March 29, 2000
Interview
Writer: Matt Thompson
For someone who has been in the singer-songwriter game for less than two years, South Carolinian
Robert Kendrick, 33, shows remarkable maturity as a guitar-wielding raconteur of heartbreak and
day-to-day life. Much like fellow Piedmont songwriters Tommy Womack, Kenny Roby (of Six String
Drag) and Chip Robinson (of the Backsliders), Kendrick's tunes are of a narrative nature, simple but
incredibly effective vehicles for emotional expression. The Illinois native first got into music while
attending college at the University of Iowa, playing in a number of punk bands, and continuing to get
his Master's and Ph.D. in English, before the country bug bit him hard. Inspired by the legendary
Woody Guthrie, Lucinda Williams, and Whiskeytown frontman Ryan Adams, Kendrick broke out as a
solo artist in October 1998 and played for just about anyone who'd listen as well as playing gigs in his
current home of Columbia SC and elsewhere. Toying with the idea of making some sort of album,
Kendrick say's he's mostly interested in just touching as many people as he can with his songs for now.
Kendrick speaks:
Did your punk years have any direct influence on what you're doing now?
"It did completely. The first music that really grabbed me was stuff like the Carter Family, Woody
Guthrie and Robert Johnson. Bands like Husker Du and that SST stuff. That's folk music to me and I
could relate to it. Punk and folk music both deal with the visceral realities of day-to-day life."
What's your songwriting muse?
"I really couldn't write about the Midwest until I went to South Carolina, but its just where I always
come back to. Its just the stuff you hear and see everyday. When you sit down with people, what do
you talk about? You talk about relationships, work, money and just stuff going on in your life. That's
the stuff I wind up working into songs because that's about all I have to say."
Do you consider yourself in the whole alt-country/alt-folk crowd?
"Every time I try to send out a bio, I hate trying to deal with that whole classification thing. To me, it's
what country music's supposed to sound like."
Was it tough breaking out as a solo artist after so much time spent just as part of the band?
"Yeah, but I think it's helped. I'm naturally obnoxious and full of myself [laughs]. You can't be shy or
sheepish on-stage, and what was a character liability is now an advantage. I think performing is such a
fucked-up compulsion but I still want to do it all the time."
Okay, the big question: what's the best booze for performing?
"Oh, God, bourbon with lemon in it. Ice is a horrible, horrible thing to do to hard liquor."
January 26, 2000
Live Show Review
Writer: Ballard Lesserman
This Columbia SC singer-songwriter turned heads with an impressive set of solo material last month
when he opened for the Ex-Husbands.
