The Simon Kennedy Band - Make Up Your Mind (2014)

Tracklist

01. The King Shows You Who's Boss
02. Lord I Pray
03. Give Me a Break
04. Don't Let Them Turn You Around
05. I Ain't Opening the Door
06. Keep Me Keeping On
07. Show Them It's True
08. Hands On the Wheel
09. End of the Sunrise
10. Make Up Your Mind



Simon Kennedy:
Born in Dundee, Scotland in 1981, Simon Kennedy grew up hearing great music through his Dad's vinyl collection. It was also on his Dad's acoustic guitar that he began his musical journey, preferring the sounds of Hendrix and Cream than the music of his contemporaries. As he delved deeper into the music of the past, the three Kings, Freddie, Albert and B.B., inspired him to explore the blues more deeply. By his mid twenties he'd joined his first blues band playing festivals all over the UK including Maryport, Edinburgh and Dundee with a personal highlight supporting The Animals at Jools Holland's bar in Edinburgh.
Moving onto join other local blues bands, and doing session work for others, he eventually decided to start his own in 2014 enlisting the help of some of the area's most talented musicians. The debut album is set to be released by late 2014 showcasing some gospel-tinged, funky blues guitar led tunes.

Mirek Hodun:
A musician's musician, Mirek was born on the east coast of communist Poland in 1973. With a ban on western music he had to go underground to gain access to the music he loved, but with his formative education at a national music school there was always someone who was surupticiously handing around new material on cassette tape.
With a large amount of natural talent, he played with many bands that toured all over Europe. One of these bands, Sixteen, represented Poland in the UK's 1998 Eurovision Song Contest. Mirek has also worked as a producer and arranger for Universal, Polygram and BMG.
Eventually moving his family to Scotland in 2007, he has made a name for himself as an in demand producer, arranger, performer and tutor. In 2014 he was awarded the University of St Andrew's "Most Outstanding Jazz Performer of The Year". Now partnering with Simon Kennnedy to create the debut album for the band, he is a firm fixture in the line-up with his infectious on stage performances.

Kenny Gair:
From Central Scotland, Kenny has been active in the Scottish music scene since his early live adventures at the tender age of 16. Kenny took a break from duties for several years to pursue acting and singing but missed the excitement of bands and returned to bass to play with several blues bands. This resulted in short tours with southern blues songstress Katie Bradley and New York musician Eric Hill. Other projects include John Coletta’s Humpff Family album Sleekit Slivers. Famed for his tight solid grooves, we jumped at the chance to add Kenny to the line up.

Carl Taylor:
Hailing from Coventry, drummer Carl Taylor began learning his craft before he was a teenager in the working men's clubs of the Midlands. Showing a passion for music he eventually moved onto university to study the subject under some of the countries most respected lecturers.
With his reputation growing he secured the drum chair with touring theatre productions, big West End shows and a stint with the jazz pianist Jamie Cullum.
Now an adopted Scot through marriage, Carl has setup his base on the east coast where he has became in demand for his versatility and session work.

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