Ken Demith
VOCALS and GUITAR
A fan of great lyrical songwriters like Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel, The Beatles, John Fogerty, Elvis Costello, John Hiatt, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young and many others, Ken began his own songwriting journey at 17 when an injury sidelined him from his obsession with athletics. Bored in his room with a neglected Japanese telecaster and his step father's recording equipment, a love for recording music evolved.
It didn't hurt that Ken’s hometown of Hendersonville, TN was the home of Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Barbara Mandrell, Conway Twitty and the Oak Ridge Boys and later Taylor Swift. Ken's mom was an award-winning stylist for the country music industry and introduced him to many legends of the music industry. Hendersonville was also a hotbed for many top songwriters and their talented children who were Ken's classmates. This created a vibrant music scene that established a quality foundation in his ability to craft songs.
A wide array of musical influences formed Ken’s eclectic style. Splitting time between his Tennessee home and his dad’s apartment in Chicago Heights, IL above Svoboda's old-time nickelodeon tavern, going to Polish polka picnics and hanging out on the city basketball courts where boom boxes and transistor radios were blasting out music as diverse as the community. He spent the other part of summers visiting his grandparents farm near Rosine, KY, birthplace of Bill Monroe and bluegrass music.
While pursuing a career in graphic design in Dallas and Chicago became his focus, he wrote continuously, Ken didn’t perform in public or release any music for years until in 1998 he met Tony Ammerman and fellow singer/songwriter Steve Brown and they formed mercyservice in Dallas, TX. Armed with a dozen or more songs, the band enlisted guitar virtuoso Andy Timmons' producer Rob Wexler to helm their debut album. The album featured Andy on guitar and sold well in TX and mercyservice became a vehicle for Ken to hone his live performing skills as a front man. When the band added accomplished songwriters and performers Rick Reid and DW Hadley to form the comealongs a few years later, their brand of music mixed edgy lyrics with rock and roll, pop, latin, reggae, zydeco, folk, bluegrass and country and high energy performances that started attracting fans across TX as they opened for national and regional touring acts. As the band was ready to release their debut album, the Comelaongs faced life’s many curveballs and disbanded.
Still energized by playing live and recording music, Ken began the journey that led to the formation of the Ken Demith Collection.
Ken works as a non-profit executive by day and stays committed and passionate with the art and wants to share his music with people and is always humbled and appreciative of those who take the time to listen.
Catch KDC at a show, enjoy the videos and add some of our music to your collection.
Peter Franklin
DRUMS
International has a new meaning with Peter Franklin. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, he moved to London, England as a boy. With a deep love for rhythm, the drums were a natural choice for the island boy of 16 who played in numerous original bands in London. He went on to become a world traveler in the realm of sales applications in microscopy as an adult. Drums and a passion for music have been the heartbeat of Peter’s life, along with his family. No matter where he goes, he carries a pair of drumsticks, ready to take to the stage and make people move wherever and whenever.
Dave Fenstermacher
KEYBOARDS and VOCALS
Dave is a native Marylander, growing up in Kensington, then Bethesda, and listening to southern rock and blues. His primary keyboard influences are Greg Allman (Allman Bros Band), Greg Rollie (Santana), Billy Powell (Lynyrd Skynyrd) and many of the other great Hammond organ and piano players of the late 60s-70s. Current music influences include Derek Trucks, the Tedeschi Trucks Band, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Warren Hayes, Gov’t Mule, Markus King Band, Medeski Martin and Wood and too many others to name.
When asked to join the Ken Demith Collection, Dave jumped at the chance, and really enjoys playing organ, piano, electric pianos and singing backing vocals.
Mark Bowling
BASS
Mark has music degrees from Mansfield University and Arizona State University, and was a trombonist in The United States Army Field Band from Washington DC for 30 years. He picked up the bass after his career on the trombone came to an end and it quickly became a new passion. He enjoys “listening in a completely different way” to music that he’s known for decades, and loves the chance to create melodic bass lines while locking down the groove with the Ken Demith Collection. Mark is the epitome of a "collection" member, committing to being the best he can be and is all in for the band. Mark's years of touring as a musician in a big band pays off and he brings an incredible internal metronome to the band.
Besides making music, other leisure pursuits include going to Orioles games with his wife, checking out local breweries wherever he is, and spending time with family and friends.
John Rossman
GUITAR and VOCALS
Ken envisions John as the "Mike Campbell" of the band. Simple tasteful guitar parts add to the overall atmosphere the band creates. John is the newest member of KDC. John started playing guitar in Waynesboro, PA when he was 14 years old, inspired by classic rock and blues superheroes like Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend, Richard Thompson, Frank Zappa, and Freddie King. After moving to Maryland for school to pursue a recording technology degree, he settled in Baltimore, playing in hard rock and indie outfits such as the Safeword Club and Poly/Western. Along with his full-time gig as an audio-visual designer and engineer, he also fronts the indie-rock outfit Sleepers, writes songs for his original project Johnny Nebraska & the 5 o'clock Alarm, and plays guitar with the Janine Wilson Band and the Ken Demith Collection. John lives in Eldersburg, MD with his wife and two children, and occasionally practices self-flagellation by playing golf (poorly).