I am given an invitation by an agent to see artist Keith Kenny, who is on the road for his Big Red Suitcase Tour. He is making two stops in Fort Worth and he is “very dynamic live.” I agree to go to his performance at The Handmade Studio for the Arts. So Friday night, I find myself standing on the porch of a house belonging to someone I do not know, reading the sheet of paper taped to the door that says go to the side gate and “don’t forget to shut it because I love my dogs.” I enter the backyard filled with about twenty strangers and pick an unassuming seat in the shadows in the back. I am quickly greeted by the dogs, who are a delight and I am throughly distracted by trying to pet them, when after a bit the host of the event, Jody Jones, introduces Keith.
I look up to see a thin guy with long brown hair sitting down behind his Big Red Suitcase. I have read up on him and know that he is a one man band, but I was blown away by this show. We may have been sitting in a backyard filled with camp chairs and the smell of barbecue chicken in the air, but a show is what this guy gave. I love seeing random new artists. I am not loyal to genre. If I get a request and I am able to make it to a show, I do, sometimes I am less than impressed and sometimes I leave a newly dedicated fan. This was one of those instances. Keith Kenny is a very impressive musician. I appreciate that he played for us just as if it were a stadium full of thousands. A show is a show and he gives it all, so much music from this one person. He played a couple of guitars, a kick drum, a harmonica combined with an effects pedal. It was one man, but a full band show period. I love a good guitar player and Keith Kenny delivered. I repeatedly heard wows and random yells from the small but completely entranced crowd. He played a great mix of his own stuff including my favorite “The Light Came Blaring In” as well as Neil Diamond’s “Heart of Gold” and a little Stevie Ray Vaughn.
He finished his nonstop hour of music with a great throw down of just playing his instruments. If you would like to check him out live, which I highly recommend, here are some of his upcoming dates:
10.09 – The 806 – Amarillo, TX
10.10 – Duel Brewing – Santa Fe, NM
10.10 – Duel Brewing – Santa Fe, NM
10.11 – Hops on Birch – Flagstaff, AZ
10.14 – House of Blues – Las Vegas, NV
10.16 – WitZend – Venice, CA
If you can’t catch him live, he has stuff up on his website KeithKenny.com and there are great pictures of his red suitcase at a local scene from each stop of his tour on his Instagram.
P.S. If you are a Fort Worth local, you should follow Jody Jones and attend at least on of his songwriter series sessions. It is a great way to see some talent you may be missing out on!
Review by Reanna Streater
lostinreviewsblog.wordpress.com 
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