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.

We are pleased to announce that Kevin Burdick has been chosen to represent GlobalComrades.com as their featured artist to the world.  This is as much a testament to his global appeal as a recording artist as it is an endorsement of his deep desire to make a difference. 

Global Comrades has been years in development and was created to allow people from around the globe to get to know each other in an environment of friendship and tolerance - an environment free of government influence and persuasion.  By providing globally conscious individuals the opportunity to interact directly, they hope to bring down barriers created by borders and opposing beliefs - to unite a collective voice for the greater good of humankind.

Dan Felsing, the spokesperson of GlobalComrades.com, had this to say about making Kevin their first featured comrade on the site. ”We are pleased to introduce Kevin to a global market.  His music is both personal and human and is indicative of the types of things we are trying to do on a universal level here at the site.”

Kevin is pleased to be the focused artist and musical spokesperson for the site - the concepts and ideals behind the website all support the things Kevin has tried to do with his music - break down barriers, tell personal and universal stories, and help people to connect.  Kevin has already uploaded a number of mp3s to the site, including a sneak peek at the new album “We are The Walking Wounded” with a track featured only on the Global Comrades site called “Goodnight Darling, Goodnight.”

Go to http://www.globalcomrades.com/ for more information.

About 4 months ago when I officially quit my day job, I joined thousands of Americans who currently have no health insurance.  As a rockstar, with several expensive medicinal needs, I was relatively concerned.  In fact this last week while on-tour, I ran out of a couple key medications and had to stop by a Walgreens.  The total price for two medicines… $650.00!  Unfortunately, these medicines are name brand and come with no generic substitute. 

Luckily, I have used the same physician for the last 5 years - he is a friend and also a fan of my music.  It’s actually a unique and humbling feeling to look out into the audience during a show and see a man who actually knows the size and weight of my prostate staring back at me on-stage.  He is the finest doctor I’ve ever known - attentive, detail oriented, non-judgemental, and a great listener.  And, he’s always willing to try different treatments in order to come up with the right solution to any medical problem.  So, when I contacted him about my new health insurance status, he told me - “Not a problem… I’ve got some great ideas on how we can work with that.”

It is from my meeting with him that I pass on these nuggets of wisdom to uninsured people everywhere in hopes that they can get the medical care and treatment that they need as well:

The Rockstar’s Guide to Healthcare in America!

1)  First it is important to understand that having no health insurance just means that some of your options pertaining to your healthcare may have to be changed, but it doesn’t mean that you should go without medical care.  Treatment plans for the insured may have to be altered a bit once your health insurance is gone.  For example, one such treatment for my psoriasis costs an uninsured person about $24,000 per year - luckily (or unfortunately) that treatment made me very ill, so I don’t mind that it’s no longer an option financially.

2)  Find a doctor who is a medical rockstar himself.  A good doctor will understand your specific situation and will find ways to work with you to keep costs down.  I want to thank my personal medical advisor, Dr. Brooks, for several years of helping to keep me healthy. 

3)  You may, or may not, know that Walmart and Walgreens both have programs for inexpensive prescriptions medications.  Print off these lists below (or at least the ones that may concern you) and see if your doctor can prescribe a medication that can be both helpful and inexpensive.  I left my doctors office today with 5 prescriptions to try - total cost, about $25.  Here are the websites that will provide these lists for you -
Walmart $4 Prescriptions: http://i.walmart.com/i/if/hmp/fusion/four_dollar_drug_list.pdf
Walgreens $12.99 Prescriptions: https://webapp.walgreens.com/MYWCARDWeb/pdf/Value-PricedGenericsList.pdf

4)  Samples of medications, especially ones needed for a temporary problem, can be completely helpful and obviously free.  Ask your doctor (if they didn’t already suggest it) if there are any samples of any name brand or generic medication you can try for your specific ailment.

5)  Most health insurance companies have programs for individuals who just want “major catastrophe” type coverage.  This might be a good idea in case of an accident or some kind of major ailment.  For $70 per month, for example, I could get an IHC plan that would cover me for anything over $5000 per year.  Would something huge happen costing me hundreds of thousands in medical bills (i.e. like having my arms and legs broken by an angry unsatisfied fan at a show), it may make sense to consider a plan like that.  Additionally, ASCAP (the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers) members can also qualify for ”Rockstar Insurance” from MusicPro which has several cost effective options a musician might consider (see http://www.musicproinsurance.com/).  To learn more about high deductible insurance, a great place to start is:  www.hsaofamerica.com

6) Preventative maintenance is the best form of medicine.  When on the road try and drink less, exercise, take vitamin supplements, avoid high-risk behavior (i.e. don’t have unprotected sex with midget prostitutes) and do your best to eat healthy.  Note:  Taco Bell has a healthier fresco menu and McDonald’s and Wendy’s also have healthy choices on their menu now as well.

As a final tribute to health (and how fragile it can be), I want to post this memorial video my friend Jared Platt created and my sister put on Youtube the other day.  It’s a beautiful memory of my late daughter.

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:

It’s kind of fun to do a search on-line and see what people are posting, filming, and saying about me.  Here are the best of the Kevin Burdick bootleg recordings that have been made with cell phones and video cameras over the last year.  Enjoy.

Huka Bar Recording of Release Me (Check out drummer Chris “Cock” Hancock in this one):

Beale Street Bar Recording of Undiscovered You in San Francisco (We played it a little fast, but I like it):

5 Monkeys Recording of Camelot (not my greatest performance, but it was cool to find):

Davis Youth Summit Recording Clip of She Does Her Crying Alone (short, but I was pleased to find some evidence of this show out there):

Fan Posting and Creation of a Kevin Burdick Slide Show (Very flattering that someone would do this - just discovered this the other day):

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!!

Greetings from California!!  We just got in to town late last night and so I’m just barely getting the chance to finish up my post about last Friday’s Huka Show.  We rehearse with the local California band on Tuesday and then we’ll be ready to rock for the show on Thursday at The Beale Street Bar.  The turn out for the Huka Bar Show was absolutely phenomenal for my send off show, so let me start by thanking all of the friends and fans who showed up to support.  The Better Life Band opened and really did a great job getting the crowd involved early.  Thanks guys!!

Random highlights of the show include the improv song “Dave Briggs has Syphilis and a Big Penis” (yes, that was the song title I received from the audience - go figure) to which I would like it publicly known that he in fact doesn’t not have any venerial diseases as far as I am aware (though I am not a medical doctor).  I am also unable to verify the second part of that song.  Fortunately, I was able to turn that audience generated song title into a wickedly funny musical roast of my friend Dave.  While on the road, I’ll miss being able to include friends names into random improv songs on the stage.

It was great to see everyone there at a full Huka Bar for my send off show.  I only have out-of-state shows booked until August, so it will be a little while before my local Utah friends and fans will be able to see me again.  By that time, my new album will be out and they’ll be several new songs added to the set list, so look for that.

Well, I’m off to bed.  I have a headache.  Miss you!!

Photos:

Interview of audiences members, band members, and fans after the Huka Show (warning, explicit language):

Only two Salt Lake City shows left to choose from before I am rocking other west coast states all summer long on the Walking Wounded Tour.  I hope you find a way to rock with me at least one of these.  Call or e-mail for free tickets:

05/16/2008 10:00 PM - Liquid Joes - Salt Lake City, UT
1249 E 3300 S
Salt Lake City, Utah
Cost:5.00
Description:Jordan Young at 930pm-1015pm Kevin Burdick at 1030-1130pm Soggybone 1145-close Call 801-604-5816 for FREE Tickets and save $5 at the door!! 

05/30/2008 10:00 PM - Huka Bar & Grill - Salt Lake City, UT
151 E 6100 S
Salt Lake City, Utah
Cost:5.00
Description:Elton John and Billy Joel move over!! Come see the Utah God of Piano Rock at the Huka Lounge in Salt Lake City on May 30th, 2008. Kevin Burdick will be playing until his fingers bleed!! The Better Life Band will be kicking off the night!