Steve has a huge voice. He has a big smile. He is a jolly cat. It’s amazing he isn’t more whipped considering the size of his family and all of his responsibilities in his life. He found early inspiration in his Sydenham homestead from CBC’s musical programming. Radio was great back in the day. It had a way of connecting to us more as there weren’t as many other things clouding our vision. We had a bit more time to focus and reflect on our art as well. I suspect Steve was a pupil of this activity.

He has since become a great singer, songwriter, band member and performer. It’ll be great to have him back in the house for a holiday show with his former band mates for the 20th Anniversary Tour of Crooked Wood on Saturday, December 20 from 6-10 pm! Details and reservations here.
 
Seamus Cowan: Early inspiration is always powerful time in our development. What or who was the most important way for you to access what you have now learned to be your superpower: music?

Steve Kennedy: Some of my earliest musical memories revolve around family.  My mom and dad made up the choir for the Saturday Vigil Mass at St. Patrick’s church in Railton. Mom was the singer and Dad was the organist. Both were self-taught, and neither could read music beyond a basic rudimentary level. That was important to see, because they were making music because they loved to do it, not just because they had formal training. I played the piano as my first instrument, copying my dad by “playing by ear”. Music was demonstrated to me as being accessible and for enjoyment. Dad also loved listening to music ranging from Opera to country music and folk. Two radio programs that he listened to and often recorded off the radio were the CBC programs: Gilmour’s Albums and the Max Ferguson Show. These programs featured an incredible variety of opera and popular standards and, in the case of Max Ferguson, a heavy dose of world music which impacted me deeply. I still play these old cassette tapes to this day and take great pleasure when my own kids listen along and discover some forgotten gem!
 
Q: Family is so important in life and clearly you know this, hence the litter of children! We are all proud and amazed by you and your fatherhood. Is there a way to be successful both as a musician and a parent? 

Steve: It may be a formulaic answer, but balance is key. I try to live in such a way that I am first and foremost a husband and father in my life. My career as a teacher puts heavy demands on my time and energy, so fitting in music (that joyous pastime/hobby/dream full-time occupation someday) must be done with almost surgical precision. Being a husband and dad are two of my absolute favourite ways of being, so when the music/life balance became too difficult to maintain as the band got successful and busy, I had to take a break from regular playing and step back to spend the time with my family that was needed. Moving on from there, I tried fitting in solo shows when I could, and close to home, to maintain and feed that desire to play and perform. The most important part though, is to have an incredible partner, and my wife Dani was and is super supportive and is always a big fan, which ultimately makes all of it possible.
 
Q: Turpin’s Trail’s beginnings came at the end of Crooked Wood’s life, but now you’re back. Your friends and band mates Chris Murphy and Jon McLurg are the real deal. What made you decided to bring this little group back to life, beside the number 20? 

Steve: The older I get, I find I am becoming more reflective and introspective. As such, I realized that a significant chunk of time had come and gone since Crooked Wood was formed. A quick bit of math brought me to that round number of 20 years, and when I mentioned it one day to Chris in a text, he was as enthusiastic as I was about the idea of getting together for a “reunion”.  When Jon was also on board, it became something to try to plan out and navigate scheduling, and it’s worked out so far!  Obviously, playing with two incredibly gifted and talented performers and songwriters makes it an absolute joy to boot. Chris and Jon are the cherries on top!
 
Q: We have seen you annually freezing your fingers and buns off at the Westport town wide Shop ‘n Hop to head off the Christmas season. Usually, you tuck into The Cove to catch a little bit of music and take it all in at the end of the evening. Is Christmas a big holiday for you and your soul?

Steve: Back to the family, Christmas is a major part of our family. I come from a large family where I’m the youngest of 5 boys. My Dad also had a large family where he was one of 7 siblings, so holidays were always big events with lots of aunts and uncles and cousins. That’s continued for us in our family and we are all big fans of the wonderful season. Getting to walk the streets of the village of Westport each year at the Shop ‘n Hop is one of the highlights of the season for me! The warmth of the season can usually make the bitter cold less noticeable, although sometimes my fingers stop making the right chord shapes until I can warm them up again. Christmas is definitely food for my soul and as a person of faith, I can attest to the importance of that, along with my deep gratitude for that abiding love found at the core of the season.
 
Q: if you’re anything like me, you’re trying to find the time to do anything at all regularly. I know you like to write and perform so my question is this, what is in store for your future with performing and writing?

Steve: I’m looking forward to exploring the songs of Crooked Wood again in these reunion shows. It’s fun to revisit some of your earlier writing to help inform your process. I currently have quite a backlog of music building up and one of my goals for 2026 is to finally finish recording both a new album of original music and a Christmas album. Then I’d like to perform some local shows featuring those songs! To come full circle, I’d also love to be able to eventually arrange some out of town/province shows so that the family can travel with me during the summer months.