LIZ KENNEDY CELEBRATES THE THRILL OF GROWING OLDER WITH NEW TRACK “WHILE I STILL CAN”
By Judy Shields
Los Angeles, California (The Hollywood Times) 08/15/2024
Crafting relatable lyrics comes naturally to Liz Kennedy who has announced her latest release “While I Still Can,” will drop on August 16, 2024. The single is the third from her upcoming album and is available for pre-save HERE.
In support of the new music, Liz will also release an official video produced by Eric Peltier to accompany her new song. It will soon be available on her official artist YouTube Channel.
“I’m having fun with an inescapable subject. How does one approach aging? How am I doing it? I like to think I can still do the things I’ve always liked to do. I can’t, I suppose. But I’d like to judge for myself what I can still do versus what I shouldn’t do anymore. Should I stand on a table plus a few books to change a lightbulb? Questionable. But I don’t want other people to say don’t do that, Liz, when I know I still can. A little risk is thrilling. I also want to learn how to do for myself in a new instinctive way … after doing for others for many years (called being a woman). While I still can.,” shared Liz Kennedy.
“Liz Kennedy’s artistic powers have only grown with time and this latest effort gives no clear hint about where her ceiling might be. Instead, it’s full of lyrical and musical riches all listeners are certain to enjoy.” -No Depression
“You can try and hide
From the world, yes you may
Or you can sing a song
And ask the world to step away
And the world might say, hey
I appreciate
But it keeps on coming
Day after day
I need to lift up my face
To the morning light
And feel for the things
I’ve always liked
Picking that orange off a big orange tree
And slicing it just for me
While I still can
While I still can
Live while I can
Verse
Yeah, it’s hard to see
What lays down the road
And like a woman
Well, I should have foretold
But always saying sure, lean on in
But I’m not just a post
And I want to live
What’s left to the most…”
Produced by Joel Jaffe and Liz Kennedy and engineered and mixed by J. Jaffe, “While I Still Can” was recorded at Studio on the Hill with Liz Kennedy (vocals, piano), Billy Johnson (drums), Marc Levine (bass), J Jaffe (guitars), Hardy Hemphill (Electric piano), Eamonn Flynn (synth strings), Jeanie Tracy (Background vocals and arrangements) and Omega Brooks (Background vocals).
The Hollywood Times had the opportunity to catch up with Liz to talk about her new single “While I Still Can. Enjoy!
Stay current with everything Liz Kennedy on her website www.lizkennedymusic.com.
Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and subscribe to her YouTube Channel for the latest videos.
Music is available on all digital platforms Apple Music, iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, YouTube Music and Amazon Music.
About Liz Kennedy:
After going through a whirlwind of life changes, the San Francisco-based singer-songwriter, Liz Kennedy, has come to see songwriting not as a choice but something she has to do. She says music sustains her and offers a way forward. Her decade-plus as a critically acclaimed recording artist has brought her confidence in her ever-unfolding identity as a quirky, often humorous, and ever-insightful storyteller committed to honesty and finding something unique to say.
Jaffe, whose credits include Maria Muldaur, Lenny Williams and Magic Christian, is the renowned engineer and producer of Studio D in Sausalito, where legendary artists like Bonnie Raitt, Ringo Starr and Carlos Santana have recorded. One of the greatest influences on Kennedy’s development since she took the plunge into recording, he has helmed all her previous recordings, Clean White Shirt, A Good Peach, Nothing Like an Angel, Speed Bump, and Hike Up Your Socks. Jaffe adds numerous string textures to Kennedy’s songs, including acoustic and electric guitar, dobro, mandolin, lap steel and ebow.
Kennedy describes herself as honest and observant and adds, “I sure hope I can easily laugh at myself.” Her songcraft – where the lyrics always follow the music – perfectly reflects that thoughtful self-assessment. The fascinating part of the process is not knowing just where the inspiration will come from. “It’s strange how emotional pain and joy can equally send you racing to the piano to capture something … whether it’s a butterfly or a heavy brick.
After graduating from Stanford University, where she studied anthropology and journalism, she settled in the Bay Area and worked for film companies that made TV commercials. Long before reality TV became a mainstream part of our culture, Kennedy specialized in casting real people (instead of professional actors) for commercials. She also married and raised two children. In her later 40s, when she realized she had “songs in my head” that had never been recorded, she met Jaffe, who liked what he heard and encouraged her to take her work as a singer/songwriter more seriously. In addition to her growing catalog of recordings, she has performed over the years at such renowned Bay Area hotspots as Sweetwater Music Hall, the Throckmorton Theatre and Club Fox. Kennedy enjoys performing live in an intimate setting and finding a connection people make to her songs. I love to hear what someone gets from a song, in their own way. A good song should translate into another person’s language. Yet before performing there is recording. “I’ve had inexpressibly sublime moments in the studio, listening to what these great musicians bring to my songs,” she says. “I have literally fallen to my knees with the joy of an unexpectedly beautiful touch. There’s no greater moment for me than when we are all listening to the finished product and loving what we hear, experiencing our collective ownership.”
