Kevin Carlson: Blog

Well, the latest gig at Java Monkey was a bit of a challenge, to say the least. First having to set up outside in 37 degree weather was a bit unexpected. I mistakenly expected that they would have relocated the music inside, but that didn't happen. The folks at Java Monkey were really helpful and very nice and helped set up the house PA. It was so cold that I was unable to remove my jacket so I must have looked a little like the Arctic Balladeer!

I took the stage, and began to play my first song of the evening to a small crowd that had gathered outside to hear some music when the PA started making rattling and buzzing noises. I didn't even get through the first line of the song and had to stop and try to figure out the problem. After a few minutes, one of the guys that worked there determined that the PA was having issues. So I unplugged my guitar, pushed the mic to the side pulled up close to the front of the stage and played an hour of music for the few who had decided that music [...]

The next few weeks I'll be finishing up the songs for my second CD. I've been playing some of the songs live. You know, it's funny how a live performance will sometimes force me back into the studio to re-record a certain part of a song based on audience reaction to performing it one way or another.

Some of the songs I've been playing that will be on the next CD are Bittersweet, Firefly, Time With Her, Carolina Skies, Did Alright and Isabel to name a few. I'm currently working on the last verse to Northern Lights. Maybe I'll get a chance to play that in February at one of my gigs. I still haven't completely decided on the name for the next CD. I'm hoping if I focus on the music that by the time I'm done recording the name will seem obvious. I can always hope for that anyway ;-)

I recently signed a few deals with a production company in L.A. that wants to use my music on a few of their TV shows. Pretty exciting stuff. A few of the shows you may have heard of -- Real World, Road Rules Challenge, Bad Girls Club and Keeping Up With the Kardashians. Hopefully, this is a trend that will continue!
 
I have finished up the recording for the Museum CD and am working with a few folks on the artwork and packaging. In other words, it'll take me another couple of weeks. I've already started recording new material for the next CD which I hope to be able to complete in mid-2009.

What a great experience being able to open last night for The Screaming Orphans! It was also really great to play in the city park of my hometown! I have to say, it was quite a rush to walk out on the stage in front of all the people that came out to see the show. It was without a doubt the largest audience I've played in front of (yet).
 
To look out in that crowd and be able to pick out a couple of familiar faces was really cool. I sent an email out to my mailing list just over a day before the show and it felt great to see some of my long time supporters in the crowd. I can't thank you enough for continuing to support my musical efforts!
 
If you haven't see The Screaming Orphans, please check them out when they're playing near you. They are a lot of fun, quite talkative with lovely Irish accents and they are great musicians. I enjoyed everything they played, especially some of the traditional Irish music.
 
Thanks again to everyone who came out to the show last night. [...]

I lost my father to cancer in 1994 and I struggled for years to come to terms with the loss. I tried for a long time to write about this but kept crumpling up the lyrics and throwing them away. Nothing really seemed to capture both what I felt and how I felt about my relationship with my dad.
 
I began to notice that a lot of my lyrical attempts were focusing on my anger about the loss and weren't really helping me move past things. I tried to turn things around and focus on the great relationship we had and how close we became as his time drew nearer. December of 1993 was the last lucid month of his life and we had conversations about life, death, good times and bad times -- I had never felt closer to him. Two months later, he was gone.
 
I don't think that I'll ever really completely "get over" this. I'm not sure anyone that loses someone ever really moves beyond the memories of a great relationship and the desire to have that back once again. I tried to capture all of the conflicting [...]