If you couldn’t make The Filling Station show this last weekend, you did miss a high-energy, inspired performance from ‘yours truly.’  Luckily, one of my oldest friends and one of the top photographers in the country happened to be in the house, so you get to see the show through his eyes.  Enjoy!

When Jedi of Opalhill Drive called me about doing a couple shows out in Magna, Utah at The Filling Station I was a little skeptical.  Magna is a mining town and The Filling Station is known as a biker bar.  After some discussion and a pretty good sales pitch, I thought, “What the hell.”  And so, two months later there I stood at the aforementioned biker bar in the middle of mining town Utah, USA.

The crowd on Friday was very stand-offish.  I had one lady yelling at me all night to do her random list of cover tunes and when I obliged to do one “Kevin Burdick Style” she was more pissed off that it didn’t sound like the original.  You asked me for “Shook Me All Night Long” and I play the piano.  What did you expect?  Oh, AND I’M NOT A COVER BAND!!

Luckily, the Saturday night crowd was way more into the show, showing their appreciation with both applause and some dancing.  I was so grateful to see some familiar faces had made the 20 minute trek out to support their own favorite local piano man.  Saturday was also a little more challenging when my usual drummer, Chris Hancock, called in sick.  Luckily, guitarist Chris Doucet (who happens to be one of the most talented musicians I’ve ever met) filled in on the drums with no practice and virtually nailed all of the songs.

Highlights of the two-days included doing several improv songs with Jedi (lead singer of Opalhill Drive), who was able to think quickly on his feet and create some of the funniest freestyle lyrics I’ve heard.  He was an absolute blast and the Opalhill Drive guys were a lot of fun to play with.  I just really enjoyed them and was grateful to have made some new friends.

Big thanks to Jared and Rex Platt for stopping by the show and photographing, Ken Gray for handling the business side, V and E for handling merch sales, Chris/Chris/Brad for rocking the stage with me, and Opalhill Drive for being incredible hosts and just all around great guys to party with.

Live acoustic performance of “Tiny Dancer” at The Filling Station:

The Club Allure show in Sandy, Utah this last weekend was dubbed my “angriest show to date. ” After touring on-and-off since last October, I believe that the wear and tear of the road is finally beginning to show.  Strangely enough, most people said it was one of my best and most intense shows they’d ever seen me put on.

Touring this much has been extremely gratifying.  It’s always been a dream of mine.  But it has taken it’s toll on my personal life - I’ve lost friendships that I failed to properly care for on the road, sacrificed chances at a normal relationship with a woman, and have felt betrayed by a number of people I considered family.  I guess when you’re “out of site” you are technically “out of mind” for some people.  Of course, my true friends try to make me feel better by saying thinks like, “they weren’t you’re real friends anyway.”  Of course, this is probably true, but it doesn’t make the sting of loss and betrayal any easier to deal with.  So this week I’ve been mourning the loss of some very important relationships and have been licking my wounds.

Fortunately, I’m always able to take my pain and situations that affect me into my songwriting.  In spite of just releasing an album, I already have two new songs completed that have been inspired by these feelings of love and loss that I have been experiencing lately.  I feel blessed to be able to have some clarity in these difficult moments with which I can write beautiful music.  I actually performed one of these new songs, “Am I So Disposable?” at the Club Allure show to very rave reviews.

A big thanks to Keith Hubbard for stepping in on short notice with the bass guitar and also “The Rob” (who played drums on many of the tracks on the new CD) for filling in on the drums.  Thanks also to Chris Doucet for his magnificent guitar work, even with one injured hand.  Also thanks to Scoop Einer for promoting the show, Ken Gray for his management and support, and the myriad of fans who showed up to rock with me.

Note:  All of the tracks from “We Are The Walking Wounded” are now available on iTunes.  If you haven’t heard the album, do a search for me on iTunes and see what you think.  It’s quite an achievement and the people who have picked up the album already say that they are in love with it.

I read an article about a baby that was born (yesterday) on 08.08.08 at 8:08 AM who weight 8.8 LBS (this is true).  What’s crazy is we also gave birth to our own 8 pound baby late last night as we rocked Liquid Joe’s and delivered the new CD “We are The Walking Wounded” to a packed house!!  It was a huge celebration and if you missed the show, you missed history in the making.  I have been getting texts and messages all morning from friends and fans who picked up the CD at the show about ‘what an epic achievement it is’ - I may be biased, but I do think it’s my best work so far.

The show began last night with some new twists.  I busted out my grand piano (a huge pain to set up), and instead of the drums in the back of the stage on the riser, we decided to put the piano up top.  I also added a smoke machine and at the beginning of my set, during Cigarette Girl, it appeared as if my piano was on-fire as smoke began pouring out of it.

The highlights of the night included an improv song about my tender relationship with a donkey, a funny birthday song, a quick performance of the hidden track on the new CD, Chuck Thompson (the cellist who plays on several tracks on the CD) came up and played a couple songs with me on his cello, and really just having the opportunity to play for several hundred people at a packed Liquid Joe’s.

Big thanks to Brad Verrier (Bass), Chris Doucet (Guitars), Chris Hancock (Drums), Chuck Thompson (Cello), Ken Gray (My awesome business manager), Scoop (Promoter), Joel Pack (My Producer), Brittney (Our sexy merch girl), the Liquid Joe’s staff, The Better Life Band (for kicking off the show at short notice), and the many more people that supported this show and came out to rock with me.

Don’t forget, you only have until midnight tomorrow to order the new CD at the discounted $8.99 rate until it goes up to $12.99 Monday morning.  Big thanks to the many people who have already ordered it.  You should be receiving your signed copies later this week:  http://www.kevinburdick.com/buy.html

Performance of the track, “Goodnight Darling, Goodnight” off the new album:

More photos from the show:

The 8 AM soundcheck at today’s Wharf to Wharf show would not have felt so early if I hadn’t stayed up until 4 AM last night celebrating my birthday with friends, but so goes the life of a rockstar. 

Let’s start with last night.  Ken and I had a couple friends come up from Los Angeles to hang with us - George, a great guy who just happens to be homosexual and Mexican (both of which I’m supportive of) and Vero who happens to be hot, straight, and attached to nearly all of Ken’s man parts.  So it wasn’t surprising that my birthday night turned into a 1-on-1 celebration with George while Ken had his own 1-on-1 thing going on.  George and I ended up at a few bars on Castro Street in San Francisco (which is apparently a predominantly gay area of the city) and before I knew it, I was the meat in a giant homosexual danceclub sandwich.  Luckily I am very comfortable with who I am, and so I just rolled with it as I had 6 gay men dancing around me, grinding against me, and making me their sex object.  Ladies I now know how you feel.  Needless to say it was my own “Night at the Roxbury” moment.  What I learned is that I am a sex object, not just to women, but also to some dudes apparently, and that is flattering.  Let it be known that Kevin is cool with men and women and their individual sexual preferences.  However, let it also ring forth across the land that Kevin Burdick is totally straight and is only attracted sexually to the ladies and the boobies.

So, after my birthday celebration we pulled into the area of the Wharf to Wharf Festival in Santa Cruz and slept at about 4:00 AM this morning.  Big thanks to Ken Gray for driving while I attempted to sleep.  We got up around 7:50 AM and quickly started setting up.  To give you an idea, the Wharf to Wharf Festival centers around a 12ish mile race that wraps around Santa Cruz from the boardwalk across the city.  There are a number of bands that entertain the runners and the townspeople throughout the city-wide festival.  We got to introduce the music of Kevin Burdick to 15,000+ people today and it was a lot of fun.

The highlights were some of the improv songs we did, and also playing with Max and Dave here in San Fran, which is always a highlight in itself.  One improv song in particular that makes me chuckle was “It’s not too late to win” which I sang to the people in the very back of the race about not giving up.  I reminded them that, although they were in “14,235th place” it wasn’t too late for them to win it all - especially if we could figure out how to teleport them to the finish line using techniques I’d learned on Star Trek.  Funny stuff - I really don’t know where it comes from, even at 8 AM.

Pulling up to The Cantankerous Fish I expected to see a small bar mixed with a Long John Silvers and a Joe’s Crab Shack; instead what I got was a sexy high-end restaurant with some of the most delicious food I’d ever eaten.  The bar/restaurant pulled out the all star treatment for us, letting us park the tour bus directly out in front, giving us free drinks, and expensive meals for pennies on the dollar.  It was a lot of fun.

The crowd at the show was incredibly gracious and we sold a ton of merchandise.  We watched people finish their meals and stay for an hour or so after just to hear more music - I was very appreciative.  Non-customers stopped on the street and huddled in groups to hear more.  Over the evening we probably played to 200 - 250 people.  I have to admit that people in Northern California really appreciate their artists (and I really appreciate the people of Northern California).  My experience with the shows up here have been some of the best performances to date.

Big thanks to Max on drums and Dave on bass (two of the coolest cats ever and I’m proud to be playing with them), Ken Gray my ever faithful tour and business manager, the staff at the Cantankerous Fish, Jennifer for having booked the show, and Dusty the inflatable punching clown for haunting my dreams as I sleep (you start to get a little cabin fever living in a tour bus for a month). 

Additional Photos from the show:

The Cat Club show in West Hollywood had a solid turn-out for a Sunday night show.  The 60 or so people who came out to party with me on their Sabbath evening were relatively warm and appreciative for an L.A. audience; Though I did get a lot of people who stared creepily at me through out my entire performance - I’m not sure if it was my mesmorizing voice, my Elvis pompadour, or the large amounts of marijuana they’d smoked earlier in the night.  Regardless, I did appreciate the focus.

The highlights of the show included a Rage Against the Machine Cover, “Killing in the Name of” where I sang the lyrics (instead of yelled/rapped them).  I believe if you do a search for that on-line someone has posted a video of it.  Warning, I didn’t edit any of the original lyrics if your familiar with the song.  Big thanks to my L.A. band Joe, Jeff, and Marcelo for their hard work and preparation to make the show rock!!  Great job guys!!

I’m glad to be home.  This trip, especially the Southern California portion, was exhausting.  Aside from some legitimate contacts we have that merit it, I’m tired of the name dropping - I’ve never met so many people that knew Matthew McConaghy’s first cousin or were on an episode of The Real World.  The thing they should have been asking me is “Do you care…?”  After having all my cool irreplaceable rockstar necklaces stolen out of my workout bag (along with my toothbrush and toothpaste - weird I know) and losing my favorite hat on the road, this trip took more than just my heart and soul.  Luckily, I still kept a dash of dignity as we pulled out of town last night.

Show Photos:

Live Performance Video of Robbie’s Song from the Show:

The 30 or so people who came to watch us rock The Joint in L.A. were treated to one of the “greatest 25-minute piano rock performances this world has ever seen” - at least so says the drunk guy at table six.  In some ways the night was a complete disaster - they had booked something like 52 bands for the evening (a slight exaggeration, but just barely).  So my hour set quickly became a 45-minute set, which then soon evolved into a 25-minute set.  According to Ken, the sound guy used the “random-level-method” of mixing us where my vocals were set at near ear-piercing levels and the rest of the band was a shade above mute.  This accapella performance was made worse by the fact that the lighting guy decided to put a single spot on me the entire show (flattering I know - made me feel sexy) so that my L.A. band could barely see their own cheat sheets.  We weren’t particularly tight, but the crowd was still responsive and appreciative of the effort.  To top the night off, the stage was set at a sweltering 246 degrees - I was so covered in sweat after my 5th song that I felt I’d just completed the 13th mile of the Boston Marathon.  That was my night in a nutshell.

In other ways, the evening was a success.  We broke into the L.A. market and we had a good crowd response in a city where the spectators believe you suck until you can prove to them you don’t.  These fickle L.A. fans are the same ones that show up to Dodger games in the 3rd inning and leave the game in the 6th inning.  The band was adequate, in spite of short notice - Marcello was steady and consistent on bass, the drummer Jeff and I played well off each other, and I assume Joe was on with guitars (though I really couldn’t hear him at all thanks to the ’stellar’ sound).

After we got off stage, the night took a turn for the weird when some guy (who later turned out to be a Venice street performer - you know, that guy that paints himself gold and dances like a robot when you give him money) went up and did one and half bizaare songs, the last of which was a half-sung, half-yelled vocal solo of “We Will Rock You!”  About 1/2 way through the song I guess he decided he was out of his element because he simply stopped and walked off stage.

The night ended with Ken and I taking a trip to Wendy’s, only to find that they wouldn’t allow us to walk up to the window and order - “safety hazard” they said.  They ’sort of’ compromised (see video) when I informed them I was a big star and I HAD to have my Wendy’s, AND that the “31-foot tour bus doesn’t fit next to their drive-up window.”  The manager demanded to see the tour bus first so that they would know I wasn’t lying.  I guess I was kind of cranky, but in the end we got us some Wendy’s at 2 AM so the night ended exactly how I hoped.

Watch the after show video of our Wendy’s adventure:

Starry Plough is one of those quirky cool venues in Berkeley that you have to play to believe.  When we arrived for setup at about 7 PM there was already a group of hippies that had taken over the center of the room.  These were the real deal hippies, probably who had all actually attended Woodstock in the 70s.  Each hippy had an instrument (i.e. harmonica, guitar, accordian, bongo, kazoo, etc) and were just simply enjoying a musical jam session in the middle of the bar.  I guess they do this every Thursday until about 8 PM.  It was actually very cool and entertaining.

Once they finished, we began to get setup.  We had a fairly large crowd by about 9 PM, with a solid number of people there specifically to see me.  Highlights of the show would have to include the two improv songs, “Dangerzone - not the Kenny Loggins Version” and “Why is there so much hair down there - because there’s not enough hair up here.”  Silly and challenging improv suggestions from a great audience.

When we finished the set, I was flattered and happy to see the Starry Plough crowd giving me a standing ovation and screaming “encore.”  So, of course we obliged with one last song.  It was a great night!!

Big thank you’s to Max Macveety, David Hicks, and Ken Seely for helping make the show so fun and for being such great musicians; Ken Gray for his unwavering support and business management; The Tyler Jakes Band and the Electric Z-Train Band for rocking the stage with me last night; Michael Lipzen and Jennifer van der Kleut for booking the show; The tons of people who came out to see me and for their loud cheers, applause, and support!  I loved this show!!

The Beale Street Bar and Grill is one of the coolest venues I’ve been to in a while, mostly because of it’s location and it’s atmosphere.  Nestled in the middle of skyscraper after bay area skyscraper you might get lucky enough to just stumble onto this small 2 story bar with the great vibe and the delicious food.  By 6 PM this place was hopping as people stopped in to avoid battling traffic home during rush hour.  By 11 PM, headliner Kevin Burdick was center stage.

When we pulled into San Francisco this last weekend, I hadn’t even spoken with my local band.  Ken Gray had posted a couple ads on Craigslist and had interviewed a number of candidates before hand selecting these guys.  We had a quick 3-hour rehearsal on Tuesday and the guys came prepared (we had sent them out rehearsal packets a week before) - Max Macveety, a magically delicious drummer; Dave Hicks, a super-steady bassist; and Ken Seely, an old-school guitarist who can plain out shred.  I could tell it was going to be something special after just an hour of rehearsal.  We just really gelled, even though musically we were all so different.  Max is a hip-hop drummer, but more to the point, he his robot of percussion - the guy can flat out play and is tight.  Dave is an accomplished bassist who, I get the feeling, used to gig all of the time - he’s now a facial reconstruction surgeon, but he still loves to get out and rock the bass every now and again.  Ken’s resume was deep - the guy has played guitar with and for some of the absolute greats over the years and so it was pretty cool to add my name to that list.

On the night of the show, we all arrived pretty early.  We were given the wrong call time and so everyone was there by 8 PM.  There were 3 opening acts kicking off the night and then I was the guy coming in at clean-up.  For the most part I really enjoyed the bands playing before me.  Actor/Comedian Robin Williams even made an appearance during the night, but he didn’t stay for much of my performance - still, it was cool to have somebody rediculously famous in the venue.  Ken Gray actually hung out at the bar with Mr. Williams for while - editted transcripts of their conversation went something like this:

Ken orders a water from the bartender.
“Just a water?” says Mr. Williams holding an iced tea at the end of the bar.
“I need to hydrate…  So is it Boston or L.A.?” Ken asks pointing to the TV.
“Neither, San Francisco.”
“I mean in the NBA playoffs.”
“Oh, Boston I guess.  I’m an idiot.”
“Yeah, Garnet needs a ring…  Would you like some gum?”
“What kind is it?  I only chew Dentine.” Smiles.
“Eclipse Polar Ice.”
“Aw what the hell.” Mr. Williams takes a piece of gum.
A few minutes later Ken orders another water.
“More water?” says Mr. Williams.
“I told you man, I gotta hydrate.” Adjusts hat goofily.
“You are a character, aren’t you.”
“You shut up…” Ken says with a smile.
Robin Williams laughs and the two begin to discuss the coolest venues in San Francisco.
End transcipt.

The show went great and the highlight was probably the improv song “Invisible Pants.”  That was a pretty cool suggestion from the audience and I was happy to oblige with one of my silly and rediculous make-up songs.

Well, having a great time on the road!  Wish you were here!!

Beale Street Improv Song, “Invisible Pants:”