Donegal singer-songwriter JP Kennedy has released his new single, Vaudevillian Rose. We asked him the BIG questions . . .
Taking inspiration from Northern Irish acts like The Undertones and Stiff Little Fingers, the rocky ode to a burlesque dancer was inspired by the tales of his Great-Grandfather who ran a saloon in Arizona's Wild West.
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Vaudevillian Rose is taken from JP Kennedy’s debut EP Den of Iniquity due for release in early 2024. The EP will be preceded by another single Highway Star in December.
Hailing from Ardara, Co. Donegal, JP is a music graduate of Ballyfermot Rock School, Dublin and the University of Popular Music And Music Business in Mannheim, Germany.
Tell us three things about yourself . . .
Although I’m a rocker, I love 90s and 00s pop culture. I use references to the music and TV of that time in conversation with my brother, sister and childhood friends to this day. I even drop in pop references in my live shows when people are least expecting it from me. I can always tell who gets it in the moment.
I played the original bad boy, Danny Zuko in my school production of Grease. It was then I caught the performance bug and I haven’t stopped performing since. In bands, playing solo at bars and clubs, busking, and support slots at concerts and festivals.
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My Great-Grandfather Con Kennedy ran a saloon in a mining and cowboy town in Arizona’s Wild West for 20 years before returning to Donegal. I managed to get photos and newspaper cuttings from that time and it was quite the rowdy establishment by all accounts. It is what inspired by upcoming EP Den of Iniquity that my new single Vaudevillian Rose just released this week is taken from. The fun music video for the song was filmed in another bar, closer to home than Arizona!
How would you describe your music?
It’s melodic and blends punk rock with grunge and folk influences and the spirit of Vaudeville..... roll up roll up! I recorded the Den of Iniquity EP and my upcoming album at the studios of Dublin artist/producer Aisling Jarvis who has toured with Donegal legends Clannad, so there’s a Celtic influence in there too.
Who are your musical inspirations?
Oh man, so many, I live and breathe music since I was a nipper. Firstly, Irish acts like The Undertones, Stiff Little Fingers, Sultans of Ping F.C., Whipping Boy, Kerbdog, The Cranberries. Then definitely The Smiths, Weezer, Stone Roses, Sex Pistols, Fuzzbox, Sisters of Mercy, Kris Kross, Nena, The KLF, Amy Winehouse, Idlewild, I could go on but won’t!
What was the first gig you ever went to?
Green Day at the SFX, Dublin. They were the first band I really got into as a kid around the time I picked up the guitar and I was determined to see them when they came to Ireland. I came on the five-hour bus journey from Donegal to Dublin. An unforgettable gig! Although I moved on from being a mega-fan, those guys are still going strong which you have to respect.
What was the first record you ever bought?
I think it was the random influence I mentioned Kris Kross, two US 13-year-olds who wore their clothes backwards. Kriss Kross make you wanna jump, jump!
What’s your favourite song right now?
Criminal Damage by Dublin band Hooligan.
Favourite lyric of all time?
"In a trailer park in Seattle, they're waving candles in the air, Mis-spent youth doing battle, over what is and isn't fair, And going for the clincher, a girl tries to explain, How Jesus lived six years longer than Kurt Cobain." It's from Jesus Died Six Years After Kurt Cobain. I've loved that lyric for ages, and The Bollock Brothers made the song known. Years later, I was lucky enough to support them on some of their European tour dates and hear it from the wings before I joined them on stage for a tune.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Runaway Train by Soul Asylum.
Where can people find your music/more information?
Spotify, YouTube @jpk-musik/videos. And for news of gigs and releases, you can follow me @jpkmusik on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, I mean X!
Alan Corr
