PRESS

Whether it be Fergie's or the Dawson Street Pub, Buckets or LP's Intermezzo, Reed definitely is a household name in the Philly music scene. With upbeat, uplifting originals and fun, sing-a-long covers, he can get any house bopping their heads and leaves everyone always wanting more.

Over the last year, Reed has put together his band, Up the Chain, consisting of a mash up of some of Philadelphia's most talented and ever-present musicians. We interviewed Reed to find out more about his upcoming projects, the evolution of his music, his place in the Philadelphia local music scene, and how one man can juggle an ever changing band.

LP: Tell us about Up the Chain. How did the project start?

RK: Up the Chain started a year ago when I walked over to MilkBoy Recording in Ardmore to record a 4 song demo. I had met a few local musicians from having recorded a CD in high school, but knew practically nothing about the music scene in Philly. I began spending most of my nights at open mics or out at shows of local artists that I was very slowly becoming aware of. I'm still doing this now.

LP: Where did the name come from?

RK: The name came from a late-night cartoon called Space Ghost. It is also the name of a floor hockey team I was on in high school. "Up the Chain" has nothing to do with "off the chain" or my ambition, two common misconceptions.

LP: You are absolutely ubiquitous at Philly open mics, and you're always wielding your four track Up the Chain demo. What is the story behind the CD?

RK: A year ago I realized it was time for me to start taking my career in music seriously. I walked over to Milkboy Recording and asked if they could help me find musicians to make a demo. The idea of working with a couple of the guys from Townhall was very appealing, so we took three days and recorded that demo.

As far as open mics go, I'm a firm believer in playing as much as possible. The more I play the more things seem to fall into place.

LP: Many of your songs have a very positive spin. Do you deliberately write positive music?

RK: No. I'm not good at deliberately writing anything. I think I'm generally a positive person, so that's probably what you see coming through.

LP: You're currently in the middle of a residency at Milkboy Coffee where you're recording a live album. How did that come about?

RK: I've been going to the open mic there for years. Even before I had a band or CD to promote, I went for fun. So when I finally recorded a CD and put a band together I knew that was one of the places I wanted to call home. Tommy, one of the owners of Milkboy, suggested we do the recording residency. How could I say no?

LP: Up the Chian has a floating roster of some of Philly's best musicians. How do you manage the songs and arrangements when jamming with so many different players?

RK: Having different players at each show can be tough. I have a notebook where I write down who I have on what gig, because I would certainly forget. I try to keep the arrangements fundamentally the same. When things change while we are playing live, everyone listens and plays well enough to roll with it. Sometimes we get stuck somewhere, but that's the nature of live music.

LP: Is there a difference between "Reed Kendall" and "Up the Chain"?

RK: My name is Reed Kendall and I'm in the band Up the Chain. That's the way I like to think of it. Right now there are a lot of people who are also in the band Up the Chain, haha.

LP: What was your greatest musical accomplishment in the past year?

RK: As far as my career goes, which I think is what you're getting at, Up the Chain has had one show at the Tin Angel which was to a sold out crowd. I feel like that really gave me some confidence and momentum.

As far as my musicianship goes, over the past year I've played a variety of instruments in the background of a variety of bands. My greatest musical accomplishment involves starting to learn how to train my ear. I've made a lot of progress, but have a very, very long way to go.

LP: What can your fans look forward to in the upcoming year?

It's hard to say really. I just want to keep learning and growing. I find it hard to plan too far in advance. In the next couple months you will see a newly released "Live @ Milkboy" album, appearances on NBC's The 10! show and ABC's Tuned In, and another gig at the Tin Angel.

I'm also starting to think about traveling around. My friend Suzie Brown, another Lyndzapaloser, and I are going to be playing shows in Boston and NYC at the end of June. Maybe and hopefully year two of Up the Chain will involve trying to replicate what we've been doing here in Philly in other cities and towns on the east coast.

LP: What have you done to elicit audience engagement in your performances and at your shows?

RK: I've never been good at getting the audience clapping or anything like that. I hope they are engaged through the melodies, words and feelings.

LP: Why should your fans come to BYM Fest?

RK: Sisters 3 is playing and they are phenomenal...and hot.