table started to shake and - for the first time - the CDs went flying! As assistant band manager Jenny Jen noted, "If the table's rockin', don't bother knockin'."

Kerry's next gig at the Horton Smith is Saturday, May 31^st. For you Jam band enthusiasts, that's the same weekend as the 4^th Annual Mountain Jam at Hunter Mountain. Presented by Radio Woodstock and Warren Haynes, the line-up includes Gov't Mule and the Levon Helm Band. For more info, go to www.mountainjam.com For KKB's further dates at the Horton Smith House, go to www.kerrykearney.com For more information about the Horton Smith House, go to www.hortonsmithhouse.com 

The Kerry Kearney Band at the Horton Smith House...definitely worth the trip!

From the Long Island Blues Society~
Kerry Kearney at the Boulton Center Saturday,    March 1
 
Kerry Kearney has been on a musical journey since he was able to pick up an instrument.  In his quest to discover his roots, Kerry has trekked across Long Island from Belle Harbor to Montauk, across the Country from California to Cambridge and across the world from Memphis to Moscow and the Dakotas to Dublin.
 
He has played festivals, NASCAR Races, closets and casinos.Whether headlining festivals or supporting superstars, or with crowds that have ranged from a very lucky few to tens of thousands ,Kerry has never failed to deliver as he followed the Siren's song to  "Discover Your Roots."
    
Saturday, March 1, Kerry will marshal his merry medley of musicians and lead them into the Boulton Center www.boultoncenter.org  to share his discoveries.  Show time is 8 PM.  Please check the Boulton web site for directions and ticketing information.

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The Sixth Annual 'Gathering of the Slides' Concert at Brookhaven Lab Featuring Kerry Kearney Band, Chris English, and Pat Russo, January 26

December 21, 2007

Kerry Kearney (click image to download hi-res version)

UPTON, NY - The sixth annual "Gathering of the Slides," a blues concert featuring the Kerry Kearney Band, Chris English, and Pat Russo, will be held at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory on Saturday, January 26 at 7:30 p.m. in Berkner Hall. Sponsored by the BNL Music Club, the concert is open to the public. All visitors to the Laboratory age 16 and over must bring a photo I.D.

The Kerry Kearney Band, back for a sixth year at Brookhaven, plays a unique style of Blues-Roots-Delta music, with a completely original sound tagged as "Psychedelta." The band, which features Kearney on guitar, Eileen Murphy on percussion, Frank Celenza on bass, and Tony Campo on keyboard, has toured nationally and internationally. They have shared the stage with notable performing artists such as the Allman Brothers, Dickey Betts, Sonny Landreth, and John Lee Hooker Jr. In addition to their performance at the 2006 Guinness Blues Festival in Castlebar, Ireland, the band has taken the stage at many music festivals, including six of the nine annual Riverhead Blues Festivals, the June Jam in Delaware, and the Mayfair Arts and Music Festivals in Pennsylvania. They also perform in many local venues including B.B. King's, Dinosaur BBQ, and Terra Blues in New York City, and the Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett, Long Island. In 2007, the band celebrated 10 years of accomplishments in music. Kearney's music is currently receiving airplay on blues radio stations nationally.

Chris English, a resident of Charlotte, North Carolina, began his career singing in the church choir and learning piano. He has performed with a number of bands and cites some of his influences as John Lennon and The Beatles, Brian Wilson, Jimmy Page and Peter Gabriel. In addition to his vocal skills, English plays a number of instruments, including electric, acoustic and bass guitar, banjo, piano, trumpet, and drums. As a composer, he has received national acclaim for his songwriting. His latest album and first solo recording, Alpha and Amigo, features a variety of musical styles and arrangements.

Pat Russo, a 16-year-old Long Island resident, started playing guitar at age five. He straps on a new American Custom Shop Fender Stratocaster neck, a vintage 1979 Gibson Les Paul, and a Gibson ES-335 DOT R Ibanez GAX 70 tuned to open "D" for slide. Russo has performed with the C&B Blues Band at the 2004 Riverhead Music Festival and with the Long Island band, The Groove Kings. Russo possesses strong vocals and great technique and speed, all of which have earned him recognition and school awards.

Tickets for the show are $15 in advance and $20 the day of the show. Tickets may be purchased through www.ticketweb.com or at the door. Advance ticket purchase is recommended because "Gathering of the Slides" concerts have been sold out in the past. For more information call 631 344-3846.

The Laboratory is located on William Floyd Parkway (County Road 46), one-and-a-half miles north of Exit 68 of the Long Island Expressway.

Contacts: Jane Koropsak, or Mona S. Rowe