"Jennings and Keller gave us a great night's entertainment. Laurie's laid back, easy going stage presence and fine singing were solidly backed by Dana's fine dobro and guitar playing and backing vocals. Dana started off the second set with some particularly nice finger-style, solo guitar work. Our audience really enjoyed the show. We look forward to having them back."

Sonny Thomas, The Fiddle and Bow Society, Winston-Salem N.C.

This has been quite a year for us! As the old saying goes, 'When one door closes, another opens'. As sad as it was for us to see the doors of The Main Street Cafe close for good, our musical life has taken a huge leap forward. We completed our debut CD 'Susan's House' , and have been getting accepted at various festivals around the country. We have purchased a motor home which will allow us to travel to wherever the music leads us.

Finalist: 2007 South Florida Folk Festival Songwriter Competition
Finalist: 2007 Suwannee SpringFest Songwriter Competition
Finalist: 2007 Susquehanna Music and Arts Festival Songwriter Competition
Finalist: 2007 SolarFest Songwriting Competition
Emerging Artist Showcase: 2007 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival

FIRST FRIDAY FOCUS:

JENNINGS & KELLER: Hildegard's

By Dean Poling
dean.poling@gaflnews.com

Playing what they call 'Fusion Folk Americana', acoustic duo Jennings and Keller perform literate story songs sung and strummed with great emotion and depth.
They may be playing right in front of you or you may be listening to Jennings and Keller in your house, but their songs will take you on journeys. Songs like 'The Best Hamlet,' which tells of people playing parts both on stage and in life, or 'Hold Fast the Wheel,' a song tinged with the bittersweet reconciliation of keeping course despite the never-ending volleys of slings and arrows, or the fun of turning the blonde jokes on their heads with 'Smart Blond' with lines like 'I know the whole sequence of pi.'
Jennings and Keller are singer-guitarist Laurie Jennings Oudin and musician Dana Keller. Jennings and Keller are a Miami, Fla.-based duo. In creating these diverse songs, the duo brings the diversity of their experiences from 'the Broadway musicals of New York to the honky tonks of West Texas.'
The debut CD 'Susan's House,' along with the aforementioned songs, provide the best definition of their self-described 'Fusion Folk Americana' style. Further explanation defines it as "a blend of many different elements that comes from their vast and wide-ranging musical backgrounds."
Before forming Jennings and Keller, Jennings and Keller had many experiences both musical and otherwise.
Jennings is the one-time proprietor of Florida's Main Street Café, a premier site for acoustic music. She is also a former Shakespearean actress (which explains the numerous references to the Bard's characters in the song 'The Best Hamlet'). The café closed last year, and the duo has been her focus.
Keller plays pedal steel, dobro and guitar and he puts his experience and talents on these instruments to good use in the songs on 'Susan's House.' He has shared the stage and recording studio with Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs, Stevie Wonder, Larry Graham, Marvin Gaye, Dave Mason, Johnny Rodriguez, etc. Since 1980, he has been endorsed by the Gretsch Guitar and Drum Company.
Jennings and Keller have also earned a growing list of recognition this year, being named finalists in the 2007 South Florida Folk Festival, the 2007 Suwannee SpringFest, the 2007 Susquehanna Music and Arts Fest, the 2007 SolarFest songwriting competitions, and named the 2007 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Emerging Artist.
As they note in a bit of PR, Jennings and Keller present songs that sound like they may be your life but are their lives, but they are still your story.

Jennings and Keller play Friday evening, Hildegard's, 101 E. Central Ave.

Jennings & Keller
Susan's House (Self-released)
By Lee Zimmerman
Published: March 1, 2007

Laurie Jennings understands the merits of being a singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. As former proprietor of Homestead's now-defunct Mainstreet Café, she not only developed a solid reputation by booking nationally renowned folk acts but also frequently performed with her own house band, the Pathfinders. Although the club is now closed, Jennings hasn't given up on her singing career. She's partnered with local guitarist Dana Keller (who found his niche as a session player for Stevie Wonder and Vince Gill), and the duo are hitting the local coffeehouse circuit with original folk tunes that would likely find Joni Mitchell and Janis Ian nodding in approval. The result of this roots-rock partnership manifests in Susan's House, a sweetly serene acoustic collection that conjures up Day-Glo visions of incense, patchouli, and tie-dye. With Jennings' clear, crystalline vocals and Keller's vibrant picking on acoustic guitar and dobro buoying the arrangements, lilting tunes such as "Saying Goodbye," "The Ocean of My Heart," and "Time Changes" bear the grace and finesse of traditional folk compositions. At times, the couple's starry-eyed sentiments are charmingly childlike, as reflected in "I Wanted to Be Maria," a song inspired by the singing nun from The Sound of Music, and the album's title tune, an evocative ode to a friend's house turned haven. The jaunty song "Smart Blonde" shows that the duo is also satirical and proves that even the fiercest stereotype can't derail earnest intentions.

What People are saying:

...then came our featured performers, Laurie and Dana
(known as Jennings and Keller)

"They put on a tremendous show! Laurie seemed to draw from just about every genre of music - each song was wonderful! Between Laurie's beautiful voice (and presence) and Dana's VERY talented dobro accompaniment it was an hour (plus) of sheer joy!"
--Bob Singer (President--Broward Folk Club)

"What can you say about 'Jennings and Keller'? -- though they're often confused with 'Laurie and Dana.' . . . Wait, they're one and the same. What a great duo of music. At first, I was disappointed the Dana didn't come with his peddle steel guitar - I've only heard him twice on it and was smilingly amazed when I heard him play. But Saturday night he played dobro, and by the first song I realized I was seeing even more of his talent than I'd seen before. It was perfect for the evening.What a musician. And Laurie brings such a sweet spirit to everything she does. I'm sorry I got to know the "Main Street Cafe"only as that season was drawing to a close. But she brought everything along Saturday night. She'sa durn good song-writer, a powerful singer, a marvelous presence. . ."
--Fred M. (Boca Raton--From Labyrinth Cafe Show)

"Jennings and Keller have a fusion sound, able to mix blues, jazz, swing, country and folk into a blend that is their own. Dana's accomplished musicianship creates a solid and expert foundation upon which Laurie's outstanding voice can shine. Jennings is relaxed and confident on stage after years of NYC Shakespearean performances. Her skills are second nature and she obviously enjoys the audience's energy. She has written some beautiful material."
--David Engels (Hollywood, FL)