Watch the trailer to Adventures of a Secret Kidd, a documentary about Kenn Kweder

Adventures of a Secret Kidd – The Mass Hallucination of Kenn Kweder is a documentary about the veteran Philly musician and singer-songwriter, Kenn Kweder. The documentary, by John Hutelmyer and Rob Nicolaides, will have its premier at the International House Philadelphia Ibrahim Theater on March 25th.

The Upper Darby born Kweder has been a Philly musical staple for over 40 years, a local singer-songwriter who never got the national attention he deserved over the years. Kweder began singing to Philly audiences in the early 70s. After his start as a solo performer, Kweder put together his now legendary band, Kenn Kweder and The Secret Kidds. Kweder gigged heavile throughout the 70s and 80s, reaching the inevitable “next big thing” status, and becoming a fixture in the South Street music scene.

Despite being pursued by major labels, Kweder stuck to his creative guns, and decided to remain independent, releasing records on his own Pandemonium label. After the Secret Kidds ended, he had several more bands, including the Men From K.W.E.D.E.R., the Radio Church of God, the Men From P.O.V.I.C.H. (inspired by TV talk show host Maury Povich), the Couch Dancers, the Enablers featuring the Co-dependents, and the Spiders From Wawa.

Regardless of the band names, the heart of Kenn Kweder has always been the songs. Over the years, he’s slipped in and out of musical phases – from folk to punk to new wave – but it’s always come back to the fact that Kweder’s songs have a unique voice; sometimes quirky, sometimes sad, sometimes outrageous. On songs like “Heroin,” “Suzy Said So,” “The Man On The Moon,” “Ballad of Manute Bol,” and “What Am I Talking About,” it sounds like he’s had a little bit of Lennon, Bowie, and folkies like John Prine swimming through his musical heart.

The Secret Kidds were Kweder’s first band that laid the foundation for him becoming a Philly musical icon. Here’s a video of an interview with Kweder did with a local television news magazine in 1978.

The new documentary Adventures of a Secret Kidd – The Mass Hallucination of Kenn Kweder will have its premiere on March 25th. Go here for tickets and more information. Watch the trailer below.

Adventures of a Secret Kidd: Official Trailer from john hutelmyer on Vimeo.