From: owner-jangle-poets-digest@smoe.org (jangle-poets-digest) To: jangle-poets-digest@smoe.org Subject: jangle-poets-digest V9 #213 Reply-To: jangle-poets@smoe.org Sender: owner-jangle-poets-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-jangle-poets-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk jangle-poets-digest Thursday, September 4 2008 Volume 09 : Number 213 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [JP] Fwd: Maura Kennedy solo songs [MercyHouse1@aol.com] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 01:15:28 EDT From: MercyHouse1@aol.com Subject: [JP] Fwd: Maura Kennedy solo songs In a message dated 9/2/2008 1:30:22 PM Eastern Daylight Time, MercyHouse1@aol.com writes: Bruce dashed off "The Kennedys' Perpetual Motion Machine" on the blog at _www.myspace.com/mad_baggins_ (http://www.myspace.com/mad_baggins) . After he did that, he wrote this, and forwarded it to the Jangle-Poets from Maura Kennedy's Facebook Artist page. You may note a little tip o' the hat to Nerissa Nields as well! :-) Bruce ========================================== I was going to re-post "The Kennedys' Perpetual Motion Machine" from my blog at www.myspace.com/mad_baggins. But that really had more to do with the Kennedys -- I wanted to focus more on the artist to which this Facebook page is dedicated. And something else changed my mind too, in the nick of time as it were. I just read a piece from Nerissa Nields' Mayday Cafe blog at www.nields.com. It made me feel differently about things, and that made me think differently about this too. I wanted this to be more fresh and real, from my feelings, just as I think Maura's new songs are fresh and real. Maura is doing a wonderful thing in dedicating herself to writing a song a month. On top of the Kennedys' busy schedule, that's quite a commitment. I was very fortunate to walk into the Kennedys' soundcheck at Club Helsinki on 6/6/08 and to be allowed to remain as Maura played an entire set of her own songs -- "Chains," "Sun Burns Gold," "Patience," "Freefall," "Time Will Steal Your Heart," and "Make It Last." I had only heard "Make It Last" before that -- the other 5 songs I was hearing for the first time. Something changed for me that day. I think what changed was the way I saw her. I don't think Maura has changed all that much -- Is Maura changing? We love the Kennedys songs -- we love the crisp songwriting -- we love the melodies -- we love the words and the meanings -- we love how Maura sings the lyrics -- we love how Pete plays guitar with such a zenlike intensity and yet a reckless abandon at one and the same time. But this is a new thing for Maura too. She's sort of been overshadowed in my own view by all of the attention paid to Pete and by the interplay between the two of them onstage and in the studio. This is Maura's chance to do something a little different. I said something to this effect at Club Helsinki too -- "I can enjoy Maura's songs with less distraction." And we can enjoy this without anyone's breaking up the band -- like Paul going solo, or like John and Yoko! :-) This solo project is Maura's chance to shine! Like a little light shining out of the shadows of The Kennedys. This little light of mine -- "Hey! Isn't that one of the Kennedys?" :-) "Chains," "Sun Burns Gold," "Patience," "Freefall," "Time Will Steal Your Heart," "Make It Last." And now there are other songs too -- "Just the Rain," "Some Kind of Life," "New Way to Live." I'm so in awe. This is an exciting time to be a fan of Maura Kennedy! Check out the Kennedys' Official Home Page: http://www.KennedysMusic.com/ Fab photos, the Official tour diary, dashboard Buddha haiku, groovy merchandise...what more could you ask for? ------------------------------ End of jangle-poets-digest V9 #213 **********************************