Kennedy Jones is incoming: the bear-clad producer, based out of Los Angeles, has just touched down in Australia, getting ready to headline Brisbane’s The Met this weekend, setting the dance-floor alight with his heaving, hectic beats.

We wanted to get to know him a little better before catching him on the stage, so we asked him a few questions about his recent set at the problem-laden TomorrowWorld, beard maintenance tips and so much more.

You’ve just performed at TomorrowWorld. Is it as insane as it looks? Any highlights from the day?

 

It is absolutely insane!  I love that festival.  The feeling of being out there in the middle of that beautiful natural venue with so many truly dedicated people is a really spiritual experience.  The “It’s a Trap Stage” is especially amazing, because it’s tucked far into the woods and it’s like having your own festival within a festival if that makes any sense.  A definite highlight of the day was the fact that I was able to deliver an important message through my intro successfully.  I have been using some interactive intros to my sets and they are definitely a logistic challenge to pull off, however, my TomorrowWorld intro could not have gone over any better so I was definitely happy about that.  The intro featured my voice, pre-recorded basically reminding the fans that they are the core of musical evolution. Letting them know that without them, music does not progress or change.  Then it moves into asking them to remember to question everything before establishing a specific belief or prejudice about life. In an age where music is being so infiltrated by news outlets that sometimes publish opinion or hearsay rather than fact, just to get a few extra likes on Facebook/Instagram/Twitter, I asked fans to make objective decisions about their public opinion that may help propel the music world’s progression, not hinder it.

By this time, on stage, the fans can see a person who is dressed with a NNeverNot hat, a black hoodie, bandana over their face with sunglasses on.  The crowd is assuming that is me, however, the person then reveals herself and shakes out her long blonde hair after removing her hat. It was in fact my dear friend Leah Culver, a very talented and dedicated fellow musician. Then I went on to say “Ten seconds ago, you saw me up there. Now you see someone else. Before she revealed herself, you weren’t questioning her musical ability or credentials as a musician.NNeverNot gang stands for the idea that music is FOR EVERYONE…” Essentially, the message was that regardless of gender, musicians should be treated as professionals and no matter what, should be given the respect they earn from both fans and industry professionals.  I just really thought it would be a powerful thing for supporters to understand first hand.  Then the went on to say, “If she is there, where am I? I am somewhere in the crowd, I could be standing next to you right now. I am doing this because I am equal to you, and I love my NNeverNotGang Family.  A hip hop instrumental started and I then removed my disguise to the crowds surprise.  It was amazing seeing the fan’s faces when they realized I was beginning my set out there in the crowd, WITH them, not away from them.  I cannot tell you how much I appreciated seeing so many people, young and old, standing there actually listening and allowing themselves to be patient enough to truly respect and experience what I had prepared for them.  It was really a moving experience for me.

We all heard about the problems the festival faced this year, including attendees stuck without transport home. Other than somehow controlling the weather, in your opinion, how could music festivals act differently in future to prevent these hazards?

I think festivals, just like any other event where there will be a large amount of people, need to have emergency plans in place that can really handle anything thrown at them. I am not going to bash either end of this situation because I truly am not informed what really actually transpired. I do know that seeing photos of festival-goers laying on the wet ground overnight really upset me. At that point though, you would think the city would step in and offer relief assistance. The festival, from what I have seen in the past, has always gone out of their way to accommodate fans and performers alike, however, everyone makes mistakes.  I cannot make excuses for anyone though as I said, I feel like I may not be well informed enough to comment specifically on this issue. I will say that I was impressed seeing photos and videos of the unity music lovers showed out there. I saw all kinds of posts about the fans really helping one-another out that night and that makes me proud to be a part of such a real generation of people that watch out for one another, in and outside of the festivals.

Could you tell us a bit about NneverNotGang and the clothing drive?

After working against the feeling of “failure” all my life, I started #NNeverNotGang for the people that are always working to spread positive spirit and make a difference in their lives as well as the lives of other people. Whether it’s working toward a personal goal, making a change in their community, working on music, or becoming more healthy. It’s the idea of working positively toward something for yourself with the genuine motive of helping others. The idea that the more you achieve, the more it will empower you to make a change in someone else’s life. It’s for the people that are down for their cause 100% and actively do the work that comes with it. NNeverNotGang is for the people that are committed to NEVER NOT working and growing as individuals. It’s a promise you make to yourself in knowing that you’re always conscious of whether or not what you’re doing is getting you closer to your goal or your dream. It’s not just a hashtag, it’s a way of life. The clothing drive is a way to put these ideas into action. It will take place over the course of one weekend to start, simultaneously in cities across the world. I am currently selecting one or two trusted representatives from each city to organise their donation locations and could not be more excited.  The Nap Girls group in Los Angeles, a group of incredibly driven, talented, and good hearted women are going to me co sponsoring the Los Angeles drive.  I am still working out the details of how we will link everything together and which exact date it will take place on but I am excited to say that the NNeverNotGang has been completely on board and willing to help.  The response is overwhelming and that feeling is awesome.  The idea is to gather warm clothes to donate to the homeless for winter.  Also, we will be accepting children’s clothes so we may donate to children in need in the colder months.  Eventually, I would like to make events like these Worldwide instead of just state side!  I just cannot express enough how grateful I am to have supporters so willing to participate in humanitarian efforts.  It really shows the character of who those faces in the crowds at my shows really are, and only makes me feel closer to them.

What are you looking forward to most about your trip to Australia this week?

I am most looking forward to meeting the fans that have been waiting for song long to see me!  I love people.  That’s why I do what I do.  I am also obviously excited about getting to know more about Australian Culture and see the beauty that is Australia.

Any tips for maintaining that lush beard behind the decks?

Hahaha, First and foremost; MAINTAIN IT EVERY DAY.  Beards are like a whole other head of hair.  Every day it should be shampooed, BRUSHED, and BEARD OIL must be applied. You simply cannot miss days, that cannot happen.  I use a beard oil generously provided by my friends at The Men’s Supply in California, USA.  Also, it’s VERY important to go to the barber AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK, if you can.  If you get into that regimen, you will have no problems at all.  I visit my family at “American Barbershop” in Corona, CA about once a week to keep this thing in check! 🙂

You can catch Kennedy Jones TONIGHT at The Met in Brisbane – keep an eye on The Met’s Facebook page for more event details.

And for those in other states, Jones is coming to a city near you!