Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Musician Interview - Kenny Eng

It has been a while since I've conducted an interview and shared it here, so let's kick off the new year.  Another in a series of drive-by interviews.  Intended to be an introduction to an artist, not their whole life story.

Back during the holiday season (read: Christmas and New Years), I started to listen to the music of Kenny Eng.  I really liked it.  Guitar driven.  Sophisticated, yet simple song writing.

Kenny Eng at Lestat's By Breanne Leach Photography

Because some music fans are gearheads...
Q: What guitar/instrument are you playing the most these days? Maker and model preferred.
  • Acoustic 1- Martin 000-1R with Fishman Gold Plus Bridge pickup.
  • Acoustic 2- Talyor 310-CE, 2th Anniversary model (Mahogany top and sides) with factory Fishman prefix pickup.
  • Electric- Fender Stevie Ray Vaughan Signature stratocaster
  • Pedals- Boss Blues Driver BD-1 (Keeley Mod), Ibanez Tubescreamer TS-9 (Keeley Mod), Boss Chromatic Tuner TU-2, Boss 9 band EQ, Line 6 DL-4, Dunlop Wah, Ernie Ball Volume and just added a Boss Mega Distortion but I'm not sure if that will stay.
  • Amp- Carvin Bel Air

Because inquiring minds want to know...
Q: What are you actively listening to? What music is inspiring you? Yes, this is your typical, what's in the CD player, ipod, etc question. But, it isn't a "If you could be a tree, what tree would you be?" question.
Hm... let's see. The answers I always give because I always come back to them in some point during the year are: Jeff Buckley- Grace, The Beatles- Abbey Road, Miles Davis- Kind of Blue, D'Angelo- Voodoo and Jimi Hendrx- Band of Gypys (sic) or Axis: Bold as Love. But most recently, I have to say that Kanye West's "My Dark Beautiful Twisted Fantasy" and the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack have been making their way to the top of the playlists. Bill Withers and Bob Dylan are also heat seekers on my internal chart. As I play and write more, I become more enamored with the zen of songwriting. Being simple, yet having complexity and depth is a tall order for a four minute song.

Oh and if I could be any kind of tree, I'd be a redwood. Or a little bonsai tree. Those things are awesome.

Future Plans...
Q: What are you currently working on? Recording/shows/tour/writing/etc.
My future plan is to be able to completely support myself financially on music. More tangibly, I'm going to start working on my first full-length, fully produced album with my band probably around late February. I would like to continue to performing and improving with my band. We're pretty good already but with the talent that those guys have, we could be something special. I also want to continue to write songs but at a faster pace than I have in the past. My output for last year was slim, but I really, really like those songs!

I just went on a West Coast tour with Rob Deez, Isaac Cheong and Travis Peterson (driver) so I'm not sure when I'll head back out again. It's a lot of work to tour independently from a label but I love it so it will definitely happen again. Locally, and by that I mean San Diego, I would like to continue to play shows that I'm really excited about. I already have a few really special ones lined up so the future is looking pretty great. You can find more at kennyeng.com.

My connection to Kenny Eng?  A few years back I started a sports card blog.  One of the bloggers I met online was Travis Peterson (the driver mentioned above).  He has been a fan of Kenny's for sometime, tirelessly promoting him via Twitter.  Travis wore me down.

Kenny plays a variety of music.  My favorite, so far, is "Call You When I Get There" from the Live at Lestat's EP.  There's a polished rawness about his playing.  Some of it reminds me of  Brooks Williams' How the Night-time Sings CD.

Look him up.  You'll probably be glad you did.  I know that I am.

Photo courtesy of  Breanne Leach
Please visit her website 

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