Press Release For interviews, presskits, photos or more information, please contact Heart Consort Music, ph. 319-895-8557 www.heartconsortmusic.com mail@heartconsortmusic.com
Iowa's own James Kennedy Has Entry In Grammy’s 10th Year in a Row!
For Immediate Release Mt. Vernon, IA – The most recent CD release by Iowa's jazz/fusion guitarist James Kennedy has been entered in the 53rd Grammy Awards. This music is available for your listening pleasure at http://www.heartconsortmusic.com/OTR.htm and many other internet sites.
Accomplishments include entries in the Grammy Awards for 10 years in a row, features in Downbeat magazine, JazzReview, O'Place Jazz, Great Music Sites.com, Kweevak "Editor's Choice" & "Readers' Survey" awards for 5 years in a row, and many other independent music industry awards and honors. Heart Consort Music is celebrating 24 years in business this year, and has twenty one CD releases. All of these releases have received national/international airplay and distribution. The group “James Kennedy & Friends” tours regularly in support of these releases both in the US and abroad.
HCM's Brand New 2010 release: "Off The Record" by James Kennedy is the 21st CD release for Heart Consort Music. "Off The Record" is something of a 'return to roots' CD for Kennedy, featuring blues, jazz, folk, rock and more. James plays 6&12 string guitars (including slide guitar) and is joined by Matt Alles on bass, Eric Madison on drum set, Catherine Kennedy on violin and special guest Steve Maurice on harmonica and concertina. http://www.heartconsortmusic.com/OTR.htm
In 1986, Kennedy and Catherine Lawson founded recording label Heart Consort Music. In the intervening years, James has released 21 albums in a variety of styles, ranging from folk/acoustic to rock/fusion, jazz and world music, and more. These twenty one releases have received international radio airplay, distribution and exposure. James has written music for various independent film and video projects, and his music has been licensed by, AEI, Bravo, Disney, The Discovery Channel, PBS, DMX, Playnetwork, and many others. He has performed at festivals all over the world including Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland; North Sea Jazz Festival, The Hague in The Netherlands; and the Euro-Disney Jazzfest in Paris, France. James Kennedy is an endorsed artist by the Guild Guitar Company and the Lakewood Guitar company.
For more information about James Kennedy, please visit his web site at http://www.heartconsortmusic.com. For more information on the GRAMMY Awards, please visit the web site at http://www.Grammy.com
“Off The Record” is entered in the Best Pop Instrumental Album category.

New CD!

Brand New CD out today! "Off The Record" http://www.heartconsortmusic.com/OTR.htm for info, song clips, ordering etc.

Hi: Just want to remind everyone: James Kennedy & Friends will be at the Sutliff Cider Company in Lisbon(Sutliff) Iowa on Sunday 8-29 from 3-5:30pm. Come on out for one last "fling" before Labor Day!
It's been a wild and crazy summer here, rainin' all the time, but full of great concerts made better by our fans! Thanks for joining us!
Watch this space for news of our upcoming CD and more gigs coming this Fall!

Hope to see you Sunday!

http://www.sonicbids.com/JamesKennedyFriends
http://www.facebook.com/pages/HCM-Bands-Page/59163192658 http://www.heartconsortmusic.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Heart-Consort-Music/68388015660 http://www.myspace.com/HeartConsortMusic
http://www.soundclick.com/HeartConsortMusicbmi
http://heartconsortmusic.blogspot.com/

Vote Now!

We just learned today that we are entered in a contest to play at the 2010 VirginMobile FreeFest in Columbia, MD. Some details are below. We get to the 2nd round of the contest by getting people to vote for us online. The line up for this year's festival includes: "MIA" "Ludacris" "Joan Jett" "Thievery Corp" "Matt & Kim" "Yesayer", "Jimmy Eat World" and others. (We've got until the Aug. 19th).
Voting for Virgin Mobile FreeFest’s Book the Band Contest launched TODAY, AUGUST 9TH. You’ve got until August 19th to vote. At the close of voting, the Top 20 bands with the MOST votes will be reviewed and 5 Finalists will move onto Round 2.
The Grand Prize winner will play in front of 40,000 music fans at Virgin Mobile FreeFest and win $5,000 in cash. The headliners for this year’s Virgin Mobile FreeFest include M.I.A., Pavement, T.I., Sleigh Bells and many more. Making it onto this year’s bill could be a huge opportunity!
You can vote for James Kennedy & Friends at http://virginmobilefreefest.sonicbids.com/ by typing in the band name and clicking "View the Band". The next page will have a "Vote" button on it. Click the vote button and then make sure that you verify each vote on the confirmation email or else your vote won’t count! When you search for the band type in the name exactly as it appears above. And be sure to tell all your friends and family. Thanks for your help!

http://www.sonicbids.com/JamesKennedyFriends
http://www.facebook.com/pages/HCM-Bands-Page/59163192658
http://www.heartconsortmusic.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Heart-Consort-Music/68388015660
http://www.myspace.com/HeartConsortMusic
http://www.soundclick.com/HeartConsortMusicbmi
http://heartconsortmusic.blogspot.com/

We'd like to say a big thank you to everyone who came to Mt. Vernon 6-5-10 for the First Annual Chocolate Stroll and made the day truly great!
The rain stopped just in time for the festivities to begin and did not begin again until evening.
The chocolate was incredible!
And we appreciate all of you who came and listened to our "set".

We're back at work now in the studio on some new music which will be coming out on this year's CD in the fall.

Also, be sure to join us in beautiful downtown Solon, Iowa on June 30th @7pm for Music On Main.
Or, catch us the next night (7-1) @ Lincoln Wine Bar in Mt. Vernon, IA, also starting at 7pm.

http://www.sonicbids.com/JamesKennedyFriends
http://www.facebook.com/pages/HCM-Bands-Page/59163192658
http://www.heartconsortmusic.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Heart-Consort-Music/68388015660
http://www.myspace.com/HeartConsortMusic
http://www.soundclick.com/HeartConsortMusicbmi
http://heartconsortmusic.blogspot.com/

James & Catherine @ Cedar Ridge Vineyards

HCM's violin/guitar duo James & Catherine will be performing at Cedar Ridge Vineyards in Swisher, Iowa on Sunday May 30th from 1:00-4:00pm. The duo performs standards and originals in a wide variety of styles. Hope you can join us for some great music and some great wines.

Follow the Yellow Brick Road.... to Chalk The Walk, Mt. Vernon, IA May 1 & 2, theme is "There's No Place Like Hom" from the Wiz of Oz. And see the wizards of music, James Kennedy & Friends starting @ 1:30 Sunday, May 2, right in the middle of OZ!