My favorite kind of show is where I can take my life and use it to inspire and entertain someone else as well as make a small difference in a community.  Hopefully Gilbert, AZ is a little more inspired and entertained from my performances this week.

This Wednesday I had the pleasure to entertain and inspire several hundred Arizona youth and their families in both a day show and an evening show – the proceeds of which went to the Dempsey Burdick Memorial Foundation (www.babyheadstones.org) and Coronado Elementery School in Gilbert, AZ.  The red carpet was rolled out for me at the Higley Center for the Performing Arts as I played on the very piano that Ronnie Milsap played on just a few days prior.  I definitely felt to Ronnie Milsap energy flowing through me as I had a couple near mistake-free shows.

Day Show.  Following the mid-day show for the youth, I went out to sign autographs.  I was nearly eaten alive by young students who viewed me as some kind of Justin Timberlake with sideburns. Many of the kids informed me that they loved my rendition of Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi” while other’s begged me to sign their foreheads.  Hoping the parents would forgive me (I didn’t sign any foreheads), I went ahead and signed hands, shirts, shoes, books, papers, tickets, arms, and shorts at the show.  It felt good to be appreciated and the show organizers commented that during the show ”this was the best they’d ever seen those kids behave.”  Glad I could have been a catalyst for that.

Night Show.  The night show for local families was slightly more serious, with me getting into some of the extremely sad stories of the families we’d helped at the foundation.  I did break up the tears, however, with my super-medley rendition of Tiny Dancer, Cheers, Facts of Life, Charles in Charge, Greatest American Hero, and Laverne and Shirley.  After the night show I mingled in the foyer with many old friends and new fans, signed autographs, and took photos.  Many thanks to all of those that came out, supported, and donated to the foundation – as well as those who bought t-shirts, CDs, and posters – the support was hugely appreciated.

Thank Yous.  Big thanks to Jared Platt for his intro and photography (I’ll be posting those next week), Jennifer DeTemple and Shayla Taylor along with Coronado Elementary for being their awesome selfs as the show organizers, Aaron “Chives” Chavez for coming out from Los Angeles to play amazing percussion with me, Senior Cody McCormick for his “Roadiness” and his excellent handling of Merch Sales, and the staff at the Higley Center for the Performing Arts for being so accomodating and easy to work with.  It was a great day that I won’t soon forget!!

Photos of the show:

Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the crib,
My ipod was playing some ‘Bel-Boe-Deviv.’
I got up to switch it and put on something new,
As I quickly scrolled down to my favorite band Muse.

“Hysteria” thumped as I turned up the speakers,
The bass filled my body – my head to my sneakers.
It rattled my Christmas tree, and rumbled my walls,
Like visions of Stevie Ray Vaughan at Carnegie Hall.

As I rocked like a reindeer, I heard something crumble,
It was Santa who had slipped on the rooftop, he’d stumbled?!?!?
I grabbed me a ladder, and climbed up the side,
I yelled to Kris Kringle, “Are you all right?!?”

“I’ve broken me arm and I’ve injured me head.
I can’t pilot my sleigh!  Oh, Christmas is dead.”
I replied, “Do not worry, you are now in good hands.”
As I backed up my tour bus and called out to my band.

I dropped gift after present to my drummer below
As my guitar player, Joseph, had Santa in tow.
We loaded the tour bus, and filled it with gas.
I put on some music to help us relax.

Go Ben Folds, Go Bee Gees, Go Jay-Z and U2,
On Weezer, the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and The Who.
We turned up the tunes as we checked on the cargo,
We’d have to save Christmas from L.A. to Key Largo.

We drove off in a flash as we went door to door,
And delivered the presents to the rich and the poor.
As we squeeled all the tires, I screamed out to the block,
“Merry Christmas to all – May your holiday rock!!”

For my friends and fans.  Thanks so much for all of your support over 2009.  Here’s to an amazing 2010!!
                        Love and Best Wishes,
                                           Kevin Burdick
                                           www.PianoRockstar.com

I have heard of L.A. referred to as “The City of Broken Dreams” as thousands of dreamers make their way to the harsh landscape of Hollywood each year.  For every Brad Pitt, there are hundreds upon hundreds of Bradley’s you never heard of living somewhere in Southern California.  It’s no surprise that Los Angeles is the homeless capital of America with nearly 300,000 homeless taking refuge on her streets.  The dreamers come out here with nothing and often leave here with nothing.  In reality, the City of Angels is not paved with gold, but with bones.

Truth be told, the weather in L.A. is often spectacular, but it can get a little chilly in the winter months especially at night.  For many of the homeless it can be a challenge to stay warm while huddling up under their favorite overpass during Christmas-time.  Tonight the temperature would get into the low 40’s.

For the last few years, my parents have forgone the neckties, the chocolate covered cherries, the tool sets, and the Shamwows and, instead, have requested that their 5 children partake in a random act of kindness on their behalf.  A “charitable act” is all that they want for Christmas.

And so it was with my parents request in mind that I placed one of my favorite sweat shirts in the backseat of my car.  It’s a black Hurley sweatshirt, thick and warm, with a zipper that goes all the way up the hoodie.  It’s still stylish, but with 4 other cool sweatshirts in my closet, it will soon be forgotten.  I told my close friend, Tim Nichols, that we were going on a drive tonight.  I explained that we’d get some dinner, and then, by a miracle of the universe, stumble upon the right homeless person who would most benefit from this jacket. 

Later in the evening, as I emerged from a convenience store lobby with drinks in hand, I noticed a man shivering near the front door.  “Would you have some change that I can borrow so that I can get me some smokes?” the man asked politely.  His pants were dirty and his t-shirt was old and worn.  “Sure,” I said taking $5 out of my pocket and handing it to the man. “It’s kind of cold out.  Could you use a coat too?” “Yes sir,” he replied, “That would be nice.”  Walking to the back of my car, I pulled out the Hurley jacket I had set aside just for this very purpose.  “Here you go, man.”  I quickly pointed out the finer details of the jacket to him, how the zipper could go up to the top of the hoodie for “total face warmness” and how he would probably be the hippest guy out here.  He laughed.   As he walked away I said, “Merry Christmas man – hope this year’s a warm one for ya.”  He nodded and waved as he slipped away into the night to join the army of other homeless people on the streets of Los Angeles County.

So tonight, somewhere out there in the darkness, you may encounter a hip homeless man wearing a Hurley jacket.  Hopefully, he’ll remind you that it’s never too late to do something nice for someone else this Christmas season. 

In thinking of tonight, I remember that Jesus Christ himself was born homeless in a stable near Bethlehem.  One of my favorite Bible quotes that I learned as a kid reads:  “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me (Matthew 25:40).”   This, my friends, is the spirit of Christmas:  The act of giving for the sake of giving – The spirit of Jesus Christ. 

Thanks so much for reading my story, and may you and your loved ones have a very merry Season of Giving!!

Last tuesday’s Kevin Burdick Musician Party for local L.A. musicians was a great night of networking.  Club Trip in Santa Monica let us have our run of the place as we had musicians big and small from all over Los Angeles come in and spend some time with me and my team.  From these events we will drill down to three or four guys who have the talent, chemistry, and commitment to tour with me next year.  I’m sure I’ll also have the opportunity to work with others via the studio or on bigger shows - below are some of the photos from the event.

Big thanks to the “Burdick Girls” who helped bring sexy back to the event and all of the musicians who attended.  I sincerely hope that everyone that came had a good time and I’m certainly looking forward to spending more time with 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.

More photos from the show:

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.

XOXO
Kevin

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.

Photos from the show:

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!!

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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

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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.

Thanks again!

We are pleased to announce that LDSCentral.com, a social networking website for members of the LDS Church has selected Kevin Burdick to be their inaugural featured artist for the site.  Though Kevin is not currently actively involved with the LDS faith, he had this to say about being chosen:  “It is a big honor to be selected as the inaugural featured artist for LDSCentral.com.  I am very proud of my upbringing and the values that my parents instilled in me as a young boy about the importance of family, honesty, and faith in God.  I believe these values are reflected in my music and how I treat others in my daily life and for that I will always be both grateful and proud of my background of being raised in an LDS home.”

LDSCentral.com released this statement earlier today:  “When LDSCENTRAL.COM chose to add musician and artist profile pages to its LDS social network, it was driven by the desire to showcase the amazing work of the many gifted and talented members of the church. Each month, an artist is to be recognized for their great work and achievements in their field and featured on the homepage of the site. As our debut featured artist for the month of February 2009, we have chosen to feature the amazingly talented rock pianist Kevin Burdick. With the recent release of his 4th album “We are the Walking Wounded”, Kevin has continued to write feel-good songs that his listeners can identify with and enjoy on a personal level. Whether he’s singing about hard-working single moms, the loss of a child, or our need to feel alive, Kevin’s heart-felt lyrics are inspired by real events from his life and the lives of others. If you see his videos, read his blogs, or hear him play live, you’ll also come to know Kevin as a true entertainer full of rare personality and humor… capable of pulling at your heart one minute or making you burst out in uncontrollable laughter the next. He’s quick-witted enough to improvise hilarious songs from audience topics and brave enough to sing in nothing but a green Speedo just to make you smile. Thank you, Kevin, for putting such great heart and passion into your work and for being so real.”

To see the LDSCentral featured artist page of Kevin Burdick, go to:  www.ldscentral.com