Mr. Bond is in
a peeved mood

Music Row
By Brian Rademaekers

In late September, the iconic Philly rocker known as Kenn Kweder blasted fans will the following message:
"I will be jumping ship off the ‘KENN KWEDER self-expression vehicle’ Nov. 15 at zeee Tin Angel in Philly…NO more big blockbuster million mega-watt full-fledged Kenn Kweder original shows after that date. None. Nada. Zero. Firm and intractable."
As if he weren’t explicit enough, fans began buzzing about just what the message meant, and what provoked the early retirement of Kweder’s blowout freak circus.
All in all, Kweder says the simple reason behind this final hurrah is an accumulated burnout from a tireless touring schedule. Still, Kweder says fans should expect something far different from a dreary dirge for his last gig.
"It’s going to be more of a liberation of Kweder," he explains. "I’m just going to stop doing these huge, blockbuster, over-the-top, outrageous shows . . . it’s been over three decades since I started doing this whole thing."
Very true indeed. Kweder got his start in the early 1970s, playing with his band The Secret Kidds in Philly rock clubs, slowly working his way up the ladder of recognition.
And just as his career started to explode, the Southwest Philly native, now living in Port Richmond, found things taking an ugly turn.
Faced with firing his band and moving out of the city, Kweder turned down a major-label record deal and returned to a life of tirelessly playing shows at local clubs, a schedule disrupted by hitchhiking in Europe and pursuing various other adventures over the years.
Still, Kweder kept his manic, irreverent rock ’n’ roll soul kicking, breaking it out to extreme proportions when the mood struck him. "Every once in a while, I’d do a gig with The Men From W.A.W.A, and there’d be special guests, original members from the Secret Kidds, girls playing the saw, all these bells and whistles and just a cavalcade of people coming and going on the stage throughout the night," said Kweder.
Coupled with his early shows and records, these bonanzas kept the Kweder name alive, along with a consistently awesome deluge of records over the years that showcased his incredible songwriting style, played through a crazily addictive kaleidoscope of folk, rock and punk-infused energy.
The often-stunning quality of Kweder’s work has earned him plenty of attention over the years in forums like Rolling Stone, and he has seen his songs, like The Ballad of Manute Bol, played on ESPN.
Speaking on Tuesday, Kweder assured his loyal followers and recent devotees that he is far from ready to hang up his guitar. Rather, he is scaling things back a bit, and simply calling it quits on his giant shows.
That is, of course, after the 15th — he has planned two shows at the Tin Angel. As an indication of his still-hearty following, the early 10:30 p.m. show quickly sold out weeks ago. But Kweder says the second, to take place at midnight, should see him plenty loosened up, and he plans to carry it on until they kick him off the stage.
"It’s going to be a super blowout, over-the-top, insane kind of show," promised Kweder. "It’s the kind of thing that, if I continued with, there would be some kind of serious crazy meltdown onstage, the kind of thing that I don’t even want to talk about."
Joining him will be The Men from W.A.W.A. (that, by the way, is short for "We All Want Alcohol"), a "pool of some ten guys who I select when I’m trying to put on a big show," as well as a whole host of other characters, including the saw-playing lady.
They’ll be there to help see off the more eccentric side of Kweder, a side he says needs some rest.
"It just can’t be the crazy Kweder circus anymore . . . it takes too much work and phone calls and running around and details," says Kweder, who has always been fiercely independent in his management. "I want to get away from the nuts and bolts, and back to bows and arrows of inspiration, if that makes any sense."
Kweder also wants his fans to look for the positive as he moves to a new stage in his career.
"There really is nothing negative about it, man, it’s really more about self-preservation than anything," he offers. "I don’t want my central nervous system to shut down, or I’ll just end up flat on my back."
For this last show, though, he has been saving up plenty of energy, rehearsing with his troupe of stage mates and pulling out all the stops for a stellar show.
"I’m just looking forward to going out with an exclamation point, and it’s going to be a hell of a lot of fun." ••
Check it out . . .
Who: Kenn Kweder and The Men from W.A.W.A., with assorted guests
Where: The Tin Angel, 20 S. Second St.
When: Saturday, Nov. 15. The 10:30 p.m. show is sold out; tickets remain for midnight show, $12.