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FORK IN THE ROAD is a Classic Rock and Blues band covering artists such as Grateful Dead, Allman Brothers, Jerry Garcia, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Eagles, and more, as well as jazz standards from various artists. Our music is immersive, powerful, and just plain fun.

The BAND:
Lead Vocals & Flute - Deb Kennedy
Lead Vocals & Rhythm Guitar - Layton White
Bass & Vocals - Jeanette Welch
Lead Guitar - Pat Smith
Drums - Forrest Heusinkveld

For Booking: deborahkennedy@live.com

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Videos

UPCOMING EVENTS

March 12th, 7-9 pm April 18th, 9p - 12a
May 9th, 6-9 pm
June 22nd, 3-5 pm
July 13th, 1-4 pm
July 25th, 6-9 pm
August 14th, 6:30-8 pm
September 4th, 6-9 pm October 26th, 1-4 pm October 31st, 7-9 pm

Opus Concert Cafe Tailgators Ced Rap Millstream Brau Haus Movie Club 76 Fireside Winery Millstream Brau Haus
Brooklyn Park (Party)
Koru Berry Farm Fireside Winery Amana Perf Arts Ctr

OUR STORY

Often, when we play somewhere, people ask: “Where have you been?” Well…. We’ve faced a few detours and speed bumps in our journey, to say the least. At the risk of prompting a few eye rolls, we’ve had a few “forks in the road” if you will… We have all known each other for many years, from past events and such. In December of 2019, we decided to establish ourselves as a band, starting as just a trio with myself, Jeanette Welch, our bass player, and Craig Kletzing, Jeanette’s husband, on guitar. . We were able to book one gig early in 2020, and then the pandemic hit, shutting everything down. As an effort to remain positive, and to keep the music fresh, we occasionally would still gather to rehearse – outdoors - when weather permitted, and of course we did so socially distanced. That year offered a few more challenges. Craig was suffering from multiple sarcoma tumors. (Sarcoma is a rare type of cancer that grows in connective tissue.) Craig required extensive surgery, and time for healing. I was diagnosed with breast cancer – which required a year of treatment. I finished my last round of chemo in December in 2021– just before Christmas. BUT – as challenging as that year was, we were able to book 1 gig, for which Forrest, our drummer joined us, and he also became an official member of the band. We started to gain strength in 2022 and booked a few more gigs, getting our name out there. But then, in 2023, something was wrong with Craig. Jeanette reached out to us to inform us that Craig was not feeling well and asked to push our gigs later in the year if possible. But as the year progressed, and the testing continued, Craig was still not getting better. At Craig’s suggestion, we reached out to other guitar players to see if there was anyone who could cover for him for the month of July. We did so and found a player for July. July came and went, but Craig was still not getting better, so he asked us to reach out to his replacement to see if he was available to cover for the remainder of the year. Unfortunately, that guitarist was not able to do so. So, we reached out to our pool of musicians once more. A fellow performer friend suggested a young guitar player, Layton, who he had just performed with at Brucemore. Now, I also do theatre and met Layton many years ago when he was just 11 years old for a production of A CHRISTMAS CAROL in Amana. I was absolutely delighted to hear that he was still performing and was also delighted because I knew he was a great person and talent. We soon started rehearsing with Layton, and we did one performance together. Unfortunately, it was soon after that when Craig finally received a diagnosis. Inoperable Stage 4 Cancer. He was placed into hospice care, and he passed away in his home, with Jeanette by his side, a month later. How does anyone push through all of that? Music. Music heals. It takes you to a different time and place, and fuels you with, for lack of a better word, energy. It gives you a bit of a mental break, if you will, so you can regroup and get through the tough stuff. At Jeanette’s (and Craig’s) request, we did not cancel any of our performances during that time. We healed through the music. Now, fast forward a few months down the road…. We are all very busy people. Forrest is in ELEVEN OTHER BANDS(!)… yes, you read that correctly… And he also gives drum lessons. We often wonder how he has time to sleep and poop... Jeanette is an orchestra musician, and performs all over the state, Layton plays with 2 other bands and still does theatre contracts and does guitar lessons. I work a full-time job during the day, as well as producing theatre in Amana, and directing shows for Clear Creek Amana HS. So…. Coordinating schedules for rehearsals and performances is a l’il tricky dicky… As we were communicating the many many details in prep for upcoming gigs, we got a bit confused about Layton’s availability, and thought he wasn’t available for one of the bookings. So, Jeanette reached out to her funny, and insanely talented guitar player friend, Pat. Pat was available, but we soon then realized it was just a bit of confusion, and we didn’t need a replacement for the gig. BUT then we then thought… “why not keep Pat on as an addition to the gang?” We’re all here for the music, right? There has been other tough life stuff, and bumps along the way, and out of respect to the team I won’t share all the details here, but the music… the MUSIC has congealed us into one wacky musical family, that seems to be, dare I say, what was meant to be in this crazy, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride of Life. . I’m sharing Forrest’s words here as he has summed it up brilliantly: “Craig is an important piece which led to a “fork in the road” where we decided to add 2 badasses and continue onward, as our spirit animal would’ve wanted. Also, interesting that Deb taught Layton and Jeanette taught me, Pat and Jeanette are both gangster collegiate music instructors, and generally Deb is the bandleader/badass cancer survivor/lifelong performer and producer of all things creative.” . We sincerely hope our music makes you as happy as it makes us. With love, Deb Kennedy ~ Lead Vocals

319.899.3799

CONTACT US

Home Theater: 

Amana Performing Arts Center
39 38th Ave, Amana, IA 52203

Tel: 319-899-3799

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