Respect Mang! Issue #45

I appreciate all the feedback I've received over the last week regarding my posting of the E.P. B-Side, "Big Purple Robe". I've gotten a wide spectrum of comments which include..."You should have included it on the album!", "Meh.", and my favorite "Cool song, but it sounds like it's written for married people by married people". :)

Thanks to everyone who wrote in!

The title says it all...I want to take this week's issue to talk about some pretty cool things that a few of my friends and colleagues have going on now and in the near future that I think many of you would like to know about. Spreading the love...





First up, Joshua Stearns...

Joshua is a Hawaii based photographer who met me in L.A. for a photo shoot a little over a year ago. One of the photos ended up being the cover shot for my E.P., and last week he launched his revamped website which now features an online store where you can purchase a selection of photos from his vast catalog. I was surprised to find that one of the night shots we did made the store as well...
Joshua is a BADASS, and I'm a big fan of his photography. He's also a HALO junkie so if you come across his name while playing...T-Bag him for me.
When you head to his site you can read his description of his works and how he rarely makes the picture about the individual themselves and more about how they work in the environment.
Cool Stuff!




Matt Edington (FORCEFIELDS)...

If you've been reading this blog for a while you know who Matt is. He's my songwriting partner/other guitar player in COLLIDER, and he helps me out as well in The KYLE STEVENS BAND. But did you know that his also goes by the FORCEFIELDS moniker? This weeks kudos to him is based on the fact that on of his songs has been getting play on C89.5 FM. The song is called "Battle Plan", and you can hear it by following the link above. If you are a fan of C89.5 then keep your ears out on Friday nights and let 'em know if you like the song!







Brian Meredith, Jim Demonakos, and the EMERALD CITY COMIC CON...

Before I got into music, I grew up with the idea that I would be a comic book artist. Every week I would earn 5 dollars from doing a selection of chores my mom would assign me, and that weekend I would head up to 7-11 and blow it all on comics. When I was 13 I got stopped reading (musicians didn't have time for such things), until 2001 when Brian and Jim got me hooked on THE CRACK again (this comes through in my performances with Wolverine action figures on my amp).
Brian and Jim own THE COMIC STOP chain, and every year put on the BEST comic con in the Northwest. This will be the 6th year for the show, and it's been really cool to see it grow and evolve in size and quality every year. If you enjoy movies, awesome art, toys, or just people watching at all then this is something you should attend the weekend of May 10th and 11th at the Washington State Convention Center. Geek out!




THE TJ SHERRILL BAND...

I have talked a lot about TJ on this blog before, and mostly because he's the best hetero-tour partner you could ask for. He still laughs when I repeat the same jokes, and makes a mean pot roast. A few weeks ago, TJ launched his new "Acoustic Demos" page on which he features new tunes so you all can sing along before he records a proper new album. To download the songs you need to have purchased his album and access them by entering the UPC, and if you haven't you can listen them on his myspace player for free. A few weeks ago he and his piano player Bryce visited THE ORANGE ROOM STUDIOS and laid down a song called "Bones".

I dare you to listen to this song twice and not get it stuck in your head all day....or days.
Damn you TJ...Damn you.



That's all for now, but before I go know that the video debut for "Sparkle and Fall" is just a week away!

Take care of each other...

KS