Rob Kendt profile picture

Rob Kendt

About Me

Oops I Did Bungalow Bill

ROB KENDT writes songs that critics have called wonderfully constructed short stories in a style described as Tom Waits if he'd never smoked. Ranging freely from lounge pop to alt-country, Kendt has been compared to Ben Folds, Eels, and Rufus Wainwright, Elvis Costello, and Randy Newman. He makes each song seem like a tale hes telling just for you, wrote Rock City News.Im Not Sentimental , his new release on Ruby Records, includes the exuberant piano stomp of the title track, featuring Tommy Morgan of Pet Sounds and Rockford Files fame on harmonica; the sleek bossa Quiet Girl, featuring Bebel Gilberto sideman Danny Frankel on percussion; the country shuffle Pick Me and a lounge mash-up of Britney and the Beatles, Oops I Did Bungalow Bill, both featuring Lyle Lovett and Bill Frisells bassist, Viktor Krauss; the sprawling Graded on a Curve, featuring L.A. guitar legend Carey Fosse; a French-café rendition of The Motels Only the Lonely, featuring JAnna Jacoby, the fiddler for Rod Stewart, and diva Abby Travis.Produced by drummer extraordinaire Matt North (Hail the Size, Andy Prieboy, Mink Stole) and mastered by Mike Hagler (Wilco, The New Pornographers, Neko Case), Im Not Sentimental is eclectic in scope but consistent in its production sound and authorial voice. Like an anthology of short stories, Rob Kendts new record reads as well as it rocks. Thats how it ends/The fork in the road bends/Unexpected truth reflected/Shames your eyes/Ask not for whom/The bell rang the wrong room/Dont mistake a lucky break/For blessing in disguise Kendts first solo album, I Hope Its Me (Ruby, 2002), captured his work with the L.A. pub rock quartet Millhouse, which performed regularly at such venues as 14 Below and The Gig and opened for Dave Wakeling, Mike Watt, and Dread Zeppelin. As a solo artist hes played at The Mint (opening for Louise Goffin and Brother), Fais Do-Do, Les Freres Taix, Highland Grounds, Petes Candy Store, Night & Day, and Birdland. Hes also had a bit of a side career composing and performing music for theater, including at such venues as the Evidence Room, The Mark Taper Forum, Pacific Resident Theatre, The Globe Theatre, and the Metropolitan Playhouse. What others have written: Kendts songs are each lovely works of literature, wonderfully constructed short stories, the likes of which you would expect to find in The New Yorker... He makes each song seem like a tale he's telling just for you. Rock City News [Kendt] plays that good old singer/songwriter style music sort of Tom Waits meets a (lively) Damien Jurado in a country bar over a pint and a piano style that holds all the emotion without the sappy camp He also plays piano mash-ups which are awesome. FreeNYC.net Imagine a lively quartet... crowded on a stage at the end of a packed room, playing spirited but steady jazz behind a goateed guy in a suit speaking lyrics a step or two away from Beat poetry before sitting down at an upright to throw in his own melodious riffs. A vague approximation of the effect is Tom Waits if he'd never smokedrich but battered images over a slightly dissonant, swinging background. Wolfesden.net There wasnt so much a performance per se as there was a communication with the audience. Kendt displayed a country boy warmth that engaged the crowd... making it seem as if everyone were old friends sharing a good ole time. Music Connection A little Brecht and Weill, a touch of Cole Porter, a hint of Randy Newman... Kendt performs tunes that vividly express a wide range of emotions, driven by simple but profound lyrics... smoothly filtered through his potent but easygoing singing style. Frontiers But over it all washes onstage piano man Rob Kendts original score, describable, if you will, as music-noir. It is subtly programmatic, dark but humorous, theatrical but not generic, at times referencing recognizable melodies, at times pleasingly dissonant. Back Stage West MyGen Profile Generator MyGen Profile Generator MyGen Profile Generator

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 24/05/2006
Band Website: cdbaby.com/cd/robkendt2
Band Members: Matt North on drums and percussion; David Ellis on guitars; Clint Davidson on bass; Rob Kendt on keys, guitar, and vocals; SPECIAL GUESTS: Ben Adamson on flugelhorn; Steven Baggish on vibes; Sean Caffey on pedal steel; Matt Fish on cello; Carey Fosse on guitar; Danny Frankel on percussion; Kristian Hoffman on piano; The Iguana on organ; J'Anna Jacoby on violin, viola; Viktor Krauss on acoustic bass; Harvey Lane on sax; Tommy Morgan on harmonica; John Pirruccello on mandolin; Jason Sklar on clarinet; Abby Travis on vocals; Jeff Turmes on bari sax
Influences: Kurt Weill, Elvis Costello, Maurice Ravel, Paul Simon, Leos Janacek, Beck, Percy Grainger, Randy Newman, Hoagy Carmichael, Tom Waits, Stephen Sondheim, Sam Phillips
Sounds Like: Elvis Costello, Rufus Wainwright, Randy Newman, Eels, Badly Drawn Boy
Record Label: Ruby Records

My Blog

October, Kingdoms Rise...

It's staying abnormally warm in New York through October, but somehow the month still has the taste of winter it must always have. I always like to play U2's October all the way through some time duri...
Posted by on Wed, 10 Oct 2007 13:19:00 GMT

A Shout Out to My Pepys

Years ago when I was playing the L.A. clubs with my band Millhouse, a bookish-looking fellow starting showing up at our gigs, introducing himself simply as "G-Man." He wasn't from the government, but ...
Posted by on Wed, 15 Aug 2007 01:41:00 GMT

Reviews Are In!

Excited to link to some great reviews for my record I'm Not Sentimental: one on Rawkstar.net ("seriously innovative and enjoyable"), one on Hot Indie news ("impressive storytelling abilities"), and th...
Posted by on Mon, 30 Jul 2007 16:17:00 GMT

New website!

Check out my brand spankin' new website at the easy-to-remember address of robkendt.com. You won't regret it!
Posted by on Tue, 10 Jul 2007 11:36:00 GMT

Tagged!

This is new to me, but I guess I've been tagged by Isaac. This blogger-specific practice involves revealing eight random facts about myself, and tagging eight other bloggers. Well, as they say in Rais...
Posted by on Wed, 13 Jun 2007 00:15:00 GMT

Closer Than They Thought

From Ljova, an entertaining tourist story:Three confused tourists, standing with a fold-out map of NYC, on the corner of Joralemon + Clinton, in Brooklyn Heights. I offer help."Are you guys lost?""Do ...
Posted by on Fri, 25 May 2007 07:58:00 GMT

DaliTube

Genius. My favorite moment is the spirited conference about sports. (h/t Jane Galt)
Posted by on Thu, 24 May 2007 07:31:00 GMT

Kindness

This is mildly awesome. I recently started attending a really cool church in Greenpoint, and performed a lovely Sam/Leslie Phillips tune there this past Sunday. Little did I know Pastor Ann was taping...
Posted by on Wed, 23 May 2007 11:29:00 GMT

Still Rocking

Last week at the Nokia Theatre, Elvis Costello blazed through a two-hour set with nary a break and zero between-song patter. He opened with "Welcome to the Working Week" and closed with "Peace, Love a...
Posted by on Wed, 23 May 2007 07:37:00 GMT

Holiday for Shaiman

Be careful what you wish for. From a site promoting the doc Finding Kraftland, h/t Ljova.
Posted by on Wed, 23 May 2007 07:12:00 GMT