Musician, Freak, Dayjobber, Etc.

Hey you -- out there all alone, sitting naked by the phone -- thanks for dropping by and checking out ye olde Weekly Message(tm). This author thanks you from the bottom of his...things. ONE DOWN: So, last weekend found me and my Tribeca bandmate Dave English deep behind the Orange Curtain, at the lovely tiki-fied studio of the one, the only, the befuddled Mike Simmons. We finished tracking everything for my silly little XTC "Pink Thing" homage, the not-so-cleverly entitled "Morning Would". We tweaked out my initial, skeletal idea into a full-fledged freak-fest and I must say, I diggit muchly. None other than Ken West has described "Morning Would" as sounding like "the The Wondermints meets Spock's Beard" -- I'll take that! Anyway, a million thanks to Dave and Mike for helping me fully realize this wacky tune -- much love from the K-man. ONE TO GO: This week finds me in full panic mode as my dream team of producers -- Nelson Bragg and Rick Gallego -- and I finish tracking my song "Vanish". Tonight, I've got the esteemed Probyn Gregory laying down some horn(y) tracks, and tomorrow night I start tracking my lead vocals, and Thursday night, a gentleman by the name of Rial will be -- hopefully -- nailing some sick-n-twisted sax solos. If all goes well, we should wrap things up by week's end. Last Friday, Scott "Tycoon" Halper laid down a SICK SICK SICK bass track for me -- wow, man, thanks Tycoon!!! I'm very happy with the way this song is progressing, and this week looks to be a blast (if it doesn't kill me first). OTHER STUFF: After Scott finished tracking bass, we all hung out with Nick Walusko, held in awe as Nick told Brian Wilson stories and tales of life on the road -- good times. On Saturday evening, Nipper and I caught a great show by Adam Marsland's Chaos Band, who performed a great set consisting largely of John Cale covers. Nice stuff, and a great band. We were also treated to a killer performance by Agua Fantastica (can't find a website -- can anyone help?). Agua Fantastica's music is like a cross between The Negro Problem and The Move -- obviously some very, very cool stuff happening here. Definitely check 'em out if you get the chance. After sleeping in VERY late Sunday (ahhh, memories), we found ourselves in lovely Los Feliz checking out Jeff Merchant's inaugral night booking a club called Tangier's. We were treated to performances by Patria Jacobs, Carolyn Edwards (of Kristian Hoffman's band and The Negro Problem, among others), and the latest thing by Dallas Don. Good times were had by all. Later, overcome with exhaustion, I insisted that Nipper take me home and tuck me into bed, causing us to miss the birthday celebration of Tallboy Records founder Anna Borg, which featured performances by The Sugarplastic and many other fine bands. Anna, if you're reading this, I am sorry! I am old! I am TIRED!!! :) And I still MADLY crave that Gladhands green-vinyl 45 you released!!! Hope you and Mark had a lovely time, we owe you one. Okay, I think that brings us up to date. After I get all my recording done this week, I'm a-gonna reward myself on Saturday with a DAMNED GOOD TIME at a party being hosted by a dear friend of ours; email me
for all the sordid details, you won't regret it. Again, thanks for reading! Until next week, remember: architecture is frozen music, so build yourself a classic Tudor mansion high in the Los Feliz hills (with a view of Griffith Observatory) today. Love, kErrY x0x0x

Hey kittens-n-cows, happy Martin Luther King day to everyone (all 4 of you). So why am I working today, intently blogging? Ask my employer -- grrr. Anyway, thanks for dipping your little wax fingers into the steaming guacamole of my weekly blog, I appreciate your visit. So, did I tell you that Ronan Chris Murphy called me recently, interested in producing a couple of my tracks for the upcoming Tribeca album? Needless to say, I was beyond stoked. Sadly, even his bargain basement, cut-rate indie fee was just a little (okay, a lot) above my shriveled, flaccid recording budget. Damn these eyes! Anyway, Ronan is such a cool guy, and he had lots of nice things to say about the Tribeca EP. He totally agreed with me that I'd be better off spending my hard-earned cash on a more affordable producer, and told me to keep in touch and send him the album when we finish it, so all's well that ends well -- thanks, Ronan! I think it'd be an understatement to say that the producers I chose -- Mike Simmons, Nelson Bragg and Rick Gallego -- have worked out fine. They've gone above and beyond my wildest expectations, having helped me finish 99% of the music IN ONE FILTHY WEEK -- double chocolate heroin wow!!! Everyone, and I mean everyone, on this team has gone balls-out to help me nail some very kOmpOsT-y stuff -- and I think you're gonna like what you hear. All I have left to do this (and next) week is to nail the lead and harmony vocals, and record a couple of horn parts. I was fortunate enough to get the one and only Probyn Gregory of the Brian Wilson band and The Wondermints to lend a hand, how cool is that? I also need one more guitar solo recorded, so I've got some feelers out, having asked a couple of AMAZING guitar players for help; although both of these players are beyond busy, I've got my fingers crossed that one or both will be able to help out. So, I'm phat, dum and happie. Meanwhile, I'm letting my voice heal this week after blowing it out the other week, hampered by a silly cold -- I'm scheduled to start recording vocals with Mike Simmons this weekend. Also this week, Dave and I will be laying down some Tribeca overdubs; I'll be recording a nylon-string guitar solo over the next couple of nights that will hopefully work out fine for the final recording. Lastly, the one and only Scott "Tycoon" Halper will be laying down some bass tracks for me this week -- for anyone who's ever heard the Tycoon play, you know we're in for a treat. He is -- feets up -- one of the most in-demand, tasteful bassists on the LA scene today, and I'm lucky to have him working on this project. Again, another busy week. Last week Nipper and I went to a cool party celebrating birthdays for Willy Banta and Amanda Mullins. To say we had fun would be a gross understatement -- we had a total, complete blast. Thanks so much, Willy and Miriam, for a GREAT PARTY!!! And that about wraps things up -- all this and a day job, too! Thanks so much for reading, and thanks for all your love and support. Until next week, remember: architecture is frozen music, so build yourself something completely new, radical, and totally unique in the hills high above Your Town. Love, kErrY x0x0x

Wow -- I've got a lot to write about and not much time to do it; fondle me with a razor-strap. Let's dispense with the formalities first: Hey, how the fuck ARE you? Thanks for reading my weekly blog -- I'm falling in love with you all over again (and those weird sores are back, too). I have been a busy boy of late. Last Friday, I hightailed my ragged ass down to Orange County for a recording sleepover with the one and only Mike Simmons. We recorded a faux-jazz-prog piece now affectionately known as "Morning Would". Yes, it's about THAT -- there's a long (no pun intended) tradition (in rock and roll, anyway) of writing about one's member ("Pink Thing", anyone?), so I thought I'd throw my toupee into the swimming pool and let it flow (so to speak). Cough. Anyway, Mike kicked serious ass on drums and guitars, and also helped me arrange the song into a (somewhat) cohesive format, and -- as if that weren't enough -- he also came up with the title and a ton of the lyrics, as well as arranging the backing vocals (which we will be recording in a week or so) and engineering the whole session. He is a SUPERHUMANOID -- thanks, Mike, for all your help!!! We finished up early Saturday evening, and I made my way through the traffic back to West Hollywood where I hooked up with Nipper. Later that evening, Nipper and I went to a birthday party at an amazing mid-century house in Highland Park, and had a wonderful time sitting around an outdoor fireplace and gazing out over the twinkling lights of Los Angeles. After partying all Saturday night -- and sleeping all day Sunday -- Sunday evening found me at the home of Dominic Campenella (The Quarter After), surrounded by an all-star production team to help me record my song "Vanish" (this link is to the demo version). In addition to Dominic (who is engineering the sessions), Rick Gallego (co-producer), Nelson Bragg (co-producer, drums, vocal arrangments), Dave English (vocals, keys) and Scott Halper (bass) are all pitching in to make this happen -- is this the pop dream team or what? Wow! Anyway, Nelson nailed an INCREDIBLE drum track for me (loving you, Nelson!) before having to split to rest up for his first Smile rehearsal with Brian Wilson. I went home after an exhausting weekend of recording -- happy with what I have to be happy with -- and highly anticipating more recording sessions later this week. And that leaves me here, sitting at my desk at work, yawning and fighting off a stupid, lingering cold. In non-recording news, Dave and I continue to rehearse and tweak out the Tribeca material, honing each and every part to a highly polished, gem-like state -- at least, that's the plan. Meanwhile, Dave is also armpit-deep in editing material for the full-length album (due in March, of all months), and I'm sure I'll be called upon for guitar and bass overdubs and whatever else we need to do to keep this project within the timeframes we've established. I've also been on a Tribeca promo blitz as well, sending out promos and looking for reviews and whatnot. Anyone wanna review our promo EP? Email me! In the demo department, I've finished all of the music for "Part 3" of my Neal Morse-influenced epic, and I laid down a pretty cool guitar solo over the twisted, constantly shifting outro. Now I need to finish vocals, then move on to finishing "Part 4", which has 99% of the music already recorded. I'll be squeezing this project in whenever I can, needless to say. In other music news, I've been asked by Ken West to help out on a solo album that he's currently working on; he says he has some label interest, so that's ultra-cool. As Martha Stewart would say, "It's a good thing." Needless to say, this is one hell of a busy month -- and I wouldn't have it any other way. This week I'm -- thankfully -- going to be home for a couple of nights, practicing for the recording sessions later this week and just relaxing. I'm not quite sure what Nipper has in store for the weekend, but I *think* it should be a fairly laid-back weekend -- just what the doctor ordered (that, and some Vicoden, heh heh). Well, there IS the NAMM convention featuring performances by Mike Keneally and Bryan Beller, but I need to skank a pass from someone -- any offers? Okay, I'm falling asleep here at work and that just WON'T DO. Thanks for tuning in and reading my bullsquat, I appreciate it -- seriously. Until next week, remember: architecture is frozen music, so build yourself a mid-century modern on an LA hilltop today. xoxox kErrY xoxox

Happy New Year! Sorry I've fallen off the face of the earth over the last couple of frenzied weeks. I've been busy with the dreaded holidays, plus scheduling not one but TWO recording sessions this month, plus rehearsing with Tribeca, as well as working on some solo stuff. I've got other news for you, but for now, please accept this blog entry as your personal saviour. Let it fill you up, buttercup. Let the Lord rain fire and brimstone down upon Van Nuys and your neighborhood, too. Let love rule. Watch for updates -- maybe even tomorrow. Sadly, xoxox kErrY