Philly Musician Still Playing The Local Music Scene At 70 Years Old

PHILADELPHIA — Kenn Kweder may now be 70, but he shows no signs of slowing down, as is evident by the gigs he plays that don't start until around midnight at various venues across the city.

Kweder, a folk-rock artist influenced by the likes of Pete Seeger, Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan, grew up in Southwest Philadelphia and has lived in 32 different Zip codes throughout the city.

His favorite may be where he has resided for the past two years — the Roxborough neighborhood. But he has also enjoyed West Philly and Mount Airy.

Kweder originally planned a career as a professional basketball player, but he said he was beat out by the neighborhood competition.

"I was good, but I realized there were guys way better," he said jokingly during an interview with Patch on Thursday.

So he picked up a guitar instead.

The rest is history.

"I've been doing this thing for a long time," said Kweder, who came up during the heyday of rock and roll, and has played gigs in churches, on basketball courts and even along railroad tracks.

On the latter, he said back in the '60s kids would gather at railroad tracks "so desperate for an audience."

Up until the COVID-19 pandemic, Kweder did about 300 shows per year, but things collapsed after the coronavirus came into play.

Now, he's back up to around 200 gigs per year.

Kweder plays all over the city and beyond. He just celebrated three decades playing at Smokey Joe's in the University City section of Philly.

"This is something that's in my blood that never goes into remission," Kweder said about music. "Even when I'm busy I'm looking for work."

Kweder calls himself a workaholic, and considers himself somewhat of an anomaly, given that he's out playing shows during the overnight hours, when most people in their 70s are likely fast asleep.

Sometimes, he doesn't even get home from gigs until 4 a.m.

Kweder enjoys playing a lot of his original music that comes from the 10 albums he has written over the years.

"I think my only question is, how much longer can I pull this stunt off," he said with a laugh.

Kweder can also be found the fourth Friday of every month at the Bridgeport Rib House out near Norristown in Montgomery County. He typically starts around 5 p.m.

Luckily, he's still in pretty good shape, so performing the physically-taxing job of live music gigs suits him well.

"Generally, I try to keep it [my health] together," he said.

At the end of the day, Kweder said that he chooses to live by the credo that everyone forges their own path in life.

He said it's important to follow one's dreams and aspirations and strive to make those reality.

"I don't really see any type of template or book," he said. "I think you've got to find out what you do, or what you want to do, and leave a fingerprint behind."