Respect Mang! Issue #45

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

Thanks to everyone who wrote in!

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





First up, Joshua Stearns...

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




Matt Edington (FORCEFIELDS)...

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







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

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




THE TJ SHERRILL BAND...

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

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



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

Take care of each other...

KS

Big Purple Robe. Issue #44

Last summer when I was finishing up the track list for my solo debut E.P., SONGS FROM THE ORANGE ROOM, I was left with one song I wasn't sure if I wanted to include on the disc or not. The song was called "Big Purple Robe". Originally, I had planned to include it but when the time came to master the album I decided last minute to leave it off.

Why?

Well, even though I liked the song I felt that it didn't flow well with the rest of the collection of songs as a whole. I already had my ballad I wanted to include, "This Is Not A Love Song", which along with "BPR" was a sort of "against type" love song which chronicled the sometimes not very easy but none-the-less necessary up-and-downs of being in relationship. With "Love Song", I felt I had already covered the ground I wanted to lyrically and though "BPR" was a solid song in my eyes I thought it might be more of the same.
During the time I wrote the song I was listening to a lot of country and R&B, not so much to become influenced by the styles, but to stay away from comfort zones I might step into writing wise by listening to my usual "Alternative-esque" musical staples.

Though I haven't yet performed this song with the band I did break it out for nearly every show last Fall when I toured with TJ Sherrill, and each night experimented in performing the song in a different style. One night I would play it really slow, and the next really fast in an effort to see if the song might fully realize itself as a different animal, and in hopes I might discover why I hadn't been in love with it as much as my other tunes.
Despite my best efforts, I never came up with something that worked better than what you hear now. I also like it much more now after having taken a few months without listening to it, and will be getting it in shape with the band for the next show.

I chalk it up to an exercise/lesson in trusting my first judgment, and possibly a reinforcement of the old adage, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"!

I hope you enjoy, and please feel free to download this
SONGS FROM THE ORANGE ROOM B-Side..."Big Purple Robe".



"BIG PURPLE ROBE"


Girl, tell me I'm yours tell me you're mine
I know there's bills to pay, and I know it's heavy on your mind.
I don't want to fight, turn off the lights, sit by my side
Oh, we could die today...and I'd hate to miss this moment.


CHORUS:
'Cause something we have has a tendency,
to build up and break like a wave at sea,
and hard as we try it may always be so why don't you put on
your Big Purple Robe...


Oh, my timing is cruel my timing is bad
I know just what to say, I just don't know when to say it
So here, give me your hand it's never so bad
There's always another way...you're never alone when I'm with you.


CHORUS:
'Cause something we have has a tendency,
to build up and break like a wave at sea,
and hard as we try it may always be so why don't you put on
your Big Purple Robe...


KS

Lil' Bro Time. Issue #43

I have a new obsession.

SNOWBOARDING.



My little brother Mateo flew in from Hawaii last Tuesday to visit colleges he may attend in the fall (UW and Western), and to get some good snow time in. When he and my Dad were in town in January, Mandi and I joined them up at Stevens Pass for snowboarding lessons and two days of falling on our asses. Being that it was all our first time trying the sport, it was a lot of work and pretty frustrating with little payoff in the fun department for me. I face-planted so hard that I almost knocked myself out and thought for sure I would be spitting out teeth. I swear that I thought I broke my nose (I did not), but I hit so hard that my nose still hurts. That may be the coke though so who knows...

Either way, this time was different.

We got up at the butt-crack of dawn and sped up there so we would be on the slopes when they opened. The two days we spent in January were super packed with people so we expected some crowds and figured we could get one non-crowded run in.

THERE WAS NO ONE THERE!


Not only that, but it was blue sky (which we heard rarely happens up there) and a blanket of fresh powder coated the runs as we rode the chair lifts with no one in back or ahead of us. It was really amazing to feel like we were the only ones up there for a few hours. Check naked snowboarding off the list...
The only problem was that when we got to the top, we realized we now had to get back down without killing ourselves like last time. Surprisingly, we did pretty good and even started to get a little cocky as the day went on building speed and with Mateo even getting some trick hops in.

The day before we went up to the mountain we stopped in at a boarding shop downtown and picked up helmets that had speakers for ear-flaps and a sub-woofer add on. If you're like me, you've no doubt heard the snowboarding/skating community say that music is 1/2 of the experience. If you saw how I did last time, you might warn me against any added stimulus to my attempts to stay upright, but we decided to go for it and you know what...we actually did better because of it. I think it was the distraction really, and when I wasn't rocking out I realized the sound of going fast was what would freak me out and send me off balance. I guess that makes sense for someone who reacts to sounds in sometimes weird ways (ask my bandmates how they impersonate me when I get excited about a hook), but the music really heightened the experience and made boarding a lot more fun. My suggestion for the music that works best? Well, when Janet Jackson came up in shuffle mode I was skeptical but found myself a full fledged member of the
Rhythm Nation by the time I was done.
Don't knock it until you try it...


Because we're 10 years apart and because he was 8 when my family moved to Hawaii after I graduated high school, it was the first time he and I had really ever spent any long period of one-on-one time together alone since he's been a teenager and has had my mental mindset and capacity (a teenager). Sad to say he'll be leaving me in the dust in that department soon so I have to enjoy the relating while I can...
I'm looking forward to him moving up here, and even though I feel like I've missed out on a lot of his growing up since the family moved, I'm looking forward to him being around for his college years.

Not really much to report on the music end of things this week, and I'm actually glad about that. It was nice to take a break from writing this week and I felt that for the first time in a while I took time to PLAY hard. Sure, performing and writing songs is one of my favorite things in the world, but it was nice to play hard with no purpose or without working towards any results (other than not face-planting). That may sound weird, but I think I realized up there that I need to make more time for stuff like that, and that it fuels the fire for art and being creative in general. Till next season...


Next week...Songs From The Orange Room B-Sides!


KS

"A More Perfect Union". Issue #42

Thank you to everyone who came out for the COLLIDER show and had a good time on Sunday night at the Showxbox Sodo Lounge! The band and I have been getting some really positive feedback on the new material, and I think I even saw some mouths moving in the crowd. That's a good thing, both in that our live songs we put up here have been getting some listens and that it helps me should I forget the words...


The Alex Nackman band flew in from NYC on Saturday night, and set up camp at my place for the weekend. If you've been reading this blog for a while, you probably remember the show we played together in July when they flew in last was the freak weather week where we were claiming highs in the late 90's! It was hot as hell, so you can imagine this time was a much more comfortable situation...

I've included some pictures below of the show, but wanted to keep the text short and sweet this week so anytime you would have spent reading a much longer blog could be spent on watching the video on the top of the page. Last week, Obama gave a speech entitled "A More Perfect Union" on the state of race relations in America that I truly feel should be REQUIRED viewing for any citizen in this country. Regardless of your political preference, this is one of the rare "political" speeches that applies to everyone and our shared humanity. It's a bit long (37 mins.), but very much worth your time as it hits on all angles and is more than fair in the way it addresses one of the more sensitive topics in American culture. Not only does Obama offer perspective on how we can move even more forward towards shared racial understanding, but also offers his unique observances from having been raised in a biracial family environment. If you haven't yet seen it, I hope you feel as inspired as I did afterwards...

Good Stuff,

KS

Hunt For Eggs...Find The ROCK. Issue #41

Hey Everyone! First off, COLLIDER and I will be appearing this Sunday @ The SHOWBOX Sodo Lounge with our good friend ALEX NACKMAN from NYC as he begins his West Coast tour to support his new album, "Still Life Moves". For those of you who missed the last COLLIDER show you can catch this one and feel free to wear your best Spring dress because yes.....it's EASTER! Here's the 411 on the night...


Sunday March 23rd
In the Lounge! Showbox presents
ALEX NACKMAN
COLLIDER - WARREN ACUNCIUS
$10.00 ADV / DOS & at the door
Doors at 8pm - 21+

Showbox SoDo - 1700 1st Avenue South


This morning I had a meeting with the video director for "Sparkle And Fall" Heather Canik to get a look at the 1st rough edit I've had a change to see since the shoot.
I can't wait for everyone to see this! It was pretty surreal to look at all the hours of shooting crammed into 3 minutes and 33 seconds, and we hope to have the final product to view sometime in mid-April!



I spent a good chunk of last week getting in contact with a lot of the major fairs and festivals in the state with hopes of performing at a few this summer when the season starts. Anywhere there's Gyros and strawberry shortcake, you can bet I'll be there and the thought of rocking with the band and having dessert all over my face would surely give me an aneurysm of delight right then and there. Playing outside is the best, and I hope to get a couple of these dates on the calender in the near future.

My friend Matt is strong OBAMA supporter like myself, and finds the time to send me videos he finds in support of the Clinton campaign on The Youtubes. I can't look away from a car crash and so below is my favorite one so far if only because of how awkward it is....cringe-worthy...and subliminally racist. HILLARY CAN'T THINK THIS IS GOOD. It also gave me more reason to not use the word "bling" anymore. Should I have been using it at all? Hmmmm....


I don't know about you but I'm FINALLY really excited about a new R.E.M. release. "Accelerate" is the name of the new album and it's a return for the band to what made them heroes in the first place; good vibes, jangly huge guitars, and the soaring vocal melodies of Michael Stipe and bassist Mike Mills. Ever since drummer Bill Berry left the band, the songs have revolved around electronic sounds and drum machines leaving the albums lifeless and not at all resembling what is one of the best live bands in the world. "Automatic For The People" is a record that greatly influenced what I consider to be the the definition of good melodies in the first place, and I can hear the influence the band has had on my music all time. I can't wait to get my hands on it, and since they say the only thing as Americans we love more than to bring our heroes down is to build them up again so should you.






See you at the Showbox!

KS

Drawing The Life. Issue #40

I've been reading and hearing a lot in the media and from friends who have passed me books lately about the "Power of Intention" which basically states that what you focus on will materialize as your life. Common sense tells us that if you work towards something with intent you will more than likely reach your destination. The "Power of Intention" says that as long and your intent is there, the details will work themselves out as long as your end goal is strong in your mind. As I've looked into it further, I've found that the theory is that our past thoughts actually shape what our lives consist of RIGHT NOW.

This is a pretty powerful thing, and even more powerful if you buy the idea that actually "feeling good" is the generating core of all positivity in our lives, even if feeling good when things aren't may be the hardest thing to do of all.

Dwell on shit? You get shit. Generate good feelings and emit frequencies of positivity? Get more.


I don't want to get preachy or try to sound like I'm spelling it all out (just learning myself), but if anyone is interested in finding out more I suggest checking out "The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire" by Deepak Chopra and "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne.

This isn't religious dogma or the or the 10-Steps of XENU The Lava-God (sorry, Scientologists), but something I wanted to share if anyone is looking for some new thoughts or perspective.


This is life stuff.


Thanks for reading,
Kyle

COLLIDER Debut/ RPM Challenge 2008 Wrap-Up! Issue #39

GRAT-I-TUDE |'grate,t(y)ood|
noun
The quality of being thankful; ready to show appreciation for and to return kindness.
ORIGIN Late Middle English: From Old French, or from medieval Latin gratitudo from Latin gratus 'pleasing, thankful.'



A huge THANK YOU to all the fans who came out to see my new band, COLLIDER, at The SHOWBOX last Saturday for what was one of the biggest shows I have done in recent years. The SHOWBOX is an amazing venue and I appreciate all the feedback I've received on the band and the new songs. As I've stated many times before, COLLIDER is the harder rock outlet for my music and it felt good to crank up the amps in such a great space with everyone's good energy to receive it. We couldn't have asked for a better debut show, and if you missed it and/or want some new music you can check it out and download live Mp3's of the show HERE!
Once you get familiar with them you can join us at our next show on March 23rd for a night with my good friend ALEX NACKMAN (NYC) at The SHOWBOX Sodo Lounge.


Saturday was also the day I shipped my RPM Challenge 2008 album off in the mail thus closing a month of insane recording and songwriting. I say insane because never before had I thought I write and record a whole album (10 songs) in 29 days. What started off as a slow process really picked up halfway through the month as melodies and song ideas started to flood my little brain faster than I could get them down (if you don't believe me, then know that this weeks goal will be to learn HOW TO ACTUALLY PLAY THEM.)
Having no expectations, I can say that it turned out WAY better than I could have hoped it would and gave me some new perspective on what I can achieve in a short period of time with focus (and a lot of pressure)! Surprisingly, I feel that it is some of my best work, and what was to be just for me as an experiment has come together as a group of songs I'm in love with and want to get out to people to enjoy as well. I had no previous plans on getting a new album out so soon after SONGS FROM THE ORANGE ROOM, but I may have to rethink that...I'll keep you posted.

Before I go I want to report that GIGI EDGLEY's new album "...SO IT SEEMS" (which I produced and co-wrote) has finally made it to iTunes! If you haven't yet checked it out, I think you'll like it...


Enjoy the Sun!

KS