CLETUS KENNELLY-12 and 6 String Acoustic Guitars, occasional Mandolin..
LORI KELLEY-6 String Acoustic Blue Guild Guitar, Shaker, Tambourine
Influences
Indigo Girls, Simon & Garfunkel, Brooks & Dunn (just kidding), Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, the Beatles, Patty Griffin, James Taylor, Everything But The Girl for starters.
Sounds Like
The Indigo Girls swaps partners with Simon & Garfunkel, not in the Biblical sense.
CLETUS KENNELLY & LORI KELLEY
"Two great sounds that sound great together"
Award-winning singer-songwriters on their own, Cletus Kennelly & Lori Kelley combined their artistries, developing a style and a sense for each others voices that is magical. "I haven't heard harmonies this tight since Simon & Garfunkel" (Gene Dawson, Dawson Concerts) Their work has earned them 31 WAMMIE nominations and nine WAMMIE awards (Washington Area Music Awards) between them, including the WAMMIE award for BEST CONTEMPORARY FOLK DUO/GROUP. Both approach their writing from a lyrical, melodic place with songs that speak to the heart. The wit and depth each adds to the others songs makes for an engaging show. "Cletus and Lori are two standout solo performers whose voices blend beautifully." (Scott Moore, Moore House Concerts) As solo artists, and again as a duo, both Cletus & Lori were selected to perform at D.C.s Kennedy Center and chosen for the "EMERGING ARTIST" Showcase at FALCON RIDGE 2006.
OUR FIRST IMPRESSION:
Cletus describes Lori as "a gift that just landed in my lap. I was a solo performer when we met, and wasn't really looking for a duo partner, but Lori really thought we should sing together, and she was right. I'm eternally grateful for her tenacity. Singing with her has been a gift to me."
Lori heard Cletus sing at the 2000 Mid-Atlantic Song Contest Awards
ceremony and began stalking, er, uh, following Cletus around
as a big fan(as in fanatic) asking, nay, begging to sing harmony with him until he caved and said I could, I mean, she could. Oh, and she denies the lap thing.
SOME GOOD PRESS ABOUT US:
"What's better than a good singer-songwriter? Two singer-songwriters whose meshed voices seem built for close harmony. That's the case for Lori Kelley and Cletus Kennelly, two independent artists who began collaborating five years ago after meeting at a Mid-Atlantic Song Contest awards ceremony and exchanging CDs. Kelley showed up at Kennelly's next gig having learned all the songs on his debut album, Thread, and they immediately started weaving a new vocal tapestry. Kelley, blessed with a four-octave range, leans toward pop, while Kennelly is a 12-string guitarist in a more contemporary folk/pop mode, but they fit well together and obviously savor harmony singing. Kelley and Kennelly have each won multiple Wammies, including this year as best contemporary folk duo/group, and they'll soon make their longtime partnership official with their first recording as a duo." (Richard Harrington, Washington Post, 3-18-05)
"In addition to sharing close harmonies on their new CD, Lotus, Cletus Kennelly and Lori Kelley alternately contribute tunes that tend to fall gracefully between folk and pop. In fact, so consistent is the song quality that it's sometimes hard to tell who wrote what. Among Kennelly's best efforts are "The Gate", an inspirational love song concerning a soldier blinded on the battlefield, and "Looking Up", a 9/11 ballad that's likely to outlast most. As for Kelley's lyrics, none is more poetic or evocative than "Snow Is Falling", a contemporary spiritual dedicated to Pfc. Lori Piestewa, one of a handful of Native American women in the U.S. military and the first woman to die in the Iraq." (Mike Joyce, The Washington Post)
Thanks for the kind words. You guys sound great. I once refernced "Walter Mitty" in a song lyric of my own, so I'm definitely dwon with the subjecy matter... nicely done.
Hi Cletus and Lori, Hope we see you at the show! THE SKETCHES @ THE 9:30 CLUB FRIDAY 5/23 - ALL AGES! Thanks for listening! Come by for a free download of "DIZZY" and tell your friends about THE SKETCHES !
Ha ha that's cool. I have personal relationship with Buddha.. YES. Best wishes in all things.. I like your style of music. "There is none who stands so tall than he or she who is ONE with ALL" FZ
Are you in Key West? Man, I love "Promise me Beautiful!". Have fun and don't drink too many tropical drinks.. I'm going with you one o these trips, ok?
Thanks for stopping by my site, it was nice meeting you yesterday as well. Come out tonight at Union Jack's in Bethesda for our GogirlsDC showcase - I'm sure we'll be able to fit you into our schedule! Take care and enjoy the rain :) Peace, Annie
Our Pleasure, Lori ! ! Hope you guys and all your many fans, friends and family check out our Top Friend ... JON WOLFE ! ! AMAZING TALENT, TERRIFIC SONGWRITER and GREAT GUY ! ! George and Lynne
I love you guys too! It's good to see you. If you ever get to NY you have a place to stay 40 miles north of NYC. Take it easy but take it... Love, Fred
LOVELY HARMONIES AND BEAUTIFUL SONGS, YOU GUYS ARE A GREAT FIND. OH AND MANY THANKS FOR YOUR KIND WORDS AND FOR ADDING ME TO YOUR LIST. PEACE ALWAYS AND STAY INSPIRED.
Came by for a nice visit with your fine songs. Couldn't help but listen to each of them several times..What a lovely way to start the morning! So glad you are making music..thank you! JoLynn
