Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Columnist Spencer Patterson: Kenna building a career without boundaries

Spencer Patterson covers music for the Sun. His music notes column appears Fridays. Reach him at [email protected] or (702) 259-2309.

Synth-pop vocalist Kenna wrote his dance hit "Freetime" in response to a common complaint he hears from his buddies.

"My friends always say, 'When I get a little free time, I'm going to do blah blah blah,' and no one ever gets that free time," Kenna said.

At the moment, Kenna is hoping for a bit of free time for himself so he can fulfill one of his lifelong dreams.

"I'm going to climb Kilimanjaro," he said in a phone interview Monday from his San Francisco hotel room.

"I keep saying this, and I'm actually planning it, but every day my time seems to be shortening. I was planning to go in December, but I might have to postpone it a few months."

This year has been hectic indeed for the 27-year-old musical newcomer. Kenna released his debut album, "New Sacred Cow," in May and recently completed a tour with Depeche Mode frontman Dave Gahan.

Tonight he opens for New York City electronic music and dance troupe Fischerspooner at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $22.50.

For Kenna, the desire to climb Africa's highest mountain is more than simply a lark. It would also mark a return to the Ethiopian-born singer's native continent.

Kenna moved to the United States when he was 4 years old, when his parents left Ethiopia for political reasons.

"My parents were in the government, and there was a coup d'etat and my father was at risk of being killed," Kenna said.

Kenna's family eventually settled in Virginia Beach, Va., where the aspiring musician met up with schoolmate Chad Hugo, one-half of the famed production team, the Neptunes.

Hugo later produced Kenna's CD, an intriguing blend of danceably fun, synthed-up workouts ("Freetime," "Man Fading") and more serious lyrical statements ("War in Me," "I'm Gone").

"Chad and I work really well together. The whole thing was really collaborative," Kenna said. "There are sounds on there that I would never have thought of putting on there, and there are sounds on there that he never would have thought of putting on there.

"He's a genius, and I give him full credit for the scope of the album."

Kenna was also briefly associated with Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst, who originally signed the songwriting vocalist to his Flawless Records label. But after waiting nearly two years for his debut album to be released, Kenna asked for, and got, his release from that label.

"(Durst) was good about it. He's got plenty of demons, that guy, but none of those things came back upon me," said Kenna, who landed at Columbia Records.

"New Sacred Cow" is loaded with 1980s references, sounding as if it might have been recorded by Duran Duran toward the end of that decade.

"The '80s were a strong time for melody, and I think that anyone who's celebrating my music because it reminds them of the '80s is just celebrating melody," Kenna said.

But don't try to put Kenna's music into a genre-specific box. Doing so, he said, would miss the point of a project that knows no boundaries.

"It's one step beyond today. It's right around the corner, and we haven't gotten around the corner yet," Kenna said. "It's rare to be a pioneer of anything. But I'm happy to be that kid."

Music notes

Extended family: The Allman Brothers Band was joined by a parade of guest musicians Friday night at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel.

Susan Tedeschi sang Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" and contributed a guitar solo to the Allman's "Statesboro Blues," and second-generation Neville Brother Ivan Neville added keyboards to the "Southbound" encore.

But the show's true guest star was saxophonist Karl Denson. After leading his own six-piece Tiny Universe through a scorchingly funky opening set, Denson returned to the stage for three Allmans numbers. In one particularly memorable segment, he traded rounds of rapid-fire licks with guitarists Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks during the jam in "Desdemona."

The Allman Brothers' 2 1/2-hour set was relatively short on classic material. They didn't play "Whipping Post," "Dreams," "One Way Out" or "Revival."

Instead, they performed five tracks from new CD "Hittin' the Note," which was fine by me. Not only were those numbers strong musically, but considering this was my eighth ABB show in 11 years, I was ready for something a bit different.

Heating up the Huntridge: Las Vegans who like to complain about the acoustics at the Huntridge Theatre should have been there Monday night. Canadian indie popsters Hot Hot Heat demonstrated that a band can sound crystal clear in the venue's somewhat cavernous surroundings.

Most surprisingly, Steve Bays' energetic vocals projected easily, a far cry from the sludgy singing I've heard on several other occasions at the Huntridge.

Bays led Hot Hot Heat through an hour-long set that included most of the tracks from full-length debut "Make Up the Breakdown," along with a new composition titled, "You're Making Such a Mess."

An enthusiastic crowd cheered the quartet back to the stage for an encore performance of "This Town," prompting Bays to declare his adoration for music fans in Las Vegas.

Let's Dance: David Bowie has announced a Jan. 30 date at The Joint as part of the North American leg of his "Reality" tour. Macy Gray will reportedly open the show. Ticket information has yet to be released.

On sale

Tickets for Simon & Garfunkel's Nov. 8 concert at the MGM Grand Garden Arena go on sale Monday at 10 a.m. Tickets are $75, $125 and $250 and will be available at the MGM box office, TicketMaster outlets, by phone at 474-4000 and at www.ticketmaster.com

Lyle Lovett plays The Joint on Oct. 11. Tickets are $35.50, $40.50 and $50.50 and go on sale Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Hard Rock box office and through TicketMaster.

Tickets for Matchbox Twenty's Nov. 12 show at The Joint go on sale Saturday at noon. Tickets are $65.50 and will be available through the Hard Rock box office and TicketMaster.

The Ataris play the House of Blues on Nov. 9. Tickets are $15 and $17 and were to go on sale today at noon at the House of Blues box office, by phoner at 632-7600, at www.hob.com and through TicketMaster.

Rancid stops at the House of Blues on Nov. 8. Tickets are $16.50 and $18 and go on sale Saturday at noon through the House of Blues box office and TicketMaster.

Cracker and Cowboy Mouth share the bill for a Nov. 21 concert at the House of Blues. Tickets are $20 and go on sale Saturday at noon through the House of Blues box office and TicketMaster.

Tickets for three other recent additions to the House of Blues calendar are on sale now: Zebrahead on Oct. 22 ($13, $15), (hed) pe on Oct. 31 ($16.50, $18.50) and Less Than Jake on Nov. 16 ($15).

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