"better with the band"
marie's crisis café - New York City
When he’s not in the theatre, Kenney can usually be found doing one of the things he loves most: sitting behind a piano, singing, playing, and making music with a room full of people.
For nearly 18 years, he has proudly called the world-famous Marie’s Crisis Café in New York City his musical home. What began as a piano-bar gig became an extraordinary part of his life and career—a place filled with music, community, chosen family, and more show tunes than anyone could possibly count.
Over the years, Kenney has also had the incredible privilege of helping take the unmistakable spirit of Marie’s around the world, bringing the piano-bar experience to pop-ups and special engagements at the Melbourne Fringe Festival, Spectrum Now Festival, The Oxford Hotel in Sydney, and the Harare International Festival of the Arts in Zimbabwe.
His international piano-bar adventures also took him to London, where he helped launch the original Overtures Piano Bar, bringing a little bit of that West Village sing-along magic across the pond.
Nearly eighteen years later, Marie’s remains much more than a place where Kenney works. It’s home. And whether he’s behind the piano in Greenwich Village, Australia, Africa, or London, the goal has always been the same: gather people around a piano, raise your voice, and make a little music together.
"Bump IT WITH A TRUMPET"
PRIDE BANDS ALLIANCE
Music has always been one of the most powerful ways I connect with community, and my work with Pride Bands Alliance has given that passion an even greater purpose.
I am proud to serve on the Board of Directors of Pride Bands Alliance, a national organization dedicated to supporting and connecting LGBTQIA+ bands, musicians, and allies across the country. My work with the organization includes service on the Special Events, Membership, and DEIAB+ Committees, as well as the Uniform Design Team.
One of the most extraordinary chapters of that work is helping bring to life Pride Bands Alliance’s historic participation in the 2027 Rose Parade in Pasadena, California. For the first time in the parade’s history, an LGBTQIA+ marching band will take those iconic 5½ miles down Colorado Boulevard—bringing together hundreds of musicians, color guard members, and performers from across the country.
For me, this project is particularly meaningful. As a musician, arts leader, educator, and longtime member of the LGBTQIA+ band community, I believe deeply in the power of visibility. Sometimes making history is about being seen, being heard—and playing LOUD!
On January 1, 2027, we’re doing all three.
