Category: News

5:35 am

Hey pals :9D

Generally I am not up this early typing, but I’m enjoying the lingering effects of powerful jetlag, after an incredible 10 days in Wales working on the next Devin Townsend album, Empath. You’ll hear the results in March 2019 when the album is released, at which time I’ll get more into it, but for now I simply express my gratitude at being a part of this project: I’m freaking grateful! (And I’ll briefly add: Devin astonishes me. Completely. This music is absolutely breathtaking.)

Now I’d like to tell you what this month of October has to offer, for those of you in the vicinity of LA. If you’re not in the vicinity of LA, you still have time to get there.

FRIDAY OCTOBER 19
MIKE KENEALLY & BEER FOR DOLPHINS
with DISREPUTABLE FEW
and ZOLOMON
at
FAIS DO-DO
5253 W. ADAMS BLVD.

This is a brand new room for us, and we’ll be playing for a lot of new people, more of a Dead/jam-type scene than we normally play for, and I’m very excited about lattice-working our energy into this particular vibe. Like, REALLY excited. This will be the quintet BFD with Beller, Travers, Musallam and Peters and we will be playing one long set starting at 11:05. Zolomon starts at 8:25, with Disreputable Few at 9:45.

An entirely fantastic way for you to kick off your weekend – join us all, please! Tickets are rampantly available here.

SATURDAY OCTOBER 27
MK’S HALLOWEEN BASS PARTY
at
THE BAKED POTATO

So, Justin at the Potato offered us this night, and Beller is unavailable to do the gig, working hard on his upcoming solo opus. After thinking on it a bit I decided I definitely wanted to play at the Potato on the Saturday before Halloween – it should be nuts – but there wasn’t time to work another bassist in on a full night of material.

I then came to a bold realization: I really wanted to play bass for this gig. I love playing bass and hardly ever do so publicly. So I will toughen up my low-end chops and we (me, Travers, Musallam and Peters) shall present a selection of my tunes with basslines I particularly enjoy – some of which I originally tracked in the studio – but never get to play live. Rick will take over the bass for some tunes so I can be excessive on guitar and keys as well.

In addition to my “bassist costume” for the night we will also deliver some Halloween-specific cover song action. No “Monster Mash” I promise. But SOMETHING relevant to the weekend’s needs.

Two sets, as per Spud norm. You want tickets? In no way do I blame you! Procure them here.

SUNDAY OCTOBER 28
MK as special guest with PET SHARK
For their CARNIVORE CRUISES album release show

I co-produced the upcoming Pet Shark album, a brilliant slab of searing instrumental rock (with one really epic vocal tune), and the night after I have my bass fun on Saturday, I’ll be guesting with Pet Shark at their album release party playing tunes from the album. I’ll be on keys and 2nd guitar. If you’re not familiar with the Shark, now’s the time – definitely come on out and be prepared for some friendly face-melting.

There can be no doubt that the tickets for these two sets are available here!

JOE SATRIANI BAND LIVE IN AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND AND INDIA – NOV/DEC

The touring for What Happens Next is not over yet, Satch heads! In fact, THIS is what happens next: gigs in Australia, New Zealand and India late this year. I’ve never been to India! I’m (as I rarely say without irony because it’s not normally how I conduct myself linguistically but it’s actually completely true) stoked!

Six dates in Australia, Nov. 24-Dec. 2. A gig in Auckland, NZ on Dec. 4. Then over to Pune, India for The Happiest Music Festival (how can anyone resist attending with a name like that?) Dec. 7-9.

You want some ticket links? Feast on these!

THANKS Y’ALL

Between The Bizarre World of Frank Zappa tour, more Satriani dates, Devin stuff, and other things currently in the offing but still under concealment, 2019 is shaping up to be nuts. My gratitude for continued being-busy-ness is immense and I have great love for all people and circumstances which allow me to continue playing music for folks. Hooray!

Hooray, I say!

Now thru Tuesday, July 31, all merchandise at The Mike Keneally Store is one-third off!
USE THIS PROMO CODE: THIRD OFF

The 1/3 off sale at the Keneally Store ends on July 31. Jump on it! You wanna use that promo code THIRD OFF when you check out. Think of it! A Sluggo! signed/numbered superdeluxe limited edition with two CDs, two DVDs and a download for only $33?! What are the odds? Well, for the next few days the odds are really dang good! Abuse our generosity this instant!

THINGS OF THE ROAD
Greetings from the mid-point of our little 7-show European Satriani adventure! We find ourselves in lovely Padova today. It’s 90 minutes before showtime. Just had some really nice marinated eggplant and seafood pasta and I’m ready to rock.

I say “7-show,” actually it’s turned out to be 6-and-a-bit, for we were driven from the stage (a beautiful outdoor stage in a castle courtyard) after four songs by a thunderstorm in Pavia a couple of nights ago. The crowd took it well but it’s never fun to disappoint an audience that way, or come all that way to a town and be unable to perform. I hope that we’re somehow able to play for them again soon.

Whoa. Now it’s just started thundering and lightninging and hailing here in Padova too. Fortunately it’s an indoor gig so the show will go on, but gosh.

Now here’s a horrible selfie I took right before we went onstage here in Padova (I say here but right now I’m in my bunk in the bus on the way to Budapest). We are not the Blue Man Group, but in this photo, we are close.

And here’s a shot from Saturday night right before the show in Molfetta, Puglia, of Joe Travers posing next to the birthday cakes in honor of our magnificent Production Assistant Jarett Kemp. This photo was taken by Rubina Satriani and has been dubbed “Mr. Bacciagalupe and his Confectionary Cart!” by Joe S.

We do have us some fun out here. Last night in Padova was a gig where everything came together beautifully onstage and surprises emerge. I ended up playing a piano solo with Joe S.’s encouragement during the intro of “Cool #9” featuring some expert jazz accompaniment from Bryan and Joe T., and I’m pretty sure that’s never happened before, but it felt right. There is real spontaneity and gleefulness in these Satriani gigs. If you haven’t been able to catch one, you really ought to if we get near you.

Now I’m in my Budapest hotel room looking at the rain outside my window.

We’re on the Buda side, looking across the water at Pest. Did you know that Condé Nast Traveler says that Budapest is the second best city in the world? Well, they did. Man it is freaking screaming down rain right now. I hope we’re indoors tonight! (Checking venue – nope, it’s outdoors. Wish us and the audience all the luck please!)

We’ve got gigs in Bucharest and Istanbul over the next few days and then that’s the end of this short run. There will be more Satriani dates later this year but I’m not yet at liberty to tell you where. Stay tuned to this bat-channel and all that. But if you are able to see any of the next couple of gigs, please go to satriani.com/road for the details – and bring some good weather with you!

AND THEN
I go right to Vancouver after leaving Europe to work with Devin Townsend on demos for his upcoming album. I feel real privileged to be a part of this new phase of Dev’s career and am really relishing the thought of the album sessions in a couple of months. He’s been sending me TONS of stuff he’s working on and it’s just incredible, how creative and prolific he is.

Bryan Beller is also phenomenally creative, if not quite so prolific, but his next album IS a double-album opus so it’s definitely worth the long wait since Thanks In Advance came out (TEN YEARS AGO, goodness gracious). I’ll be jumping right into the studio with him when I get back from working with Devin – and it will be Double Time studio with Jeff Forrest engineering, same location where Dust Speck and Nonkertompf and all sorts of my stuff was recorded back in the day. Always a pleasure to go back to the scene of those crimes (I use the term lovingly) and do stuff with Jeff, and I’m excited to add my input to the intricate latticework Beller is creating.

But really I came here to say that if you haven’t listened with headphones to all of 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 by Midnight Oil recently, just, I mean, just DO IT. NOW.

I honestly love you,

PS. Thank you to Mick Brigden, Joe S.’s manager, for lending me his computer charger after mine bit the dust and allowing this Keneallist missive to make its way across the ocean to you…

PPS. The sun just burst through the clouds! Looking good for the gig tonight! Yay!