Now available on ocp.org! Ken Canedo's new liturgical CD, Doxology.
You may have seen this guy at an NCYC concert, or a Jesse Manibusan concert, or with the Matt Maher band at Anaheim, or with Steve Angrisano at World Youth Day. He’s the bass player with the hair in his eyes who wears a red Thrasher skateboard T-shirt while leaping several feet into the air and never missing a note. Yeah, that dude. He's KEN CANEDO, one of the most unlikely contemporary Catholic artists around.
Ken’s actually been involved in the liturgical music scene for quite a while, jamming with Bob Hurd while they were both in college way back when. They eventually composed and produced the best-selling CD collections Alleluia! Give the Glory and Mass of Glory, which helped to establish Ken as a liturgical composer. He was working in parish ministry and started assisting Bob at liturgy workshops in the late 1980s.
In the early 1990s Ken got involved as a bass player in the Berkeley punk rock scene in California, learning the energetic moves that would become a hallmark of his performance style. This was a time of soul searching -- "the wild days" said Ken -- and he left parish ministry to work in other jobs while drifting through a number of punk bands. Finding God again, the prodigal dude accepted a position as youth minister and music minister at St. Monica Parish in Moraga, California and began composing contemporary Catholic music for liturgy and youth ministry in earnest.
Around this time Ken met Jesse Manibusan and they performed together at youth rallies and retreats throughout the Diocese of Oakland. They also helped mentor teens in liturgical music at many Bay Area Catholic high schools. “We always talked about composing music together but, strangely enough, never got around to it until I moved to Portland, Oregon and Jess moved to Grapevine, Texas,” said Ken. Their cross-country efforts in composing Catholic music that rocks resulted in the CD Love Never Fails.
Ken is currently co-director of the youth choir at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Beaverton, Oregon. He finds time to help lead youth retreats and liturgy events, as well as give workshops around the country, sometimes with Bob and Jesse. He occasionally jams with local musicians in the Northwest scene. Ken is also Managing Editor for the spiritandsong.com website.
Unlike most contemporary Catholic artists Ken does not sing. Although he was a cantor in high school, he lost his hearing and his voice as he got older. “This used to depress me a lot, until I realized I could write songs for others to sing,” said Ken. He also makes himself available for any of his spiritandsong friends who might need him as a bass player for their concerts and appearances.
Deeply influenced by the writings of John Steinbeck, Ken has a great love for sacred scripture and is constantly amazed at the beauty and challenge of God’s word. “The gospels, the psalms, and St. Paul’s letters are always there for me during the ups and downs of life,” says Ken. “Occasionally, my reading and praying of scripture will inspire me to write a song.”
These are the gifts that Ken Canedo brings to the table of the Lord.
