Welcome to Kenland:
A visit with musician Ken Lonnquist
by Georgia Beaverson, 50 Plus Lifestyles (June, 2007).
Singing has been part of Ken Lonnquist's life since his birth in Lincoln, Nebraska. The youngest of eight, Ken followed happily in the trail forged by his older siblings.
"Everybody played a little guitar or piano," he remembers. "We sang together --- the Kingston Trio, Peter, Paul and Mary --- whatever was on the radio. We loved to sing together as a family --- we still do."
All eight, Ken recalls, had Type-A personalities --- a sharp contrast to his mother's quiet correct Catholicism and his professor dad's buttoned-down scientific style. But even Mom and Dad were known to loosen up. Mom sometimes played piano, and Dad pulled out a guitar and strummed a few funny cowboy songs. How could they help it with kids who, in Ken's words, "were giddy, funny, loud in a fun, goofy way"?
"I had to make some noise," Ken chuckles, "just to be noticed."
South of the border
Eventually, Ken's family emigrated to Mexico City, where Dad Lonnquist worked as a professor. The country made a huge impression on the youngest Lonnquist, who was 10 at the time.
"The culture and the language!" Ken says with enthusiasm when asked what about Mexico influenced him most. "I soaked it up! At that age, youre really spongy."
It was also the place where the magic of his adopted country converged with the magic of an earlier occurrence. On February 9, 1964, he'd been gobsmacked by the Beatles when he saw them on television. He'd been just 6 years old at the time.
"That was the trigger," he declares.
Mexico was the place where he found his instrument, too. "I bought my first guitar there."
Ken took off in earnest with that first guitar. "The guitar was my adolescent journal. I could pour my heart out."
By the time Ken turned 13, his father had accepted a new position as a corn geneticist and researcher at the UW-Madison. The family moved to Middleton and the half-rural, half-suburban life it offered.
Rooted in music
After graduating from Middleton High School and attending the UW-Madison, Ken spent class time writing lyrics instead of taking notes. One class in particular had a strong influence on his music: The Tales of Hans Christian Andersen, taught by Professor Nils Ingwersen. Andersen's dual-level tales struck the fledgling musician as having a little subversion, a little rebellion, a little elbow-in-the-ribs --- something he found attractive and intelligent.
So when Ingwersen set the class to write a ten-page paper on Andersen, Ken approached him with a proposition. He would write three songs based on Andersen's tales instead of the paper. "Go for it," responded Ingwersen.
Ken had written his very first song at age 7. "The melody stuck in my head," he explains. That old melody became the basis for one of the songs for that assignment, and eventually became the Princess and the Pea song on his disc Lost Songs of Kenland.
So, while clearly preoccupied with music during college, why didn't Ken major in music instead of communication arts? "I was so used to just doing," he says. "I wasn't ever concerned with being real facile [as a guitar player]." The idea of studying music felt antithetical to him. "[Music] came out of the air and out of my imagination."
Mature musician for kids
Although today he sometimes regrets not having gotten that music degree, he's been able to live as a musician --- something that isn't easy to do, especially in Madison. And it's that fanciful, imaginative approach to music that gave him a successful career.
"That's what many people like about my music," Ken says. "I can make up songs on the spot. I wanted it to stay simple and innocent."
And it has --- but with a twist. Many of his songs have that Andersen-esque wink-wink, nudge-nudge quality, making him popular with children and adults.
Among his many albums and performances, Ken has also written a dozen or so musicals, most for the former Childrens Theatre of Madison. Among them are favorites like A Christmas Carol, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland and The Magicians Nephew. And while he was commissioned to write specific musicals, Ken counts them as rare opportunities.
"They picked the subjects," Ken says. "But it was a rich experience. I loved doing it."
Of course, living a musician's life isn't all rich and rare. "I write the songs, I record the songs," he shrugs. "I book the gigs, I perform the gigs. I'm a one-horse operation."
With no agent, it's difficult to publish his musicals. "I would love that!" he exclaims. "It's hard to know where to start. You're always running up against the 'gatekeepers' who don't allow you in to see the 'Wizard'."
New projects
So, for the most part, he's left the Wizard behind the curtain and concentrates on the here and now. One yearly project is his holiday favorite, Old Befana, which he performs around the Midwest, especially in venues close to Madison.
And his recordings demand a lot of attention, too. Right now, he's working on two sound recordings and a DVD. The first CD is a long-cherished project called Hamelin, a Ken-style two-act opera based on the Pied Piper story. He began the opera in 1983, and pulled it out of storage in 2002 for a recording. It's performed by a cast of Madison luminaries such as Lou Berryman, Peter Berryman and Kelly DeHaven. The second CD, called Awaken, goes back to his Mexican influences as it's based on an Aztec folk tale. Both discs will be out this fall.
His DVD, titled Sign 'n Songs is a collaboration with John Kinstler of National Theatre of the Deaf. It incorporates Kens simple animation against his hand-rendered backgrounds.
So, when you think about it, who cares about 'gatekeepers' and 'wizards' anyway? Along with his partner of 23 years, Joanne Schilling, and 28-year-old daughter Natalie (better known to fans as Nattie of the Jungle), Ken has created quite a country in Kenland.
"I love where I live," he reflects. "I love what I do. I'm lucky."
Ken quiz
Want to learn more about Ken Lonnquist? Then visit www.kenland.com and find the answers to these burning questions:
1. Who came up with the name Kenland?
2. What organizations have recognized Ken with awards?
3. What famous folk singer has Ken opened for?
4. What cause does Ken educate his audiences on in his oh-so-not-preachy style?
5. At what annual Spring Green festival does Ken appear every year?
Note: Okay, if youre not up for searching Ken's web site for the answers, they're found below.
Answers to Ken quiz:
1. Daughter Natalie, age 6, on the occasion of yet another visit by best friend and longtime collaborator Kenny Aigen. Upon opening the front door for her favorite out-of-town guest, she exclaimed, Welcome to Kenland!
2. The American Library Association and the Audubon Society, to name two.
3. Pete Seeger.
4. The environment.
5. Bobfest, the celebration of all things Dylan.
