“All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth? Screw that – I want two new sponsors!” Luckily, I must have been on Santa’s nice list this year.  So, this Christmas I want to welcome Fashion Revolution and AcaiSoda for joining the Kevin Burdick family and being part of my music sponsors for 2010.

Fashion Revolution:  Working with Shane, Ari, and Veronica of Fashion Revolution these last couple months has been an amazing look into the world of commercial and retail fashion.  I was able to go with them to the fashion district in L.A. and was treated like rockstar royalty as we toured many of the lines of clothing that they carry.  In fact, I was so excited with the whole experience, I hope to have my own line of clothing someday.  I’m proud to have Fashion Revolution’s sponsorship logos on the tour bus and am pleased to wear their awesome clothes at night and on-stage.  You can see some of the samples of pants and shirts I got from them from our photo shoot at Runyon Canyon at the bottom of the post.  To find out more about Fashion Revolution or to order clothes off of their website (coming soon) go to:  www.fashionrevolutiononline.com

AcaiSoda:  I have been drinking AcaiSoda regularly for the last two months.  It’s a lightly sweetened energy drink which has helped me control my appetite without crashes.  You simply tear open a pack and add it to a bottle of water.  I am excited to be able to call them part of my music family.  Dr. Anthony Kleinsmith, the creator of AcaiSoda and also a fan of my music, had this to say about the new relationship, “AcaiSoda is excited to be sponsoring Kevin Burdick’s music. I formulate while listening!”   Thanks Dr. K, for the support.  To try a 15-day Risk Free Trial of AcaiSoda, go to:  http://www.acaisoda.com/?aid=kb

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.

It can be difficult for an artist in today’s climate to make ends meet.  A recession, labels taking more and more of the profits, piracy via file sharing services, venues struggling to keep their doors open - there are a lot of things set against artists in general.  As always, however, Kevin remains optimistic about his future, especially after realizing a simple truth:  All an artist needs in order to thrive is 1000 true fans.

Are you a true fan of Kevin Burdick?  Before you answer that, renowned blogger Kevin Kelly explains what a True Fan is on his website:  “A True Fan is defined as someone who will purchase anything and everything you produce. They will drive 200 miles to see you sing. They will buy the super deluxe re-issued hi-res box set of your stuff even though they have the low-res version. They have a Google Alert set for your name. They bookmark the eBay page where your out-of-print editions show up. They come to your openings. They have you sign their copies. They buy the t-shirt, and the mug, and the hat. They can’t wait till you issue your next work. They are true fans (kk.com).”

We’re looking for Kevin’s 1000 True Fans.  We are sending out the call.  Declare your allegiance:  Are you a true Kevin Burdick fan?  If so, proudly post the banner below on your Myspace or Facebook page and help us find the remaining 999.

Note:  Periodically we will send unreleased songs, remixes, and live recordings to Kevin’s True Fans.  To stand up and be counted as one of the 1000, send an e-mail to truefans@kevinburdick.com.

Entertainer Kevin Burdick living riches to rags tale 
By Mike Henle
          Entertainer Kevin Burdick may be the storybook example of an entertainer whose trials and tribulations are best illustrated in his music.
        Those who perform on stage tend to be ideal motivators considering their ability to transform victories and setbacks into music with storylines that others can identify with.
        And for the piano playing 36-year-old native of St John’s, Ariz., sitting down behind a keyboard is tantamount to a therapy session without the charge.
        Burdick’s own story entails what might be considered riches to rags series of chapters that tells of a career that has seen him combine a career in medical software with that of a musical career with an endless series of ups and downs.
        A graduate of Brigham Young University, Burdick is thankful for his victories and philosophical about his defeats. He has been playing the piano since he was six learning that music calms him while also offering great joy.
        “My parents forced me to take lessons and I didn’t like the piano much when I was a kid,” Burdick relates now. “It was a struggle to practice.
        “Then I learned Lionel Richie’s “Hello” and that got me hooked. I was in about the seventh grade and I then realized that I could also write music. It was in my genes.”
        By the time he became a senior in high school, Burdick excelled in playing the piano. He was riding a wave and capitalized on the talent while working his way through BYU in Provo, Utah.
        In 2005, Burdick wrote “Robbie’s Song” which told of an uncle who spent seven years in prison for drug trafficking. The song combined with his day job in the medical software business created a good income.
        “I was making six figures and had no debt,” Burdick explained. “It was awesome.”
        But as quickly as the bank account ballooned, the bottom fell out when Burdick invested $100,000 in a hard money loan operation that had been presented as a no-lose proposition. Compounding the financial decline was another $25,000 loan to a friend who also hasn’t paid back the debt.
         “It can all be gone in a heartbeat,” says the personable Burdick. “Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a safe investment nowadays.”
        Burdick’s lifestyle suddenly went from living in an expensive house and driving a Lexus to living with buddies and hanging out in a tour bus. To say the past few years have humbled is an understatement especially considering things were compounded by the fact that his infant daughter died six years ago of a heart ailment.
        However, through it all, Burdick is still playing at establishments throughout the country at a time when Americans are searching for an outlet during troubling times. Live entertainment along with movie theaters have seemed to enjoy good results as people search for an escape from reality.
        “I should be booked up throughout the year especially in Southern California,” said Burdick. “I’m now working in a lot of small venues where people seem to enjoy solo artists.
        “I am a story teller and people seem to appreciate that.”
        While venue owners can also present their share of issues, Club Trip in Santa Monica has remained one of Burdick’s favorite spots to play.
        “The owner there has really treated me well,” Burdick said. “He seems to appreciate the music and the storylines behind each song. Sometimes you’ll find people both crying and laughing during the songs depending on the music.
        “As an entertainer, you know how well you’re doing by the reaction from the audience. But only a handful of entertainers get rich in this business, that’s for sure.”
        Other performances have been in Las Vegas and Nashville.
        In the meantime, Burdick wants to start writing for other entertainers knowing he can continue to perform. He also has a touching charity called The Dempsey Burdick Memorial Foundation which offers to help purchase headstones for infants who have passed away.
        Twice divorced and struggling with psoriasis, Burdick is convinced not to give up.
        “This can definitely be a rat trap,” he says. “There have been such massive changes in the music industry and companies are not going to spend a lot of money marketing an entertainer. The industry has struggled to adapt to the MP3s and digital music, so the ability to make a living is somewhat limited nowadays.
        “There is definitely a lot of talk and very little delivery.”
        Friend and business manager Ken Gray praises Burdick.
        “Kevin is a very close personal friend,” says Gray. “His biggest strength is his ability to bring a real life tragedy into a song and make it into melodious music. He has songs that are very deep and very passionate. You can’t help but feel the passion. He is nothing short of genius.”
        Gray said he will often receive emails from fans lauding Burdick’s performances.
        “I have actually received emails from people saying Kevin’s music has saved their lives,” he said. “We have members of the audience who are suffering and they appreciate Kevin’s work. Very few entertainers can identify with his fans like Kevin. He’s not the least bit phony and there is no doubt in my mind that he will one day be a household name.”
        Burdick has signed with goDigital.com, so his CDs are being distributed throughout the world through the Internet. He is also working with several event planners to be included in large national shows including the 2009 national Independence Day parade in Washington, D.C.
        “Kevin tears the place up every time he’s here,” said John DeCoster, owner of Club TRiP in Santa Monica. “He is an incredibly talented performer. Each and every time he has performed at Trip, he somehow manages to bring light hearted and absolutely hysterical improvisation balanced with music that shows his true artistic depth.”
          Further information regarding Burdick’s career and his foundation can be found at www.kevinburdick.com or www.dempseyburdick.com.  

Mike Henle is a Nationally Recognized Las Vegas based freelance writer and the author of “Through the Darkness: One Man’s Fight to Overcome Epilepsy.” He can be contacted at mhenle@aol.com or through his web site www.mikehenle.com.

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!

It’s easy to get down on ourselves sometimes – we see our flaws through a magnifying glass while others see them through a telescope.  I have been a chronic psoriasis sufferer for over 20 years (see photo) and sometimes my mood and self-esteem are directly connected to how my skin is behaving that day.  On good days, I feel like I can conquer the world and on bad days, I feel anxiety, frustration, and physical discomfort. 

Psoriasis is a non-contageous, genetic disease where, essentially, my immune system get’s bored and decides it needs something to do, so it attacks my skin.  The result is red patches of flaky, itchy skin.  I’ve tried every medicine imaginable, and have come up with a treatment program of light tanning and Dovonex cream that seems to work okay for me.  Being on the road during this California music tour has defininitely inflamed it – probably because of the stress and exhaustion - as my condition has flared up to it’s worst levels in nearly 20 years.

Which brings me to my inspirational and throught provoking story.  Sunday at the Haight Street Festival in San Francisco I saw a man who had psoriasis covering nearly 90% of his legs and arms.  He, I’m sure, had no health insurance and was unable to really treat the disease as they were dark red, thick, and super-inflamed.  This young man didn’t seem to care – he wore shorts and a short sleeve shirt and jammed to the music with reckless abandonment (see video below).  It was actually one of those “I was depressed at how slow I ran until I saw a man with no legs” moments.

As an ambassodor for people with the disease I encourage all people to live their dreams in spite of physical limitations and frustrations.  Use your negative experiences that can occur by having psoriasis (or any disease for that matter) as fuel to accomplish great things in your lives.  It’s what I’ve tried to do.  In high school the kids in the locker room used to tease me that I had AIDS (of course, no one really knew what AIDS was back then).  Today I channel the frustration that accompanies psoriasis into my shows and that leads to some of the most empassioned and empathic stage performances – it’s also probably where I get my humor.  Hopefully people will be able to be inspired by my life to shoot for success instead of making excuses for failure – to live their dreams instead of settling for “playing things safe.”

Did you know that Ben Franklin had psoriasis?  In fact, there are millions of people who suffer from it in America today including yours truly.  To find out more information about psoriasis and some of the advancements for people suffering from psoriasis please go to:
http://www.myspace.com/psoriasiscurenow
http://psoriasis-cure-now.org/

Dancing psoriasis man at Haight Street Festival:

The new album, “The Walking Wounded,” is nearly finished for the June 2008 release.  All the tracks have been written and the roughs have been laid down in the studio.  We are still waiting on a few of the finishing touches, (like the cello to be played by Chuck Thompson on the new song Camelot).  We have also planned the photoshoot for the album cover.  Here’s a sneak peek at the track list:

The Walking Wounded (June 2008)

1)  Cigarette Girl Intro
2)  Cigarette Girl
3)  Goodnight Darling, Goodnight
4)  One More Day
5)  Camelot
6)  At the Fisher House
7)  The Walking Wounded
8)  Wake Me Alive
9)  I Wish I Had More to Give You
10)  The Majesty
11)  Undiscovered You
12)  Never Let Go
13)  Surprise Bonus Track