the pendulum
STYLE
WEDNESDAY. SEPTEMBER 21. 2011 II PAGE 15
Alumnus rocks out around the county
Kacey Stark
Reporter
Elon alumnus Shawn Kennedy has
abandoned his job search to pursue
a passion for music. His band The
Pikeys held its first performance Sept.
13 at Front Street Public House in
downtown Burlington,.
As band manager and guitarist, he
said he recalls that as a student he
“didn’t like seeing a cover charge.” So,
Kennedy opted not to charge cover for
the show. He believes in starting with
a free show to showcase the band’s
talent, and only after building interest
and connecting with an audience
would he charge admission.
Kennedy says he believes that
music “should not be sold.” Plans are
in the works to record soon, but he
does not plan on capitalizing on the
sale of the recorded music.
“I think music is a universal
language," he said. “To make that a
commodity is so wrong.”
The Pikeys consists of three other
Elon alumni, as well as a Burlington
native. Kennedy said The Pikeys have
the vibe of an “Irish attitude” and
mix acoustic and electric sounds to
create the band’s indie sound and
collaboration style.
Kennedy graduated from Elon in
2010 with a degree in philosophy. He
says music has been a part of his life
since he was three years old when his
parents enrolled him in Kindermusik,
a musical-based education program.
“They had no idea what they were
getting into,” Kennedy said.
He said in college he was self-
conscious and “afraid of criticism” so
he shied away from playing his own
music but always enjoyed the local
music scene. He said he is excited
to pursue success for The Pikeys, as
well as two other developing musical
projects.
One of his other projects,
i^unakadelic Groovetrain, is .an eight-.,
member band that will be playing
at 10 p.m. Oct. 12 at The Fat Frogg.
Another developing project involves a
genre he has not previously explored:
dubstep.
His advice for those wanting to
pursue music is to be sure you’re
willing to dedicate yourself.
“If you have a job, quit your job. If
you're gonna do it, do it right,” he said.
Kennedy offered several
recommendations of venues other
than the steps of Moseley Center for
finding local talent.
“I love Fat Frogg as a venue,”
Kennedy said. “(Playing there) would
be like a coming home.”
Front Street Public House offers an
intimate pub setting, Kennedy said.
For those more than 21 years old,
Kennedy recommends Brewballs. He
warns that the bar is for those who
come with a good attitude and are
open to people, the interesting crowd
makes the scene a “great place for
people watching.”
Kennedy’s next performance will
be with the Pikeys, Sept. 30 at Front
Street Public House.
MERISSA BLITZ [ Staff Photographer
Elon alumnus Shawn Kennedy performed at the Front Street Public House with his band The Pikeys on Sept. 15.
Check it out: Musical mix in Chapel Hill
Stephanie Butzer
Senior Reporter
Rock, soul, blues, folk, country
and indie music combined in Chapel
Hill through the outlet of Lizzy Ross,
lead singer and bandleader of the
Lizzy Ross Band.
The band consists of Ross, Jock
Pyle, Brett Hart and Drew Daniel.
Together, the group released its first
album, “Traces,” in June 2010. The
second album,
“Read Me Out
Loud,” will be
released this
October.
The band
pieced itself
together over
time.
"Drew and
1 met when
I needed a
temporary
drummer,”
Ross said. “Our
drummer was out of town, so we
put up a Craigslist (ad) and won the
lottery. Drew played roughly 16 bars
before 1 knew he was the drummer
for me.”
Hart joined the band after a friend
suggested him to Ross. With only a
week until the band’s first big show at
the Shakori Hill Grassroots Festival,
he learned all the songs in time to
perform.
Pyle and Daniel played together for
years, so when the band was looking
for a new guitarist, the choice was
easy.
“It’s a joy to play with this band,
Ross said. “I feel incredibly lucky to
have them on the team and to have
their company on stage.”
With a mix of musicians from
different backgrounds, the band’s
genre is not easily defined.
“A friend of mine jokingly quipped
that I should
be known as
the ‘Queen of
rock-soul-blues-
folk-country-
Americana,’”
Ross said.
“The genre
description, at
least, is fitting.”
The band’s
first album
gave Ross a lot
of insight in to
what it means to
create a record, she said. The process
was hard and came with many
challenges. There was a constant tug
between perfection and quality and
how to express what she intended for
her music.
“The first record was a great
learning experience for me, and the
experience gained is the foundatmn
for this second record, ‘Read Me Out
Loud,’” Ross said.
The release of “Read Me Out Loud”
represents a lot for Ross. She said she
is much more confident with what
she has produced in relation to her
first album “Traces.”
“I feel more formed as a musician,
songwriter and person,” Ross said.
“I’m more comfortable with the
process of recording. 1 understand
what I want to say and how to say it.”
Ross said she is already looking
forward beyond this album to a third.
“I want our band to continue to
grow and make music," she said. And
I imagine that soon our tour base will
be expanding and we’ll be working on
our next record.”
A CD release party to celebrate
the debut of “Read me Out Loud”
will be held Sept. 30 at the Haw River
Ballroom.
“We will be having a pig pickin’
with local, pasture raised pork from
Cane Creek Farm,” Ross said.
That night there will be a concert,
with many guest performers
including Birds and Arrows, Andrew
Magill, Justin Powell of the Mantras,
Casey Cranford of Big Something and
more.
In the future, Ross plans to tour
along the East Coast and in Europe.
She also intends to book an agent for
the band, as she believes it will give
her more time to write.
“I’ve had unfinished songs
bumping around in my head for
months now,” Ross said.
“A friend of mine jokingly
quipped that I should be
known as the ‘Queen of
rock-soul-blues-foik-country-
Amerlcana. The genre
description, at least, is fitting.
- \jzri Ross
LEAD SINGER OF THE LIZZY ROSS BAND
Hip-Hop
Happenings
Will The
Next
Eminem
Please
Stand Up
Eminem
is arguably
one of the
best rappers
of our time.
When he
entered the
hip-hop
realm, it
was a music
genre that was fully dominated by
black artists since the late 1970s.
Not only did Eminem provide a
new shade to the color palette,
he also shattered any stereotype
that white boys couldn’t spit. Em
received a co-sign from legendary
producer Dr. Dre back in the late
’90s and has been unstoppable
since then.
Now, there are a few new rising
icons that are legends in the
making. And a few of them just so
happen to be white. Rap is making
room for additional deserving
white rappers like Yelawolf,
Machine Gun Kelly and Mac Miller.
Yelawolf
Alabama rapper Yelawolf is
one of the fastest rising emcees in
the business right now. If you’ve
never heard his music before, just
imagine a fusion between Outkast,
Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Beastie
Boys.
With a unique sound, he’s
managed to catch the eye of the
man who paved the way for white
rappers. Eminem decided to sign
Yelawolf to Shady Records in
January 2011. Yelawolf brings
many different sounds to his
music - classic rock mixed with
808 drums. Give Yelawolf 16
bars and he’ll hold nothing back
lyrically. He shies away from
flowing in a traditional format.
He’ll control the instrumental
rather than letting the beat restrict
his pace.
Machine Gun Kelly
While Eminem was recording
his first demo back in 1992,
Cleveland rapper Machine Gun
Kelly was two years old. Kelly is
a rising icon and is signed to P.
Diddy’s label Bad Boys. He shows
off his flow versatility by flowing
at a fast Bizzy Bone-meets-Twista
pace on his hard tracks. MGK can
also slow down his annunciation
on meaningful humble momma-
I-made-it songs. MGK is just now
taking off. His best mixtape thus
far is “Laced Up.”
Mac Miller
Mac Miller’s music is playful,
yet takes us back to the '90s when
lyricism held more weight than
it does now. He plans to drop
his first album “Blue Slide Park”
Nov. 8 through his label Rostrum
Records. Miller furthered Wiz
Khalifa’s efforts by helping put
his hometown Pittsburgh on the
hip-hop map. His biggest break
was being listed on XXL Magazine's
“Freshmen 2011” which recognizes
the top 10 rising hip-hop artists of
the year.
Yelawolf was also mentioned on
the list, among great rising artists
like Cyhi The Prynce, Kendrick
Lamar and Big Krit. Miller was also
inducted in the 2011 MTV Jam’s
Fab 5 list. Miller is continuing to
make a visual impact with his
music. While he’s selling out shows
nationally and internationally,
this is only the beginning for the
19-year-old emcee.
Neima Abdulahi
Columnist