6/1/09:

The new CD sill be available in late June!!!!

 

5/1/09:

We're currently in the studio finishing our upcoming CD.  We're hoping it will be available in late May.  Songs will include:

She's Coming Back Around (written by Cletus & Lori)

When Forever's Gone (written by Cletus & Lori)

Love on the Metro (written by Cletus & Lori)

The Very Same Sky (written by Cletus & Lori)

Be the Missing Peace  (written by Lori)

That's the Stuff (written by Lori)

Boxcar Coal (written by Cletus)

 

1/27/09:

Cletus and Lori thank the Washington Area Music Association for the six Wammie nominations for 2008!  The Wammie Awards take place on Sunday, February 15.  And the nominations are: BEST CONTEMPORARY FOLK GROUP, BEST CONTEMPORARY FOLK VOCALIST (both Cletus and Lori), SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR (Lori), SONG OF THE YEAR ("Love on the Metro"), and BEST CONTEMPORARY FOLK RECORDING ("Be the Missing Peace").  Thanks WAMA!

C&L are also grateful to have been selected to perform at the Wammies. 

 

11/6/08:

I'm proud of you, USA.  You rose above your fears and misconceptions, and did the right thing.  When I think of the progress that has occurred in our country in my lifetime, it makes me especially proud to be a citizen of this great country.  It is said that people vote based upon their fears, not their hopes.  It seems that we have hope now.

 

11/4/08:

Never have I been more proud to cast my presidential vote. 

 

6/29/08:

I'm just getting back from a week with friends in Surf City, NC.  It was a spectacular week. 

I brought some library books with me: two on music theory (very dry reading), one on the band U2, and one on Bruce Springsteen.  I brought the U2 and Springsteen books because I believe they are artists who continue to strive to be great.  They have all the success and money that they could want, yet they continue to work hard to try to make great music.  They also strive to help the world to evolve in a positive direction.

I ended up reading the book on Springsteen.  I read it because I feel like I haven't been trying as hard lately.  I wanted to inspire myself to keep striving for greatness, like I used to do.  I'm not saying I ever reached or even came close to greatness, but I tried to.  I used to go to bed and wake up thinking about songs.  I used to be completely focused, possibly obsessed, with songs I was working on.  I want to get some of that back.

In my career as a singer/songwriter, there's so much to do that has nothing to do with writing or playing music; booking gigs, updating my web site, emailing my mailing list, corresponding with venues and newspapers, etc.  Those other aspects have taken the time and focus away from songwriting.  I need to get some balance back.  I'm hoping that Springsteen's example can help me to do so.

 

10/02/06:

I watched a PBS show tonight, all about the desegregation of Arkansas and Mississippi schools.  I watch these documentaries often, and I'm always moved by the sheer courage of those fine people, of all races, who risked assault and even death and continued to act peacefully.  I like to think that, had I been around in the late 50's and 60's, I would be one of the white people who sat at the lunch counter with my black friends, only to be arrested or beaten.  I'd like to think that I'd have marched with Dr. King and the thousands of others.  I'd like to think that I'd have been able to muster up the courage to speak up to my white friends who were standing in the way of progress; integrated schools, integrated lunch counters, fairer voting systems, etc.  I'd like to think that I'd have had the courage to act like the courageous people I see in those civil rights documentaries.  I'd like to think a lot of things.  It's easy to think that as I sit at the computer, relatively safe.

Of course, the civil rights movement is an ongoing process, involving race, women's issues, gay/lesbian rights, etc.  In the documentaries, I see hate-filled white people, so many of them, governors, school superintendents, police, students.  And they use phrases like "traditional values".  Their rhetoric reminds me so much of the people using those phrases today.  Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, George Allen, George Bush, and on and on.  The documentaries of the civil rights movement of the late 50's and 60's look like older versions of what we see today.  The films are in black & white, the cars are older, they smoke a lot more cigarettes, but the rhetoric is the same.  It makes me wonder why we repeat ourselves so much.  Is it human nature?  The documentary showed the governor of Mississippi speaking at a Mississippi State football game, saying that he and all Mississippians are proud of being segregationists, proud of their "traditional values".  (I'm really sick of that phrase.)  I think that most people today will watch that documentary and clearly see the hatred, arrogance, racism, and violence spewed by the governor and all of those people.  It's easy to see it from a distance.  It's sometimes more difficult to see it up close.  We're doing it again, or still.  Citizens of our country are trying to stop us from evolving, from getting better, from embracing our own people, from living up to our own credos. And they're using the same rhetoric.

It seems to me that if we're going to go around saying that we're "the greatest country in the history of civilization", we need to act like it. Right now, it's not legal for all adult couples who want to be married to do so, but it's legal to torture someone.  Hmm.  That seems ridiculous.  So what to do?  It's more difficult to see the lunch counters of today.  It's not as easy to figure out what to do, other than to vote, write letters, speak up when someone uses homophobic language, donate to HRC.  But as I sit here I feel like I'm not doing much.  So I'm writing down my thoughts, not knowing if anyone reads the things I write on this page of my web site.  And hoping that we start to practice what we as a nation preach.

 

8/28/06:

A couple of months ago, I made a promise to myself, and to Lori to seal the deal, that I'd play two new songs at the Takoma Park Folk Festival on September 10.  I wanted to push myself to finish some songs, instead of just starting them, which I do all the time.  It's getting closer, so I've tried to wrap two of them up.  One is called "Amen" and it's finished, and the other is either called "Our Time of Autumn" or "In Every Little Life", I'm not sure yet.  I still have some work to do on that one.  I finished the chorus yesterday, and I still need some lyrics for the bridge.

 

8/26/06:

I just got back from a week one the beach in North Carolina.  Some wonderful friends of mine (the Fanjoys) rented a house and invited me down to experience a vacation I couldn't have afforded myself.  I can't remember the last time I had a week-long vacation.  Not that I have a terrible job with a rotten boss, but everyone could use a vacation.  I checked my email twice while I was away, whereas I check it twice an hour at home.  So I needed a break, and got a delightful one.

 

8/18/06:

I was in the studio today to sing harmony on Verlette's upcoming CD.  It was cool singing with her.  She brings a little Jazz and R&B to the folk scene.  It's going to be a great CD.  Stay tuned.

 

3/4/06:

I was (and am) delighted to receive the 2005 WAMMIE Award for Best Contemporary Folk Vocalist last week!

 

2/4/06:

I'm thrilled about the 2005 Wammie nominations!:

BEST CONTEMPORARY FOLK GROUP (Cletus & Lori)

BEST CONTEMPORARY FOLK RECORDING (Lotus)

BEST CONTEMPORARY FOLK MALE VOCALIST (Cletus Kennelly)

BEST CONTEMPORARY FOLK FEMALE VOCALIST (Lori Kelley)

Congratulations to all the nominees, and thanks to all who nominated us!  If you'd like to be a part of WAMA, and vote in the Wammies, click here.

 

1/5/06:

Thanks to everyone who came out the see us at the Kennedy Center last night!  It was a full house, and filled with a great audience.  It came at a good time for me, as I was pretty down and feeling like quitting the day before.  It renewed my enthusiasm and my focus on music.  Thank you.

11/14/05:

I'm thrilled to be booked for another performance at the Kennedy Center Millenium Stage.  I played there as a solo artist before my CD came out.  On January 4th 2006 I'll be performing with Lori Kelley as a duo.  The Kennedy Center presents free live music at the Milennium Stage every day of the year.  The concerts are from 6:00-7:00 pm, so you'll have plenty of time to get home for that college football game at 8:00.  There are free shuttle buses from the Metro to the Kennedy Center.  Hope to see you there!

 

10/25/05:

I found out yesterday that my song Undertow won the Gold Medal in the Folk/Acoustic category of the 2005 Mid-Atlantic Song Contest!  And guess who won the Silver Medal.  Come on, guess.  Seriously, I want you to guess.  Why you gotta be like dat?  Fine, I'll tell you.  It was Lori Kelley for her song Domino, co-written with my good friend Rick Engdahl.  There were 200 songs considered in the Folk/Acoustic category, so I'm thrilled to be acknowledged.  The first place songs in each genre now compete, so to speak, for the overall prizes (first, second and third).  The winners will be announced on Sunday November 20 at Jammin Java in Vienna, VA.  It's open to the public, so come on out if you feel like it. 

Other songs of mine that placed were: 

Celestial Dance; Finalist (top five songs) in Adult Contemporary/Soft Rock

Leavings; Honorable Mention (top 15%) in Folk/Acoustic

Celestial Dance; Honorable Mention (top 15%) in Folk/Acoustic

Walter Mitty; Honorable Mention (top 15%) in Folk/Acoustic

Also, Lori's song Ride earned an Honorable Mention in Folk/Acoustic

 

10/22/05:

If you would like to review our CD LOTUS, please go to http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/cletuslori and write what you think.  Fancy words and eloquence are not a requirement, these are fan reviews.  Thanks!

 

8/25/05:

The CDs have arrived!!  We have copies of LOTUS available at all shows, through the mail, and soon via the web.  We'd love for you to have a copy.  Anyone wishing to order a copy now can send $16 to:

Urban Garden Music/Cletus Kennelly

7911 Sleaford Place

Bethesda, MD 20814-4625

Please make checks payable to Cletus Kennelly.

 

7/28/05:

Many, many, many thanks to all who were able to make it out to last night's CD Release Show!  (Yes, our CD LOTUS is finally done!)  It was one of the most affirming concerts I've ever played.  The connection with the audience was really powerful, there was a give and take from both sides.  It's gigs like last that make me want to do this forever.  When there is a solid connection with the audience, it somehow makes me play better and sing better.  It was a great time, so thanks to all who made it to the show, and to all of you who come out to see us play.

 

4/31/05:

My first CD as a duo with Lori Kelley (currently titled Lotus), is, of course, behind schedule and WAY over budget.  That's the way CD recording goes, it seems.  But we're both very happy with the way it's coming out.  Recording is grueling work, for me at least.  It's tough to know when to say "that's good enough" and leave it alone.  I always want to do another vocal take, believing I can sing it better the next time.  Then there are the decisions about how layered each song will be, i.e. which other instruments to use besides the acoustic guitar.  There are countless large and small decisions to be made all throughout the process.  Then comes the mastering, which gives the CD its overall sound.  Then there's the artwork.  Aye, chihuahua.  We don't know when it will be out, at this point.  It may be late June, late July, or late August.  But in the end, it will be work we're proud of, so it will have been worth it. 

2/22/05:

Please keep in your hearts/thoughts/prayers the family of Rachel Bissex.  Rachel passed away Sunday, Feb. 20 at her home, after a brave battle with cancer.  I know everyone says that, "a brave battle", but it really was.  She did the standard treatment, holistic treatment, meditation, the works.  She also kept performing throughout the time of her treatment. 

The last time I saw her was at the birthday party for Ruth White last summer.  Ruth and her husband David had a few of us perform for Ruth at a park.  Rachel, who lives in Vermont, was touring and played a church gig in the morning before Ruth's party.  It's amazing to think that she was dying then.  You would never have known it.

Rachel was a wonderful singer and songwriter.  I met her a few years ago in Baltimore where we did a concert together, and she embraced me as a friend from the time we met, as she did with everyone.  She had a powerful, infectious spirit, a bright and genuine smile, and a way of connecting with everyone.  She was the kind of performing songwriter that I want to be.  I will miss her.

2/15/05:

The Wammies at Strathmore were magical.  Strathmore is an incredible, gorgeous  place, and it brought such class to the awards night.  I always love the Wammies, because I get to see so many of my peers and friends whom I don't get to see often enough, and there's always great live music.

I was delighted to receive Wammies for BEST CONTEMPORARY FOLK DUO/GROUP (for Cletus Kennelly & Lori Kelley),  and BEST CONTEMPORARY FOLK VOCALIST.  Lori and I were certain we weren't going to win the Duo/Group award, so we stayed in the balcony as they were announcing our category (well, Lori made us stay in the balcony, saying we'd jinx it if we went downstairs just in case we won).  So when we heard our names called we had to run up the balcony, through two big doors, across a hallway, down a long staircase, across a hall, through two more doors, and then down the aisle, take a left, then hit the stage.  I was so winded that I barely got out any "thank you's" when I got there.  So maybe her jinx theory was right. 

Congratulations to all the winners and nominees, and to everyone who gets out there and sings.

1/23/05:

Congratualtions to all the WAMMY nominees this year!  I was delighted to find my name on the ballot for: BEST CONTEMPORARY FOLK VOCALIST, BEST CONTEMPORARY FOLK DUO/GROUP (for Cletus & Lori), and BEST CONTEMPORARY FOLK INSTRUMENTALIST (although I can't figure out how I got the last one.  I mean, I can play, but come on.)  My music partner Lori Kelley was also nominated for BEST CONTEMPORARY FOLK VOCALIST (yes we're competing against each other).

THE WAMMIES are open to the public, and they have some great performers this year, as always: Chopteeth Afrofunk Big Band, Ellis Paul, EU featuring Sugar Bear, Hillbilly Jazz featuring Chick Hall with John Previti, Jim Stephanson
and Brooks Teglar, Jennifer Cutting's Ocean Orchestra, Pat McGee Band, Root Boy Slim Tribute, and Tom Principato.

 

8/18/04:

It’s late at night, and I just had a good night of songwriting. I was in that "zone", I guess you could call it. It had been a while. I get busy searching for gigs, mailing packages to venues, booking the gigs, rehearsing for the gigs, and playing the gigs, that I don’t seem to be in that "listening" space as much as I was when I wasn’t performing as often. Clearly I need to make more time for it. I need new songs.

The zone thing, for me, is like looking at one of those 3-D posters, the ones where you have to look through the image rather than at it. When you look through it, the image appears. As soon as you try to focus on it, it returns to 2-D, and you can’t see the image anymore. In some ways, it takes discipline to get yourself not to focus. So when I’m writing in the early to middle stages of a song, I have to wait for the melodies and the story and the lyrics to come. I think about what I want to say, or where the bridge should go melodically, but I can’t think too specifically about it. If I do, I lose it. Or I write a lame melody or a trite lyric. I can’t focus too much on the songwriting; I have to be inside the song, like I’m inside the 3-D poster when I can see all three dimensions of the image. It’s the most exhilarating stage of songwriting, for me. It’s like wandering in a forest of jewels after dark. I walk intentionally, knowing that I will stumble, but also knowing that I might stumble upon something good. That’s why I record everything I sing or say or play when I’m writing. If I stumble over something good, I may not be able to find it again when I look for it. Even if I look for it seconds after I’ve stumbled over it.

The reality is that the song I was working on may never be heard by anyone. I already see problems with it, like the fact that the bridge is in a much slower tempo, the strum pattern in the chorus is dramatically different than that of the verse, and they may sound silly when put together. But that doesn’t matter right now, because at this moment I’m bathed in the joy of having been inside that 3-D poster, and walking in that forest in the dark, and stumbling over things that seem like jewels, even if they turn out later to be rocks. This is part of why I still have a jones for songwriting, despite the utter despair that I feel at other points. It’s when I try to finish a song that I find out all the problems with it, and inevitably feel like I’ve wasted countless hours on drivel. But right now, it’s good.

If this song ever does get finished and performed, I thank my friend Lea. I was talking to her on the phone, and telling her that I didn’t like the way lyrics were coming out of me lately. I thought this particular song sounded preachy. She told me that she liked the metaphor, and that if I didn’t finish it, she would write a song using the metaphor. The song, by the way, right now is called "On the See-Saw".

Good night.

 

8/17/04:

I was recently invited by Ben Hulan to sing harmony on a song on his upcoming CD.  It's a fun song called "Saturday Time".  Ben is a talented singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist.  It's always cool to be asked to sing harmony on someone's CD, and I'm grateful to Ben.  His CD should be out in a couple of months, so stay tuned.

 

7/25/04:

We send a fond farewell to John Landau and his wife Susanne.  John is a fabulous guitar player, singer, and songwriter.  He has played as a solo artist and in bands such as Big Village, The Rub, MERGE, and as a member of  Dulcie Taylor's band.  John and Susanne are headed to their new life in London, England.  They are fine humans, and will be missed.

 

6/27/04:

Just had a fabulous time at Ruth's Big Birthday Bash this afternoon.  It was (and is always) good to hear my friends Eliot Bronson and Rachel Bissex  perform.  We all performed at the party.  The park and the weather were gorgeous.  I'll have to say, the weather has been relatively kind to us thus far in our outdoor concerts.  Many thanks to Ruth and David White for having us.  To read about the party, and many other concerts, go to http://folkfan.blogspot.com

Speaking of outdoor concerts, the Paquito Sailboat Concert Series will be starging up again soon.  We had three boat concerts in the summer of 2002, then the o'l gal (that's sailor talk for the boat) was in dry dock being repaired during the summer of 2003.  And now, after a 7-month trip, she and my good friends Jim, Audrey, Marie, and Ben Fanjoy are returning to Baltimore this Wednesday June 30.  So hopefully we'll be able to set up some specific dates.  Stay tuned.  (Hey, there's a pun in there.)

 

4/24/04:

Lori Kelley and I went down to Nashville this week.  We performed at the It's All Good Cafe, and met some very kind and talented pereformers.  Eddie Money's bass player was there, and was remarkably humble and gracious.  Lori is interested in pitching her songs to Nashville performers.  That's not really what I'm after, but I went to be inspired, and I was.

 

3/22/04:

Thanks to all who came out to the Potter’s House show last Friday! I was thrilled to have a full house for the Dorothy Day House Benefit Show. I was also thrilled to have two of my worlds brought together for a show. It seems that many times I’ve missed stuff at Dorothy Day House because I had a gig the same night, so combining them was a treat. All Friday night concerts at Potter’s House are benefit shows, so check them out.

Congrats to Michelle Swan for a spectacular CD Release show at Jammin Java last night! Speaking of such things, I’ll be singing harmony for Don Bridges on March 30 for his CD Release show (a joint release show with Zoe Mulford). Stay tuned for David A. Alberding’s CD Release show coming soon.

I have two or three new songs that are close to being finished. It may still be many months, I never know. I’ve been getting good feedback about my two newest songs The Gate and Don’t Give It A Thought, so I have a jones to get more songs finished. The problem is that whenever I try to finish one song, I end up starting two more and never finishing the one I was working on. For me, starting a song is always more fun than trying to finish one. A new song is always filled with endless possibilities, and finishing it involves cutting out many of those possibilities and forming the rest into a song. So I have to get in the mood to do some serious editing in order to have a new song to play.

We had great fun on the Paquito Sailboat Concerts in the Summer of 2002, and I happy to say that Paquito and crew are making their way back up to our area by July 1, so we’ll be having more concerts this summer!

 

2/2/04:

The Tim Buckley Tribute was a wonderful experience.  One of the best things about it was having some email exchanges with Tim's guitarist Lee Underwood.  He knew Tim very well, wrote a book about him called Blue Melody, and was kind and generous with his time and his thoughts about Tim.  His bio of Tim was the basis for the "lecture" portion of my set at the tribute.  Thanks, Lee!  And hearing Mary Battiata of the band Little Pink and her guitarist Keith (Grimes?) was a pure delight. 

The Finver House Concert was a spectacularly fun show.  Thanks to Paul & Diane for hosting it, and thanks to everyone who came.  An enthusiastic audience makes me play better, sing better, make funnier comments, and it all snowballs and makes a great show.  And it was indeed an enthusiastic crowd. 

 

1/6/04:

I'm delighted to have found my name on this year's Wammy ballot, one for BEST CONTEMPORARY FOLK VOCALIST, and one for BEST CONTEMPORARY FOLK DUO/GROUP (with Lori Kelley)!  I also sang harmony on some Wammy-nominated CDs by Lori Kelley, Nikki Rouse, and Don Bridges.  The Wammies take place on February 15 and are open to the public.

I've been busy learning songs by Tim Buckley for my part in the Tim Buckley tribute for the WAMA Timeline Series.  It's an interesting challenge learning someone else's songs again, after spending so much time writing my own songs and not playing covers.  It should be a great night that I'm very much looking forward to.  Please come if you're able.  Check my schedule page for more details.

 

12/24/03:

1.  I had the privilege of spending two days this week at Recording Arts recording studio singing harmony on upcoming CDs by the very talented Rachel Cross (www.rachelcross.com) and David A. Alberding (www.davidaalberding.com).  Both were a joy to work on, and I feel lucky to have been a part of them.  Look for their CDs in the next few months.

 

2.  Lori Kelley's Fabulous CD Like Sea Glass (www.lorikelley.com) was released recently.  (I sang harmony on the CD.)  Other CDs on which I sang some harmonies are: Nikki Rouse's new CD Chocolate And Morphine (www.nikkirouse.com), Richard 'Dahl's Jealous Muse(www.rickandaudrey.com), Pam Steinfeld's Open Hands(www.pamsteinfeld.com), Don Bridges' upcoming CD(www.donbridgesongs.com), and a small part on Ben Dixon's new CD Silk and Cotton (www.bennydixon.com).

 

3.  Congratulations to Lori Kelley, whose song "It Was A Great Day" was the overall GRAND PRIZE Winner among all categories in the year's Mid-Atlantic Song Contest!!!!