Say the name Jason Kendall and it immediately brings to mind a catcher with a decent batting average and too big of a contract.

But there's another Jason Kendall, a singer-songwriter, who would like to get your attention and he's overcome bigger obstacles than sharing a name with a famous baseball player.

When he was 10, Kendall, a Fayette County native, had three fingers on his right hand severed by a circular saw. With reattached fingers, he has grown up to be a musician with a delicate touch on guitar, keyboards and saxophone. His musical pursuits were actually part of his rehabilitation.

"I already had an interest in music before the accident," he says, "but was encouraged to play more as a therapy following the accident. I don't think it has limited me as far as what I do -- my fingers are crooked and have nerve damage but it really doesn't bother me."

Kendall went on to earn a master's degree in music education from West Virginia University and is now an adjunct professor at Penn State's New Kensington and Fayette campuses. "I teach Evolution of Jazz, Western Music, and American Popular Music," he says. "Each course looks at music and its development, chronologically in different places and through varying styles, as well as how music is part of a larger historical context."

As a player, Kendall fronted the local band Deja Vu, which made it to the finals of the Graffiti Rock Challenge in 2000 and also opened for the likes of Cheap Trick and 38 Special. After Deja Vu split, Kendall went in two directions at once, fronting the party band The Bitter End for weddings and events, and performing as an acoustic singer-songwriter.

"The transition to solo was odd at first, everything sounded empty to me." he says. "After about a year or so of doing it, however, I found it very liberating to be able to take a performance in any direction you wanted it to go. There's a great deal of nuance that you can explore as a solo artist. I think my songs are better suited to just being presented in a simple manner without the distraction of a big arrangement."

This weekend, Kendall will release the eight-song debut "Cooper Doesn't Live Here Anymore," an Alice Cooper reference that doesn't follow through to the music. Kendall is more reminiscent of Pittsburgher Bill Deasy, with his soft voice and poetic, narrative songs.

The first song alone, "Pennsylvania Windows," references Jack Kerouac and J.D. Salinger. "I love both of their styles," Kendall says. "Kerouac brings, for me, an exuberance and kinetic energy to any topic, whereas Salinger taught me how to imply things, to kind of write around the point or to lead you to conclusions that change with your perspective."

Kendall will celebrate the release Friday at Club Cafe with a handful of guest musicians, including fiddler Bob Banerjee. Kendall is aware that the poster outside the South Side club might be good for a few fans coming in to see the baseball player.

"I did have an occasion where one venue put my name on the marquee a few years back before he was traded and a number of people showed up hoping to see the Jason Kendall and got me, instead. I guess other than jokes about my 'bum ankle' or the occasional e-mail from fans asking for an autographed ball, it's OK. I just hope people don't think it's a stage name since it really is my name."