Darnell Kendricks
Interview 20
February 2006
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http://www.myspace.com/darnellkendricks
Tell me about yourself, your
background, your family, your from California right, where abouts .When did you
move to Detroit and what took you there.
Hello Mike,
Thank you for this opportunity.
I grew up in Sacramento, Ca,
I was raised by a Wonderful, hard
working single mom, and a very religious household, going to church was very
much a part of my upbringing,
My family was very musical, my mom
sings, I have a brother that plays the saxophone and another brother that plays
the piano. Music was just something that was.
I moved to Detroit about 8 years ago,
Why Detroit??
(lol)
That's a question I get all the time, well...I was compelled to be here, I had
friends here and people that I had know through my church affiliation etc, it
was just something that I knew that I Had to do, I knew I needed to be here to
fulfill my purpose.
How?s it been
Detroit has been nothing But a Blessing
to me. From the very beginning even through now.
Has music been in you from an early
stage?
Definitely, my mom says that I used to
whistle at 3 months, I have no conscious recollection of that however, I take
her word for it.:-)
I have always been naturally captivated
by music and how it made me feel, even at an early stage.
When did you realize that was what you
were going to do.
As much as I loved music and as much as
I was Passionate about it, I never really knew that I would be involved in
music as a career until I was very much a young adult.
Even then, my approach has always been
that of building a career.
I have always been involved
musically at church and at school etc, but it was simply something I did, not
something I felt was worthy of a career.
I mean the people that I was inspired
by and listened to were Giants and so more advanced, that the thought I me
having something to offer was near ridiculous :-)
I remember asking myself the Question,
what is my purpose? What is it that I was born to do and what is my destiny
etc. Then, the music path revealed itself to me.
It was also validated by very talented
musician friends, that I have always been surrounded by they provided me
with sincere accolades and vote of confidence, that sealed my my desire to
pursue.
Are you in it full time, or do you
still have a day job
As of this interview, I still have a
day job :-)
However, because I am an independent artist, the work never ends, I am sure I
put about 60 hours a week into my music career alone,I not complaining,
just explaining (lol) the music business is certainly not for those that are
weak.
It's a lot of hard work, but it is
sweet.
Tell me about the album ?
Strawberry Lemonade ? , the concept, how long it took to get together?..and what do you
think of the result.
""Strawberry
Lemonade"", the Song, was a jingle that danced around in my head
for a few years, I was working with this producer a couple of years back
""Daniel Young"" at the end of doing some vocal work for
him, I candidly asked what he thought of this song, I began to sing
""Strawberry Lemonade"", the brother was super excited
about the melody and the sound, that night we laid the hook and created the
harmony, his excitement inspired me to actually write the song. It was simply
gonna be a hook that I thought I could submit as a jingle.
We recorded the song, I let a few friends hear it and it was simply a joy for
people, they really enjoyed the song...that was the reason that I decided to
title the project ""Strawberry Lemonade"" it was a very
different type of song and title and I hoped that people would Remember the
name.
The producer of the project as a whole
is ""Darrin Simpson"" an extremely gifted and talented
individual here in Detroit.
Darrin was a musician and producer that
had everything to do with this project.
He is an incredible pianist, he played
guitar, he engineered the project, mixed and mastered it.
This project was truly handcrafted.
It took us a good 3 to 4 months to put
this project together.
The goal was to simply put together a
collection of songs that we enjoyed and that we felt had a place in the
atmosphere.
We recorded several songs, I decided to
choose 10 of the songs that we recorded and place them on the
""Strawberry Lemonade"" Collection.
I have been overwhelmed with the
results.
I am truly my worst critic, so I had to
train myself to listen to the project to simply enjoy it and not analyze
what I wanted to ""do over""
But music is so beautiful, and part of the beauty is the imperfections, I did
not want things to be perfect, I wanted an organic sound and feel, a sound that
reminded me of the raw soul that I grew up with, and the music that I heard on
Sunday mornings at church. I wanted the music to be human and I feel that we
accomplished that.
The reception has been amazing, I have
received radio air play here in Detroit.
The jazzy 107.5 WGPR really embraced my
music and me as an artist.
They have played several of my songs,
it certainly has been a blessing to my career and has presented my music on a
large scale.
As of a few months ago, my music was
introduced to the UK market, that has been amazing. The UK is like another
world the love and support that the UK has shown has been unreal.
I have been getting radio airplay and recognition also in Germany, Switzerland,
and Canada
The Strawberry Lemonade project has
truly surpassed my expectations.
How?s it going down , what tracks are
getting attention
Interestingly, I did not mention that
""Willing"" which is track 1 on the cd, was remixed as a
house/dance record by a few dj's from Detroit and New York, that song had a
World Wide release on ""WestEnd Records"" and has been
played in clubs and radio stations all over the world. I have received
emails from as far as Switzerland and Brazil regarding that song and
more information on my music, that has also been amazing
The songs that have been getting air
play are:
""Willing"", ""Jones in my Bones"" ,
""Strawberry Lemonade"" and ""Yours
Truly""
However,
""Faithful"", ""Can't Wait"" and
""A Soft Answer"" have received radio attention as well.
The strange thing is that I always felt
that ""Good Love"" would be a song that got radio
attention, I don't think it has ever been played on air.
Who are the key people who helped you
pull it all together
This project could Not be done without
Darrin Simpson.
He was the most significant force
behind this project, he is a genius! Seriously.
I would have to give 80% of the credit
to Him alone.
A good friend of mine did some writing on
the project, Omari Taylor, incredible writer, arranger and vocalist. The way he
hears music just doesn't make any sense.
Kuippio Livingtson another great singer
and arranger.
James Sheldon, awesome musician,he did
the piano on the song ""Strawberry Lemonade""
Andrea Curtis, from Buffalo NY, she wrote and sang
""Faithful"" with me.
A host of great musicians who played on
various songs.
This project has my name on it, but all
of these individuals simply made me sound good.
I am sorrunded by great talented friends,
that gave a lot of love and support to this project.
What do you draw from in your writing.
My writing is really Life stuff .
I understand how powerful music is, and
I take full responsibility for that when it comes to my lyrical content and
what I am putting into the atmosphere.
I draw from life for my writing, concepts that edify and ascend, lyrics and
sounds that Uplift and Build up and inspire. I Always want my music to be about
those things.
And who are your influences, lots of
nice harmonies on the album, some old skool groups maybe? And of course Marvin
gaye?
Hahaha..No Doubt Marvin Gaye, His
approach was angelic, he created a song as if he was painting a masterpiece on
canvas, so much color so much depth and detail, everything went together...never
too much...and No empty spaces.
It is an honor that people hear his
sound and influence in my music, that's the greatest compliment.
I want to grow up and be like him.
Marvin Gaye and Twinkie Clark of the
Clark Sisters have to be the two people that have had the most influence on me.
Twinkie Clark opened my ears to music in a unique way, there is No one who has
had the effect on me like she has, as a kid, I would listen to the Clark
Sisters albums for hours, I didn't have a fancy system, I would turn the bass
down and the treble up on the little stereo system and just get lost in the
harmonies and the music.
Twinkie is the gifted singer alive
today, I continue to be inspired by both her humbleness and greatness. Her
vocals have gotten even better as she has matured.
We would have to dedicate a whole
interview Just to speak about Twinkie Clark.
Words can not describe her impact on my life through her music.
Who are you aiming the album out.
I had no concise marketing approach, I
believe that My music will find its proper audience and my audience will find
my music.
The 25 and up crowd, young children,
and musicians tend to enjoy my music the most.
I want to continue to appeal to
those that appreciate music, I am not interested in being Pop at all, I can
never compromise what I do and what I feel musically.
It wouldn't be fun if I did that, I
wouldn't enjoy it.
This project was straight from the
heart, no fillers or chemicals, no ploys to appeal to the masses or sale...it
is raw an organic.
Do you have a show? What's it like ,
are you doing gigs to promo the album.
I have a show, I have done several gigs
to promote the album over the last year or so, I have Great talented musicians
that have done shows with me.
I am not a fan of a lot of concerts
that involve a ""Show"" with dance moves and skits etc, I
like Vibe, I like music, depending on the venue, I choose to sit on my wooden
stool with my musicians and singers and share my music intimately that way.
One of my very first time performing my
music live, I did so in the livingroom of my home in front of the fireplace
with myself and Darrin Simpson, with a few friends, that memorable evening set
the standard for how I like to perform.
I am not into Hype and Frills, just raw
good, groovy, soulful, music, like at church on Sunday mornings.
What's your following like locally,
getting good radio plays?
Locally the buzz has been good,
consistent, I am know gettin radio airplay on 2 stations here in Detroit.
I have done a couple of high profile
concerts and have received great press.
I trust that the momentum will continue
to build.
Any chance of getting to Europe?
I have been in communication with
several industry people in Europe, I hope to get to Europe by the summer of
this.
I am negotiating with a record label in
London to licence a couple of the songs from the ""Strawberry
Lemonade"" project as singles And I am currently working on some
Soul/Dance Tracks to those songs....Really Excited about that, I will certainly
keep you posted, but hopefully I will see Europe by the summer.
What do you know about the European
soul scene
I am learning a lot about the European
soul scene, its like another world, very different from the US.
Europe seems to ""get it"", the European Soul Scene I
believe is Essential for artist like myself, once validated in Europe it seems
like then the world follows.
Who out there right now are you
feeling?
I am very much and old school cat, I
still listen to Marvin Gaye all the time, his music is simply timeless I am
sure that it is not necessary for me to mention Twinkie again.
There is a Motown artist Donnie,he
has an album "The Colored Section"" Love his sound.
I recently saw an independent artist ""Eric Roberson""
I really enjoyed him live well.
Raheem, Anthony Hamilton, India Arie, still
listen to Ella, Manhattan Transfers, Michael Franks, Ambrosia..I don't know if
I am properly answering your question, but hopefully you get a feel
for where I am going :-)
Another group that I am really feeling
and have been inspired by is a group of young guys here in Detroit called
""Hot Sauce""www.hotsaucemusic.com
Mike, they are an experience, I love
this group, espically live.
And being independent what benefits and
challenges does this give?
The challenge as an independent artist
are definitely the resources.
There are No major budgets for
Marketing, there are limited connections for national and international
platforms, and as a independent one must work Harder and really be dedicated to
the Craft.
The benefit is that I color my career path
and the music they way that I am inspired to, and the way I choose, so its
always real, and I believe that the audience can feel that.
I cant imagine not doing my music this
way.
Its not a business transaction, it is
sincerely from the heart, and I trust that it will continue to touch the heart
of many for years to come.
And what's next?
I am working on some more music now, I
am so excited about it, more of the same, I would consider the next project,
the next level.
I have a few songs that I am currently
in the process of recording...I Love them, and I know that my fanbase will love
them too.
I would love to collaborate with other
artist both independent and major, I believe music is best when it's shared,
then its not selfish, although its impressive to say, I wrote this and played
that and arranged this etc etc, I think that level of thought and music is
limited. Music is best when shared.
And the master plan?
The Master Plan,....hmmmm....The master
plan is to continue to be a vessel....to show up for life and participate.
To be an example of Ascendent
Consciousness, I want my life and my music to inspire to encourage, uplift
and edify, to provide Hope, To comfort, to challenge and most of all to be the
sound of Love.
I am also excited about being better, I
am still learning, I am excited about being a Better Singer, A Better Writter,
Discovering Diffrent Sounds in my singing, challenging myself releasing
diffrent emtions ect, I am really excited about the Future of the Master Plan
and experincing the unfolding of an abundant future.
That's the Master Plan.
What other things do you like to do.
I love to travel, been very busy lately
and have not had an opportunity to do as much as I would like, but I love to
travel.
Hahaa....those who know me well know that
I Love good Food, I mean the good home cooked, from scratch sorta food.
I love great food. I like my
food like I like my music, prepared with organic ingredients with a lot of love
and care.
I read a lot and I am very much a home
body, love good stimulating conversations, I love Philosophy and talks about
life and the meaning of it all.
Anything you?d like to add.
This has been fun!
Thanks again for the opportunity and
the great review of my album project.
I look forward to more work with you in the future.
Thanks again.
Thanks for your time.
Mike
Also I wanted to include my Myspace
address;
http://www.myspace.com/darnellkendricks
and my Website:
www.darnellkendricks.com
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