Luke and Jake Kennerd have come along way from their first show at the Academy Coffee Co. in 2003. After going through four drummers, they have finally found their sound with 17-year-old brother Cody. Back then they couldn’t determine their genre, struggled to book gigs, and had trouble writing songs. Now they play three shows a week, just released a major album, and have multiple songs on the radio. They started off brothers, but now they are Sons of York.

Luke 25, Jake 22, and Cody 17 were born and raised in River Heights by parents Trevor and Caroline Kennerd who moved to Winnipeg in 1980. Trevor was the kicker for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for eleven years, winning three Grey Cups, and in 2005 was voted one of the Blue Bomber All-Time Greats.

The boys had a normal childhood of school, sports, and a music lesson or two. “As parents you just want your kids to be exposed to all kinds of things, and then let them make their choices,” said Trevor.

So they chose to start a band, they called themselves Sons of York, taken from the 1961 John Steinbeck novel The Winter of Our Discontent, which fits because their style, lyrics, and sound are a throwback to the 1960s. Getting their inspiration from bands like the Doors, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, and the Who along with newer acts like the Strokes, Kings of Leon, and the White Stripes. “For the longest time we have tried to create a perfect balance of soulful rock and indie pop, we are now closer than ever,” said Jake.

Luke leads the band as the vocalist and guitar player, Jake plays bass and Cody drums. Luke describes their newfound genre as, “rock and roll, a lot of groups can rock, but can’t roll. We can.”

Sons of York played 72 shows in 2008-2009 including a performance at the Red River Exhibition in front of 1,000 people. This year they are averaging about 12 shows a month. “It has become a full time job, and we couldn’t be happier,” said Cody.

Most of their shows are at local bars, which pose a problem for a band with a 17-year-old drummer. “Our parents have to be at every show,” said Jake “the crazy band stories will have to wait.”

With local producer John Paul Peters, Sons of York recently released their newest album Black and White Summer. The album has sold 750 copies in stores and on iTunes and their MySpace page has 98975 views.

Their songs are now frequently played on the radio, including title track Black and White Summer and Running Home to River Heights, which reached number one on the KICK FM Top 40 countdown. With solid momentum, the band is looking to make it big, or at the very least, make some money.

Grant Paley, a talent agent for Paquin Entertainment Group, expands on what it takes for musicians in Winnipeg to get to the next level. “You have to have talent, tough skin, be an original act, and I can’t stress this enough, you must be talented, especially in Winnipeg.” Paley continued, “But then again the music business is changing and adapting to the current market, so really anything is possible, especially with young talent.”

Sons of York are definitely taking advantage of the changing business. Along with an upcoming tour of western Canada, the band has started getting songs licensed for television shows like the Dating Guy an animated adult comedy. “You have to have your hand in a lot of different sources of income”said Luke, “A guy isn’t going to walk into our show and say “Hey fellas, you’ve got the new sound. Let’s make a million dollars. Its just not realistic.”

The boys insist that no matter how far their music takes them, they will always return to River Heights, a place where they feel at home. The neighborhood has influenced their music as much as it has affected their lives, “ All of our experiences, heading down to Queenston on a Saturday afternoon throwing the ball around, that all comes up our music,” said Jake “We really try to recreate those memories and feelings when were playing or writing songs.”

Trevor believes that the boys growing up in River Heights was both helpful and hurtful. Saying “they are so fortunate to be growing up playing music in a great place to cut your teeth in the music business, but until they suffer they won’t have any soul.”