from the frontlines: er doctor releases ep about healing and loss
writing songs became a way for dr. grant kennedy to process what they were going through.
mar 25 2021
4 minute read
singer-songwriter grant kennedy. photo by nicole dypolt.
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by: eric volmers
given the makeup of his household, it seems nothing short of a miracle that dr. grant kennedy found time to think about songs this past year much less write them. kennedy and his wife, dr. christine kennedy, are both emergency-room doctors. he works at rockyview general hospital and she works at alberta children’s hospital. they have three children, ages 7, 4 and two.
so it goes without saying that 2020 has been stressful and busy for the family. music became a source of comfort for the singer-songwriter, as it has been since he was a kid growing up in rural manitoba.
“music has always been an outlet for me,” says kennedy. “it’s cathartic writing about your personal experience. it’s been my outlet getting home from stressful shifts and just being able to play and writing songs comes with that.”
the majority of the songs found on kennedy’s new five-track ep, away, were written during and in direct response to the pandemic, reflections on the stress it was causing in a household of doctors on the frontlines. the opening track the self you used to know, written early in the pandemic, features a gentle stay-strong-and-carry-on mantra sung softly by kennedy: “tonight, breathe slow. take everything that’s wrong and let it go. because it’s high time, the light it glows and you find the self you used to know.”
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wait for me was written about both his and his wife’s exhausting day-to-day experiences and the daunting unknowns they faced as the pandemic wore on.
“we both realized we were not immune to struggles with our mental health and really that song was written in the dark days of the pandemic and pretty much just an outlet for what we were going through as a couple and family at the time,” kennedy says. “it’s about me personally, i suppose, but it was written in the context of what we were going through at the time. it was overwhelming. we have three kids. she works as an emergency doctor as well. we both felt the need to serve, obviously, but it was tough when you’re both going to the frontline and at that time we didn’t really know what was coming. not knowing if we were going to have enough (personal protective equipment) and were we going to be running out and what are we going to do at that point? who’s going to look after our kids? all that sort of stuff. it was super stressful.”
writing songs became a way for kennedy to process what they were going through. his honey-coated baritone, which recalls james taylor’s voice and vocal style, is nicely backed by polished folk strains and tempos that never move past a soft shuffle.
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away is kennedy’s second solo record following 2018’s home. produced by russell broom, the five songs were recorded at broom’s home studio and in a day-long session in august at ocl studios outside of calgary. kennedy was backed by broom on electric guitar, josip and robert vulic on bass and drums and his older brother garth on piano and hammond organ.
kennedy grew up in a musical family near carman, man., and played piano as a child before switching to guitar after his parents took him to a blues festival in philadelphia. by the time he was in grade 7, he was playing in bands with his brother and soon began performing in bars, despite being underage. he eventually moved to calgary, where he and his brother played in the blues band el chupacabra for years before he decided to head back to manitoba to attend medical school. he graduated in 2006.
“i quit playing music for about 10 years and focused on my career,” he says. “in my mind, i thought i was done playing music.”
but he was drawn back to writing and playing guitar, despite having a busy professional and family life.
two songs on the ep that are not about the pandemic are new wave and take the long road. new wave is “a song about loss and healing” that reflects on losing a child partway through his wife’s pregnancy. take the long road was inspired by a trip back to manitoba to attend the funeral of kennedy’s great aunt.
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“we were back near the old farm where the cemetery was, celebrating her life, and i came across a tombstone of a three-year-old boy,” he says. “the tombstone had spider-man on it and my boy is a big spider-man fan. i was there celebrating the life of someone who had lived a long and full life and it really hit me … coming across a tombstone of a younger kid who is the same age as my boy and liked the same sort of thing. you have to slow it down when you can in life and appreciate what you have.”
so while almost all the songs on away were inspired by grief, loss, stress and uncertainty, kennedy says he hopes the songs offer listeners a sense of catharsis and healing, which is how music has always worked for him.
“at the end of the day, you write music for yourself but to make a connection with people is really where it’s at,” he says. “i was hoping people would be able to connect. it’s a tough year for us, but it was a tough year for humanity. i’ve seen it first hand in the emergency department, what people are going through.”
stay is now available. visit grantkennedy.ca.
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