CLASSIC
Prince, Queen, Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Radiohead, The Police, Aretha, U2, Mr. Rogers
SPIRIT
Eckhart Tolle, Ghandi, Don Miguel Ruiz, Thich Nhat Hanh, Daniela Torres, Gary Zukav
CURRENT MUSICA
The Avett Brothers, The Script, The Republic Tigers, LCD Soundsystem, Keane, Scribbletunes, Flaming Lips
Sounds Like
White boy who saw the light after hearing Prince and Eckhart Tolle
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 recorded a 4 song EP and then became The Classic Futures and proceeded to play colleges and eventually finished an 8 song EP and played on MTV's TRL. They recently went into the studio with producer Jay Messina (Aerosmith, Cheap Trick, Lou Reed) to record another batch of songs.
Kenli has also been producing artists throughout his time as a performer and songwriter and looks to help anyone he thinks the world needs to hear including Scribbletunes from Denmark and John Valerio.
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/performing withLynyrd Skynyrd, Norah Jones, Joseph Arthur, Styx, Kansas, Ben Lee, Amy Helm of Ollabelle, Joan Rivers, Product G&P and many more and no, he did not yell out or play "Freebird."
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Thank you for your kind words! You are truly a GREAT talent and human being and I am a better person and musician to have known and played with you!! You have inspired me like you'll NEVER know!
Finally for the itunes thing, I can't wait. Let me know so I can check it out. Jam directed me to the scream-o version video. I was cracking up so hard. What's next? We are all excited for it!
Hey! It is nice to hear from you. I'm glad everything is going well. I am doing well too. I am planning to go to the state fair on Saturday, I think it should be fun!
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