Guitarist, singer, and songwriter Kraig Kenning has been a professional musician for going on 15 years, but it wasn't until his sixth CD - titled Mactub and released last year - that he was happy with what he put out. He says it's his only record that he can listen to.
The Chicago-area musician has been using Dr. Caw Studio since 1989, but he was frustrated that he could never quite get what he wanted out of the recording process. The engineer eventually told him to stay away from the studio. "He could see how really not pleased I was, and he could see I was going to go broke trying to get it," Kenning said. "You need to be wasting your time at home, not here," the engineer said.
A national slide-guitar champion in 1997, Kenning has been visiting the Quad Cities area regularly over the past few years. He will be here this weekend for four performances, including a show on the Riverssance Festival of Fine Art stage at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
Kenning is an admitted perfectionist, and that has often made the studio intimidating. "You spend a lot of time agonizing," he said of his recording experience. It got so bad that "sometimes the studio gives me a stomachache it's so creepy." He added that some musicians give up the business for similar reasons.
But home recording has saved Kenning's career. He's gotten adept at tracking at home, and he laid down the basic material for Mactub there. He used the studio to polish what he had and record the bass, drum, and percussion tracks. "This record helped a lot," Kenning said. "I really proved to myself that I could do it." Using the studio in this limited way gives the recording "the real expensive sound" without the cost, he said.
So Kenning no longer fears the studio. He said he spent most of the night before our interview laying drop cloths where he records at home, so he could get the right sound out of his guitar. "I don't have a date [for a new album to be released] but I do have songs," he said.
On record, Kenning's songs are delicate and intricate, and the tracks nearly sparkle, clean and clear but with full, rich arrangements. Kenning's folksy Americana alternates its focus between his warm, soulful voice and his wonderful guitar-playing. What's particularly pleasant about Mactub (the second syllable is pronounced "tube," and the word is Arabic for "it is written") is that Kenning is a skilled but not flashy performer; he has the chops to do just about anything, but he's never self-indulgent.
Of course, such attention to detail on record doesn't necessarily translate to live performance, particularly with Kenning playing solo. "The songs themselves don't change - the lyrical content or the core of the song," he explained, "but the approach is different. The overall affection that goes into a song is greater." He further said that with a band, the focus is more on the music, but by himself, "it becomes more of a story."
Still, Kenning thinks that his positive studio experience has "improved the crap out of my shows," he said. "I know how it can sound, and I strive for that."
You can expect to see Kenning pretty regularly in the Quad Cities - he already has two gigs scheduled here in November - because Luanne Gritton, of Fireworks in Moline, is handling some of his booking at this point.
Kenning had handled that part of the job himself, but he's finding himself with less and less free time. He doesn't have a job outside of music, but his muse keeps him busy. "I understand how much hard work is involved" in being a professional musician, he said. "I've got three or four full-time jobs. There's not enough of me to do everything anymore."
In addition to performing on the Riverssance stage on Saturday from 2 to 3:30 p.m., Kenning will perform on the grounds from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. He will also have performances Saturday at Fireworks in Moline from 7:30 to 10 p.m., and on Sunday at Unity Church at 6:30 p.m. You can find more information about him at (http://www.kraigkenning.com).
Riverssance Entertainment Stage Schedule
Saturday, September 20
10 a.m.: Diminished Seven (jazz)
noon: We're Late & Smell Like Beer (Cajun and zydeco)
2 p.m.: Kraig Kenning (Americana)
4 p.m.: The Rat Brothers (old-time acoustic)
Sunday, September 21
10 a.m.: Fianna (traditional British)
noon: Dalziel (funky acoustic pop)
2 p.m: Stones in the Field (Celtic)
The Chicago-area musician has been using Dr. Caw Studio since 1989, but he was frustrated that he could never quite get what he wanted out of the recording process. The engineer eventually told him to stay away from the studio. "He could see how really not pleased I was, and he could see I was going to go broke trying to get it," Kenning said. "You need to be wasting your time at home, not here," the engineer said.
A national slide-guitar champion in 1997, Kenning has been visiting the Quad Cities area regularly over the past few years. He will be here this weekend for four performances, including a show on the Riverssance Festival of Fine Art stage at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
Kenning is an admitted perfectionist, and that has often made the studio intimidating. "You spend a lot of time agonizing," he said of his recording experience. It got so bad that "sometimes the studio gives me a stomachache it's so creepy." He added that some musicians give up the business for similar reasons.
But home recording has saved Kenning's career. He's gotten adept at tracking at home, and he laid down the basic material for Mactub there. He used the studio to polish what he had and record the bass, drum, and percussion tracks. "This record helped a lot," Kenning said. "I really proved to myself that I could do it." Using the studio in this limited way gives the recording "the real expensive sound" without the cost, he said.
So Kenning no longer fears the studio. He said he spent most of the night before our interview laying drop cloths where he records at home, so he could get the right sound out of his guitar. "I don't have a date [for a new album to be released] but I do have songs," he said.
On record, Kenning's songs are delicate and intricate, and the tracks nearly sparkle, clean and clear but with full, rich arrangements. Kenning's folksy Americana alternates its focus between his warm, soulful voice and his wonderful guitar-playing. What's particularly pleasant about Mactub (the second syllable is pronounced "tube," and the word is Arabic for "it is written") is that Kenning is a skilled but not flashy performer; he has the chops to do just about anything, but he's never self-indulgent.
Of course, such attention to detail on record doesn't necessarily translate to live performance, particularly with Kenning playing solo. "The songs themselves don't change - the lyrical content or the core of the song," he explained, "but the approach is different. The overall affection that goes into a song is greater." He further said that with a band, the focus is more on the music, but by himself, "it becomes more of a story."
Still, Kenning thinks that his positive studio experience has "improved the crap out of my shows," he said. "I know how it can sound, and I strive for that."
You can expect to see Kenning pretty regularly in the Quad Cities - he already has two gigs scheduled here in November - because Luanne Gritton, of Fireworks in Moline, is handling some of his booking at this point.
Kenning had handled that part of the job himself, but he's finding himself with less and less free time. He doesn't have a job outside of music, but his muse keeps him busy. "I understand how much hard work is involved" in being a professional musician, he said. "I've got three or four full-time jobs. There's not enough of me to do everything anymore."
In addition to performing on the Riverssance stage on Saturday from 2 to 3:30 p.m., Kenning will perform on the grounds from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. He will also have performances Saturday at Fireworks in Moline from 7:30 to 10 p.m., and on Sunday at Unity Church at 6:30 p.m. You can find more information about him at (http://www.kraigkenning.com).
Riverssance Entertainment Stage Schedule
Saturday, September 20
10 a.m.: Diminished Seven (jazz)
noon: We're Late & Smell Like Beer (Cajun and zydeco)
2 p.m.: Kraig Kenning (Americana)
4 p.m.: The Rat Brothers (old-time acoustic)
Sunday, September 21
10 a.m.: Fianna (traditional British)
noon: Dalziel (funky acoustic pop)
2 p.m: Stones in the Field (Celtic)
