Kenli Mattus started recording professionally when he was 10 years old when his music teacher (such a nice lady) noticed his talent and love of singing (he sang all the damn time) and introduced him to a local New Jersey studio owner who produced childrens records.
Kenli, who was named after Jazz great Stan Kenton, dove head first into music when he was diagnosed with a rare joint illness at 15 that forced him to give up high-school sports and wear a back-brace throughout his teen years. He made a full recovery, but the time usually spent playing ice hockey and baseball was spent learning how to write songs, record, produce and play several instruments. (thus resulting is an undefeated record in the ultimate(!) teen competitions Battle of the Bands.)
Kenli then went on to tour the country acoustically and with his band. He won the
2001 Steve Madden Rock and Sole Contest that brought him and his band to play
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, The Denver Area Two Tour with David Bowie and Moby, Irving Plaza, NBCs July 4th celebration, Universal Studios in Orlando and several other cities in 2001-2002. His first CD
Blue Dot had four songs that won awards in the
John Lennon Songwriting contest.
While finishing up his second solo CD which includes songs co-written and produced by
Eric Bazilian (Hooters, Joan Osborne) and
Randy Cantor (Ricky Martin) and mixed by
Ryan Hewitt (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Blink 182) Kenli started a new band called
Heres Johnny with his good friend MTV TRL host
Damien Fahey.
Heres Johnny has become a creative force in Kenlis musical life and they finished a 4-song EP and have garnered much attention. Theyre thinkingcover of Rolling Stone, or at least finding their audience they know is out there.
All the while, Kenli found time be the founding musician of
Musicians On Call, a non-profit organization that brings the healing power of music to hospital patients bedsides.
Kenlis volunteer work been featured recently on
ABC News, on the
NY1 New Yorker of the Week segment and has brought him to
Gracie Mansion to meet Mayor Bloomberg as a Volunteer of the Year nominee.
Oh yeah, Kenli also has found himself opening for
Lynyrd Skynyrd, Joseph Arthur, Styx, Kansas, Ben Lee, Joan Rivers, Product G&P and many more and no, he did not yell out Freebird.
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