KYLE STEVENS MUSIC

My Blog Has Been Moved.

2010-07-01T08:35:00.001-07:00

Thanks for stopping by. My blog has been moved to the newly redesigned www.kylestevensmusic.com.

Thanks and be well,

KS

"It's The End Of This Blog As We Know It" / New Blog. New Site. New KS Singles. Issue #159

2010-06-22T11:00:00.001-07:00

Yep. This is the end. In some ways that is...

3 years ago I set a personal goal, something I had yet to try and didn't know if I was disciplined enough to do. I gave myself the challenge to write a blog entry EVERY week for a year without fail. A year turned into 2 years, which turned into the recently reached date of 3 years...every week. Some weeks it was easy, and some it was literally the last thing I wanted to do. It became something I had to do which is both good, and bad. Good in the fact it kept me writing even when I'd rather jump in front of traffic, and bad in the fact I never want creativity to be a have to. The majority of the time...I wanted to write something my fans would think is interesting and create a journal that I would enjoy following. That mindset isn't changing...

I'm really glad I did it because what originally was set up as a diary of my job as an on-staff songwriter for Island Film Group soon became a recap of the adventures I had releasing my first solo-album, the journey of producing a disc with Australian actress Gigi Edgley, the rise and fall of COLLIDER, the struggle of maintaining any kind of desire to write going through my divorce, and the continued adventures creating a new kind of music with the nerd-rock of KIRBY KRACKLE.

Someday I plan on going back and reading the 3 years of entries and experiencing the evolution of things by locking myself a way for a week with a laptop...but that's not now. See, it's not the end of something...it's the evolution into something I feel will work way better for me and something I think you all will enjoy much more as well.

Let me share with you the 3 fun things happening this week...

NEW BLOG:

This week, my blog moves to a new locale....http://kylestevensmusic.tumblr.com/

This blog as you know it was created during the time before Facebook and Twitter. Since then, I've enjoyed using those mediums of social media, but also knew the place and value that writing in more than 140 characters brings. For this reason, I need the blog format. With all the changes going on I felt that Blogger no longer served the purpose I needed it to serve. By moving to Tumblr, I will able to share more pictures, videos, official releases/demos, videos, links, and journal entires in what I feel is a richer and more intuitive environment. AKA...A whole lot more fun! I'll actually be posting more than once a week now and almost daily as I share in more detail things I think you'll find interesting vs. the "Greatest Hits Of The Week" vibe of this blog. I can't wait, and I hope you're gonna enjoy it as much as I already do.

NEW WEBSITE:

With the massive blog overhaul, I thought I'd take the opportunity to redo my site www.kylestevensmusic.com and add some cool new features. Among them inluded now is a discography where it's easier to track the albums I've played on and where you can purchase them. I've put out a lot of stuff over the years and now it's all in one place for folks to easily find if they choose. Feel free to navigate and peep the newness!

iTUNES EXCLUSIVE SINGLES RELEASED:

Earlier in the year, I realized it had been a little over 2 years since I had released any formal releases under my own name. With all my work in COLLIDER and KIRBY KRACKLE, new KS releases had been understandably taking the back burner to my other projects. I'm always writing new material and performing it at my solo concerts, but as far as public releases? It had been a while. I'm changing that today with a brand new track "Matches In The Walls (live)" available exclusively through iTunes. The second single released today is "Vouch For Me"; a yet available to be publicly available track released a little over a year ago though my email list. Today, it's available for purchase via iTunes as well. Expect more singles over the next few months, and I'm enjoying a stripped down sound these days when I'm not attending to the rock bombast of KIRBY KRACKLE...

So, lots of newness and it feels good. Not the end, but an evolution of this site that I know will be that much more fun moving forward. THANK YOU the reader for sticking with me on this site for 3 years. It's been a blast and I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have.

Hopefully, this blog serves for you as the place where notes of distorted guitars and unexpected adventures of both professional and personal life meet to create a chord you can enjoy.

I know it does for me.

See you at the new digs!

KS

Now blogging at http://kylestevensmusic.tumblr.com/

EXPLONE...Dreamers/Lovers. Issue #158

2010-06-14T12:47:00.000-07:00

Hey my friends...a great thing is happening this week! This Thursday, June 17th EXPLONE drops it's first album in 3 years in the form of Dreamers/Lovers. Readers of this blog know that I joined the band last fall and since then we've been putting the finishing touches on the new album that we couldn't be more excited for. BTW, I like that band shot but wish somebody told me Liza Minelli had possessed me for that hour.

Here's the way it works...

SIRENS SISTER
EXPLONE
THE ADMIRALS' CLUB
and special guests

The Crocodile
2200 2nd Ave
Thursday, June 17th
8:00 PM, 21 , $8

We've been fortunate enough in the past few weeks to get some good play for multiple songs on KEXP 90.3 fm in Seattle, and it's gonna be a solid rock night throughout... Come out and play with us!

www.explone.com

Like I said in the last post, next week brings massive changes to this blog and some pretty exciting solo material music news...see you then. :)

KS

Chasing The Buffalo. Issue #157

2010-06-09T13:08:00.000-07:00

If there's 2 things that North Carolina taught me, they're that I will forever be a fan of southern hospitality and that I am now in a new found love affair with all things "buffalo". I'm cereal. Somehow in my 30 short years on this spinning space rock of chaos, the cooling and sweet mix of spiciness and curled cheese has eluded me only now to become my mistress that calls to me daily. By this, I mean that over the weekend at HEROES CON in Charlotte I took a southern tradition with force by indulging after a long days of KIRBY KRACKLE selling in many a nom-worthy hot wing. Momma like.

If you've been reading this weekly blog for a while now, you know the routine of Jim and I flying into any-city-USA and spreading the gospel of nerd-rock. This time was very similar with a few exceptions. First, it was our first time in the south promoting E FOR EVERYONE and it was really cool to meet our friends down there we didn't know we had. It's always a trip and simultaneously extremely cool to hear enthusiasm for the music from folks who you would never otherwise never know existed. May that always be fun and somebody feel free to throat punch me should I ever that for granted (not too hard).

Secondly, this weekend marked the first time KK had ever been invited to participate in a convention "panel". For those unfamiliar with the format, it's like a class put on by the artist/writer/actor ABOUT whatever said artist is involved in. In our case, we were invited to do whatever we wanted to do. Dangerous I know, but we pulled something out that we thought would be both informative and fun and something that would make it new for us. One of my favorite shows to watch in my early-20's was VH1 "Storytellers"; an in-the-round type performance atmosphere where a band/solo artist first talks about a song, then performs it with hopes that the audience reaches a better understanding of the music.

We decided to go with the concept and jumped in BK Lights first for a full hour of stories, laughs, and hopefully more connection between the band, fans and our music. For example...."On And On" is more than a song about Wolverine's overworked schedule, it's also a commentary of how we go through much of our lives jumping from one distraction to the next without ever really centering ourselves. "Vault 101"? Sure it's about the many, many, many, hours we spent playing the hit 2009 game title FALLOUT 3, but it wasn't until I picked up the final master and listened to it in my home with the lights out that I realized it's very much about my recent divorce; a slipping in of the subconscious ego it place unexpected. I have to admit that I was a little nervous taking what people may feel is only fun and light themed music and revealing it was about much more at the same time, but sticking with honestly as policy we were rewarded with fans saying they felt closer to the music and had enjoyed the peeling of layers. It feels different talking about the KK in that context, but at the same time more fulfilling and multi-dimensional. After years or making sure my non-comic themed music held that spirit as well, it felt good to go there with KK when it holds true. We were thankful the fans wanted to go there with us...

Check out this nice review/interview from HEROES CON with the fine folks at COMICS ALLICANCE!

While Jim and I were holding the front line in Charlotte, director Todd Downing was breaking ground beginning filming on our as-of-now no longer secret music video for "On And On". I'm so excited for this and cannot wait for it to be completed after receiving emails with the first if the footage stills. Over the past 2 months, actor JD Greene has become Logan and you're gonna smile when you see it. :)

Hope everyone is doing good! Next week is the big EXPLONE show on Thursday, June 17th, and then the following is lots of exciting site changes and new KS release news to share with you...see you soon!

Feeling good in the neighborhood,

KS

Phoenix & The Subpar Haiku. Issue #156

2010-06-02T09:07:00.000-07:00

Let me just say that after 5 days in Phoenix with KIRBY KRACKLE I realize that I need the rain. The layer of mold that lies ever so daintily below my skin needs the dampness that the NW brings and living in that oven is crazy town. The end.

Seriously though, we did have a great weekend despite the fact that sales weren't too great due to the crowd mostly made up of the manga-anime set. We write songs about fish women and capes so you can see how that might not work so much for that demographic. Still, the band flew down for a full rock show set which is always fun and I had a great time hanging by the pool and downing gallons of water to make sure I didn't shrivel up in the 101 degree desert heat.

Even though we only got back 2 days ago I'm already packing my bags and stringing up the guitar to head out early morning tomorrow for Charlotte, North Carolina for HEROES CON which should be great for us since it's mostly the meat and potatoes comic book crowd. We'll be doing a panel for the first time which should be interesting since I don't know what we have to talk about for an hour but hopefully fans will have questions about the writing process we can take in between playing songs and talking about what we've experienced blazing a new path in the genre of "nerd rock".

So, since there's a ton of pictures to post up to give you an idea of what it was like, and since I just found out how to write haiku...here you go for something new this week. Don't judge yo. Actually, please do as a documented public deterrent I hope to be reminded of should I ever write them seriously.

Creepy airport pics
I like signage very bright
security calls

Our spaced out hotel
Purple lights were everywhere
High School raves return

Convention floor cool
Navi, mice, Boba, Bo Duke
Smelled like super nerd

Immigration march
I saw it with my own eyes
Moved me and got chills

Band arrived to rock
Spike, James Marsters played folk rock
Alice Cooper beer

That's why I don't do poetry jams,

KS

New EXPLONE Single, Key Lime Pie, & Leaving The Island. Issue #155

2010-05-24T11:40:00.000-07:00

Here it is, the first single from EXPLONE and our forthcoming disc, Dreamers/Lovers. It's called "Michigan" and was the last song both written and recorded for the new album 3 years in the making by band leader/songwriter Patrick Porter. It's so funny how something added so last minute can be so awesome, but the moment it was recorded it was obviously a stand out track both in energy and a fresh sound Patrick created. I love this track and thanks to some new radio play on KEXP 90.3 which started last week, hopefully lots of other folks will too. Our CD Release show will be on Thursday, June 17th, so mark your calendars and come out and rock with us at the Crocodile in Seattle! Check www.explone.com to stream "Michigan", and for how to get this song as a free download…Turn it up!

Last Minutes with ODEN from phos pictures on Vimeo.

The short film above is possibly the most moving thing I've ever watched. About a man coming to terms with the end of his dogs life, "Last Minutes With ODEN" moved me deeply and made me run downstairs from my studio to give Logan a huge hug and let him know how thankful I am to have him have me. If I were you, I'd grab a Kleenex first.

I played Willows Lodge on Friday and just wasn't feeling it. Some nights are like that, and you just put your head down and do the the job cause you know next time will be better. That said, a shitty day came to a close when I came home to find my kitchen blown up and in it's place the first key lime pie I've ever had made for me.
Day = much better.

Saturday rolled around and Kristin and I decided to head over to the Georgetown area to adventure and possibly pillage the townsfolk. Now maybe it was due to the fact it was 1:30 and hadn't eaten anything all day, but the lunch we had a small little place called CALAMITY JANE'S completely blew my mind. I'm serious, and Seattle foodies listen up...the ciabatta bun on the burger I had is THE BEST I have ever had. Not only that, but the quirk of the joint is that instead of fries you get a plate full of Cheetos. Also, Frank's Red Hot sauce is my new Jesus Juice. Crazy, crazy, crazy good. Viva Los gorganzola. Yes that's sauce on my face. No, I didn't care.

An interview KIRBY KRACKLE did in Chicago popped up on the super cool site NEWSARAMA (the CNN equivalent for the comic nerd set) and you can watch it by clicking HERE. In other KK news, we're kicking off another 2 weeks of convention travel and concerts starting in Phoenix this weekend for the PHOENIX COMIC CON. The band is going with us for this show and we're rocking the big show concert Saturday night. I also get to perform "Zombie Apocalypse" the night before at a "Zombie Pageant". The weekend should be a blast despite the brain melting 100 degree days we seem to be heading down to burn in. Holy Crap. I complain when it's 85 so I'm probably not gonna be making any friends. Week after that...North Carolina!

Also, Jim and I appeared this morning on The Marty Riemer Show, an awesome webcast that Marty and his partner Jodi Brothers created when they took success into their own hands after getting the corporate chop from 103.7 The Mountain last year. After listening to each of them separately since 1998, it was great to finally meet them, laugh, and play a few KK songs. I was honored they wanted us on after I had been such a longtime fan, and psyched they were as nice as I hoped they'd be. You can listen to the entire webcast interview and performances of both "Zombie Apocalypse" and "On And On" HERE

Finally, LOST (my obsession for the past 6-years) came to a screeching halt on Sunday and hopefully gave the millions of LOST fans closure. Doesn't sound like it did, but I really liked it and thought it was a pretty beautiful message paired with really emotional scoring. It was made even better by a party my friends threw with island themed foods and even "Jacob and The Smoke Monster" cupcakes by DRAGONFLY DESSERTS. Bomb. An emotional ending to what has turned out to be the only show I've ever followed so religiously like a crack addict like fever. Amazing show, amazing memories. I'll miss it very much.

4 8 15 16 23 42,

KS

Princess Kaiulani/Garage Sale/Seattle Beer Week. Issue #154

2010-05-17T11:44:00.000-07:00

This past weekend saw the release of PRINCESS KAIULANI, the first full feature length film from my songwriting employers Island Film Group. It was very cool to finally see the public birthing of the film after it began filming 2 years ago in Hawaii and England. Set in the late 1800's, the film follows the life of the Hawaiian princess as she was annexed from her throne and sent to England for education before returning to unite the spirit of the native peoples during the further domination of the US government. It's awesome. Yes, I'm biased, but it's awesome. Check out the trailer then skip over to the Guild 45th theater in Seattle and other major cities!

I had my first ever garage sale this past Saturday and it was a pretty interesting experience being that mostly everything was $1 expect for shoes and jackets which were $5. Some people showed up looking for jewelery, some for video games, but I like to think I made someones day when they bought a Backstreet Boys t-shirt I had...given to me that is. Oh yeah, Kevin was the cute one.

4 EVA and EVA OMG.

Seriously though, I've been in purging mode and had a garage full of stuff I don't use that was collected over the years. Kitchen supplies, shoes, clothes, old action figures, you name it. There was something for everybody except Gingers, mostly cause they have no souls (South Park said it). My favorite (?) part of the day was when an older woman showed up and kept trying to talk me down to $14 on a $20 amount of goods. Yeah she was good, and sadly she won just cause I wanted her to leave my sight. The self destruction timer on that backpack she kept trying to hide items in was probably a surprise. Great, now TSA is following this blog. Share the tunes buzzcuts!

As of last Thursday Seattle Beer Week has been in full swing and after a day accepting soggy $1 bills I was ready to partake. ELYSIAN brewer on the hill had a fun event celebrating the liquid Benjamin Franklin said "was proof God wants us to be happy" in the form of their Barely wine lineup from '05-'09. The food was great, the barely wine was delish (even the cask ales of which I'm never a fan), and the games were awesome. Games you say? Yep, and keeping with the theme the games ranged from "Pin The Eye On The Cyclops" to "Feed Peasants To The Cyclops". You can see how it all went down below and if you get a chance check out some activities happening all over the city this week. Besides throwing villagers in trolls mouths, the restroom held some genius of it's own. Written on the tile on the grout in very small print held the ramblings of some drunk savant on a rhyming bender. "Oscar the Grout", "In-And-Grout Burger", and "Grout of Control" was what you read if you looked really close. Are you listening Elysian marketing department? Hire this kid...

Trying to slay the ogre,

KS

Uploading. Issue #153

2010-05-11T09:33:00.000-07:00

KIRBY KRACKLE has been posting a bunch of videos lately, and here's a few from the show we did with Marvel Comic's Editor-In-Chief Joe Quesada a few weeks ago in Chicago at C2E2...Enjoy!

"On And On"

"Vault 101"

"Tony Stark"

"Great Lake Avengers"

"Take It From Me"

KS

It Might Get Loud. Issue #152

2010-05-05T10:15:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I watched the recently released on DVD/Blu-Ray film, "It Might Get Loud", which focuses on 3 different guitarists from different generations in the form of Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), The Edge (U2), and Jack White (White Stripes). Not so much a movie for guitarists singularly, it focused on how different events in each of their lives brought them to pick up a guitar and learn how to play. Random events meet random events, and poof...you're in Led Zeppelin. That's the stuff I find more interesting any day compared to who uses what amp or pedal. Still, choices that like lead to a musician finding his or her "voice" with the instrument and then translating through the wires the message/art one would like to share with the world (or maybe just the dog sitting at their feet).

After watching the film I found myself wondering, "What kind of guitarist am I?". Strangely, I guess it never really crossed my mind, but also I'm the kinda guy who doesn't believe someone is one thing or belief (i.e. "I'm a Republican goddammit!"). The more I thought about it, and though I do play guitar, I don't really feel like a "guitarist" in the sense of the word that I think most people use it. To me, the guitar has always felt like a means to an end to reach my ultimate goal...the song. If I hadn't learned guitar, I'm sure it would have been piano or something else. This seemed strange to me when I realized I felt that way, at the same time realizing maybe it was time I found out what my voice was. As they ask in the film..."What does your playing say about you?". Hmmmm. This is a good question.

Why did I start playing?

As honestly and as accurately as I can remember, I simply thought the look of the Alternative bands of the early 90's was one of the coolest things I've ever seen. That, along with the fact I was the annoyingly awkward age of 12 and began to see the definite gap in athletic abilities between my peers and I led me to think it was something I could make "my thing" apart from them. I'm guessing this is more common than not. I wasn't amazing when I started (much like now), but I had the drive to learn new chords and treat it with a kind of discipline I have yet to find myself feeling for any other new skill since then. My friend Matt Edington (who appeared on my COLLIDER album last year) and I took in a steady diet of MTV, VH1, and guitar magazines with hopes that someday we could be that cool as the guys we saw on tv. Again, not something I knew at the time, but looking back it was the longing to associate ourselves on that level...whatever that was.

As the 3 musicians in IMGL discussed and shared their influences with one another, I thought about who made up the building blocks of what I do unconsciously all the time when playing. Names that come to mind take the form of Peter Buck (R.E.M.), Stone Gossard (Pearl Jam), David Bryson (Counting Crows), and Billie Joe from Green Day. This was formative years stuff, and no matter what you think about the previous list of bands, each of these guys did have their own voices you could hear and are still associated with them today. My guess is that if you ask any player around my age they'd list a similar grouping of names. Interestingly enough, ask my band mates in EXPLONE who are 10 years older than me and you'd get a completely different set of names. It's all where you were and what you were listening to during your developing years that hold a special place in your musical DNA. We are the product of our environment, yes?

When I was starting out, I tried to play as many notes as possible to fill the space. It was loud and caustic, and for a 13 year old, that was pretty appropriate in retrospect. When I was 15 I heard the quote, "It's not what you play, it's what you don't play". This blew my mind. I started to listen to the bands I liked differently and realizing that if it's on 10 all the time...it doesn't mean anything. This is why bands like AC/DC seem so heavy; it the spaces between cuts like "Back In Black" that continually hit you in the head like a loose elephant of anticipation.

This is the foreplay of Rock N' Roll.

After I saw how cool this was it forever changed the way I write songs. I went through a period of playing extremely sparse guitar during my songs, I went through a punk style guitar phase (a phase I'm slipping back into), I even went though a time where I was going to be nothing but a "bluesman". Despite my current Rock-Pop sound, this is what I've always felt I am and try to be in the essence of my music. A bluesman connects with the core of the feeling of the song, and does the best he or she can to convey that feeling with the audience. This is something hope I always strive for consciously, and unconsciously.

I'd recommend "It Might Get Loud" to anybody who is a fan of good film making. It was inspiring, and at the same time made me think a little differently about what I do. Do I push myself as hard as I'd like as a guitarist? Honestly, probably not at all. I've gotten used to doing what I need do to serve the song, and play what I want to hear, but I know if I did start pushing the now pretty comfortable boundaries...the songs would get better. This is something I'm inspired to take on now as the result of this movie, and that's a good feeling.

All trying to find our voice,

KS

Calgary Expo 2010. Issue #151

2010-04-27T11:41:00.001-07:00

KIRBY KRACKLE is back from Calgary Expo and thus ends a full month of convention travel before we start back up again at the end of May. Like usual when I travel to the Great white north, I'm reminded how much more polite and pleasant the random Canadian stranger is compared to my fellow Americans. We're kinda asses sometimes...just sayin. I didn't play, but promised the disappointed attending fans (I know, I'm sorry!) that we'd be back this summer. Word is bond.

If I can be honest, and even though we had a blast, I'm kinda worn out and crispy from the month and looking forward to detoxing/revitalizing during the month of May. Hey, I know the plethora of exotic and delicious Canadian candies didn't make me eat them, but when in Rome...

KK as featured on CBR (Comic Book Resources) last week!

Besides the usual mix of fellow creators/artists, Calgary Expo had a lot of horror props and life-like monstrous creations. I've never been a big horror movie/gore guy, but I do love me some zombies. Though not undead, these (which I'm assuming are) inbred folks were awesome. Keep it in the gene pool, man.

My good friends Laurie and Kandrix (who run Calgary Expo) just had their new baby, "Noah". After showing all the necessary permits and drowning myself in hand sanitizer I held him and whispered in his ear to fight the power when he's a teenager. If you subliminally imprint at during the 2-3 month age, it statistically holds 23% more successful. I read. A lot.

As usual, the gaggle of girls with the "look at me, but don't look at me" complex made their way around the convention hall with these two being the most unique in the form of a badass detailed "Avatar" and "Zombie Slave Leia". Forever burned in my head will be the image of the Canadian Star Wars nerd she handed the chain around her neck to who held it snorting, giggling and red-faced while she threw herself at his feet for a photo-op. C'mon, own your moment Jabba! THAT NOT GONNA HAPPEN AGAIN.
Really, I promise you...it's not gonna. Still, I smile outwardly whenever I remember what he muttered under his breath while chuckling like Beavis...

"This is awesome"

Finally, there was no way I could've traveled so much this month without by Super-Awesome Covert-Krew (S.A.C.K) of dog watchers. So with that said, big ups to Lita, Kristin, and Reuben for making sure Logi was fed, walked, pooped, Evian watered, holistically massaged, and pilatized with love while I was away. Just today I made sure I cut off enough of his hair to have enough DNA for all of us to have a clone when President Nick Jonas makes it legal in 2041. You guys are the best.

This is how we do it,

KS

Deep Dish. Issue #150

2010-04-22T09:55:00.000-07:00

The weeks are blurring. The space time continuum is bending and shifting around me. Well, not really that dramatic, but I do feel I just got home as I now pack today to head out of Calgary for the 3rd and final convention this month on the Kirby Krackle convention train. We were in the Windy City over the weekend, flying in on Thursday with the band arriving on Friday for our Saturday night show at the official Chicago C2E2 convention after party. Here's a few highlights from the trip...

I've posted photos of our booth at the cons before, but you've never seen it with the devil picks on top have you?! No, I didn't think so and though we can't take credit for it, I appreciate the booth behind us for adding to our much needed street cred in the "evil rock" department. Thanks guys!

Being that it was my first time in Chicago, I was curious to see what little I could to the fullest being that I was trapped inside a convention hall all day. What I did see though was an older town that very much reminded me of NYC, without the hustle and bustle or artsy vibe. Every one seemed to be very much in their own space going about their business in a sort of "muted" way. It just felt different than any place I had been before; stark, gray, and not in the weather way of things like the NW. I was informed that "The Dark Knight" was filmed there and immediately that made sense to me. Felt like you'd think Gotham would feel like. Maybe I only think of those things though. I do read a lot of comics...

The costumes were AMAZING per usual and Chicago nerds really know how to put together some classy ensembles. As in many cities though, there are those outfits where you see a little too much more than you'd like but those are few and far between. And by that, I mean who doesn't love a skinny white guy dressed up like Slave Leia?

As I said earlier, the KK live band (Scott Andrew, Patrick Porter, Nelson Estes and Bryce Francis) arrived Friday night minus Bryce our keyboardist (he's in Japan). We met up with them in an old school diner (fully equipped with 70 year olds manning the door who looked like they could kick your ass) downtown where they ate covering their faces in the best steak grease chi-town had to offer. As drummer Nellie eloquently put, "I bet Al Capone kicked someone down those stairs". I'd believe it cause this place was old school with photos from the past 5 decades adorning the walls of stars complimenting the owner on his establishment. After their dinner we walked around downtown before calling it a night for the big day and concert on Saturday...

Saturday brought the longest selling/booth manning day of the convention per usual, and subsequently I cut out early to rest my voice before heading to soundcheck at 5:00 for our concert at REGGIE'S rock club (think a mix between the Showbox and Highdive in Seattle). The band sounded like they spent the whole day drinking beer and riding the brown train all around the city and Wrigleyville so it was nice to live vicariously through them and their stories. I always say this, but I may seriously need to start spending an extra day after the show to walk around and see some touristy stuff! Like I said, we sped over to sound check and THE FUGLEES (band that was headlining the night) were more than kind to let us use their gear they had driven over that afternoon from Indiana. They were great guys and we had an awesome time playing that night. As opposed to San Francisco, I became really excited during the few days prior to the show being about to say YES when folks asked if we were playing during the convention weekend. Again like at the Seattle convention in March, I could see people singing along (even when I hiccuped and sang the wrong words) and enjoyed every freaking minute of it. THAT (the folks singing along) is a new thing for me to experience and validation that KK is moving in the right direction of connecting with our fans in the right way I'd like to...it's such a cool feeling. Once again we were also joined by MARVEL Comics Editor-In-Chief Joe Quesada which was very cool for us and especially the fans. This music-meets-comics thing is starting to get recognized by the powers that be that run the events and that feels good. Art and music go together of course and there's always room for something new. I'm really looking forward to the day when there's 4 bands like us and we can all play together full circle style! That RED HULK guitar pick? MARVEL made them up for us as another promo for the company like the one they did in Seattle and simultaneously fulfilled a pre-teen fantasy for me once again...

I know I say this often, but one of the coolest things about going to these conventions is meeting fans of KK and putting faces to emails we've received or folks who stop by to say hi after having written articles about us online or in print. It's not a needing to hear praise thing, it's more about hearing how somebody has enjoyed a certain song because of comic they really like or how it made them want to get into a series because a song had made them curious. I love meeting young fans most of all because kids hold an unfiltered joy, and when they like something, they really like it. I can relate to kids in this way more than adults many times cause I'm the same way. This young Kracklehead left and impression and I was thankful to meet him. The classy gentleman in the middle of Jim and I? That's Malik Yusef, an artist on Kanye West's GOOD MUSIC label. Nice guy and we talked about some possible collaborative efforts. Um yes, that would be fun...

Finally, one of the coolest things I saw at C2E2 was this traveling auction of set pieces from the fist IRON MAN movie. Everything from crushed armor to burnt suits was up for auction and I was surprised they let me get that close to take pictures of it all. Enjoy!

Cool we made it to Issue #150! I'm working on something cool for the 3 year anniversary of this blog on Issue #156 so stay tuned.

As always, THANK YOU for reading and see you next week when I return from the Great White North! Not Everett...

KS

iPad, Entertainment, Comics...And Now? Issue #149

2010-04-12T11:46:00.000-07:00

Last week I picked up the iPad, APPLE's new flagship product that fans of the company have been waiting for for a while now. Meant to be the love-child of an iPhone and a laptop, I've found it to be just that. Still I ask myself the question every other day since then...

What the hell am I going to use it for?

This is the question I've been asking myself since opening it up, and find myself answering that question more in the vein of what I HOPE I can use it for. Let me tell you what I love about it first. As always, the packaging when you first open it up is unbelievably gorgeous and screams quality even if they thing actually turned out to be a piece of junk. Presentation is something that Apple has always done extremely well and can be beat by no one at. That thing about looking like a giant iPhone? Yep, it does. The screen behaves the same with everything from the dock to the jiggling apps to the incredible touch response. The HD brilliance is very rich and creamy even to these tired eyes. Yep, once again Apple has brought the sexy like no one else. Even haters have to admit that...

Apps when made for iPad look amazing with the iPhone native apps still working but only at the size of the phone screen on which they were designed to run. Internet looks just like you thought it would with the senior convenient font size growth with just an outward pinch of the fingers, and the ability to open multiple windows just like you would expect on a normal browsing experience. Like I said, if you can do it on your iPhone and just want it bigger (everything from Mail, Contacts, Calendar, and Maps) you'll know what to expect.

What does iPad do better? First off, photos look freaking incredible on the large glowing screen and you'll be ready to kick your digital frame out the window when comparing the two side-by-side. Album covers look crazy good as well when playing songs on the iPod app of course included in the software. Even though that feature is classically amazing and we're all spoiled it even exists, I won't be using it cause I don't see the sense on doubling up on two devices (if you have an iphone or an MP3 ready Blackberry/phone). Movies in HD look vivid and wonderful when rented from the iTunes store (aka The Devil), and I've yet to upload my own movies to test them out. Assuming they won't look as good of course as made for the iPad HD rentals, I can't imagine they'd be terrible. One of the coolest apps yet to come out for the device is that of the NETFLIX "Watch Instantly" feature that has been available on PC's and for Xbox live subscribers for about a year and a half now. Again, though not HD they look great and that feature in itself will be a big selling point for the movie buff in all of us. I chose to pick up the Wi-Fi only version mostly cause again, I don't want to be doubling up on devices nor want to be taking from AT&T for another $30 data plan. If I want to see who played "Blanche" on the Golden Girls, that's why I have my phone...

What do I HOPE it will have?

First you have to (if you care) understand why I got it. I do have an iPhone but have been getting by with a 500mhz laptop for sometime now and if you know how slow that is you understand why I say "getting by". That's also code for looking for a truck I could throw it under to see if that helps it move faster than my arthritic dog. I wanted something I could work on on road trips with Kirby Krackle/touring, and also something that could act as a reader/media player of some sort. Also, one of the main reasons I got it was for the way the comic book industry is changing in ways I'm excited about. As opposed to the music industry where people are freaking out still as the digital realm expands and not knowing where there next check will be coming from, I interpret the way digital comics are shifting as a fun thing that in general most people are excited about. Two great comic readers are available for the device in the form of an app called COMIXOLOGY, and the official MARVEL Comics app just recently released. Both are an incredible digital comics reading experience in which you can flip pages just like you would do on the included iBooks app, or by panel creating more of a cinematic user experience by using the iPads accelerometer (thing that lets it know when you're tipping it sideways) to make wide panels take up the whole screen horizontally. Bascically, it's BADASS. Beautiful images demand a beautiful presentation and again the HD screen does just that. So exciting and fun...

What I really hope will happen with the iPad is that companies like MARVEL, major magazine monthly publications, and the like will do is come up with some sort of subscription service in a sort of "all you can eat" way of business. What I want to do is to be able to read and watch anything I want whenever I want. Asking to much? I don't think so. With out the cost of retailers needing to mark up to make a profit (understandably) and shipping pricing (of course), creating a digital subscription service is a match made in heaven with the iPad. I don't want to keep everything I read (new purging thing going on) but instead just want to know about everything my favorite companies put out and be able to enjoy it for a fair price (maybe $60 a month?) and then give it back. See, there was this thing called a library kids...

"But wait, what about your friends who own comic shops and retailers all over getting screwed?"

Of course I wouldn't want that to happen, and I don't think it would at at all. In fact, I think it may drive more business to the stores and retailers in a way we don't anticipate as of yet. How would I know to go and buy a collected stories about a series I would otherwise know nothing about if not for being able to explore a brands archives? I wouldn't, but if I had the access to under advertised products/books/artists under the monthly subscription umbrella, everyone would have wide access to anything they wanted to read and dig on art wise. As always, there's no replacement for the touch/feel/smell of a book. That's not going away and I won't stop buying physical media other than taking fewer risks in purchasing titles I'm not sure I would spend $3.99 on without reading first. If anything, a new ease in finding more quality art/work by writers and companies would get me to see more of what I couldn't live without. Getting a little off topic here I realize, but before I fully lose anyone let me just say that it could be thought of the way RHAPSODY is monetized for the all-you-can-eat digital music experience.

Ok, let me try to wrap this up. If I could say anything to sum up the device it would be that it is a device of consumption and after consuming you usually dispose (especially after bad Indian). Do I like the iPad? Hell yes I do. Is it going to change the way I interact with my entertainment they way the iPhone did and make me want to keep it more than a few months? Hmmmmm, not sure. If any of the above mentioned ways I dream of using it happen then probably yes, but if that ever is to become a reality remains to be seen. Guaranteed, Apple once again killed the game on their marketing genius in convincing all of us (more than just me for sure) that we "need" it, but seeing how that plays out in daily life is another thing entirely. If you were to tell it would get that spider running across my floor for me then I'd say to go buy it right now. (checking iTunes store)....It DOES?!

GO GETZ IT NOW!!!

Possibly in time my precious (we wants it my prrreeeccciiiooouusss)...

KS

KK In San Francisco...Part Deux. Issue #148

2010-04-08T10:44:00.001-07:00

Hey all! Last weekend Jim Demonakos and I were in San Francisco with KIRBY KRACKLE at WonderCon to make our first appearance since last years convention behind our self-titled debut.

This year with E FOR EVERYONE, it was a much different experience being that fans actually sought us out to pick up the new disc and chat with us about their experiences with our music and sharing it with friends. When the convention season ended last year and it was time to work on the new record, experiences like the latter were what I was looking forward to and hoping that word had spread enough in the areas we had previously visited to generate a new energy come round two with E. Basically, last year we were the new kids on the block and this year we're still new but some kids want to play with us...and not pick us last in dodge-ball (us skinny kids know what I'm talking about). Being the first return visit outside of our hometown (Seattle), it felt really good to hear enthusiasm, excitement, and critiques surrounding our second offering in a place we had only been once previously. FAIL? We didn't have a show (tear). S'okay though, we decided that we'll be departing on a week long tour of the west coast in June. More on that later...

As I've mentioned many times (bitterly), last year in SF we didn't get to experience the many tastes and culinary treasures that the city has to offer. This time was different with a very clear and concise plan to follow our foodie friends from L.A. and NYC that were also in town around and piggy back on their ideas. Foodies (and wanna-be Foodies like me) need to stick together, and stick together we did. A couple of my favorite SF food experiences...

Saturday night, Jim and I were treated extremely generously to dinner by TOP COW Comics publisher Filip Sablik and his super sweet wife Danielle at a delicious place called SAUCE. Whenever I'm in a new town I always make sure I try the local brew and made no exception this time as I enjoyed the SF microbrew of choice, Anchor Steam. I've rarely seen it locally and a shame because it's delish. We all shared a couple of apps enjoying meatloaf-sliders on of dollops of creamy mashed potatoes, shitake mushroom "fries" stacked delectably on top of one another like Lincoln Logs, and tangy fresh brouschetta. For dinner I had a nice piece of buttermilk fried (but not heavy) rockfish from Hawaii with cauliflower mashed potatoes (mmmmm...more starch) surrounding the perimeter of my plate mixed amongst brussell sprouts. I REALLY don't like those, but didn't even think twice about it they were so delicious! For dessert (it's a separate stomach you know) we shared a bowl of mini-donuts fried with fresh blueberries that you dipped in a Burboun sauce. I couldn't stop eating those and who knew that donuts and blueberries went well together? It's almost like the new grapes and refried beans. Regardless, it was great and I'd highly recommend SAUCE to anyone visiting The Bay Area. BOMB.

For my second best eating experience in SF I visited TOMMY'S JOYNT; it's basically a "meat and potatoes" place that looks like it has been operated the same (cash only) and decorated the same since 1971. That's fine though since it what they've done since then is extremely delicious and almost is the next step up from DICK'S in Seattle as a place to go after a night of drinking and to hang (open till 2 AM). I had the turkey dinner which was what you'd expect; turkey, mashers, and stuffing all drowning in a sea of gravy accompanied by a roll that could break a window (or your tooth). It's a local fixture that was suggested to me by Jim and friend in the area Keith. After a 10 hour day of standing on concrete in one place talking to folks all day...sometimes you just need some gravy.

So yay for getting out and exploring some of the best that SF food has to offer and I'm thankful for the time we had outside of being inside all day for the convention. No trips to PIXAR or ILM like last year, but it's all good and I'm getting excited to head to Chicago next week for another show called C2E2. SUPER excited to perform with the full KK band (Patrick Porter, Scott Andrew, and Nelson Estes) at the official convention party Saturday night once again being joined on stage by MARVEL Comics Editor-In-Chief Joe Quesada.

THY ROCK WILL BE BROTHETH,

KS

Polaris. Issue #147

2010-03-29T12:21:00.000-07:00

Last week seemed to fly by and I'm sitting here trying to remember what exactly it was that I did as I pack for WONDERCON in San Francisco with Kirby Krackle tomorrow... I know I listened to a lot of rap, hhhhmmmm....and devoured lots of HARIBO brand gummi candy. Maybe to much. You'll have to ask the coroner what they find during my autopsy; there's a theory that the stuff doesn't ever fully dissolve. Gross.

What I DO know is this past weekend I had the opportunity to set foot on a real live honest for realz fishing boat down in Magnolia. You know, the kind you'd never ever ever be able to picture me working on? Yeah, that kind! It was called POLARIS, and she's been making the trek out to the Bering sea for many years since she first set sail in 1914. See that "she" reference in there twice?! Yeah, I'm LEGIT on this...

Anyways, in a few weeks POLARIS heads out to the Bering Sea in search of a 3-month collection of Black Cod, Halibut, and a few mud sharks that somehow manage to get caught on the long-line in the process. It was fascinating to get a brief tour of the vessel as it was getting new paint, cleaned up in the gallery, and it's spots shined as it was being prepared for departure. That little room? It's where the 6-member crew sleeps, eats, and somehow becomes immune to the little annoying things that spending 90 days in such close quarters will bring to light. I have NO idea how it's possible not to kill each other after seeing the complete lack of personal space, but supposedly all get along great. Wow.

Besides seeing galley where everyone hangs out I also was given a closer peek into the holding tank (a big pit in the middle of the boat that houses all the precious $$$$ making cargo), the engine room (was told even stepping in it means you'd need a shower), and the navigation room (run by computer but should all else fail start spinning the wheel sailor!). All in all, I had new respect for the fishing industry, the laborers that make it happen, and the 6-piece with extra tartar I may be munching on this weekend. Bravo fish hunters, BRAVO.

This week I prep for my Thursday departure to head down to WONDERCON with Kirby Krackle for our second trip to San Francisco. Feeling great about the return trip to the Bay Area and had a nice send off of sorts this morning with a fun and very nice review from WIRED magazine. As a fan of the periodical, I'm kinda giddy. :) Despite feeling kinda run down lately, I'm looking forward to see old friends, and catch up with folks I didn't connect with at ECCC a few weeks ago while running around crazy. I think my body is maybe in partial hibernation as it's prepping for the massive travel that will be happening in April with KK. Not only are we revisiting SF, but we'll be bringing the full band to Chicago for a show on the 17th, and then Jim and I flying solo again to Calgary the week after. Compact rock times!

Loving it,

KS

Falling Down Whistler. Issue #146

2010-03-23T11:57:00.000-07:00

Falling down indeed, and I have the bruises to prove it!

This past weekend the fun with out of town family continued with a weekend trip up to Whistler in Canada for some snowboarding good times and indulging in Canadian candy which I've always thought was way better. Chips too. Beer? Not really. Washington micro-brews represent!

We stayed in a nice place called the SUNDIAL and surprisingly was only 500 feet from the gondolas that took you to the top of either Blackcomb mountain or Whistler to board down from. The weather was pretty nice all weekend, and unbeknown to us we decided to come up right at the tail-end of the Para-Olympics; the official sister games to last months global event, only this time for disabled athletes. Kinda a less busy version of the Olympics, it was really cool to see athletes wandering the hotels with their medals around their necks and walking along us through the Olympic village. Pretty neat to see and a nice surprise to the already fun weekend. I had never been to Whistler and didn't really know what to expect, but I found it like a little village/city with anything you could want from the oldest style restaurants to outside dance club fire spinner action on the actual slopes near our hotel. Crazy!

As for the snowboarding, Whister is one of the best places for that in the world and I wished my ability level lent me the means to enjoy that a little bit more. I had fun, but basically fell down the entire mountain. Somehow, I've gotten worse over the past year and maybe need to take another lesson to get my Jones back! While on the ground (a lot), I took the opportunity to take pictures from the different levels of the mountain to hopefully give you an idea of what it was like...

Ouch,

KS

Feeling The Love. Issue #145

2010-03-17T09:20:00.000-07:00

Wow. What a weekend.

This past weekend Kirby Krackle set up shop at the Emerald City Comic Con for the 2nd year in a row, and marked the official release show of E FOR EVERYONE with a concert on Sunday at the convention.

If you've followed this blog for a while now, you know that KK (my nerd-rock project) travels throughout the year to different major cities and sets up a booth to sell swag all weekend to our peoples; those who like their music music with a little more cape than whine. A hometown show is always different though as you hope that people enjoy your work on a local level. It's a kinda approval issue thing that musicians seem to have and I don't think it ever changes. What I'm trying to say is that the weekend was totally wonderful with local geeks coming out to support KK, and us feeling the hometown love from the new album we released last week. I also had the best booth support team I could ever as for as Reuben, Lita, Mary Ann, Mateo and Beau stepped up to help with sales and took a big load off my back. As always, the thing I love most about the cons is talking with peoples who appreciate the work and who are excited to meet us. It's such a feel good thing and I totally understand what it's like to want to tell people that you appreciate their art. Few artists will admit that they like that stuff, but we all do and it fuels us for the next works in our lives. For me, it's something I need to do when I really enjoy something/somebody's work and kinda completes the circle of communication with people I'm a huge fan of. It's all about sharing energy in this world anyways, and KK fans always make me even more excited about the comic book culture I love to be a part of. Just awesome. :)

After a long Saturday at the show, I met up with Marvel Comics Editor-In-Chief Joe Quesada and we drove to my practice space to meet with the band. After rehearsing for an hour with the guys it was apparent that he really did his homework and fit in seamlessly with the songs he chose to sit in on. It was nice to hear his rock stories from back in the day and get a look into what the music scene was like in NYC before he was able to call the shots in one of pop culture's biggest brands.

On Sunday after morning came cruelly early due to "springing forward", the band spent 4 hours setting up at sound check for our 2:00 PM concert in a convention panel room. The show I felt went great, but I was fighting exhaustion to do lack of sleep and talking all day on Saturday. Some vocal lines had to be altered for the lower octave, but all in all I felt good about it. When Joe took the stage for the final 4 songs I just enjoyed the moment of what he called out as the "first KK and Marvel team-up" and the fact we had the blessing and support from one of the coolest guys in comics. Not much more I can say other than it was a special day I'll always remember.

Earlier in the week Patrick Porter from EXPLONE and I did a short acoustic set at the newly opened Hard Rock Cafe downtown. It was pretty cool to play the first ever set on the swanky new stage for which it was obvious they spared no expense. A glitzy and glowing room that will be interesting to see if it ends up developing into a Seattle hot-spot or who knows...

I also had the opportunity to visit my good friend TJ and Jess Sherrill's baby Litton over the weekend. Oh man. I don't think I've ever held anything cuter...

Yep. Hopefully those sentences make sense. I'm laying low this week and then hitting Whistler for some boarding in a few days. If I'm not on the slopes you'll find me in the lodge reading some Deepak with an Arrogant Bastard in hand. Post pictures next week! :)

Transcendence is a yeasty thing,

KS

E FOR EVERYONE Out Now / Return To Dabob Bay. Issue #144

2010-03-10T08:52:00.000-08:00

Yesterday my new album with KIRBY KRACKLE hit the internets for sale finally after an 8 month process from conception to release. I realized E For Everyone marks my 10th album offering since I was 13 and for that I feel pretty good about it. I guess in the best situation you hope that your latest offering is your "best", whatever that means, but I do feel it's the strongest work I've done to date and even if no one else ends up liking it...I'm pretty happy with it. :) You can listen to the entire album below and as with past couple of weeks, I've linked the final 4 song descriptions as put up on the KK site below...

DUSTY CARTRIDGES & LONG BOXES

We wanted to write a song about a perfect night with that perfect someone, and maybe what might seem to be a perfect night to some of you as well. The delicately stripped down acoustic finger picked songs is the more basic track on E4E and something that might not be out of place on a John Denver album...if he wrote songs about making X-Babies. Aw yeah! A nerd fantasy (ours anyway) rolling right 2 minutes and 46 seconds of spending some sexy times bagging and boarding comics with your certain someone...

"There's not better place to be when you bag and board my comics you're always careful with the crease...CGC says 9.3 but you're a 10 to me..."

GOING HOME

"Going Home" is a song we were commissioned to do for the LONG BEACH COMIC CON back in October. We were asked to write something that we felt summarized the convention experience and what better way to gain a storyline than to take it from the 7 conventions we had already experienced throughout the year! That is, minus the whole waking up in the hotel room "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" style. Those aren't pillows!!!!!!

"We're Going Home! We're Going Home! To the place where wild nerds roam! With pretty girls and dudes in capes! Going to cons is our escape..."

GREAT LAKES AVENGERS

We had room for 2 more songs on E4E when we went to a Pearl Jam concert last October in Seattle and after soaking in the concert, we KNEW we wanted to bring the rock to round out the album. Sometimes you have inspiration strike you in the way you least expect it, but after that show we in no way wanted to perform concerts this year with out playing hard...and fast. This is the most manic sounding song on the album and good reason since it's from the perspective of a hero auditioning/getting rejected from every major team of heroes out there again and again. Despite the failed attempts to join the Green Lantern Corps, JLA, X-Men, etc...the hero in question is repeatedly approached by the GREAT LAKES AVENGERS; the most useless band of heroes ever assembled under the sun. Sometimes though, heart goes a long way...and free beer always helps too.

"I got a message from the GREAT LAKES AVENGERS, they offered me a membership but I did not accept cause they're a walking disaster...like a narwhal with a fireball they don't make sense at all..."

CAN I WATCH YOU?

Aw, the song that when we wrote it was debated over drool induced laughing on the floor and pounding on the side of the wall so the dog got freaked out.
We've come to realize that for better or for worse, there are some things that once thought of need to be created and fully realized. Are all these things appropriate to bring into this world? Not at all, and most we come up with actually should be repressed...like "Can I Watch You?"; a song that is from the perspective of MARVEL Comics character "The Watcher" the all knowing, all-seeing Celestial. But hey, just because you're 3 stories high with a big baby head and a wear a toga don't mean that you can't gets yours, right? RIGHT!? If Uatu is gonna sing a song to his boo, why shouldn't it be in the form of a 70's love jam over sexy ass guitar and a slutty solo? Slutty indeed. Oh Watcher, you crazy baby...you crazy.

"I never instigate, IKOR didn't raise no fool. You say I instigate, you think it's hot...Celestial bad boy from the blue side of the moon, you like the things I do, things I say I never do...but I still do...so call me UATU!"

I've talked about Dabob Bay on this blog before and how I grew up there during the summers along the shores of Hood Canal. It's a place my grandparents purchased away from the city in the early 1950's and had up until my family sold the property in 1997. As you may imagine, I have really nice memories from my time there and as the years went by I didn't make happen to head back up there and say goodbye as I never did 13 years ago. What was the small area with a shelter, a deck, and a few cabins was now a huge house with only one cabin remaining. It had running water and plumbing; a luxury that we never had and though at the time wished we did, now is looked at as special and unique in my minds eye. The deck is still there which was very nice, and the old steps that my grandfather built still seem to be the main route to walk down to the beach from the property on a hill about 200 ft. up. For a long time the fantasy was to buy the land back and have kind of a "triumphant return" to the summers of my youth but after seeing it is now, that feeling is gone after my visit. Not in a dismissive way, but I'm fine with the memories I have remaining intact and letting that part of my life and good experiences that were had there stay as they are.

Magical more than anything about Dabob to me was spending days in the water and rowing around the calm waters. The wood nymphs must have known I was on my way up and feeling generous because I was greeted with a gorgeous sunny day the calmest water I have ever had the pleasure of rowing in...and row we did. Taking the boat out right at sunset made for some amazing light and pictures as the light change looked like burned sugar with pods of seals following us. Yeah, magical. It was exactly what I needed before the crazy weekend coming up with Emerald City Comic Con and the crazy busy awesomeness that will go down there. I love technology and flashy stuff, but when I have experiences like this past weekend it's then I realize I'm actually more old school. Though I may end up with shaking withdrawals, I'd take digging for clams over Twitter any day...Good for the soul.

Both oars in,

KS

Explone Video/KK "Take It From Me" Song Debut/ Filming Another Video. Issue #143

2010-03-01T11:38:00.000-08:00

Above is the new video for "St. Yesterday" released over the weekend by EXPLONE and we're all really happy with it. It was filmed by Patrick's good friend Thor and was a blast to record. After we did the band filming Patrick went driving with a $$$$$$ camera attached to his DART and filmed some of the scenes busking in the bus tunnel as well. Awesome!

This week KIRBY KRACKLE starts streaming another new song, "Take It From Me", off of our new album that will be released on March 9th. You can sample it via our player below. Last week I linked some of the descriptions of the new songs via the KK site, and this week is no exception with 3 more new songs unveiled. Read on...

TAKE IT FROM ME

There are video games you grew up on, and then there are video games you were RAISED by. For us, that was the 8-bit parent we and 1.5 million other kids who loved it called MEGA MAN 2. For a long time we wanted to write a song about Mega Man but didn't know how we were gonna do it until we wrote the opening riff and had our Eureka moment. See, if we were born in the year 20XX and Dr. Light sent us across 8 levels to kick ass, this is kinda song we would hope to have running though our headphones hooked up to our blaster arm. Just sayin. With shredding solos provided by good friend Patrick Porter, we wanted to create an-in-your-face song worthy and confident of kicking robot ass...not matter what those bastards were made of...

"Born on a table in 20XX, open my eyes and I disconnect...look down to see the future glowing in my hand, an artificial man..."

RING CAPACITY

In July of last year, we released "Ring Capacity" as a way to reach new fans by offering the single as an email-list only exclusive. After the fan response and coverage we received from the track we knew it was a no-brainer to put it on E4E not only because of that, but we just love playing it! The song chronicles a moment in time from the perspective of Green Lantern Hal Jordan after he is attacked in space by Sinestro. The chorus was written by Kyle on a trip to Mexico after he obsessively delved into many GL back issues while trying to be eaten by scorpions (not the band).
When he returned we both sat down and RC came together in 20 minutes. Crazy. Wish it could always be that easy. Hint? ITS NOT.

"I'm flying through the cold of space, it seems I've yet to find my place...I'm guarding 2814, I don't know why it's chosen me..."

HENCHMAN

If you were a professional Henchman, would you have to go interview for a job with the super-villain you were "henching" for? Damn straight you would, and in this song we think we got a pretty accurate portrayal of how that might go. The narrator of "Henchman" is your everyday goon; a guy who is getting older and knows that his skill set though maybe limited to the rest of the world, is pretty bad ass. Fired lasers from a sub? CHECK. Spent a month up on the moon? DONE. In the henching world, your resume is all you have so you can be sure during the course of this song he sells himself to his potential future employer while at the same time letting it me known what his needs are including covered parking and 401K. Even when you're a little bit nuts and work on death ray machines, it's important to know that your family will be able to eat next week. This henchman has his priorities straight, even if his head is a little backwards...

"I'm curious what you pay and I could start today, have faith in what's inside like Cringer turning into Battle Cat...So here I am again and with this leaky pen I summarize my skill set, realize my path in life is set...I'll always be a henchman..."

KK also shot a video over the weekend with friend and fellow trans-America convention attendee Ed Peterson. Ed and his assistant Tim come over to my place to film a video for the ballad we have called "Dusty Cartridges & Longboxes". The song is a love letter between a nerd couple as they spend their time playing old video games, reading comics, and between kisses sipping a cold IPA. It's lovie-dovey times and hope that those who spend their time in such capacity can relate. If not, it's back to Starbucks for me. NEVER. Anyways, Jim and and his girlfriend Cheryl played the couple in love (they are), and I was sort of a Burl Ives/Clarence The Angel character in the background singing and observing their love. Hopefully, it's in a way that'll seem really creepy to the audience. I say this because not matter how we tried to make it not creepy...it was. Excellent! Embrace my lack of acting skills I did. Let's hope it turns out great? WORD.

This week is continued prep for Emerald City Comic Con and all that entails getting the band ready and receiving the discs hot off the press. We're also offering a brand new KK shirt at the convention and can't wait to show that off with art courtesy of our album artist Jim Mahfood. Next week E4E hits local Seattle comic shops and record stores and we'll be streaming the full album on our site. Ahhhhhhh!

*excited*

Shake What Yo Momma Gave Ya,

KS

Spring Has Sprung?/"E For Everyone" Now Available On Pre-Order! Issue #142

2010-02-23T10:48:00.000-08:00

What a great weekend it was in the Northwest! This past weekend Seattle residents were reminded why we all live here despite the need to pump Vitamin D in the water supply. Working on that I am. The mountains were out, hardly a cloud in the sky, and the unusually horrible weekend traffic was a constant reminder that everyone was taking advantage of the sun while we could get it. I myself also took advantage speeding around the city from Edmonds to Golden Gardens to West Seattle to Carkeek Park. The gas man was happy and I like to think he enjoyed the glass of lemonade he had on his Texas estate the next morning courtesy of me.

I also house sat my good neighbor friends dog "Suki" last week so that was fun to get Logi some company other my boring ass around the house. She's a Shiba Inu so she's basically the complete opposite energy level of Logan and when they're together they look like Disney's "The Fox And The Hound". Also, they're in love. Love not without drama and passion mind you as you can see from the video below. Its like WWIII every time they're together. Craziness I say. Also, the path of my dog's destruction was furthered by him demolishing a Lemon Meringue pie I had set on the floor backseat of my car after leaving him for 4 minutes. Never before. It's time for an intervention...

Jim and I got a very nice response last week to our debut of "On And On", the first offering from the 3/9 release of the new KK album, E FOR EVERYONE. It's always a strange thing to put new work out there that you've been keeping quiet for some time but always super fun and breathes new life into it. I've heard the songs hundreds of times between writing and recording the album but I always need to remind myself no one else has. It's cool to be able to finally share something and even cooler when you see others get excited. Makes me feel very lucky to do what I do! This week we put the album up for Pre-order at www.kirbykracklemusic.com for those who want to be the first to receive the album. Yesterday I was thinking how different the whole process was compared to when I used to sell cassettes...maybe I should try that again? Throwback night!

Below is an excerpt from the posting up today at the KK website. Every week starting this week until the day of the release we'll be sharing the titles of the songs and the subject matter for the fanboys and fangirls to get ramped up about and excited for. Read on! Also, pictures below are outtakes from the KK photo shoot in November...method acting for beginners?

VAULT 101

We're obsessed with the game FALLOUT 3. It's obsessed with us. How do we know? Well it seemed for days, and weeks, and months in a row whenever we had down time after traveling to conventions and writing/recording it called to us like the ring of Sauron. Most of the time it made us turn the lights down low, the volume up high, and open a Victory Brewing Company "Storm King Stout" to devour while blasting mutants with our mighty shotgun. Yep, that game tastes like that beer till the day we die. Anyone relate? It was a no-brainer that we needed to write a song professing our love for the hours of enjoyment the game has given us and we did just that. In fact, it was the first song written of the new batch and we love it. The chorus speaks of "In a world gone mad I gotta believe, I gotta believe it's getting better" relating to the experience of leaving the safety of Vault 101 in the game, and also relating to how we choose to deal with stress in this life. Hope and belief reign above all in the human spirit and for a game and song whose lyrics have Raiders, an atom bomb, and a hard working Pip-Boy scattered throughout, we find it's no exception.

"Vault 101! Vault 101! I've seen the lights, I've seen the lights of Megaton"...

ON AND ON

Our song about and from the perspective of an overworked, overly committed Wolverine. (See last week's post for description).

SECRET IDENTITY

Ok, hands raised for who DOESN'T want to be a super hero?! Yeah we thought so, and guy in the back with the hand up put it down cause the Old Spice ain't working. Now that that's done, SECRET IDENTITY is a weezer-esque light-hearted but heavy in spirit declaration from a guy who's more than any of us working for the weekend. Why? Well, when he's done buying tile at Target and after tucking his kids into bed he's a vigilante jumping rooftops and trying not to die in the process. Inspired by The Incredibles, Millar's "Kick Ass", and our own overwhelming urge to roam the streets delivering the KK brand of justice; SECRET IDENTITY hopes to speak to the inner crime fighter in all of us. Worth getting shot and the embarrassment of having your friends bail you out in a bright yellow costume? TOTALLY.

"Secret Identity, and nobody knows but me...patrolling the city streets...my ears to the ground..."

ROLL OVER

Started and mapped out to the surrounding passengers dismay on a the tarmac leaving Fan Expo in Toronto last year, ROLL OVER is the sister song to last year's "Marvelous Girls". First we gotta back up a bit...
A few years ago, there was a period of about six months where many of the big rap hits on the charts had something to do with a nursery rhyme as the hook in the chorus (A la Jay-Z's "Hardknock Life"). During this time of public domain inspired catchy hookery, Kyle swore up and down that someone soon would do a song using the childrens song "Roll Over" and instead of the lyric being "10 in the bed and the little one said "Roll Over! Roll Over!"...", it would be "10 in the bed and the Asian one said..." or "10 in the bed and they white girl said...", and etc. The play on the famous nursery rhyme seemed an obvious declaration of a rap artist's always important to describe sexual-prowess and he was shocked when no one snatched the idea up that seemed to hang so freely in the ether. Fast forward to last summer 2009 when we started writing E4E and the idea came up again only this time we instead of "white girls/asian girls" we were inspired to write about "Fraggle girls/Thudercat girls/Amazon girls". Also, no pressure was felt of convincing others of our sexual prowess, mostly cause we're horrible. Not impressive. Basically, the Cuckoo girls gave us six-thumbs down.
The song layered with 808's and Dr. Dre-esque production hopes to leave you with the feeling that you've just spent the night with 10 cartoon girls at the bar at the end of the world. The song also marks the first time we've ever had a rap artist spit 12-bars on tape for us before. We turned to GMK THE GREAT our boy L.A. who was kind enough to take time out of his schedule and let us fly him up to lay down one of the sickest odes to cartoon girls we've ever heard. Yes, we've memorized the rap. No, you don't want to hear us do it...

"Final call came, there were shots all around with the Gummi Bear juice and the Getafix potion...feeling all right we broke into the night, Dagger had an in on transportation..."

Finally, today KK made a very special announcement that MARVEL COMICS Editor-In-Chief and main man Joe Quesada will be performing with us as a special guest on a few songs at Emerald City Comic Con on March 14th. Joe and KK became friends after visiting the Marvel offices when we released the first album in January 2009. We briefly talked about performing together during our 2nd trip to NYC promoting the album and thankfully it will happen in a few weeks to form a nerd-rock Voltron of the highest order! I'm pumped and if you told me 2 years ago that we'd be rocking with the man in charge of the books we love I'd of said you were high. Strangely, I remember meeting him when I was 11 at a comic shop signing downtown that my dad took me to. It was the first one I had ever attended and I was so nervous to meet an actual artist of the comics I'd spend my entire allowance on. Life is crazy.

See you next week for another song available for listening from E FOR EVERYONE!

Noiche Noiche Noice,

KS

KIRBY KRACKLE Single Debut. Issue #141

2010-02-17T08:55:00.000-08:00

This is a good week I'll tell you what! On Tuesday KIRBY KRACKLE debuted our new album cover, but most importantly our new single, "On And On". It's about a week in the life of Marvel Comic's WOLVERINE, and how his week is packed with some crazy adventure everyday until he can relax on Saturday and Sunday. You might a call it a "Working For The Weekend" for the nerd set. For those that don't read comics, the in-joke is that since he is such a hot franchise character and money maker, he is in so many Marvel books that if you lined them up in real time he'd be in 4 places at once. Still, Jim and I love that part of nerd culture and wanted to make a song professing our infatuation. Not about Hugh Jackman though, that's another song on another album...

The song is a riff I had accidentally came up with at a practice for my short lived band COLLIDER last year, and wanted to save it since I knew the band was dissolving. No sense wasting a good thing I felt, and a few months later developed it with Jim in the writing sessions for the soon to be released KK sophomore offering, E FOR EVERYONE. It sounds kinda manic to me in a good way in the verses, and then blooms into Rock-Pop goodness come the chorus. At least, that's what I tried to do and was really pushed in the harmony department by our producer Don Gunn. This record will be the most harmonies I've put down on a set of songs to date, and I'm really encouraged due to the fact I know that our bass player Scott can sing em' strong and true when the live shows come around. Hear the "claw sounds" in right before the first chorus? That was made by taking a set of kitchen knives and "slicing" them together over and over, as well as "tinging" them together. Take about 20 good recordings of each, layer them on top of each other, and then you have Wolvie claw sounds...I love it! You can listen to "On And On" via the player below...

Last weekend my hetero life-mate TJ SHERRILL released his second offering since his 2007 "High Horse EP". The show was at Delille Winery in Woodinville and in usual fashion for one of our CD Release parties where we open for each other, TJ and band asked me to warm up the crowd with a 1/2 hour set. I had a great time playing in a glowy outdoor heated tent with tables and the smell of wine flowing throughout the night, and was extremely proud and happy for my friend and his long awaited new album. The sound marks a new direction for TJ in that though it still carries his signature pop hooks, it also is a bit darker and more layered production wise. It should be on iTunes in a few weeks and I'll be sure to let all know so you can take a listen for yourselves...

On Sunday I went to the musical SOUTH PACIFIC and the 5th Ave Theater for the first time. The music was great, the sets were spectacular, and it had been a long long long time since I had been to a musical. The music was so soothing though that I had a hard time keeping my eyes open. Mix 1 part low lights, 2 parts leads with amazing vibratos, and 3 parts soothing violins and you end up with my Kryptonite. Head bobs wha?! Yeah, it was great though and would recommend it to anyone...and their grandma.

This is Buster. He's 2 months old. He's a yellow lab. He also thought the backs of my knees were dog treats. Needle teeth. Ow.

A quick story that I though was worth sharing if only because the randomness of it all keeps me up at night. Over the weekend I went to Palamino, a nice italian joint in downtown Seattle for dinner. The waiter was a nice guy in his late 30's I'm guessing, not overtly friendly but very professional. He never cracked a smile nor was he ever establishing we had a "jokey vibe" or anything like that. This guy was just doing his job and that was fine. So, the part that is worth telling revolves around when I asked him if he'd please take a picture. He said yes and after handing him my camera he asked if we were ready. I said yes, and then he exclamied "Say Cheese!" followed by the flash. "One more", he said, followed by "Say Shit!", then the flash of the camera. No smile, no wink, handed the camera back and he was off. What? "Say Shit?". I don't know what that means but it was amazing randomness that will warm me the rest of the winter months.

Next week over in KK land we're making the new album available for pre-order so I'll make sure to link that info as well. Also, we'll be running down the track list in description mode next week and leading up until the release on March 9th! Be good!

BOOM-SHAKKA-LAKKA,

KS

Exploning All Weekend. Issue #140

2010-02-10T15:17:00.000-08:00

Issue #140? How the hell did that happen? I haven't done 140 of anything during my life. Well, maybe sit-ups if you add them up over all the years. Mid 120's for sure. Hmmmm...

So, this past weekend EXPLONE (Patrick Porter, Scott Andrew, Josh Williams, and myself) went into Studio Litho in Seattle for a weekend of recording Rock N' Roll, photo shoots, video making, and eating a disgusting amount of SUN CHIPS "just cause they were there". Mmmmm...French Onion. Smell that? Yeah, that's my breath yo.

The process of the above mentioned activities took place Friday-Saturday from 12pm-12am and what a concentrated amount of work we got done during that time. Logan was a good studio dog all weekend, the Super Bowl was what it was, and watching too many episodes of "Jailhouse Raw" will make you not want to leave your house for the risk of actually doing something to send you to that nightmare...jeebus. We went in with the goal of finishing the final song on the aimed-for-spring-release sophomore album and me laying down additional guitar parts I had concocted since joining the band last fall. That did happen, but the real magic that went down wasn't planned. Even though the new album hadn't yet been completed, part of being a songwriter is thinking ahead and writing new songs for next.

A few weeks ago Patrick brought in a new song called "King Of The Mist" of which I'm a huge fan and after weeks of bugging him to record it this past weekend like an annoying little cousin, no relenting was in sight and I lost that battle. I've been a FAN way longer than I've been in the band and I can't help it when I get overtly excited for what I know are great songs...someday you'll hear it though! That said, weeks after showing us KOTM he also presented us with another new song, "Michigan". How would I describe it? Hmmmm...

Oh, Yeah.

T H I S S O N G IS T H E S H I T.

The end.

What I'm saying is that is that if I heard this on the radio I would pull over the car and buy it on my iPhone right then. That's how much I believe in this song and after feeling the excitement from the rest of the guys we laid it down this weekend in all it's glory for the new album. A HUGE breath of fresh air for a project that's been in the works for a while and all the hard work the members had been put in before I joined the band. Can't wait for all to hear it and I'm proud to be part of what will be I feel a big leap for the band with this record and fans of guitar rock locally and beyond. Exciting stuff!

Much like the KIRBY KRACKLE recording sessions, a big part of the fun with technology now is including folks on the process. Below you can see how the video shoot went down for the band's song, "St. Yesterday". It's a nice flag ship representation for the rest of the record and after running through the song (not plugged in/singing/but rock moves to full effect) about 12 times we gathered enough footage for director Thor to get something together for promo purposes. It was a blast and also a realization I need to start running again. Damn!

This week KK debuted the Black & White version of our new album cover for E FOR EVERYONE. It was done for us again (like the debut album) by visual badass Jim Mahfood. I love it, and next week at the KK Official site (and here too) we'll show off the final full-color version. We'll also debut the first single from the album and it feels so good to start sharing this stuff! I'm glad cause I'm really bad at secrets, ask anyone who knows me. Wait, that would mean I would have to still have friends around cause of that. Shoot.

Awkward Palm Tree,

KS

Backward Maps And Sweet Finality. Issue #139

2010-02-03T16:31:00.000-08:00

First off the new KIRBY KRACKLE album, "E For Everyone" is off to the printers after mastering last week at panicSTUDIOS as of yesterday. We're getting ready for it's release at this years Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle on March 13th and 14th. It's the show KK partner Jim Demonakos runs with his other business partners from The Comic Stop francise and like every year returns better than ever. Big name guests this year include Stan Lee (Creator of Marvel Comics), and Lenord Nimoy (Spock from Star Trek). What better place to release an album with songs from the perspective of vigilantes and about dating Saturday morning Cartoon girls? Yep, my thoughts exactly. Next week I'll be debuting the album cover from "E For Everyone" and start talking about the song's subject matter on our 2nd offering. Woo!

This past weekend I went on a short day trip across the ferry to Vashon Island, a small little island and nice day getaway just outside of West Seattle. Not much town to see but I did get to talk to some really nice little mom and pop shop owners, buy some bees wax candles and sample the local fare. If you get a chance to go make sure you check out "The Hardware Store" eatery in the main downtown area of action. You can't miss it...cause it's only 5 blocks long. Now, I know already that I'm not the best with maps but the "Official" Vashon Island visitor map turned out to be reverse in layout from how it is listed and resulted in me going to the complete other side of the island accidentally and getting kinda lost. I have a witness to this. It was a good kinda lost though, and led us to some really nice beaches and hidden areas that maybe I wouldn't have seen. Bizarrely, the map says it was released in 2007 so you'd think that someone would have noticed by now. Maybe the webs is filled with blog entries just like this saying the same thing and no one is proactive about it. Hmmmm. Northwest passive-aggressiveness will always have a soft spot in my heart...

Gramps had his 86th birthday and to celebrate we went to the Seattle Pie Company yet again for the obligatory meatloaf sammo and pie selection that you can't go wrong with no matter what you choose. Did you fly a fighter plane in WW2? No, I thought not. Happy Birthday to the coolest old guy I know.

I just really really really like this beer logo I found at Central Market. Too pretty to drink. Classic and clean. The end.

This weekend I head into the studio for recording debauchery with EXPLONE as Patrick and the gang put the final touches on the offering from the band in about 4 years. I'm really happy to be a part of this group and be able to put a little musical stamp on the record as it's about 85% done already. We'll be laying down a new song he wrote since I joined the band and I'll be tracking some lead parts throughout the weekend consisting of three 12-hour days. The studio in question where it's all going down is called Studio Litho and is owned by Stone Gossard from Pearl Jam. Guess who's excited about that? Yep, first time recording there and it'll be a blast.

So, expect a review of the weekend and lot's of pictures as by documenting butt will have lots of down time to do just that between everyone recording their parts. Also like I said next will be the unveiling of the new KK album cover. Not to much to complain about these past few weeks! Loving the art being made and the good vibes flowing through many life areas. Good is good...wouldn't you agree?

Bury me smilin'/with G's in my pocket/have a party at my funeral/
let every rapper rock it,

KS

Done And Done. Issue #138

2010-01-26T16:14:00.001-08:00

I'm not gonna front, I really don't have a specific theme or story I want to write about this week other than the KIRBY KRACKLE album is done and I'm exhaling. In a good way. I'm just gonna go with it here...

It's been a pretty intense 3 weeks that has felt like a few months with everything we crammed in everyday to get this thing done in the time frame we set. The album will be mastered in a few days and then the printers next Tuesday. When its all done I think I'm going to find myself wondering what to do cause in a lot of ways writing and recording this album has got me and helped me through the life changes of the past 6-months in a way I did not expect. I found myself 5 months ago with KK partner Jim starting at a computer screen with 11 slots to fill and only a handful of ideas. All I knew was that the fun we had during the 1st half of 2009 had surpassed any expectation I had of the first KK album, and I wanted to re-create that ten-fold in 2010 with the follow-up. Bad.

I've heard over and over throughout my life that in extreme life transition the best art is made. I never really believed that. It always mostly sounded like a cop out to believe that extreme trials and the life of the grind would equate good art. Kinda like setting that precedent meant that if anything comes out of it it must be good even if it sucks, right? Hmmmmmm. Seemed sketchy to me. Most of the time I feel like a pretty happy guy, thankful for what I have in my life and my friends and I like to think that is the main creative fuel for me and my art. So, imagine my level of discomfort when I realized I HAD to make it in the exact opposite of life situations and that the result would be what I would have to stand behind for the next year regardless. Didn't seem like a recipe for success at all. It didn't look good to me at the time, but every day Jim and I would get together to work on the songs and just do the best we could despite what was happening throughout the peripherals. After we worked out the skeletal framework and guitars/lyrics were done, we were lucky to present the songs and concepts to our amazing live band Nelson (drums) and Byrce (keys). Not involved in the first album but an intricate and important part of the live band development; they helped shape the songs and pick up the gusto when I wasn't quite feeling like it many times. We couldn't have done it without them I feel very blessed to be surrounded by such smart and empathetic artists.

Once all the songs were arranged and ready to go and despite months of delaying till stuff was "right", we stepped into the studio with producer Don Gunn for 3 weeks of tracking and the most intense recording experience I've ever been a part of. He pushed me and I pushed back and I highly value the working relationship we have in understanding how the other person creates and how to get the best possible product we can make. That was the goal from day one and I'm very happy to say that the new KK album "E For Everyone" is coming out in March on schedule. If I can say it obviously subjectively, and something that I would have never thought would have been possible to say when life changed 6-months ago; this is the best piece of art I have ever created. Then again, maybe I'm not the best judge but I do know this...I am so proud of it and what it means to complete it in a way I haven't yet felt in my life. Everyone worked so hard and long and it's surreal it's done at all, much less how I feel it turned out. I CANNOT wait for KK fans and followers of my music in general to hear it because though the album is about/from the perspective of comic book characters/superheros, it turned into something much more for me with themes that run deep regardless of niche or market. That feels really, really good and I hope listeners connect with it even a pinky nail as much as do. March can't come soon enough...

Excited for the future and thankful for the now,

KS

The Dream. Issue #137

2010-01-18T19:30:00.000-08:00

Concentrated. Issue #136

2010-01-11T11:33:00.001-08:00

Like most young kids, I was a big canned juice fan. I looked forward to every other night when my mother or grandmother would set out a can to thaw and use the next day. In the morning when we woke up, I would ask to make it if only because it meant I could taste the pure concentrate in it's intensity from the lid...and maybe a little in a glass too. Perhaps a bit odd. Still, this past week has felt like that; the most concentrated, compact and intense week of music I've had in a while...

Last week when I updated this blog Kirby Krackle had just gone into the studio and had began laying down final drum tracks for our new album due out in March. This past week we announced the name of the record would be E FOR EVERYONE; a tribute to the video rating system culture, and also an acknowledgment that though specifically about geek culture/comics/games, we feel strongly that it crosses the niche to rock music lovers in general. Here's the logo as it appears on our yet-to-be-released album cover...

As you can see in the video above filmed during the week, we made a grid of all the parts/instruments that needed to be recorded. In a "normal" band situation (no band is normal) the different people take turns layering the songs with their specific parts/talents and the rest of the time is spent listening/playing video games/sleeping on the couch etc. Our process was different because once the drums were laid down it was my show solo style to make stuff happen from there on out over 6 10-hour days of loud guitars, vocals, bass and misc. additions as the songs flourished. It was a very different, fun, and honestly exhausting way of recording that I haven't done outside of my own studio in the way of so much needed to be recorded by me. Still, it was a great way to stretch and see what I'm able to get done on the quickly ticking clock before the album goes to print in a few weeks. Once the first day of instrument tuning (or lack of tuning) issues and then my developing bad attitude as a result was in the rear view mirror, we started to hit our stride. The few videos below are a taste of what it was like tracking guitars and we had been sharing them via twitter (www.twitter.com/kirbykrackle) all week to include our fans on the process if they found it interesting. If you've never been in the studio, it might make a little more sense when you know that though you the listener only hear my guitar, I hear the whole song that I'm playing along with in my headphones...

Thursday night brought the EXPLONE gig at the newly remodeled and reopened Crocodile in downtown Seattle. I've only had the opportunity to play Croc once years ago with a band I was helping out called SWEET LOU, so it was a pleasure to experience the new club. I was very impressed with the new layout, venue, and the employees that actually didn't hate you that you were in a band playing that night. Seriously. The venue really upped their game and professional atmosphere in general and I highly encourage all to go check it out for a great night. I'll be back as an audience member for sure. The show? I had a great time, but had to concentrate really hard on my parts after a few botched chords and realizing that my brain was still in studio mode. The sound was huge though and I was happy with the onstage mix that made my guitar sound like an axe of the gods. Truly one of the best on-stage mixes I've ever had and if you're a performer you know how important that is. Bravo Crocodile.

After 4 days of being in a studio with just Jim, our producer Don Gunn and myself, I think we were all ready to see some new faces stop by. It was good timing too because on Friday we flew our friends Jay Kinko and GMK The Great up from L.A. as they stopped by for GMK to lay down 12-bars of flow on one of our favorite songs for the album. It's a head bopper and I'm sure people that are familiar with my music will be surprised when they hear it. I literally CAN'T WAIT to play it for you guys. Sitting on my hands here.

Inside The Session with Kirby Krackle from GMK on Vimeo.

Saturday we had an off day which was nice to recharge for a lot of singing that took place on Sunday and getting many of the minor melody guitar lines and textures put on tape. Shannon and Matt from Seattle Geekly stopped by to sample some of the new jams, and Patrick from EXPLONE took time out of his day to play on our album as well. I've spoken highly about Patrick's melodic ear and face melting solos before so it was a no-brainer to have him play the parts that I wouldn't have done nearly as well. Not my wheelhouse for the hardcore rock solos, but he delivered like I knew he could and then some. So much fun for me to have a different ear interpret some parts that I've had right in front of my face for months. Very fortunate, and you'll know what I'm talking about when you hear it.

So, we're back tomorrow morning (Tuesday) and I have a day to clean the rest of my parts up before our keyboardist Bryce steps up to the plate on Wednesday for twinkling and shimmering ivory. Wish you all could see what's been going on in person (wanna come over?), and if I'm fortunate enough that some of you loved the first KK record you'll be pleased with how the new disc is coagulating. I'll be pleased. Awesomeness awaits.

Skipping in the streets is normal this time of year,

KS

Kirby Krackle In Studio. Issue #135

2010-01-05T18:29:00.001-08:00

Hey all, just a quick blog this week an we're busting ass over in Kirby Krackle land to record album #2 at breakneck speed. We went into the studio this past Sunday for the first day of tracking and as usual, our drummer Nelson made us all look bad as he nailed final drums in only 8 hours flat. IMPRESSIVE. Yours truly doesn't operate in that world and all day the thing that can be heard the most over any set of words coming out of my mouth is "Start it again, Don". Reality Represent.

We have 7 days to crack out 11 songs and though doable, I have to live like a ninja-navy seal-marine with the Tao of Pooh to get it done in time. Thus, a short entry this week. Below are some pictures from the first few days of tracking...

The night before heading into the studio with KK I once again had the opportunity to sing the National Anthem at the Silvertips game in Everett. They put on a great night there and I was happy to be asked back after my spontaneous social cussing problem didn't kick in last year. Double yay. My friends Michelle, Patrick, and Malorie came to support and we had a great time OD-ing on SHISHKABERRIES and random fair-esque foods. Also, this kid below is my new hero. Never repeated a dance move and went for 5 minutes straight. Baller.

See you next week and happy new year everybody!

KS

Sun Kissed Christmas. Issue #134

2009-12-29T10:23:00.000-08:00

12/26/09 6:45 PM 35,000 ft. above the Pacific Ocean

Hope everyone had a great holiday and you got nice and fluffy like me. Too much good stuff and my usual overindulgence of cookies and holiday desserts was no different this year. I have a problem, and having a two tiered platter filled with mint-chocolate "No Bake" cookies, peanut butter squares, Ghirardelli dark chocolates, and blocks of fudge didn't help my D-list celebrity rehab recovery chances. Sigh. On second thought, this is rock blog. Should I be talking about heroin or something? My bad boo. Anyway, I'm in the air on my way home and thought I'd recall my trip while it was fresh in my head...

This Christmas was different for me due to the fact I decided to go visit my parents in Hawaii on Oahu, and was the first time my family had all been together for the holidays in 9 years. I flew in on Tuesday and for me the first day is always spent decompressing and getting used to island pace, especially since I've been going a mile a minute getting ready with pre-production for the new Kirby Krackle album. We head into the studio this next week for final tracks so it was a very nice break from the go-go-goings of that process. I love the rock, but you know what I'm saying...
First night is traditionally pizza night, and my dad stacked the cooler with Longboard Lagers (the Hawaiian equivalent of water). Also, LB has the best logo of any beer Ive ever seen hands down. My mom knows I'm a big pie freak and surprised me that night with a peach-strawberry pie with a "K" carved in the top. I don't care how old you get, stuff like that always will feel good...

My mom purchased a horse a few years ago named "Poi" and almost every day the responsibilities involved with that require her to drive over early in the morning to the local barn for cleaning, riding, and feeding. Being that I didn't make the visit to him last time I was in town, I wanted to make sure I spent some time with him and her her show me her daily life. Wednesday mornig we did just that as she showed me how to clean his shoes, how he learns to obey, and how to fill his feed buckets. I had never been on a horse, so I had the opportunity to take a short ride around the show course and learn how to turn, maneuver, and make him back up. Turns out my "Whoa!" is more effective than I thought. Maybe I'll start using it in more urban settings. Also, I was surprisingly sore after only a 1/2 hour on Poi. Shane I am not, but now have another option in my skill set to evade zombies should the apocalypse come in my lifetime. Yay for me.

That night my sister flew in and we had a great time catching up and everyone recalling old stories. She's also the only other bigger dessert freak than me in the family but constantly denied sweets unless they were "offered to her on a cute plate". What a diva! She learned from her brother I think.

Christmas eve was a day of laziness as it should be and I think the only time we left the house was to get food for Christmas morning breakfast. Think grocery prices are out of hand where you live? You don't even know till you shop in Hawaii. It's crazy and I wonder how large families make even the staples happen with regularity. Either way, you can't beat the fruit and I think over 6 days I must've consumed over 10 cans of Lilikoi juice. So amazingly good.
I really didn't put up that many decorations at my house this year, so it was nice to walk into a house my parents winter wonderland displays and nice tree up. Felt like years ago in a good way.

Christmas morning we all got up and opened presents and dealt with my mothers disturbing (but respectable) sense of humor. What I'm talking about is her going to the trouble of finding, wrapping up, then giving my brother and I posters of the tween-heartthrobs from Twilight. She thought she was very funny, and yeah it was. Normally, he and I wouldn't allow our picture to be taken holding them for her to do what she will with that digital blackmail, but you had to give it to her. For the love a...
Also, I received two black PUMA brand baby shoes with a return receipt cause "that was more fun than giving money". This is how we roll in my family. Later that night, we went to go see "Sherlock Holmes" and I completely loved it. I thought everything from the sets to the clothes to the on screen chemistry was amazing between Law and Downey. Preview for "Iron Man 2"? INSANE!

Before we called it a night we were told that Santa sent a message to all the siblings that we should be ready to get up early in the morning for para-sailing. Lump in throat? Yeah. I'm not really a skydiving kinda guy, and though para-sailing isn't that, this was a little past my comfort zone. Good to reach new boundaries though, right? I think so, and we with 6 other strangers set out on choppy water with two quintessential beach stoneys as our instructors. Yours truly was first up with the little bro and if there was any payback for his week of mental abuse...this was it. Only 2 clips held us from what could have been my best and final Olympic diving performance from 500 ft. up. It was really cool and with a snap we were flung up backwards away from the boat and into the quiet sky, legs dangling like 4 little malnourished toothpicks in the heavens. Quiet, romantic, and perfect for someone proposing. I would've but he's my brother and I had no ring. Oh well. After 10 minutes in the air pretending I was Green Lantern, Stoney #1 thought it was a good signal to let us know it was time for a descent by flicking the only cord connecting us to life violently so that the ripple reached us and shook us making the bro and I think we were gonna die. Good times. He then slowed the boat so that he dunked us in the water before requesting we land "ass first" on the boat. I though it was great and recommending anyone trying it. Except in Mexico. That's just common sense.

For our final day we managed to get a day without rain and headed out to Kalamas beach for some body boarding and sun. It was mostly overcast on the trip and I'm probably returning pastier than when I left (if that's even possible) so I made sure I enjoyed it while I could. From the water you could see down the beach to where President Obama and his family were staying for their holiday break if only for the big stretch of shore where it was obvious no one was allowed. We thought about walking down there to see if the Secret Service would jump out at us but decided not too. The whole Guantanamo thing didn't sound too good. Otherwise, boarding was bueno and the waves were decent enough to satisfy me till the next trip over.

So there you go. Now I'm flying back with an older man kicking the back of my seat in coach with an a kid turning his head across the isle towards me coughing. Yeah, baby! I'm glad I had some downtime because these next few weeks are important ones. Starting this weekend Jim, Myself, and the KK band will be heading into the big studio (finally!) to record the new album over a total of 7 days. My most ambitious project yet in terms of time allowed to do the album, and the fact that once drums and keyboard are done, it's a digital playground at my fingertips to use like I never have before. It's both exciting and daunting and everything that goes with the whole artist bit. Jim and I have been working really hard everyday over the past 3 months on making this new album a big evolution for the band, something to excite fans both new and old, and I hope to capture that on tape. Someone recently told me that great art can come out of great transition in a surprising way. Let's hope so...
Have a great and safe new years everyone! What a decade, what a year, and I hope everyone looks back at 2009 as a year of love and growth. Personally, I've found it to be simultaneously one of the best and worst of my life. It's inspiring both can exist at once...Life is amazing.

Swinging for the rafters,

KS

Mele Kalikimaka. Issue #133

2009-12-21T17:54:00.000-08:00

The spirit of Christmas future? Let's hope not...

A short entry this week (relieved?) as I desperately need to start packing for my flight tomorrow to see my family in Hawaii. Wanna come? Ok! I wish everyone a wonderful holiday and may the only thing more bountiful than the pile of presents under your tree be the good times and love spread between friends and family. See you next week, and be good for goodness sake...

Have you seen my sandals?

KS

Bite Size And Girthy. Issue #132

2009-12-14T11:50:00.000-08:00

Sounded better than "Sample Size And Rotund"...and twice and wrong.

"Bite Size" for the many small cool things I wanted to talk about but ended up neglecting over the past few weeks, and "Girthy" for amount of amazing food I've been sampling. Let's get to the chewy middle (prefer the edges though)....

KIRBY KRACKLE got back pictures we did for our photoshoot with L.A. native Joshua Stearns a few weeks ago and they kick Costco-size ass. Gonna wait to show the official ones when the album gets closer to release (early 2010), but above is one of the outtakes recently posted on Joshua's site. No, we're not like Slipknot now or anything, but it was taken at the end of the day and I still really like it. What was the best was that passive NW aggressiveness was in full affect as people walked around and actually many times right through that shot like nothing was going on. It seems it takes much more than some guy looking like he got attacked by a crayon in a vampire mask to get a rise these days. We're all numb...

One of the personal highlights of the Holiday season is the Jolin annual cookie making party hosted by Tim and Meg Jolin and their beautiful daughter Kate. Every year they bake up hundreds of cookies and invite folks over to make their very own holiday creations with all the fixings on hand. Blue frosting for your star? They have it. REESE'S PIECES for your house shingles? Look to your left. Bowls of edible decorations take over tables as believers of Christmas young and old are encouraged to make as many as they want. It's really fun and I'm glad I was around this year to make it.

So, last week my ear was driving me nuts. Not as in there was water in there or the plugged up way but more in the "I don't care if I rip apart my eardrum this itch needs to stop NOW". Normally, when I don't feel well I visit my naturopath I've seen for years and this time was no exception. This is why I love this place. The solution that ended up working? THE LASER. Yes, and those who know me know that anytime I can include a laser into my life...I'll do it. The laser and I have been friends for some years now. When I had throat problems earlier in the year...the laser helped. When my elbow went wonky after pulling it last year...the laser healed it. You could say we have a co-dependent relationship, and I don't care it you're right. I NEEDS IT...MY PRECIOUS. Supposedly there is a big book that goes along with this laser and after looking up what ails you, the doctor punches in the corresponding code and voila! It knows what do and how to do it. Sounds crazy I know, but guess what? After shining over my head holes for 5 minutes, the ear is still intact and mo betta. Dopeness. Thanks laser...we coo.

I've talked about my friends Britt and Vicki in UTERUS PARADE here a few times before. If you don't know who they are, Jim and I met them in Toronto when we went there promoting KK in August, and ended up getting a picture from them as a "nice to meet you" gift that was a guitar covered with giant penises. In fact, I've never posted it cause it's just too repulsive...and brilliant. So, what you need to know about Vicki and Britt is that they are horrible women. Imagine if witches were alive. They smack little kids with their purses in department stores and the sound of babies crying gives them joy. They have 6 eyes between the two of them and smell like sulfur. Also, I really like their art. This is why after chatting with them on facebook the other day for an hour (because the sound of their voice will turn you to stone), they said they had a drawing of me to share they had done during our conversation. Excited, I asked them to send it over cause #1: I've never been in a cartoon/comic before and #2: I'm possibly a narcissist. And what would my first cartoon represent as I made my debut into a cell-shaded world? Well, it turns out they think I'm repressed and the reason I got a divorce is because I'm gay. Thanks, guys. Thanks. Whenever the US wants to invade Canada is fine with me. See more of their monstrosities HERE.

If you follow my twitter stream (www.twitter.com/kylebstevens), you probably think I do nothing sometimes but drive around and eat pastries all day. I wish. Instead, I just really like taking pictures of food. Like people who take pictures of their shot game on hunting trips, I like to document my conquests. This past week I had some of the best "eating out" selections I've had in while, and as a wannabe foodie, I thought I'd share in case anyone is looking for something new to try.

First off, FAMOUS DAVE'S. Yeah, I know it's "The Olive Garden of BBQ" but I don't care. It's amazing. I'm a condiment man and if your idea of a free appetizer is sampling the six different BBQ sauces straight from bottle-to-spoon, then you're gonna be in heaven. Seattle isn't very receptive to new BBQ establishments (they keep shutting down) so if it takes a chain to get my fix then that's what it'll be. I recommend the BBQ chicken nachos. *uurrrp*

I love pie. Not much more I can say to get that point across, so when I heard the latest press push in the home-style hype surrounding the new SEATTLE PIE COMPANY I knew I had to make it over to Magnolia to try it for myself. Opening the doors, I was greeted by the warm buttery smell of ovens doing what they do best and felt like I was walking into my grandma's house, minus the reminder that I "better not have my hat on". The owners are a very sweet couple that began chatting me up and I could tell they really liked what they did, and knew they did it well. Nothing wrong with that. All the reviews said to try the Meatloaf sandwich so I knew that was a no brainer, but the choice on pie was overwhelmingly difficult. Banana, chocolate, peanut butter, coconut...all with filling about 2 1/2 inches high. Fruit pies of all traditional flavors with picture perfect crust. I ended up going for the Strawberry Rhubarb (my favorite) and I have to say it truly was the best pie I've ever had...other than my grandma's (subjective much?). The meatloaf sandwich truly was THE BEST I have ever had and I would highly recommend it to anyone. I can't wait to go back and feel it's worth the new pants I know are coming in the new year cause of it.

Other than stuffing my face I've been really busy in The Orange Room (my studio) for the past week everyday finishing up the demos for the new KK album. Just about to receive the finished cover art as well which I cannot cannot cannot wait to share when the time is right. Good things to come!

Booyah,

KS

Cracky. Issue #131

2009-12-07T20:30:00.000-08:00

Yes, this is a blog first and foremost about my adventures (and misadventures) in music, the kingdom of the bar chords, and the joy they have brought me...therapy bills and all. Still, every now and again I have an experience that turns my agenda of a week's post topic on it's proverbial head. What was to be a depiction of the challenge of writing for a specific audience for the new Kirby Krackle disc has been trumped by something much more topical and perhaps more important for society as a whole; a kind of "where were you when?" moment for the reader. Cause yes my friends, last Tuesday a dream came true in this suburban white boy's heart. This past Tuesday...

I was offered crack.

I know, I know. You're thinking, "Why was he deserving?". I would tell you if I knew. God, how I've asked myself everyday since and questioned my self worth, but it's not for me to answer. I'm not the lord (Dane Cook). I'm also truly not making light of one of our top societal ills. It's a product that causes disease in many of our rural and urban communities, but for a bespeckled white boy from North Seattle raised during summers on a steady diet of Dr. Dre's "The Chronic", Chris Rock stand-up, and MTV...let me have this moment please. Thanks boo. Like I said, I was offered crack. Apple Jacks, Baby T, Bazooka, Beemers, Bangs, Biscuit, Bullion, Bump, Casper The Ghost; call it what you will but I came face to face with two French Fries and a Golf Ball (that means three rocks). Let's start at the beginning...

I had caught the late showing of "The Road" with a friend in downtown Seattle; a book-turned-movie by Cormack McCarthy depicting the post-apocalyptic journey of a boy and his father narrowly escaping cannibals, starvation, and falling trees everywhere they go. Oh, yeah, and it stars Aragon. Ladies...you like? Anyways, the movie got out late and after 2 hours of the most depressing visuals/human interactions you have ever seen on the big screen, your perspective is a more normalized and glimpses are had of such things like money doesn't really matter (it doesn't), and all life is precious (it is). Sad it takes a movie to do that for us more and more, but that's a different post. Moving on...

So, exiting the warm and buttery theater into the cool and crisp night we were greeted by a homeless gentleman who kindly and non-aggressively asked us if we could spare a dollar. Thinking I knew I had a dollar in my wallet, he was nice, had a yellow hat, I liked Curious George, and a few other things...I reached into my back pocket to pull out the paper. The following could be referred to as "slow motion morality". As I was removing my wallet we had brief small talk and via touch alone pulled out the dollar for the man. As I reached out my hand containing the dollar and put it into his, my eyes saw that it was in fact a 5 dollar bill I was giving him. The dilemma here of course was that the cheap ass in me didn't want to give the man a 5 dollar bill, but the kid raised on Mr. Rogers and forced to hide from mentally disabled people when they came to the front door (?) knew I couldn't take it back. The damage was done, and I knew I had lost it. I must have looked happy enough faking my generosity because the man gave me a huge toothless smile and his what I'm sure was mid-70's year old eyes lit up when he realized it wasn't just a plain old dollar.

"WOW!", he exclaimed. "It must have been really hard to give that up!"

If you only knew, dude.

"Thanks A loooooot man!".

And that's when it happened...

"Here...Have some crack!!!"

HOLY SHIT.

My paw still out after giving him the cash, I saw them in the palm of his hand as he opened it up and produced three tiny little crack rocks that looked like broken baby teeth. Maybe looked more like baby monkey teeth, I don't recall...it's been a while since the congo. After I guffawed not too quietly with the pride of an inner 10 year-old who couldn't wait to tell all his friends at summer camp that he saw the assistant teachers bra when she bent over, I became horrified; not so much about the crack itself, but that it was stuck to the palm of his turned over hand like spiders walking on the ceiling. His palm actually was shiny and God knows what kept them attached with the gravity of heavens Earth pulling down on them but there they were.

After saying a very brief and sheltered, "No thank you', we walked away quickly. This must have been cultural though (my new default answer for all insanity I can't process) because he started following us insisting that he wanted us to have them. Truly, I believed he did and though very persistent, eventually figured out he had crossed the borders of no trespassing in his cracky world that the bluebird warriors had erected in his honor during the siege of The Cheesecake Factory. Responsible he was to his oath. I would have accepted his gift with my new outlook of trying not to be a rude douche from time to time, but I knew that might make this post kinda weird and thus abstained. Yeah right, I can barely drink coffee without losing my mind. Crack = no bueno por moi.

The most bizarre thing to happen to me in the past 4 months besides that which must not be named? Yep, there it is. I did have few other things that I wanted to touch on this week, but they can wait till next. Like rejecting the offer of mint gum after a horribly rank yet delicious pesto panini, I'm gonna choose to let this one fester for a while.

And kids and kids with adult parts, don't do drugs. Seriously, and not in the sarcastic or jokey way. Even if you don't have self-respect, maybe think twice if only because your don't want someone to write a blog about you offering them crack 10 years from now. Remember, the internet is forever.

Why I'm in trouble for potential future hiring,

KS

Mountains Of Stuffing...Mountains Of Pain. Issue #130

2009-12-01T09:20:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a great holiday with their friends and family, and the only thing more paralyzing than potential family passive aggressiveness was the amount of stuffing you ate. Mmmmm...gravy in my mouth hole! I had a nice weekend with the family flying over via the pineapple express and shacking up at my place for a few days. I learned how to make cranberries, get petrified mashed potatoes off a bowl, and wake my brother up via pots and pans banging above his head. Mean yes, but a moment of personal growth all should try once if you don't mind a sleep encrusted Puerto Rican coming at you right after...

I also became obsessed again with a new iphone app called "'Stachetastic" that lets you put beards on people. No one is safe!

The day after Thanksgiving we dragged our gordoness out of bed at 5:00 AM to hit the slopes for some snowboarding action up at Mt. Baker. Last year I had only managed to get to the snow once so I was itching to see if I still had skills, if you could call them that. Being that it was my first time up at Baker I was blown away with the scenery and the mountains that seemed like you could reach out and touch them. Way less packed than the regular destination Stevens, we suited up and purchased our tickets with the quickness and made our way to the chair lifts to head up the pinnacle. I'm really glad I took my camera and below is the view I had while hoping that the small metal cable didn't break above me...

When we got to the top of the summit we de-chaired without falling (YES!) and began our decent. What we found though was that the dreamland fresh powder we expected to curve in and out of was replaced by the stinging pain of the greek god Boreas and the landmines of ice rocks ready to impale you with the slightest fall. And fall we did. During the first 10 minutes we each hit the ground harder than we ever previously had and it was not unlike hitting concrete full speed. Now, I know rock guys don't even like to get their hair messed up (rustle our locks before a show and you'll feel the seething skinny bitterness), but I can and have taken some pretty nasty falls and walked them off. I kinda bounce. Not like this though. After my board slipped out from under me and the laughing ice slammed into my tail bone leaving me in a writhing middle-ground between crying and laughing, I decided I and my sore ass was done for the day. Walk of shame down the mountain? Yeah, but worth it cause I had a show the next day. The father busted his wrist up pretty bad as well and in a few hours looked like a mickey mouse hand which left me realizing it was no bueno for me to risk it. Responsible choices regarding bodily harm? My 30's are officially here I guess. Sigh. It's ok though because a few Arrogant Bastards in the Lodge made the world right and all forgiven...as long as I don't sit down. *tear*

That show I was referring to? Kirby Krackle bassist (and as shown talented singer/songwriter) Scott Andrew and I threw down in Ballard at the KISS CAFE for a night of stories and songs. Even thought it would be fun to pull the ol' Michael Jackson "Billie Jean" cover out which is always a blast to surprise new folks with. I had a great time, and the set consisting of songs from the past 5 years of projects and albums went down like this...

Sun Takes You Home (Collider)
Better (Laymans Terms)
Meet Me on The Stairs
Always Remember
I Never Missed You More Than When I Was Not Around
Mexican Jail
Leave The Light On
Fred Meyers
This Is Not A Love Song
Sparkle And Fall
Matches In The Walls
Tonight
The Last Time I Was Bored
Hey Jealousy
Pigs
Vouch For me

(KIRBY KRACKLE set)

Counting On YOu
Up, Up, Down, Down
Back To The Beginning
Vault 101 (new song)
Naked Wii
Villain Song
Marvelous Girls
One Of The Guys

Billie Jean

On Sunday, KK partner Jim Demonakos and I went and had a photo shoot with our in town for the weekend L.A. residing photographer badass Joshua Stearns at Gasworks Park. The last press shots and album graphics we had shot took place in a comic shop, and now that most people know that that's what we're about we decided to get out in nature. By nature I mean stepping over guys in sleeping bags and feeling like heroin was all over everything I touched. Soaked them in Purell I did. Because of what Kirby Krackle is in essence, we have a pass to be a little goofier than other bands...and get away with it (hopefully). The "traditional" band shots (I can still here my mother telling me to remove my hands from my pockets 15 years ago) of course were snapped, and then things got crazy. Somehow the shoot morphed into battle scenes where we were attacking each other with ukuleles and crane kicks to the point if they end up being the shots we use people won't be surprised if we break up in the next 3 months. Hardcore yo, and a lot of fun.

Back on track with finishing up the arrangements on the new KK album after the holiday hijinks. Gonna try to avoid the malls for the next month and not let my issues get triggered regarding middle-age overly narcissistic white women in SUV's being ridiculous bent on getting their "holiday hair". Try is the word.

98% spell check accuracy since 2007,

KS

Sensitive Blood Suckers In The City Of Angels. Issue #129

2009-11-23T11:48:00.000-08:00

Quick Reminder! Show this Saturday 11/28 at KISS CAFE in Ballard with Scott Andrew kicking it off at 8:30. No cover, all-ages, and beer. Thanks!

A few years ago after Laymans Terms broke up I was gearing up on my solo material and working on a new band name. It was an exciting time for me with all potential monikers choices in the ether and subsequently a nightmare for my inner circle. I guess hearing "what about this?" around 40 times a day for a few weeks got old. I can't understand why. The name I came up with that until just going with plain old "Kyle Stevens Band" was going to be "Kyle Stevens and The Twilight Militia". If I had a time machine I'd go back and buy myself extra cheese on my Whopper because after what I saw this past weekend, that wouldn't have been the best career choice...or would it have been?

I flew out early Thursday morning for a quick weekend to spend time with good friends and family in L.A. My friend had tickets for opening night and asked me if I would like to come because yes, no matter how inherently wrong, I try to be informed about all things in the entertainment world. Plus, I've had a thing for undead sexy vampire emo dudes ever since I was a little girl. Like James Brown said, "You don't know where you're going until you know where you've been". He also said he wouldn't be joining ZZ TOP cause they "weren't good enough to play his music". Don't know what I'm saying here, but I like people to be musically educated...

So like I said, we were there for the Twilight debut and after making "I'm sorry man" eye contact with the other 23 guys attending I settled down in my seat. After 20 minutes of previews the logo came up and the crowd LOST THEIR MIND. All of a sudden I was excited and I didn't know why. Well actually I do. When that much enthusiasm is generated in a large group...it is completely infectious. Not excited was I for the movie itself, but excited that I had never been in an environment that was that crazy. When the wolf boy would take off his shirt and the vampire boy "Sparkled", it was like the Beatles walked on stage...That level of fan mania both audible and visual. Everyone should get a response like that sometime in their life. You'd remember it forever I think, and all societal problems may disappear along with your cilia. When the movie was done, the theater emptied and I think I even saw some tears as the crowd spilled out in the lobby in a feverish mix of hormones and B.O.. Amazing. I hope I'm that into something that hardcore in my lifetime...without the whole shaking thing.

What I find so fascinating about the whole experience and talking about it afterward is that the franchise is completely polarizing. Saying I went was like I said I voted for George Bush. The second time. The Kevin Smith video below breaks it down completely, but may not be for the younger of readers. If you're a parent, you're welcome. If you're a 12 year-old dude...quick before mom comes downstairs! If you like comic books, are a big fan of a band, or crazy about video games...YOU (and I) CAN'T SAY SHIT about this social movement. It's the same thing. The only difference is that that vampire guy is better looking than any of us guys complaining about it, but not to worry gentleman; Your mid-50's aged wife isn't going to leave you and your 13-year old girlfriend isn't emotional ready to date a 109 year-old in a teenager's body...You're safe. Now, go back to pretending you don't know the names of the characters to make you feel like a man...(shhhhhh...it's Edward).

In non-undead disturbing female (mostly) fantasy news...I ate like complete crap this weekend. That happens occasionally on fast weekend jaunts, mostly cause I love to try new places or foods in known of unhealthy places just for the experience. In obligatory fashion for Washington residents, I hit up IN-N-OUT the moment I got in and set the tone for my grossness the rest of the weekend. Cupcakes I never eat? Check. Donuts never consumed? Hell yes. If I may brag about the depths of disgusting I went to, the night before the movie we hit up a swanky place called "Chilis" (look it up). As part of their meal you are offered something called a "Sweet Shot". For a moment I expected "To Catch A Predator" to show up, but the camera crew never happened. *Sigh*. What a "Sweet Shot" turned out to be was what nasty choice of cake you would like stuffed into 3 small plastic buckets to consume and remind yourself you stopped swimming a few months ago. Brilliant, and only in America. U-S-A! U-S-A!

Spent a few hours in a local bookstore basically loitering and realized it's something I need to do more of. Classy upgrade? Instead of buying a funny book that I'll convince myself I'll read and never will (annoyingly time selective), I've found that for now taking a picture of it makes me feel good and like I've read it. That's called uneducated validation. The most fun of the bunch can be found below...

Met up with my sister on Saturday and I helped her and her husband destroy, then put back together a set for a photo shoot he had the following day. The whole premise was that of a spy couple wrestling money from each other, or a couple robbing a bank, or...I guess I don't really know. But it was cool to see all the prop money that had been rented as they put the briefcase full of scrilla together. Social experiment of doing the same and then spilling it everywhere at a downtown crosswalk may be in order.

We also visited a cool toy shop called "Wackos". I LOVED this place and need to win a spelling bee soon for a shopping spree to go down there. That big one eyed guy? $5000. Not sure it's worth that, but it was awesomely detailed in person. We slow danced.

That night for dinner we hit a new spot called "Umami" for Japanese-American fusion style burgers. They were a little more tangy than American fare, and the house "Umami Ketchup" was something I should have taken home with me. So Good! It was also the first time I had rice beer. I couldn't really tell a difference other than it was a little lighter in body (kinda like how rice milk is), and less filling. More room for Ketchup!

That's all I have for this week, and Happy Thanksgiving to all! Me? I'm thankful for my family, friends, my dog, and the fact that there are people who read this blog and those to seem to enjoy my music from time to time. Art and love when you break it down...that's what it be about? Yes.

Gonna be stuffed with stuffing,

KS

Exploning. Issue #128

2009-11-16T12:00:00.000-08:00

If it's true when they say "you are what you eat", then the 10-hour drive back from this weekend's EXPLONE mini-tour has left me a nasty ass DNA makeup of lemon bars, twizzlers, Chex mix, and Whatchamacalits. Gordon, my sugar worm feels like it's Christmas morning. Oh sorry, I mean "Holiday". Never can be too careful you know...

On Friday, my new tenure in the band was tested (I talk a lot in the car) with a few shows over The Pass to the town of Rosyln, WA. If you're not from Seattle, you may know that town name from the tv show "Northern Exposure" that was filmed there. And man, they don't let you forget it. Tried to jack one of the signed posters on the wall but a young svelte and pre "Sex In The City" John Corbett shamed me with his judging eyes. Plus we didn't have room cause the 15-passenger van was packed with guitars, drums, amps, and my assortment of road ready metrosexual travel products.

After a little hairy of a drive over The Pass now beginning to see some of the first heavy snowfall of the year (Patrick's knuckles were understandably white), we arrived at "The Brick" for the show. I had never been to the venue, but it's the one big bar/music venue in town and a beacon of entertainment in an otherwise seemingly sleepy town. As expected, the small town niceties and politeness seeped from the locals and we enjoyed a much needed meal before the show. Both nights of the tour we opened for WILL WAKEFIELD & THE CONGRESS HOTEL; guys I've been acquaintances of for years but never got to talk to much so it was nice to do that. We played well, and the crowd was attentive and into it. Also there was a HUGE drum riser to climb on, spin Josh's cymbals for no reason but to entertain myself (oooohh...shiny), and then jump off of trying to get record air without blowing my knees out of the tops of my thighs.

ROCK.

After the show we were lucky enough to be put up in a loft above the venue for the night where until wee hours of the morning we fell into hysterics making fun of each others lyrics. Truly a traditional music guy pastime and for those who aren't offended like a baby, a testament to how much they are respected...if only to be torn down by goobers trying to make each other laugh. Again, more innocent eyes than mine occasionally read this blog but lets just say that a chorus changed to rhyme with a horrific metaphor including an "amputee and bus pass" left me choking on tears. Good times.

The next morning we packed the van and went to breakfast. Drummer Josh made fun of me for ordering herbal tea and asked if I'd like some pink slippers to go with it. That was ok, until the waitress laughed too and said she'd get them for me after the meal. Tear.

Hit the road again passing in and out of consciousness and listening to Prince on the iPod. I always enjoy listening to non-rock stuff on the day of a show. It helps me personally to make the music I'm playing that night sound fresh. Rarely do I listen to harder or heavy metal-esque music the day of cause it just makes me feel like I'm playing Lisa Loeb tunes no matter how hard I hit the strings. She does have hot glasses though and sang to me personally through the tv as a 14 year-old. Moving on.

That night we booked ourselves a hotel before the show and got a chance to shower off the road funk. I always get accused of taking too long of a shower by tour mates so since I'm not the Dad in the band (Patrick is), I kept the water hogging to a record minimum. Lack of sleep has me operating from a place of unnecessary details so please indulge. Off to dinner at a Mexican restaurant we went before the show and I had to take a look at my morals. What morals? I have a hard and fast rule of no mexican before I play. A food poisoning experience when I was much younger has led me to believe that though chips and salsa are ok, the burrito no cometh between me and a pop song within the same 3-hour period. Awesomely, the best chicken burger I've ever had came out of the deal and momma was satisfied. We then arrived at the venue and refreshingly unpacked the van in 28 degree weather into a cool venue called "John's Alley". The sound guy was called "Vertical Dave" and yes he was...more than 7 feet of vertical at that. If I was in jail, this is the guy whose pocket I would hold to give you a better idea of how tall he is. Protect me, Dave.

The second show went well and despite a table of frat guys giving us stink eye for the first 3 songs I think we won the crowd over. The best part of performing with Explone besides the cool songs and camaraderie is that I can jump around like and idiot without running out of breath to sing. Yeah, pass the donuts. I'd like to think I had a possible Olympic moment that would make Bob Costas proud on the final song. Right before the last chord of the final tune I pulled a big scissor kick, and at the height of the jump, my strap came off which left my body descending and the guitar floating up. From what I can remember I threw my arms up to grab it and came down on one knee proposal style (no tears though) with guitar in had. History has shown that in past instances when this type of thing has happened, I end up playing a chord for the final hit in the key of diarrhea. This time though the prickish French judge may have surprised everyone cause a B-minor bar chord crunched down just in time. Pure reaction then had me stand up fist in air shouting, "YES!" to the confusing of everyone around me. Embarrassing but mentally strutting the rest of the night. If you set your standards low, it's easy to impress yourself. Try it!

The next day we went to breakfast and set out on the 10-hour journey back to Seattle stopping over in Portland for dinner before the final leg back to the Emerald City.
Great trip all in all.

I have the WILLOWS LODGE winery this Wednesday and then a trip down to L.A. for the weekend so that will be fun. Next week, I have my show at KISS CAFE in Ballard with Scott Andrew opening for some overdue All-Ages action and catching up with the influx of people in town for Thanksgiving.

Practicing stomach expansion in anticipation of gluttony,

KS

How to Clear A Dance Floor. Issue #127

2009-11-11T09:53:00.000-08:00

I'm happy to announce my final all-ages show for the year on Saturday, November 28th, at the KISS CAFE in Ballard. I know, I know, the all ages shows have been slacking this year but I hope to make it up to the haters at this one. Kirby Krackle bass player SCOTT ANDREW is opening for me and kicking the evening off sexy as only he can at 8:30 with his fun up-tempo songs and infectious laugh. I'll be drawing the set from my solo material and all my albums over the past 5 years including Laymans Terms, Collider, and Kirby Krackle. Maybe even a few few choice covers to get your Stipe on. If you have never been to the cafe before, it's a fun place where dogs are allowed and where I feel lies the best bottled beer selection in the city. The sandwiches are grub worthy as well. I like to consider it one of my hangouts so it's kinda like doing a show in my living room, minus the whole taking your shoes off and leaving a quarter on the hutch. Vacuum bags aren't cheap you know. We did a show there last year the same weekend and it was a blast and packed, so get there a bit early if you want a seat, stool, or strangers lap. I know a few willing to be taken. Not creepy...

This past weekend I was honored to be asked to do the reception music and perform at my friend's Todd and Raechelle Downing's wedding. The wedding took place in West Seattle in a venue called "The Sanctuary". It's a refurbished 1920's home that has gone back and forth it sounds like between being a private residence and a public rental hall. Really old woodwork and seemingly original antique banisters, window frames, and stage gave it a really nice old romantic feeling much like a movie. That works out good for Todd being a director, and the man behind the camera for many of my performance videos you see on the KK site. When they asked me to write a song for the wedding I wanted to do something that sounded like a lullaby and came up with a song called, "Leave The Light On". Having gone through many things in their lives before meeting each other, I liked the idea of each of them being the others "lighthouse" as they navigate through their lives. It actually turned out to be one of my favorites I've written this year even though it's really simple and not too long...and is on ukulele. Doesn't sound Hawaiian though, more like a music box. I'll be recording it soon and putting it up on my site for ears curious. They even had an artist doing caricatures...

All in all the wedding was magical and filled with love in the air the whole night. There was an incident though that left me wondering if I was really there or in a coma creating it all in my head. Let me explain...

The couple asked me to DJ their wedding (i.e. be the official iPod wrangler) to which I said no problem. They supplied me with a list of songs to grab online if I didn't have them in my collection and after a 2-hour iTunes shopping spree the playlist was complete. Well, almost complete. I needed to start filling in the list so we wouldn't have repeats, and so I started scouring my iPod library for only killer, no filler. Ryan Adams? Check. Replacements? Why not? When all was said and done, I noticed that there wasn't much dance music for the hoochie mommas. Yeah, you know what I'm talking about here. I'm talking about the songs that take a great family party to the next level when the tracks hit; the beats that bring music lovers together regardless of age or musical taste and release dance moves that make you think, "Man, I thought she was a good girl?". We all have an inner freak dancer.

Knowing this, I put together a side dance mix just in case the night went that way but first asked Todd if I could release my secret weapon, Digital Underground's "The Humpty Dance". First released in 1990, the song has always been a sure fire crowd pleaser and something that can't really be followed in a mix. The breaking of a fever if you will. I asked my wedding party masters and was told it wasn't that kinda of party which I understood, but just in case anyone needed a chance to "do the hump", it was there to be had.

Fast forward 3 days later and the post dinner dance party was under way. Todd and Rachelle were on the floor, and the conga line broke out 3 songs in so you knew it was gonna be a fun night. Being the keeping of the iPod, it was my job to take requests from older ladies to "turn it down" followed by 30-somethings asking me to "turn it up" throughout the night. Part of the job mang. Things were going great and then my vice "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" hit the speakers and THE FREAKS CAME OUT. Shoes were off, ties were on the side of dudes heads, and great aunts who thought it was a new Tina Turner single were snapping and smiling. Who doesn't think that's one of the greatest songs of all time?! I digress...
What I'm saying is is that the moment had come to take it to the next level and with submarine-esque evasive maneuvers I ran to The Classic to cue up secret-weapon dance mix.

The wedding DJ who yelled at me in 2002 for requesting Snow's "Informer" cause "He doesn't play that shit" would have been proud. (?). Beyonce was followed by Timberlakes "Sexy Back", followed by Arrested Development's "Tennessee", followed by Naughty By Nature's "O.P.P." followed by Nelly's "Hot in Herre" and so on...

I was running out of booty shakers so I put my hand on Todd's back and asked/yelled in his ear over the music permission to release "Humpty Dance". By this time time I had enjoyed a few of his beverages and and excited to give birth to what I felt like at the time was my "Manhattan Project", my "Ace In The Hole". If I were Steve Jobs it would be my "One More Thing...". Given the ok from the president, I cued up the song knowing that we were reaching the breaking point and something that would be really funny (to me). I pressed play and 5 seconds into the song...

THE DANCE FLOOR CLEARED.

WTF?! Huh? *Pinch*Who doesn't like "The Humpty Dance"?! That's like hating Oprah. It's like hating Christmas cookies cause "they're delicious". It makes no sense.

Above the sliding bass line I could only hear my friend JD laughing and pointing at me, possibly at the wind leaving my deflating sails or at my jaw now laying on the ground. Head down, I took the walk of shame back to my table and looked around in disbelief. People were still having a great time, the party was still one of the best weddings I've been to, but alas no one was singing about "getting busy in a Burger King bathroom" like I had dreamed of. Sipping my Belgian ale and people watching, the song ended to be followed by Simon and Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson" from which the dance party resumed. It appears again that when given the chance, Garfunkel trumps Tupac (did you know he was in that group?) every time. The universe is a tricky mistress, and this young jedi has much to learn...

This weekend I'm on the road with EXPLONE for a few dates in Roslyn, WA and Moscow, Idaho. Check their site for details! It will be cold, and it will rock.

Pronounced with an Umpty,

KS

On Point (Trying). Issue #126

2009-11-04T08:16:00.000-08:00

My life feels a bit like summer camp lately. Every day I get up, feed the dog, take a shower, and clock in for geek rock merit badge at 10:00 AM with Jim as he and I have been working hard to finish the writing for the new Kirby Krackle disc due out in early 2010.

Last year, we had a pretty lax schedule with writing the debut album since we started in February 2008, and really didn't have any responsibilities with the band other than we knew it had to be done 9 months later in December. This year with all the conventions, shows, and goings on we had a bit of a late start even though we knew basically what we wanted to do and a road map for the second album. The only difference this time was that we had the possible self-inflicted curse of over analyzing the process and the songs; something that was absent on the first disc if only because we had no idea how it would be received. Because of that I felt the album had a kinda freshness that worked well for us in our travels this year. So, what I'm trying to say is how were we supposed to sound like we "didn't care" again when we obviously do? Yeah, tell me if you know cause we don't, but upon solidifying the track list yesterday (whoo hoo!) I'm crazy excited to lay these songs down in the first week of December. Don Gunn will be co-producing the album this time with us after we gelled working on "Ring Capacity" and "Going Home"; both summer singles the KK put out in the summer and early fall. It was really important for me to make this disc the most hard rocking album I'd ever recorded (even more than Collider), but still fun and light-hearted in essence. If these rough versions are any indication, I'm thinking that's just what it will be. Excited! Mucho!

The rest of the month is getting our live band up to speed with the arrangements to take them into the studio as well. I decided to leave the drums and keyboards up to those who actually play them as their main instrument...what a concept, huh? More on this as it develops...

Hope everyone had a good Halloween! Me? I laid low and watched "Blood Diamond". Scary in and unto itself. No trips to Africa in my near future even though I'm 1/8 African American. No, I'm not joking. Seriously. Enjoy my friends Reuben and Lita as they joined up as the newest members of the Dharma Initiative! One season left, and then it's new jobs for them.

This is not Rick James, it's one of the past kings of Sweden. Confused? Me too.

On Sunday, I took a trek down to the Farmers Market in Ballard for a little home-grown goodness and bad white boy dreads. Luckily, the goodness eclipsed the scent of patchouli but I digress. Something about the vendor displays really struck me this time and made me unusually excited to eat a radish and/or a carrot. It had a really old-school vibe and everyone seemed happy on a crisp fall day. Even the guy screaming in the alley. Those were screams of joy. Also, a warning that blueberry vinegar samples, no matter how small, will peel your gums off. Learn from my mistakes. I also

This weekend I will be performing and DJ-ing at my friend Todd's wedding. DJ-ing is a loose term for an iPod operator but even the guy who writes down license plates in the parking garage has to take pride in his work. We all need a task, and if mine is pressing PLAY while scarfing down some risotto then I'm into it fully! I'm sure it will be a beautiful ceremony based around a beautiful meeting of two very cool people.
I love weddings.

Put em up in the air and wave em like you just don't care,

KS

Mish Mash. Issue #125

2009-10-28T16:01:00.000-07:00

I had a fun a relaxed birthday weeked filled with friends both local and visiting, and it was exactly what I needed. Been a while since I had a lazy weekend and mostly ate a lot and vegged around. Kudos (?) to Darci and Nikki for vandalizing my yard in the middle of the night again this year with a mix of streamers, plexi-forks lined up like spears, and inflated balloons. Always fun to practice my stabbing techniques on. Thanks for all the well wishes on the Twitters and The Facebooks. Made for fun reading and felt loved...even had a pie made for me. Good times. :)

The freakishness you see below is a puppet I had made for Kirby Krackle partner Jim by our friends Vicki and Britt, AKA..Uterus Parade. I am a big fan of their skillz and asked them to make a character stuffed "Jim" for his birthday and they knocked it out of the park. After responding to my initial offer with the comment, "This is the douchiest thing we've ever been asked to do...how does ($) sound?", I was happy they were up to the job. The quality of design and stuffing is really amazing and please let me know if anyone else would like to get in touch with them regarding custom work. I was really happy with it and we got a lot of laughs from it. And to answer the girl's follow-up question; no, I didn't make out with it. The End.

Two new performance situations kicked off for me last week. First off, I'll be at Willows Lodge every other Wednesday as a residency through the rest of the year. I play from 5:00-8:00 (happy hour), and will be drawing from all my material in the solo acoustic format. I had a lot of fun this past Wednesday and my next appearance at Willows will be November 4th...

Secondly, on Thursday I made my debut with EXPLONE as their second on-stage guitarist; kind of a "Edgar Martinez" utility man to headcoach Patrick Porter's "Lou Pinella". That's still my Mariners...

Anyways, I've been a fan of Patrick's songs and his work with Explone for years and when he told me he was thinking of expanding his stage sound I told him first, "You're an idiot" (meaning as a fan I didn't want him to take away from his already gorgeous trio sound), followed by, "But if you do it, I want to be the guy". :)
Luckily for me he asked me to step in and the show was a blast. A good experience for me to have a whirlwind learning session up until the show, and to play guitar focused without having to sing for a change. Twice the jumps, and twice the ibuprofen the next day was how it all went down. Fun guys, and fun songs to play. What else do you need?

This week brings finishing a lot of the writing for the new KIRBY KRACKLE album to be recorded in the first week of December, and other random bits I'll go over next week. Still resisting turning on the furnace? I gave up. Weather change is a tempting mistress...

Brrrr...,

KS

Thanks 20's or What It's Like To Realize You Didn't Know Crap. Issue #124

2009-10-20T09:50:00.000-07:00

This Sunday the 25th I say goodbye to my 20's. Most of the friends I know who have been hitting the same milestone have been bummed about their impending decade shift. Not me. I'm strangely looking forward to it, and though really just a number (R.I.P Aaliyah/Baby Girl), it's been a chance to take a look back to see what it was I did with my time...if anything.

Hmmmm...the obvious things that jump out at me are the adventures in music and art that I've been lucky enough to have. Laymans Terms took me from age 13 to age 24, so quarter-life crisis set in early with the former ending. That was a big milestone and a delayed partial end of youth. I took a break from music but was fortunate enough to get back into it with encouragement from family/friends. To them I am grateful. I had wonderful opportunities to travel that I never had dreamed of...many parts of Canada, Arkansas, Mexico, New York. Maybe not life-changing to others, but I didn't think such travels would come my way, many of which have been a result of my work in the past year with Kirby Krackle. I had great family and friends who exposed me early in my 20's to the power of positive thought, meditation, and manifestation which I know created opportunities that otherwise I wouldn't have had. I learned empathy. I never earned a college degree but like to think I have an A.A. in Rock n Roll...and bullshitting. I made nine albums in my 20's, some of which may not stand the test of time but all of which have led me to make the next one better, and the next better after that. I learned what it was to love an animal more than you ever thought you could. I learned to cook. I was married.

Maybe more important than what I feel I "did", was what I thought I knew 10 years ago...and really that wasn't much of anything; certainly much less that I thought I did. If Doc Brown flew up to me today and said I had the chance to help my 20 year-old self out, I would like to think I would say the following...Well, first I'd say, "That is a dope Dolorean!", but then I hope the following non-sagey advice would spill out...

...The one time you don't take a 2nd guitar to a show is the one time you'll break a string and be screwed. EVERY TIME. I know it's a pain...JUST DO IT...

...DO NOT sell your action figures from the 80's. The cycle will return...

...It is better to go big and fail than do nothing at all...

...learn how to shut your mouth...

...learn how to open it...

...Take more poop bags on the walk than you think you'll need...

...It's never wrong to try to develop super-powers, but maybe take a break when your nose starts to bleed, and neighbors start to stare...

...Musicians are crazy, but then so are you. Embrace the craziness of others, just know when to tell it and them to leave...

...Work hard and love hard, even if the end result is unknown...

...Keep wearing your retainer...retainers are sexy...

...Just because you see the best potential in people doesn't mean it will ever come out. Don't take it personally...

...DON'T TAKE IT PERSONALLY!

...If your gut is telling you something, you better learn to pay attention. Equally related, you may want to stop eating red meat...

...Don't pick at it...

...there is no end to any kind of relationship. It just changes but nothing ever ends...

...Who cares if you can't solo all that well? People want songs they can relate to and hum, not shreddy 32-second notes...

...If she has an Adam's apple...(just kidding)...

...Spend more time with your grandparents. What homemade cookies and canned peaches seem like normal now will one day be more prized than you could ever imagine...

...Trust yourself more...

...make sure your amp is grounded. Bzzz. OW....

...You probably wont listen to me...that's fine. Have fun...DUMBASS.

Thankful to be here,

KS

Except When You Don't. Because Sometimes, You Won't. Issue #123

2009-10-12T10:58:00.000-07:00

I was rearranging my lair the other day when I found the Dr. Seuss classic, "Oh, The Places You'll Go" in a tucked away place. When I was a younger I was a big fan of the "Seuss" (not the "Hoff"), and so I opened it up and sat down to read it as an adult. For the first time in a long time, it seemed more than an easy go-to and overused addition to a graduation ceremony speech. Maybe it's due to some recent big life changes and some perspective shifting books I've been reading lately, but this said something to me completely different than it ever had previously. Read up on these 12 font vitamins. This guy knew the stuff to know...

"OH, THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!"

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care.
About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any
you'll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you'll head straight out of town.

It's opener there
in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.

And then things start to happen,
don't worry. Don't stew.
Just go right along.
You'll start happening too.

OH!
THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!

You'll be on y our way up!
You'll be seeing great sights!
You'll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.

You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.
You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you'll be best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don't.
Because, sometimes, you won't.

I'm sorry to say so
but, sadly, it's true
that Bang-ups
and Hang-ups
can happen to you.

You can get all hung up
in a prickle-ly perch.
And your gang will fly on.
You'll be left in a Lurch.

You'll come down from the Lurch
with an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then,
that you'll be in a Slump.

And when you're in a Slump,
you're not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself
is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted. But mostly they're darked.
A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And IF you go in, should you turn left or right...
or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?
Or go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused
that you'll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles cross weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place...

...for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or the waiting around for a Yes or No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for the wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.

NO!
That's not for you!

Somehow you'll escape
all that waiting and staying
You'll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.

With banner flip-flapping,
once more you'll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you're that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored. There are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame! You'll be as famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don't
Because, sometimes they won't.

I'm afraid that some times
you'll play lonely games too.
Games you can't win
'cause you'll play against you.

All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something
you'll be quite a lot.

And when you're alone, there's a very good chance
you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.

But on you will go
though the weather be foul.
On you will go
though your enemies prowl.
On you will go
though the Hakken-Kraks howl.
Onward up many
a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.

On and on you will hike,
And I know you'll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.

You'll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never foget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

So...
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,
You're off the Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!

KS

Long Beach Comic Con. Issue #122

2009-10-06T19:00:00.001-07:00

Soooooooooo much drama in the LBC. Well, not this weekend when the Kirby Krackle made our last convention appearance of the year before hunkering down to record our new album this fall.

Jim and I flew into the Long Beach airport last Friday morning fueled on a mix of cinnamon pretzels, hopes, and dreams. After checking into the hotel (which was surprisingly swanky), we made our way to set up the KK booth for the few hours the show was open that late afternoon. It's always nice catch up with the familiar faces in other artists, writers, and hardcore fan goers we've seen again and again all around North America. It's like a traveling circus where you realize you've seen these people in more cities that you've traveled to with your family or closest friends. Everyone has a mutual respect cause everyone is there for the same thing...they love comics...and selling stuff. Let's be honest here. :)

Late that night, Neslon, Bryce, and Scott (the KK live backing band) flew in and we all caught some food before catching the big day ahead and the concert we were planned to rock that next evening.

Jim and I sold albums, shirts, and chatted with awesome fans both new (including Conan O'Brein show regular Pierre Bernard) and old all day. The guys drank beers by the pool, took naps, and relaxed. Is there a problem with this picture? I'm glad it was a vacation for them, and I think it's safe to say we were all excited to be rocking that night in a foreign city.

The concert was great, we had a lot of fans there who knew the songs inside and out, and even had an opening band that dressed up in full sasquatch regalia. "The Abominable Frontman, "Bass-quatch", and "Sascrotch" were monikers the members went by...Harry never did play solos quite as good.

My mom, sister, and bro-in-law also flew into town to see us play and it was dope to have all my favorite people head out to dinner and drinks together afterward. The convention rented all of our equipment for us, so no teardown was necessary. I could get used to that...

The vibe on the last day (Sunday) felt like the last day of Senior year...not absent, but knowing the end of an era (touring under the debut album) was here. This disc took us to cities I have never seen and experiences I had always wondered if I would ever have. I met friends and made lasting relationships that I have taken home with me, and with this show being no exception met cool people and had great times. There's something really great that happens when you have a bunch of people come together around positive art, music, and stories.

That's what it's all about, right?

Hell yes it is,

KS

Hubbard Homestead. Issue #121

2009-09-29T16:21:00.000-07:00

Good stuff happened last week, most importantly the groundbreaking of "Hubbard Homestead Park" named after my family. This was really cool in a kind of full-circle movie kinda way. Let me explain...

If you're familiar with the north end area of Seattle, then you can probably picture the park and ride behind the Northgate Target/Best Buy complex. It's been there for years, and became less and less used over the past 15 ever since the new park and ride went in on the south end of Northgate mall. Well, right where the Target park and ride is is where my grandfather was raised in a place called "Hubbard Homestead". This is where his father was also raised, and so on...long before any freeway existed and "Target" was something you shot your slingshot at as the hot entertainment of the day. Damn, we all have ADD now...

Anyways, when my grandpa met my grandmother and had my mom and aunts they picked the house up (literally on the back of a big ass truck) and moved it a mile away to where they still reside. Years later, the park and ride was poured in the mid-70's. Fast forward to little over a year ago when my aunt Shaun caught word that the city of Seattle was planning on putting a public park in that very spot that my family had called home for so many years and generations before. Knowing the significance of the area to my grandpa, she got in touch with the city and luckily was greeted with open arms as people in charge began to realize gramps one of the few people still around that knew what the land looked like under the asphalt. My Grandpa lobbied heavily that they open up the creek residing below that he and his siblings had enjoyed for so many years, and that's exactly what they're going to do. A month ago we caught word of the news of a ground breaking ceremony, and soon after that it would be named after our family. It was really cool. My grandpa was in his glory, visually proud, and it was great day. The mayor (Greg Nickels) spoke (I met him, nice guy), and gramps got to give a speech. I sat there for a moment amazed at the series of events that had led to this day and wondered if in his wildest dreams as a little guy if he ever could imagined it. I'm sure not. Very random and very fulfilling I can imagine for a man in his golden years. Magic stuff.

Speaking of magic stuff, the Pearl Jam concert was just what my cilia needed; something worth it in spades to remind them that their life is short but justified. Not much to say other that the whole night ruled. Reuben got to catch his first PJ show, we worked the free food and VIP angle to the extreme, and wish my other gift-giver Jim could have seen it too. Didn't get pulled out of the crowd to do a song again...damn. Next time! ;)

Other highlight of the week was delving mouth first into more Seattle street food. Not my usual fare of picking half-eaten Good N' Plentys off the street mind you, but more finally getting my maw on a pulled pork sandwich from MAXIMUS in downtown Seattle. In my next life, my first high school car will look like this. Could be possible now, maybe I'm just thinking too small. Yeah, that's a big ass pig car. Amazing looking up close and rivaling the sweet Tamarind soaked and cilantro topped pulled pork sandwich. Throw in a crispy and hot side of mixed thinly-sliced beets/green beans and IT'S ON. Cheap at $6.45 a sandwich, but make sure you spring the extra buck for a topping of Beecher's cheese. Nomnomnomnomnomnom...suddenly tonight's frozen burrito is looking sorry.

Lastly, this weekend is the final comic-con for KIRBY KRACKLE in Long Beach, CA. It'll be a great end to a 7 convention year as the band is being flown down so we can rock the HERO INITIATIVE charity benefit on Saturday night. Family is coming in from Hawaii and L.A. for the show so that will be really nice. This time we've got new T-Shirts, buttons and we'll be handing out 1000 download cards for "Going Home", the single we recorded as an exclusive for the organizers last month. Disturbed by the picture below? Good, the ladies in "Uterus Parade" would be happy. It made my mom really proud, and Jim's was astounded by his newly developed art skills as described. It's also my first time performing in California in 7 years so maybe that one drunk guy who kept yelling at me to "Shut Da Hell Up!" in Oakland will be there. Dreams can come true, you know...

They can,

KS

Evasive Maneuvers! Issue #120

2009-09-21T10:48:00.000-07:00

Evasive maneuvers! Evasive Maneuvers! *squawk! squawk* (that's a warning siren) *tap tap tap tap klang klang* (That's Sean Connery running through the halls), etc...

Yeah, you guessed it right, that's submarine lingo for when things are needing to be remedied. I know from the week I've spent on one. Well, not a week solid. If you added up the combined time of every school days field trip I've visited one, it would be around that much time. Basically, I know what I'm talking about, okay?

This week's entry is called "Evasive Maneuvers" because that is what needs to go down to avoid what I feel has been creeping up and something that I knew I'd talk about eventually here. What is that?

Writer's Block.

Or more accurately, the heading in the direction of that big monster in the sea of creative type wackiness. It can be avoided I think, but sneaky ninja moves will be needed get me out the tractor beam of it's Death Star like pull. That's for the nerds who read this. You're welcome.

First off, I don't believe it the concept of "writer's block". I don't remember who is was that said it (too lazy to look it up), but it's the famous quote of "writers write" that I think sums up the need to put gravel on this slippery slope I find myself starting down. A combo of personal life stresses at the moment and the feeling like I "need" to write the best album of my life (the new Kirby Krackle disc) have got me in trapped like a deer in headlights (from a guy in a small penis truck probably). I don't have the "block" per say; the act of sitting there and being unable to do anything but drool, but more like whatever I do I think sounds like crap. That may be true, that may not be true. Still, something is not clicking that's needs to (and fast) and it's time to do something about it.

That said, I'm hoping that two things going on this week will bring me from the edge into newly found creativity...

First off, PEARL JAM concert on Tuesday 9/22. I've already done my love letter to PJ blog (see here) last year, so you know I'm more than psyched for this show. My birthday isn't until October 25th, but my good friend Reuben and KK conspirator Jim gave me an advance 30th birthday present that blew me away...2 tix to a VIP party before the show and then floor seats. Reuben is tag teaming the night with me and it's going to rule. No doubt the rock will be brought with a hellish fury of distortion and melody, and I hope it's a lethal injection of inspiration. I've followed these guys not as a psycho fan (really), but more as a student my whole life and now just feels like the time to be inspired again. Can't wait, and can't wait to share pictues from the night. Thanks Jim and Reuben. :)

Secondly, I'm going back to basics (not the Christina Aguilera record).
What that means is I've been compiling a playlist of the songs that inspired me to be an artist and continue to blow my mind today. The idea is I'm going to listen to this playlist religiously with hopes to click into the heart place and bring out the some winners. Part dramatic high school teenager, part maybe the best experiment I've ever done...I'm into the idea that something cool can come from this. The nominees are...

JEFF BUCKLEY "Eternal Life"
TEMPLE OF THE DOG "Say Hello To Heaven"
OASIS "Live Forever"
INDIGO GIRLS "Least Complicated"
WEEZER "My Name Is Jonas"
CROWDED HOUSE "Don't Dream It's Over"
LIVE "White Discussion"
STONE TEMPLE PILOTS "Vasoline"
SOUNDGARDEN "My Wave"
NATALIE MERCHANT "Carnival"
R.E.M. "What's The Frequency, Kenneth?"
BETTER THAN EZRA "In The Blood"
U2 "Lemon"
PEARL JAM "Animal"
FIONA APPLE "Never Is A Promise"
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE "Bulls On Parade"
COUNTING CROWS "Round Here"

That looks like a solid list to me. Can you tell when I grew up? Nope, didn't think so...

Looking at the list you would think that the sound I'm going for is that of a middle-aged lesbian from Ireland that relocated to Seattle with dreads, a Les Paul, of a militant mind, and with severe daddy issues. Really, that's not a bad mix. Again, this isn't to recreate these songs but more of a "trip out to the woods" for a week to reconnect. It'll be interesting to see what comes out of this...

Before I go, feel free to check out the new coat of paint at kylestevensmusic.com. Not a complete overhaul, but way more user friendly and specially more enjoyable for social networking freaks like you(?)...and me. :) Equivalent to Apple's "Snow Leopard", but I'm not charging you $29 bucks for it...yet.

See you on the other side of a self induced serving of tinnitus,

KS

Fairy Tales. Issue #119

2009-09-15T19:58:00.001-07:00

Ever since I was little, I've been in love with the idea of being involved with a "movement" in rock n' roll. Call it ingrained in me as a 11 year-old kid growing up in the Seattle suburbs during the "grunge" movement in the early 90's, but the idea has always been exciting to me. Starting a band in my early teens with my best friends I bought fully into the idea that the fairy tale of making it with those people was the "only way" that my career in music would work for me. Obviously, I didn't know what I was talking about and since then have had so many twists and turns that I would never have imagined that have both bummed me out, and later on blown my mind with the opportunities they had created for me in the process. You can watch any 3 out of 5 VH! "Behind The Music" episodes and you'll have someone say that that they "knew" a "movement" was happening when it was. I call BS on that. Hindsight is always 20/20 and it sounds great to say you were that tuned in to what was happening at the time, but more often than not I don't buy it.

What I'm trying to say is that at last week's KIRBY KRACKLE show with BEEFY at The Highdive, I felt for the first time the potential starting of being a part of something that for the longest time was very important to me; the mythical fairy tale of rock n' roll when things line up at the right place at the right time and a grouping of like minded groups all moving forward in a new way simultaneously. Dare I say I feel a movement of northwest nerdcore/geek rock? We'll see, but the possibility is more than present. Maybe that sounds douchey, but I'll risk it to be honest and that's what this blog is about; to chronicle all angles of this adventure. For the past year the trip through the development of KK has not only been the most fun I've ever had professionally, but the most fun I've ever had in music period; music for the sake of fun first, and maybe for that reason has led to the most commercially successful a project of mine has been. Definitely something to think about when approaching life in general...what happens when you put the joy of something first.

Though the KK show at Highdive wasn't nearly as packed last months Showbox show...the air had a special and good feeling swirling around. People sang along (still blows my mind), and even some guys dancing. So cool. Beefy started the night off with his unique brand of nerdcore-rap; an audience directed dialogue about gamer-girls and videogame frustrations. If we have the comic fanboy set tagged; he owns digital nerd fanbase through and through. It was the first time we had shared the stage with a fellow nerdcore/geek rock artist and the mutual loved flowed from the stage to the beer taps to the urinals and everywhere in between. Jim and I were proud to be on a bill with him and even prouder to have him guest-spot on our closing song, "Ring Capacity". RC has been really good to the band since we gave it away as an email list enticing summer-single, and it was great to have Beefy take the chorus with us. See below...

What next? I've got the new KK album to finish writing before we hit the studio for a week in November. I've kind of been uninspired musically (happens when stress gets in there) and so to attempt to remedy that I've been painting/reading new books/learning new things to see if that stirs the creative juices. Hopefully, I'll get a kick in the butt and step up the game soon. October is always a good month for me (don't subscribe to astrology all that much but I'm a Scorpio so that's got to mean something), and I hope good sounds come from that. Multiple factors working in the favor here...(cross fingers).

"Instincts usually tell you what to do long before your head has it figured out..." -Michael Burke

KS

KIRBY KRACKLE Debuts LBCC Exclusive Single, "Going Home". Issue #118

2009-09-08T16:30:00.000-07:00

First off, how is everybody? If you're like me, you're digging the feeling of summer coming to an end (where did it go?) and seeing the official transition into fall as the local microbreweries hit the shelves with their "Pumpkin Ale" offerings for 2009. I usually wait for October to partake in the nutmeg-iness, but this fall all rules are out the window...crazy I know, some would say edgy even...

This week KIRBY KRACKLE debuts the song that we recorded for the Long Beach Comic Con a few weeks back (you may remember the pictures). The song is called "Going Home", and documents our road trips to the different conventions over the past year as a nice cap musically and final offering single-wise for 2009. We were commissioned to do the song about anything we wanted subject wise, but it was a nice coincidence that it ended up being about a convention without pandering or being the show's "theme". First and foremost we're fans, and hopefully other fans like us can relate to the story. You can hear it via the player below, and also via our official site at kirbykracklemusic.com.

How do you get it? Well, since it's a convention exclusive only the fist 1000 attendees who want it at the convention receive it, but otherwise listen away for free. A ghost told me it won't always be unavailable though...

If you follow my twitter or facebook feed, you know by now that I didn't go to Hawaii to open up for Norah Jones due to the concert being canceled. Disappointing? Yes. That's showbiz, baby?? Yep. It's ok though, and I was able to take care of some stuff I needed to do in the meantime like paint, catch up with friends, and sort cherry tomatoes with my grandma. (?)
I hate tomatoes, but for some reason hers are like candy. The seniors and I do well together.

Last Friday, I received a call from good buddy TJ Sherrill to see if I could help him out accompanying him at his weekly gig at Willows Lodge winery. I didn't have enough time to learn the songs on guitar, but I could play drums for him no problem and luckily he let me keep the beats without yelling at me...too much. I don't play drums that often, but I'm competent with a simple trap-kit set up as long as I know how the songs go.

After seeing him many times over the past 5 years I felt good about pulling it off and I had a blast. Me in the corner with my skinny arms wailing away sipping on an expensive scotch was not I thought I'd be doing Friday (thought it would be more like lilikoi juice on Waikiki), but it was perfect. Good times!

This Thursday KK will be nerd-rocking the Highdive in Fremont with a 9:00 show. This show is not to be missed and will be a very, very fun night if you can make it! Opening for KK will be local nerdcore rapper BEEFY. He's great, and we're lucky to be sharing the stage with him. I'm also thankful to have my uncle Gary fill in on bass for this show in place of out-of-town regular bassist Scott. Gary taught me everything I know foundation wise for music, and it's going to be a trip to finally share a stage with him after 17 years of jamming at the house. It's gonna be a blast, and he's gonna blow the low end out.

That means, "he's good". :)

Check yourself before you wreck yourself,

KS

Toronto Fan Expo. Issue # 117

2009-09-01T09:37:00.000-07:00

Toronto. Home of the Blue Jays, Our Lady Peace (one of my favorite bands), and seemingly hordes of girls that like to dress up in raccoon ears. I don't pretend to get it, I just write songs...

Jim and I took the KK caravan of tricks to "The Queen City" for 3 days of hustle and our second appearance at a Canadian show. We had our best single selling day ever on Saturday, and ran out of albums on Sunday with 6 hours left in the show. That was a first both cool and annoying, but that way we got to walk around for once and check all the great goods and art. Felt good to get the juices back after a lackluster showing at San Diego and once again saw how Canadians get their "beyond nice" rep. It was great to catch up with the NYC Marvel gang again on Saturday night, see artist friends Laurie B. and Kandrix, and enjoy some fine local micro-brews I had never tasted. Alexander Keiths = good stuff. I also saw Spock! Looking good Leonard...

You never know who will be in the booth next to you at these conventions, but we were entertained all weekend by the ladies from UTERUS PARADE. Yes, you read that right. They create cute home crafted mini-comics about their adventures both real and made up, and sew crazy octopus plushy things with evil eyes. Awesome. They also drew us a picture of an endowed guitar which I can't post here (gotta protect the kiddies), but lets just say it takes a lot to set me back...which they did. Score one for them.

Because Jim is media whore (and that's why I love ya you big Greek bear), he managed to corner the film crew from CTV; the local news program that was doing a piece on the show. Being graced with the gift of gab, he set them up with a great interview that was aired that night. All weekend we had folks come up to us after having seen the spot and it was a lot of fun. You can follow the link below and we are featured at the 16:20 mark.

Only one more convention left of the year and it's gonna go off with a bang! For the weekend of October 3rd-5th the Long Beach Comic Con is flying the full band down for a big rock show benefiting the HERO INITIATIVE, a charity that helps out retired comic creative types needing funds for medical services. It's gonna feel really good to be involved with it and I'm really excited for a big rock California adventure.

Speaking of adventure (but maybe not the rock), I'll be leaving tomorrow morning for Hawaii to open for Norah Jones in the solo acoustic format. Been a while since I've performed my solo stuff since KK has been in my direct line of sight for the past months so I'm looking forward to busting those tunes out. The beach better be giving out sunglasses though...the pale white devil is on his way.

"Chaos is a friend of mine." - Bob Dylan

KS

How to Rock At 8:00 AM. Issue #116

2009-08-26T08:22:00.001-07:00

This past weekend Jim, the Kirby Krackle live band, and I went into the studio to lay down a song we were commissioned to write and record for the Long Beach Comic Con. I'll post the song in a few weeks, but I'm really happy with the way it turned out and plan on using it for the new album to be released in January/February as well. It's the 2nd time the live band and we have gone into the studio and had the goal of knocking out one finished song in 12 hours. There's check points that I've found we need to be at for certain points during the day but surprisingly we made it happen again without it sounding like a rush job. Pretty old-school feeling and can't believe they used to do that in one day for 10 songs. Wow.

Stylistically, I can already tell this next album will be a lot harder edged but still very melodic and fun like the last album. Think harder Ryan Adams meets Foo Fighters meets Flight Of The Conchords and that'll give you a more accurate idea. Bryce our keyboardist and Nelson our drummer are really helping raise the bar and the chemistry between all of us is at a really good place in understanding the roles we each have. Nelson keeps the beats deep and heavy, Bryce thinks of rhythms I never have, and Jim makes fun of me when I have to do a guitar take 20 times. We all have our roles...

This weekend KK heads to the FAN EXPO in Toronto, another city that I've never been too. We'll be there for 5 days and though I probably won't be able to see the city in the day like other conventions, I hope to experience some of what I've heard about the fun Toronto nightlife. And when I mean nightlife, I mean hopefully TCBY is open past 10...

When we return to Seattle, I'm on a plane two days later to open up for Norah Jones in Hawaii for the state writers conference. I'm pretty excited about that, and definitely have a few butterflies to work out before then. Will Ravi Shankar be there? Hmmmmm.

I've posted a few videos so you can see some of what happens in the sessions. It's not really coke and strippers as much as it's Naked Juice, skinny white legs and Doritos. We all have our vices...

See you if I return from Canada!

"You can do it, put your ass into it." - Ice Cube

KS

Shootin' Up. Issue #115

2009-08-18T10:33:00.000-07:00

Not what it sounds like, though I realize it's believable due the fact I exemplify the rock n' roll lifestyle of hard living and debauchery. Oh excuse me...my cup of mint-chamomile just got done steeping. I'll be right back...

Ok, like I was saying about this week's blog title it more appeals to the fact I've been taking a lot of pictures this past week mostly cause I got a little obsessed with a new iPhone app called "Shake-it Photo. It's a Polaroid simulator that converts your mobile photos on the spot, even having you "shake" the photo to watch it develop. I think it's kinda genius, and the results are at least to my non-photo snob eye pretty cool looking. Picture of a toothbrush with a normal filter? BORING. Like a Polaroid? Cinematic?

Either way, for someone who has always wanted one but was to lazy to actually buy it...this is a 99-cent dream. Fun stuff and all the pictures in this week's entry use it.

I started trying to prepare healthy meals again this week, mostly due to the fact my system seems a bit off from stress. When LAYMANS TERMS broke up 5 years ago, I started to channel my creative juices into learning how to cook with my newly found block of free time. From BBQ to a disgusting (but Sunset mag endorsed) Cantelope soup, I tried my hand at eating well at home for a while until life started to get busy again thankfully. I don't eat like crap, but I can't say my body is a temple of raw foods. This week I tried a dish of rutabaga-turnip-parsnip pork loin with rosemary infused in it. Didn't taste as fancy as it may sound, but I think I'm gonna start experimenting again with stuff so if you have cool recipes for the kitchen novice please pass them my way! Betty Crocker can step...

I went to see TJ Sherrill play Friday at Willows Creek Winery in Woodinville. Kirby Krackle keyboardist Bryce also plays with TJ, and it was cool to hear them flesh out more and more the new songs on TJ's soon to be recorded 2nd album. He and I have been getting together occasionally and throwing around ideas for it and I think it's going to kick ass. Great songs and and definitely the next level sound for him.

This weekend I head into the studio with KK for the first recording date set to put the new album down on tape. Jim and I started down the dubious yet exciting task last week of writing for the new album and after a few days of staring at a blank screen we're starting to find our groove. The mantra of the sessions is "we can only get in our way", which is true. The "artist thing" is a real dilemma that most creative types face of trying to recreate what worked before, but move forward at the same time in an non-repeating way that evolves but brings your fans with you. It'll mess you up if you think about it too much, so like last album our goal is to write some songs that WE would like to hear and would make US laugh. From the start though we both can see that it's going to be much heavier both in sound and in some topics. It will be interesting to see how it turns out...

Oh, and the winner of the name my FAIL Blog picture contest? That goes to an anonymous (why no name?) entry with the title...."Don't eat the Gyoza."

Ew.

Thanks for all the entries mailed and commented, and see you next week with a studio weekend wrap-up!

"Is this the real life, or is this just fantasy?" -QUEEN

KS

FAIL Blog Submission. Issue #114

2009-08-12T08:36:00.000-07:00

OK, I've been saving this one up for a while (*giggle*,*snort*)...

One of my favorite sites to frequent is called FAIL Blog; a site which features ridiculous photos, print ads, etc, that exist in the real world no matter how hard it is to believe they do. I've wanted to submit this picture for the longest time (about a year) so yesterday finally drove the streets of Shoreline, took the pic, and hopefully you get a chuckle. The only problem is I don't have a caption name for the picture when I submit it.

Will you please done help me out? Leave your best/worst in the comment section below and next week I'll announce the winner!

I only smell 5 sammiches,

KS

San Diego Comic Con Wrap-Up. Issue #113

2009-08-04T15:49:00.000-07:00

SAN DIEGO.

A little over a week ago I flew back from the land of sun, surf, and for beer snobs like me, the home of Stone Brewing Company (didn't visit...*tear*). It's also the home of the biggest comic convention in the world and so you know Jim and I had to take KIRBY KRACKLE there for our coming out party on the international level. That's a nice way of saying...BUY OUR CD NOW. :)

I flew in on a Wednesday to meet Jim, Laurie B., her husband Kandrix, and the crew who had already spent the previous 4 days on a road trip down to the event. That afternoon we grabbed all of our albums and merchandise from the hotel and headed over to the convention center which was conveniently only a few long blocks from the hotel. It seems that someone had forgotten to turn on the A.C. in the place because the moment we stepped out of our minivan in the parking garage/venue we all broke down in sweat and overall grossness for the next few hours while we set up. Not a good way to start the trip but got better. Literally, it had to be 90 something in there. Rant over...

That night was industry preview night which meant Jim worked the room for a while and he and I sold albums to peeps in the biz like us who didn't want to walk around in the hellish (they were INSANE) masses of folks over the next couple of days. This convention is truly 10x's bigger than any other convention in the country and now I believe it after seeing for my first time and years of hearing the legend. I only walked the show floor once, but it literally took me over an hour to get from one end to the other. Amazing! That night after an ok dinner at a late night taco stand we all packed it in pretty early to prep for the next five days.

It took Jim and I a few days to get our convention "sea-legs" back after almost 3 months out of the circuit, but we returned to regular form. The hours fly by, and after all day talking to people and making sure you stay hydrated you learn some tricks. One trick is to change your shoes often. The other trick is that everyone wants to know where the PURELL is. This is due the fact that shaking fanboy's hands all day can get a little sketchy and all it takes is itching your eye after one sweaty hand shake to bring the trip down. This is not a fear of germs thing, this is a life skills/evolution thing. Don't hate the game...

That said, for the next 5 days we sold cd's, interacted with our fans, and met tons of new ones who thankfully made the effort to come by and tell us how much they liked the album after buying it online. We saw some con goers turned fans from San Fransisco from February who actually brought us gifts, some folks who have been graciously spreading the word in Canada for the past few months, and even a fan named Mario who came all the way from Mexico City to say hi to one of his favorite bands. WOW. I felt I had to give him the shop for the love, but he was such a nice guy and it was very humbling and special. I hope I never ever take situations like these for granted, and don't think I will after having worked so hard for many years to start to have experiences like this and hopefully spread joy with my music. As I've stated in previous blogs, the people who enjoy it and share that enthusiasm with us are so fun and amazing that I try to cherish every moment while I'm there. It's a great feeling.

This trip we also tried some new fun things with harnessing technology to take the convention experience to the next level. I love Twitter (@kylestevensband), and after getting my iPhone a month ago came across an app that let's you record video and upload it real time straight from your phone (Twittator Pro). All day we worked hard to provide content via our Twitter blog in the attempt to make fans feel like they were there too, and we had a great time doing it. One of the highlights from the trip was when Jim and I decided to harness this new power with daily contests. Each day we would post a first-come first-serve contest on our page when the show floor opened offering the winner their choice of a free shirt or album once the task was completed. One day, it was to sing the Mario Brothers theme song at the top of your lungs, and the other was to sing "Naked Wii" while slow dancing with Jim like in the video below. Katie and her boyfriend Aaron were great to meet and were good sports letting us film it to post online (Part of the deal)! It was so fun, and to the few people who accused us of maliciously abusing our fans via the contest? TOTALLY.

Many times, many of my non-comic savvy friends will assume that it's just a mass of 1,000's of folks dressed up. Well that's not true, but I'm probably not helping posting the pictures below.

The five days came and went and the crowd changed every day depending on what movie stars were there promoting their new flicks in the 6000 seat panel rooms (Iron Man 2, Twilight, etc...). Most pictures we took were of con-goers dressed up in kick-ass outfits that I'm sure cost a pretty penny and were made with love. Dressing up isn't my thang, but I have much respect for those who decide too and thus provide me with content to share. It's a love thing.

Over all the trip was great and I'm glad we did it while knowing what we'd change for next year's San Diego show to make it even better. Saw a few movie stars walking around (Thomas Jane, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Morgan Spurlock), sold an album to the guy from RENO 911 (shorty-shorts shotgun guy), and ate some of the best BBQ I've ever had (Phil's). We also met with a director that is very interested in filming a video for "NAKED Wii" that will truly be the most ridiculous and fun thing I have to this point made visually. I really hope it happens and I may have to shield by Grandmother from it. Oh never mind, I know she's seen some stuff...

After the convention I stuck around a few days to spend some quality time with the Malek's, my good friends who moved from across the street to SD last summer. Joe, Tiffany, and little Kai were great to have as hosts for the comic overload decompression and to reconnect with. Kai is the cutest and coolest little kid I know, and you may recognize him as the "Little Devil" from my "Sparkle And Fall" video last year. This time he surprised me by being able to sing his favorite KK song on the spot. I may soon need to find a new job...

Be good,

KS