Last night’s show at Club TRiP was another great night relaxing with John, the owner of the club. We didn’t have a particularly good turn out, but it was a Monday and with the economy coming down hard on everyone, I wasn’t surprised. Still, the small group that was there to hear me seemed to really have a great time.
I sang the usual suspects. Songs from of all 4 of my albums, including fan favorites Firefly and Camelot. I also broke into my usual 80s TV theme song medley as well as invited special guest singer Dale Spollett and special guest guitarist Dan O’Sullivan to come on stage and improvise with me. Dan is an amazing guitarist and I mostly just let him riff and marvelled at his bluesy soloing, with a sort of slide guitar sexiness to it. The silly audience suggested improv songs (no people, I do not come up with this stuff on my own) of the night included the song ”1940s Hookers and Blow” which had its finest moment during a funny disco remix part, and a song sure not to be a hit ”A 500 lbs Girl and her 6 Guy Roomates.” Mildly entertaining.
Anyway, big thanks to John the club owner for the relaxing monday and also for upgrading the sound system there – the new improvements sound great. Dan and Dale for jumping on-stage, Aaron for rocking the percussion, Ken for taking photos with his camera phone when the digital camera battery died, and the small pocket of friends I had out. It was great to see all of you!!
If you were one of the 30 or so people present last night in the small venue known as O’Briens in Santa Monica, you witnessed what many are calling the “second coming of awesome!!” That’s because we rocked the place for an hour and a half with originals, emotional ballads, and devious comedy – it was my 2nd time performing there and it was great! The back room at O’Briens was virtually full and there were a lot of familiar faces in the audience who came out.
Special guest Dale Spollett joined me on-stage for several songs as our grand finale included such improv tales as “Octagon Wedding (about a UFC wedding, including punches to the naughty bits)” and “The Passed-Out Stranger (named Meredith).” We finished the night with our legendary version of “You’ve Lost that Loving Feeling” including the incredibly difficult whistle solo at the end.
It was a hilarious night, and it was also a sad night. I had a few people in tears when I sang the song “Too Good For This World” that I wrote for my daughter. She would have turned 6 years old next month. It makes me increasingly melancholy when I think about it – luckily I have an outlet in my music. I also broke out my new song for the 2010 album I’m writing entitled, “Slowly Dying in LA” which was also a crowd favorite.
Big thanks to everyone who came out and supported, Ken for selling stuff, Dale for running sound and doing what he does best, Aaron for making sweet noises on the percussion, and the entire O’Briens staff for treating me great every time I play there.
Part of an Improv Song from O’Briens in Santa Monica.
Passed Out Stranger with Dale Spollett
(Warning some adult language):
First off, let me begin by saying that living in Southern California is kind of like living in an episode of the twilight zone. Weird things happen and life can be pretty unpredictable out here. Over the last 2 days I’ve bumped into the guy who played Dozier from the Matrix at an Olive Garden and I stumbled onto Willis (Todd Bridges) from The Different Strokes in a tattoo shop – “What you talking about, Willis?” It’s always interesting what you might see in LA.
Friday night’s show at The Witches Brew was just another one of those epic Southern California nights. Great music, hilarious comedy, and fun times for everyone. Dale Spollett, my good friend who also assists me with social networking website management, opened up for me. He sang some covers and originals and, specifically, got the crowd nice and toasty warm. Then I got on-stage. By the end of the night, Dale and I were both on-stage improvising such potential hits as “Robots on the Moon,” “Frogs Tap Dancing With You,” “Tom Cunninglingus Has Jungle Fever and Loves Orange Soda.” Yes, weird suggestions from a wild audience, but somehow Dale and I ran with those and even had tight harmonies on the choruses. It was a fun night. The grand moment was a duet between Dale and I of “You Lost that Loving Feeling” which included an epic whistle solo.
I want to thank everyone who came out to the show to support and also The Witches Brew for taking great care of us. Big thanks to Aaron Chavez for handing percussion duties, Dale for opening, and Ken for setting up the gig. I look forward to playing back there in North Hills again sometime soon.
Hey California – I have three great shows coming up over the next week that I hope to see you at. Bring your friends and don’t be shy.
Witches Brew epitomizes a local dive bar, like a cleaner version of Cheers, and has great drink specials. O’Briens is one of the coolest Irish Pubs in Southern California – Even the owner Kevin bartends (and has a cool name). Club Trip has all the top shelf saki and beer for bottom shelf prices and is one of the best up-and-coming local clubs in Santa Monica.
Chalk another one up for good-times and the home team as another successful acoustic show came to a close last night in Santa Monica. Club TRiP as always was good to me and the travelling acoustic show, Hollow Body LA, was a great thing to be a part of. All of the acoustic acts on the ticket were very talented.
Big thanks to everyone who came out to support, Aaron Chavez for his amazing percussion work, and the super audience for being so involved in the performance. The audience suggested improv song entitled, “An Airplane Hit My Fluffy Kitten,” seemed to be a hit (and was a definite challenge) about me strapping a glider to my cat and teaching it to fly, and things going very badly after that. PETA was not happy with me. Note: I do not support actually strapping wings to a cat and teaching it to fly. Bad idea.
The epic art and music show that took place in Salt Lake City this week would have had to have been attended in order to truly appreciate. The paintings by Jeremy Wilkinson were both awesome and provocative, so much so, that I took one of the paintings home with me to hang over my bed here in Los Angeles.
The show itself was a night of great performances. Both of the opening acts, ”Atilast” and “Michael Gross & the Statuettes” put on an incredible show and the hundred or so people that were in attendance seemed to enjoy every detail of the event.
Big thanks to Chris Doucet (Drums) and Ben Johnson (Bass) for rocking the night with me, as well as the event organizers for trusting me with their headliner status. I had a great time and am slowly recovering from the trip out to Salt Lake City for the show. Mostly, I appreciate the Utah fans who came out to support this leg of the tour. You guys blew up the venue and made me look good – thank you so much!!
If you are in Utah or Southern California, I have two incredible shows scheduled for your viewing pleasures next week. Hope to see you at one of them!!
____________________________________
Salt Lake City, February 24th:
The Art of Music
Musicians are inspired by art and art is inspired my music. So with that, Keys on Main, the premier piano bar destination is bringing the two art forms together. The evening of FEBRUARY 24 will a blend of art and music from 7:00 PM – midnight.
Keeping with the theme of union, new artist, J James, combines his passion for abstract and surreal art with his first 2009 exhibition. Local bands Mike Gross & The Statuettes, Atilast and Kevin Burdick will close the night, leaving stirring melodies in art exposed minds. Keys on Main hopes to use this entertainment format as a springboard for future artists and musicians. Join the Art of Music.
When: February 24, 2009 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM J James Art Exhibition 9:30 PM – 10:15 PM Mike Gross & The Statuettes 10:30 PM – 11:15 PM Atilast 11:30 PM – 1:00 AM Kevin Burdick
Where: 242 South Main Street Keys On Main Salt Lake City, UT
____________________________________
Santa Monica, March 1st: Sunday, March 1st, I’ll be performing at “TRIP” in Santa Monica. It’s a new series of concerts being put on by “Hollowbody LA”. The folks who brought you “Acoustic Cordiale” in the valley. These Sunday shows start and end early & are getting some great reviews!
Here’s the whole super star, fancy pants line up in order
Colin Wright 8:00
Lori Steele 8:45
Kevin Burdick 9:30
Beaudette 10:15
This is the best night to come see a show. No traffic, FREE parking. The show starts at 8:00 sharp and wraps around 11pm. Print the poster and make admission a friendly $5. Would love to see everyone there!
Also, I hope you’ll take a moment and click the poster below. Have a look and a listen to the lineup. The week before the show, we’re all on the poster and player. Send them a friend request too.
This Christmas, my parents challenged all their children with one simple request – “All we want for Christmas is an act of service given to someone in need.” Instead of buying them a gift (and really, what do you get an attorney and his beautiful wife, my mom, who honestly have pretty much everything they need already - an iPod? A wafflemaker?) , we were told to record the act of kindness and share it with them for Christmas. So, this month I’ve been working diligently to complete that request – which brings me to this weekend’s shows.
To begin with, Saturday night I performed at Club TRiP in Santa Monica, with a number of young comedians, at a Toys-4-Tots Benefit Concert and Comedy Show. It was a lot of fun – the stand-up comedians were genuinely funny and the evening was filled with a ton of random goodness. The wildest moment was at right around midnight when a drunk and (who I can only guess) homeless woman, somehow found an unplugged microphone and jumped up on-stage in an attempt to give a very passionate, and uninvited, set of backup vocals. It sounded much like you would expect the speaking in tongues to be at some Pentecostal revival and so, in true Kevin Burdick form, I just rolled with it. The end result was an improvised song about Whitney’s Houston crack addiction and a number of “Where’s Bobby” references. The audience howled with laughter and at the end of the improv song, the staff escorted the crazy woman out of the bar. By the end of the night we had an entire stack of toys donated for the kids, which I felt really great about, and the people who attended exclaimed it was “one of the funniest shows they’d seen in a while.”
Sunday night, specifically, I was able to complete the “Christmas service” task that my parents had requested. Earlier in the month I had Ken track down a list of retirement homes in the area and we found one near us, the Sherman Oaks Retirement Center, that said they would love to have us come perform for their guests and their families. We arrived to find a grand piano surrounded by a group of mostly beautiful, older women waiting for their music man. I kept to a 45-minute low-key set (didn’t sing “We are the Walking Wounded” for example) and then spent a good 45 minutes visiting with my new friends at the home. The staff informed Ken that I was the ”most talented performer that they’d ever had out…” Though, Ken did say he overheard one elderly woman with hearing aids complaining that I was “the worst musician she’d ever seen – terrible, just terrible.” I got a good laugh out of that – I guess you can’t win them all. After the show I grabbed some dinner and then drove home where I quickly drifted off to sleep, content with that Christmas feeling that I’d done something mostly selfless, and totally rewarding.
A big Happy Holidays to friends, fans, and family!! I love you all and want you to have a very merry and very safe rest of 2008!!
This weekend’s shows at Bogey’s in Clearfield, Utah and Club Allure in Sandy, Utah were a great welcome back to my home state.
Bogey’s is a large Vegas-style club with a big stage. The staff and guests were grateful to have me out on a Thursday and were impressed with my blend of comedy, story-telling, and rock-n-roll – some of the staff felt like I was “the best band they’d ever had out.” I had a great time partying with the locals up there and am looking forward to coming back next year sometime. Highlights of the show included improv songs “Dead Baby Pie” and “Malleable Penile Implants” thanks to some creative, funny, and very unique audience suggestions – ha, ha. It was a great night!!
The Club Allure show on Saturday was for a packed house, with 100 – 200 people in the crown room at the club in Sandy at any given time. People were dancing, singing, and genuinely enjoying the show on all sides of the stage. One pretty lady flashed me and then climbed on-stage and put a $20 bill in my underpants, which is always appreciated on several levels. Audience influenced improv songs included “Ken’s Sexy A**” (about my business manager’s best asset) and “The Pull0ut Method.” Another epic night, and we’re only half way through the Utah leg of the tour.
I’m really looking forward to my next 4 shows here before heading back to Hollywood. Utah is where I really came into my own as an artist and found a home in the local music scene, so it will always feel like home to me when I hit the stage here.
Kevin Burdick Live at Bogey’s in Clearfield, Utah performing “Never Let Go” from the album, We are the Walking Wounded (available on iTunes):
Kevin Burdick Live at Club Allure in Sandy, Utah performing an improv song “Ken’s Sexy A**” (warning, PG-13 language):
I’ll be back in Salt Lake City from 11.5 to 11.17, after spending much of the last two months in Hollywood. Come out and spend some quality time with me at one or more of these 6 shows. RSVP, so that I can be looking for you ;>) ** For free tickets to the Club Allure and Liquid Joe’s show’s please call: 801.604.5816
11.06.08 Bogey’s – Clearfield, UT
11.08.08 Club Allure** – Sandy, UT
11.10.08 5 Monkeys – Salt Lake City, UT
11.12.08 Woodshed Bar & Grill – Salt Lake City, UT
11.14.08 Liquid Joes** – Salt Lake City, UT
11.15.08 Lucky 13 Bar & Grill – Salt Lake City, UT
Last night’s show at Club TRiP was another great night relaxing with John, the owner of the club. We didn’t have a particularly good turn out, but it was a Monday and with the economy coming down hard on everyone, I wasn’t surprised. Still, the small group that was there to hear me seemed to really have a great time. 
I sang the usual suspects. Songs from of all 4 of my albums, including fan favorites Firefly and Camelot. I also broke into my usual 80s TV theme song medley as well as invited special guest singer Dale Spollett and special guest guitarist Dan O’Sullivan to come on stage and improvise with me. Dan is an amazing guitarist and I mostly just let him riff and marvelled at his bluesy soloing, with a sort of slide guitar sexiness to it. The silly audience suggested improv songs (no people, I do not come up with this stuff on my own) of the night included the song ”1940s Hookers and Blow” which had its finest moment during a funny disco remix part, and a song sure not to be a hit ”A 500 lbs Girl and her 6 Guy Roomates.” Mildly entertaining.
