After starting to play guitar at 28, I always figured I'd maybe have kids in some 30s age range of the unknown somehow...I got so into guitar (still am) that I seemed to find the key to reverse-aging and didn't think about kids for a while.
And then once I started to feel the bug (ladies...you know...) I always said I'd have kids after I toured a few times. I've driven all over the country thousands of times but this past May of 2010 was the first actual music tour that I've ever done, except for small weekend shows & the like. I spent 3 months preparing for it; saved money, booked everything myself, assembled CD packages with sewn paper, screenprinted shirts and generously took help from anyone who was willing to lend a hand. I did it all solo and it was wonderful.
Little did I know that the night I returned to my awesome husband Patrick in Brooklyn would render such a wish come true...like, really fast! I even returned early due to a Philly show having to be re-scheduled for a later date. So, anyone who pays attention to anything about babies, bodies and timing would be pretty surprised at the circumstances. Yes, and about a month later the news was confirmed! First, by my instinct. Second, by an over-the-counter test. Third, by a doctor. And now, reconfirmed each month when I see my growing belly and my midwife. We are expecting a baby boy on February 24, 2011! We couldn't be happier and dang, I am INTO this nesting thing.
So when Kiam Records' Amy Bezunartea and Jennifer O'Connor asked if I was interested in opening for Amy for a string of dates in support of her new record "Restaurants and Bars" in November, hell yeah!
And so I did the math....I'd be 6 months pregnant...sure....why not? I had seen The Naysayer play while pregnant at Tonic a few years ago and thought to myself "that has got to be the most goddamed beautiful thing I have ever seen...a pregnant lady with an electric guitar onstage". I asked if they would be able to help me carry my gear, of course, they said sure no problem. I'm not supposed to be lifting heavy things, but I know I'll have trouble letting go of my independent nature when it comes to gear.
So this Wednesday Nov. 3 begins our journey...@ The Living Room in Manhattan to celebrate Amy Bezunartea's record release party. I'll have a full band with me this time, yay! My husband Patrick Kauffman on drums, Jeremy Chatzky on bass and Shahzad Ismaily on guitar & percussion!
After the Living Room show, I'll be playing solo for the rest of the 4 other shows. That is just the right amount for me at this point. I will be writing daily (hopefully) the experiences of a pregnant touring solo guitar player. I have to hold my guitar on my right side completely...can't really wear fancy shoes because balance is totally different now while playing, and most important...is it too loud for junior? Would it be any different than going to work everyday while pregnant? Ballet-dancing while pregnant? Assembling tennis balls in a factory while pregnant? Marge from Fargo?
Monday, November 1, 2010
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Purchase "Wild Bones" through Bandcamp
Click Bandcamp to get the "Wild Bones" ep in digital format or a physical-handmade-collaged-sparkly-package-cd with surprise sharks' teeth inside.
Limited edition of 250.
Digital Copy:
$4 binary code love
Physical copy:
$7 handmade love (purchase of cd includes the digital formats for free)
$$ see bandcamp page for shipping
I know...CDs are a graveyard. Couldn't afford vinyl! Wanted to make each CD package different by collaging different elements to each one. There is no line between art & music; they are both one on the same to me. You could pretend it's a tiny record...Anyone interested in doing a split 7"?
See collage process in a different post here
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Teeny Tour Day 9-13 (Milwaukee : Noblesville : Louisville)
Milwaukee:
On the 13th, I got to play the most rad place in Milwaukee; Lynch film meets The Palace Bar in Gpoint. Linneman's is the name and owned by a married couple and their last name is, well....Linneman. It's one of those places where you could drink all night when the snow drifts are high outside and the plow goes by every 20 minutes making that schhhhhcccccccccsccccccccchhh sound outside on the plavement. Perfect and you have no place you have to be so you can just stay there till they kick you out. The owner even offered the empty apartment upstairs s for me to stay in if I needed!
Why I would be dreaming of the cold winter on a day like today (I'm in Atlanta and it is finally warm) is unknown; although after growing up in Florida and never seeing snow till I was 18 prolly made an impact on me actually still liking the snow at this point in my life.
They were playing Don't Look Back up front at the bar and I seriously did not want to leave.
I got up there with the help of one of my new fav bands; The Vega Star. I just recently made their aquaintance through my friend Rebecca from Chicago. Their record "The Night" is incredible from start to finish in it's beautiful melancholy. I'm always drawn to that. Also playing was Lady Cannon; a wonderful songwriter (with a stunning voice) from Idaho yet sorta recently moved to Milwaukee.
She also took these pics too : )
Noblesville:
A quick trip but for a wonderful cause. My friend Kirsten (thanks Chris!!) organized a show at the local coffee shop in her small town called Noblesville (a bit outside of Indy) She coordinated the show to coincide with a Cystic Fibrosis Benefit walk that next day, in honor of a rad 12 year old boy named Fritz Mills who has Cystic Fibrosis. We raised $200 at the coffee house show and every bit counts! My cousin Jamie and our friend Courtney drive up from Louisville and there was even some karaoke in the house w/me on guitar..(heh heh trying hard to be as good as Joe McGinty on live karaoke piano hahaha, uh..i think i need about 100 more years practice) Fritz and his friends drew these awesome drawings and gave them to me after; I'm glad they dug my sound! I was nervous.
Louisville:
I love this town. Amazing old houses that remind me of New Orleans (the few times I visited)...I love Greenpoint, but the dam vinyl siding houses have no comparison. My cousin Jamie lives in theee most awesome house built in 1865. She and her boyfriend Scott took me around town to their fav places and we had a blast. I tried to get a show here....uh, no luck. C'mon Louisville; I got Kentucky blood in me...give a girl a chance next time!
We went to Vernon Lanes and saw Johnny Berry and the Outliers -- was in **awe** of the tele player Steve Cooley. ooooo! they're coming to Bklyn!
Also, when I was at Quimby's in Chicago, this book jumped out at me (duh. lone traveller on a road? motorcycle? bridge? check.) so I bought it; inspires me that someday I'll actually get the guts to compile in some compendium of sorts all of the angry thoughts I really do have inside.
On the 13th, I got to play the most rad place in Milwaukee; Lynch film meets The Palace Bar in Gpoint. Linneman's is the name and owned by a married couple and their last name is, well....Linneman. It's one of those places where you could drink all night when the snow drifts are high outside and the plow goes by every 20 minutes making that schhhhhcccccccccsccccccccchhh sound outside on the plavement. Perfect and you have no place you have to be so you can just stay there till they kick you out. The owner even offered the empty apartment upstairs s for me to stay in if I needed!
Why I would be dreaming of the cold winter on a day like today (I'm in Atlanta and it is finally warm) is unknown; although after growing up in Florida and never seeing snow till I was 18 prolly made an impact on me actually still liking the snow at this point in my life.
They were playing Don't Look Back up front at the bar and I seriously did not want to leave.
I got up there with the help of one of my new fav bands; The Vega Star. I just recently made their aquaintance through my friend Rebecca from Chicago. Their record "The Night" is incredible from start to finish in it's beautiful melancholy. I'm always drawn to that. Also playing was Lady Cannon; a wonderful songwriter (with a stunning voice) from Idaho yet sorta recently moved to Milwaukee.
She also took these pics too : )
Noblesville:
A quick trip but for a wonderful cause. My friend Kirsten (thanks Chris!!) organized a show at the local coffee shop in her small town called Noblesville (a bit outside of Indy) She coordinated the show to coincide with a Cystic Fibrosis Benefit walk that next day, in honor of a rad 12 year old boy named Fritz Mills who has Cystic Fibrosis. We raised $200 at the coffee house show and every bit counts! My cousin Jamie and our friend Courtney drive up from Louisville and there was even some karaoke in the house w/me on guitar..(heh heh trying hard to be as good as Joe McGinty on live karaoke piano hahaha, uh..i think i need about 100 more years practice) Fritz and his friends drew these awesome drawings and gave them to me after; I'm glad they dug my sound! I was nervous.
Louisville:
I love this town. Amazing old houses that remind me of New Orleans (the few times I visited)...I love Greenpoint, but the dam vinyl siding houses have no comparison. My cousin Jamie lives in theee most awesome house built in 1865. She and her boyfriend Scott took me around town to their fav places and we had a blast. I tried to get a show here....uh, no luck. C'mon Louisville; I got Kentucky blood in me...give a girl a chance next time!
We went to Vernon Lanes and saw Johnny Berry and the Outliers -- was in **awe** of the tele player Steve Cooley. ooooo! they're coming to Bklyn!
Also, when I was at Quimby's in Chicago, this book jumped out at me (duh. lone traveller on a road? motorcycle? bridge? check.) so I bought it; inspires me that someday I'll actually get the guts to compile in some compendium of sorts all of the angry thoughts I really do have inside.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Teeny Tour Day 5-8: (Chicago)
god this city rules. green grass in between row houses; i mean enough to plant a substantial garden. you don't have to move into the suburbs to have substantial grass. proof is here!
(yeah, but where's the photo?)
played The Empty Bottle with the solo drone banjo wonderfulness from the encyclopedia of bw psych illustrations and psychwildcrazyheadplanet Plastic Crimewave
and he has a working jukebox with his own choice collection of 45s in it!
the amazing, so amazing, honest and ultimate; her voice makes me tear Angel Olsen
and theee inspiring duo with third eye mysteriousness harmonium tales of fire and snakes Laughing Eye Weeping Eye
And my of my bestest bffs January surprised me by showing up from NY!
and Pierced Arrows was here in the greenroom, so it is officially blessed by the family Cole themsefffs
and don't forget:
no one can make you feel inferior without your consent
Also went to MCA to see a Q&A session with the aforementioned musician / illustrator Plastic Crimewave; he has an "info-strip" of sorts of the Secret History of Chicago Music that runs in the Reader and it is excellent.
Also accompanying the exhibit was a performance by Chicago experimental legend Ono!
(yeah, but where's the photo?)
played The Empty Bottle with the solo drone banjo wonderfulness from the encyclopedia of bw psych illustrations and psychwildcrazyheadplanet Plastic Crimewave
and he has a working jukebox with his own choice collection of 45s in it!
the amazing, so amazing, honest and ultimate; her voice makes me tear Angel Olsen
and theee inspiring duo with third eye mysteriousness harmonium tales of fire and snakes Laughing Eye Weeping Eye
And my of my bestest bffs January surprised me by showing up from NY!
and Pierced Arrows was here in the greenroom, so it is officially blessed by the family Cole themsefffs
and don't forget:
no one can make you feel inferior without your consent
Also went to MCA to see a Q&A session with the aforementioned musician / illustrator Plastic Crimewave; he has an "info-strip" of sorts of the Secret History of Chicago Music that runs in the Reader and it is excellent.
Also accompanying the exhibit was a performance by Chicago experimental legend Ono!
Teeny Tour Day 2-3: Euclid (Cleveland) Ohio
Got to reconnect with a great friend from school; Bethany and her husband Rob!
David Lee Roth hair not intentional
They live about 2 minutes from Lake Erie
in theeee most awesome house with theeee most awesome doorbell
and played Bela Dubby right after a random hail storm??!
but before playing, Bethany took me to the Polka and Softball Hall of Fame
David Lee Roth hair not intentional
They live about 2 minutes from Lake Erie
in theeee most awesome house with theeee most awesome doorbell
and played Bela Dubby right after a random hail storm??!
but before playing, Bethany took me to the Polka and Softball Hall of Fame
Friday, May 7, 2010
Teeny Tour Schedule
Hi friends!
I'd love to put links to each venue / band in this list, but I am typing from a very slow computer and we all love Google, so...some shows are still being worked out so there will be more. I'm in Cleveland right now and saw Lake Erie for the first time yesterday. Lived in Ohio for 5 years and never venured this far north...dunno why....
luv, Kelley!
May 7 - Cleveland / Lakewood, Ohio @ Bela Dubby
w/ Blaka Watra / Noon
9pm
May 10 - Chicago @ The Empty Bottle
w/ Plastic Crimewave solo / Angel Olsen / Laughing Eye Weeping Eye
8pm
May 13 2010 - Milwaukee @ Linneman’s
w/ The Vega Star / Lady Cannon
9pm
May 14 2010 - Noblesville, IN
Noble Coffee and Tea / Cystic Fibrosis Benefit
7pm
May 18 2010 - Atlanta @ WonderRoot
8:30pm
May 22 2010 - Orlando, FL @ Stardust
w/ The Windham Group / Vasti Music
Jun 10 2010 - Philadelphia @ Green Line Cafe
w/ Spiders, The Great Swamp, one more tba
I'd love to put links to each venue / band in this list, but I am typing from a very slow computer and we all love Google, so...some shows are still being worked out so there will be more. I'm in Cleveland right now and saw Lake Erie for the first time yesterday. Lived in Ohio for 5 years and never venured this far north...dunno why....
luv, Kelley!
May 7 - Cleveland / Lakewood, Ohio @ Bela Dubby
w/ Blaka Watra / Noon
9pm
May 10 - Chicago @ The Empty Bottle
w/ Plastic Crimewave solo / Angel Olsen / Laughing Eye Weeping Eye
8pm
May 13 2010 - Milwaukee @ Linneman’s
w/ The Vega Star / Lady Cannon
9pm
May 14 2010 - Noblesville, IN
Noble Coffee and Tea / Cystic Fibrosis Benefit
7pm
May 18 2010 - Atlanta @ WonderRoot
8:30pm
May 22 2010 - Orlando, FL @ Stardust
w/ The Windham Group / Vasti Music
Jun 10 2010 - Philadelphia @ Green Line Cafe
w/ Spiders, The Great Swamp, one more tba
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Shirts!
Shirts are done! These shirts are all one-of-a-kind. They have a fabric shape sewed onto them with a screenprinted illustration that I designed on top. They are all different sizes. Some shirts are also a different and random base color. Thanks forever and ever and ever to DJ January 1963 for her help with these..... I'm selling them for $13 at shows! Come and get one! They will not last!
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