I thought "there goes the neighborhood" when Marty Wells left Kenefick. Now I hear Q-Daddy has left. This really is a collector's item now. Buy 'em while you can. This was one of the best CD's (and bands) of the past 5 years. No kidding!

Wow. What a dissertation. Sounds like a closet music critic to me. Well, after reading some of these recent "reviews"...I thought I should put in my two cents...course it will probably be longer than the last review when I'm done. First off, I'd like to thank all of the fans and friends for your great support over the past 3 1/2 years. (yes, even the one that insulted "Hard Road") I founded Kenefick and managed it for 3 years. The band is named after the town my family lives in. I also funded and pretty much drove the recording of "Hard Road". I am VERY PROUD of that record, and what we accomplished over such a short time. The way I see it, you can approach recording two basic ways...you can record what makes you yourself happy and hope other folks like it as well...or you can do it with commercial, business reasons in mind. There isn't anything wrong with either approach. Most independent efforts are somewhere in between. It just depends on what your objectives are. I chose the former because I wanted to have something for my kids to look back on and be proud. Fortunately it turned out to be a big hit with the public and the critics. That's the way Kenefick worked at first. Very little concern about money. We were mostly charged up just to be making and playing music we liked. Over time...with success, somehow money became more important than it was at the time we recorded "Hard Road". Nothing wrong with that...in fact it was nice to make 10 or 20 times what we were making at first. But I personally think that's when various things started to change for us, and when I STARTED getting burned out. Whatever the initiator, I chose to leave the band for my own personal reasons. The remaining members and I are all still very good friends. PERSONALLY I like the newer songs they are doing. Of course the songs and the band doesn't sound the same now, and it's true that they sound a little more Nashville....BUT WHAT'S REALLY WRONG WITH THAT? Many of us may not really like the newer Nashville sound, but there has been a lot of great music and talent take off out of that town. It is foolish to stereotype and discount any band that sounds a little "Nashville". It makes you miss out on a chance to discover new music. Kenefick is still a great band. Q has a great voice and they have all turned in to very good pickers. Adding Melinda Mones was a stroke of genius in my mind. She is quite possibly the best female vocalist in the state, and one of the nicest people I know. (Hopefully, Kenefick will leverage that asset). I don't want to offend any of you who have been saying all of the nice things about "Hard Road"...in fact...I'm very flattered and very appreciative. But I suggest that you all just relax and give the boys a chance. They just might surprise you! Regarding "Hard Road" CDs...I own them and can verify that there are several hundred still available since I had to reprint a couple thousand more only a few months ago. If they sell so good that I need to reprint more...trust me...I will. Thanks again for the past 3 1/2 years. It's been one of the best experiences of my life. Marty Wells FYI...I'm not sure if the email link to me via the Kenefick website still works...if not, you can reach me if you need to at [email protected]

Talk about change! Nothing special here anymore. I too am an Aggie. I too have followed this band for more than 2 years. I too was at the REK show. I don't know where an REK fan comes up with any of the Kenefick music on Hard Road being "folksie fills". How rediculous. This CD deserves 10 stars. It's pure country with a little bluegrass and rock & roll rolled in. It's not the same ole same ole. It will be in my CD changer for years to come. I haven't taken it out since I bought my first one and everyone that rides in my car ends up buying one too. Looks like everyone in this list of reviews agrees with me, except 1. Anyway, I was sad, but not surprised to see what has happened to two of my favorites the other night. I won't expand on what has happened with REK right now. The renaisance of Texas Music seems to be as good as over anyway. There was magic in the air 3 years ago, but in the last couple of years, the best of the original and innovative sounding artists have started to disappear, soften, or simply morph in to something else. It happened to some in order to get a record deal with a small independent company....and now they are fading. It didn't happen that way with Kenefick. Kenefick was one of the most promising to me. Hard Road was one of the top 3 products of the "age"...no kidding. I know many people in the business that felt the same, but nobody knew if they had staying power. Apparently, they didn't. Maybe it was the leaving of a critical band member, or maybe it was just a change in taste. Whatever the reason, the band I saw the other night was a predictable Nashville sounding band with nothing special to offer. Nothing raw. Nothing cutting edge. It wasn't the awesome show I saw at the Houston Rodeo last year. None of the exciting blend of traditional country and rock from Hard Road. None of the magic that I had seen before. Gone were the great harmonies. Not that it's bad, but if the guy with the sunglasses (Q) had a little better voice, I could have closed my eyes thought I was listening to Toby Keith or any other of the hundreds of Nashville bands churned out each year. (yawn) Maybe they should let the new girl sing some solos. Her voice sounded pretty good from what I could hear. I also agree with an earlier writer that they need to ditch the Who Let The Cows Out song. It was funny at first, but it just makes them look more and more like a joke now. He should probably ditch the shades too. I only heard a couple of the originals off Hard Road the other night. Probably because the guy that left did most of the singing on the CD. If they did play new originals the other night, I thought they were contemporary Nashville covers. (more drinking songs huh? boy that's original) And it is clear that either band members or groupies are typing in the reviews now. Come on guys, show some class. By the way, this review section is for reviews of the Hard Road CD. Not formula songs that have never even been recorded. If they do put out another CD, and it sounds like what I heard the other night, I'm certian it will be panned by the critics and ignored by the public. I typed in a very positive review of this CD over a year ago. I popped in this time because I know now that the band that created the Hard Road CD was gone and it might not be long before the CD was gone as well. I had to purchase a couple more copies before they were gone for good. Hard Road is a masterpiece of the Texas Country Music movement of the past 5 years. I wouldn't be surprised to see it referenced as influence to other artists in years to come. Unfortunately, they were one hit CD wonders.

I've been watching this band for at least a year and a half and the show with REK was one of the best. I must admit that I was skeptical about the future of Kenefick after Marty left the band but after the show on the 20th I have to say it was where they needed to be all along. The new sound and players are bound to take this band to the top. I'm sure glad that they are doing more cool up beat songs instead of the folky fillers they had on the last cd. Can't wait for the next cd, I'm sure it will be a treat.

It's only getting better from here!! Kenefick played and sounded great! Q-daddy was at his best singing and entertaining the crowd. My complements to Melinda, their new addition as she adds new life to the Band. Thought the young crowd would be hard to please, but Kenefick kept them moving and dancing and made plenty of new fans. Great job!!!

1-Everyone has an opinion, but was this guy at the same gig ?Kenefick STILL rocks, and so does the new stuff. The new female picker harmonizes like a mirror.2-The band didn't break up, I've seen 'em.One guy left, but the rest are still tonkin', and the new music is dancer friendly and country cool. How about"You don't know Jack" or "Bottom of the Bottle bottle" ? Beauty is in the eye.....

I saw this band open for Robert Earl Keen last night, possibly on of the worst bands i have ever seen, their lacklust set was ended by the an awful song called "Who let the cows out". BOOOOOOO

Damn! Is this true? I've been waiting on their new CD for 2 years now, and now the main man won't be with them anymore. That really sucks. I wonder how much longer the "Hard Road" CD will be available now.

Yeh I also heard 'bout the new band line-up. Every act goes through changes. Kenefick was always an awesome band, and I think they'll continue to cut their own path no matter who's on their roster. Time will tell... I'm betting they'll just keep on getting better!

I just heard that Marty Wells left the band. Too bad. This was the freshest, most creative music I had heard in a long time, and he was the creative force behind the band. The word is that he is making a movie, but maybe he will do a solo record or something in the future too. It just sucks when great bands break up.