Well, if you missed the short performance LIVE from my bedroom, I recorded for you. In it, I uncover my top-secret songwriting processes and give some tips to young songwriters (hope they help), plus I performed Basket Case, Never Let Go / Jump, and Camelot. It’s about 17 minutes long, I’m fully clothed, and you can fast forward any of the boring parts… Hope to see you at the next one.
Check out this cool photo of me posing with fans from the July 5th Washington Times by staff photographer Allison Shelley. Great photo, so I had to share it with you guys. (for the original, see http://www.washingtontimes.com/photos/2009/jul/05/49833/)
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On another note, tune in on-line to next week’s Bedroom Sessions for another private acoustic concert from the comforts of my own bedroom.
Register For: The Bedroom Sessions with Kevin Burdick
Next Show: Episode 3, Tuesday, July 14th @ 6 PM PST
“Happy Birthday America!! How are ya doing DC?!?!” So the national parade was even better than I imagined. Early estimates were that over 1/2 a million people attended – looking forward to hearing what the actual numbers were. Intentionally, I wore an outfit that would give homage to the King himself, Elvis Presley, which I knew would get me noticed. What I didn’t realized is just HOW MUCH it would get me noticed. I had screaming fans, people who I’m sure had no idea who I was, putting their lives in harms way to try to get a photo with me on a moving float. Security, several times, had to get people to move back from the float. It was a surreal experience to be driving between all of the historic buildings in downtown DC, with Ben Franklin by my side, singing almost the entire way.
My personal highlights include moving the microphone to Ben Franklin who sang the “Never Let Go” hook with me – by the end, I’m sure, he had all of the words memorized. Also, at the judges station, they handed me a wireless microphone which enabled me to get off of the float for a minute and go give a number of kids high fives. One little girl with down-syndrome I particularly remember; She was so cute and seemed genuinely excited to be high-fiving a quasi-celebrity. Throughout the afternoon, I also had some fun, lyrically – I guess I got a little bored, but I ended up changing a verse or two, once to honor a cop I saw on a Segway (replace “Never Let Go” with “Cop on a Segway” – it works and it’s funny) and I often inserted Ben Franklin’s name in parts of the song. This often got some good laughs from the crowd.
Many said Obama was in attendance today, but I never saw him or knew if he was. I did see a number of high ranking military people and so forth. All and all, it was an honor to be involved and hopefully I created a little more awareness on who I am and what my music is about. Big thanks to my driver (whom I’ve forgotten his name – hope he’ll forgive me), Amy Walp for putting up with me and making all of the arrangements, also John Best and Kimberly Johnson for their involvement and support on this one… Now, off to nurse my sunburn and get something to eat. I’m exhausted.
If you were one of the many people packed into the downstairs of the Viper Room, you witnessed what I like to call, “Music History.” I was so happy to see a great turn out and hopefully my energy and appreciation came across from the tiny corner that Aaron and I crammed into for the performance.
Those who attended witnessed the improv (and tribute) songs “Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett at the Lake House” and “A Great White from the Land Down Under.” Extremely silly, but fun songs guest performer Dale Spollett and I made up on the spot based on audience suggestions. I also played many of the usual suspects – Robbie’s Song, Firefly, She Does Her Crying Alone. You could have a heard a pin drop when I performed “Too Good For this World” (I added a portion of Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven” to the ending) which finished to absolute cheers – definitely caught a few moist eyes in the crowd and I appreciate the support for my late daughter.
After the show, I was so wasted that I absolutely crashed – one of my friends took this hilarious picture. Woke up this morning still wearing my boots and clothes. Big thanks to everyone who attended and supported, Donovan Lyman and Hollow Body for booking the show, Dale Spollett for his comedy and voice, Kevin and Sal for getting me home safely, Aaron Chavez for his incredible percussion, Hep for flying in for the show from Salt Lake City, and the Viper Room for the hospitality and love!! Seacrest out!
Photos from the show:
Bootleg recording of “Firefly” from the show:
If you missed the Bedroom Sessions this week, you weren’t alone. At least a billion people missed it, maybe more – LOL. Luckily there were a good number of fans and friends who saw it LIVE and seemed to really enjoy it. A big thanks to everyone who attended and for all the real-time shoutouts I got in the chatroom and on my cell phone. You guys are the best!!
For those who missed it, here’s a little peek at what you missed:
Last week’s Bedroom Sessions was a wild success as we had people from all over the world logging in during and after (on playback) to watch the short 3 song performance from my bedroom. Personally, I enjoyed it so much that I’ve scheduled another one. Hopefully you can make it. This time, I’m even going to brave an improv song based on audience suggestions.
Register For: The Bedroom Sessions with Kevin Burdick
Next Show: Episode 2, Tuesday, June 16th @ 6 PM PST
And for those of you that missed it.
As Kevin’s touring schedule has slowed and his writing schedule increased, he still wanted a way to reach out to fans and give them an opportunity to see him play. Luckily, with new internet technologies now available that becomes a relatively simple thing. Enter, “The Bedroom Sessions” – a new internet performance series by Kevin Burdick. At various times throughout the summer, Kevin will open up his bedroom LIVE via internet to fans who want to watch him perform from his rehearsal area right next to his bed in his Los Angeles home. It’s brave, it’s intimate, and it’s raw. Kevin will be featuring new tracks from the 2010 album he’s writing, plus perform songs from his other 4 albums on iTunes. Click the link below to register for the web series featured on uStream.tv:
Sneak Preview: The Bedroom Sessions with Kevin Burdick
Next Show: Tuesday, June 9th @ 4 PM PST
With my performance schedule slowing while I write my 5th album, there won’t be very many opportunities to come see me perform this year - Thursday, June 25th in Hollywood is one of those rare exceptions.
The Viper Room, originally started by a group headlined by Johnny Depp, is an icon on the Sunset Strip. Adding your name to the list of artists that have performed there is a right of passage for any musician. Hope to see you there before 11 PM on June 25th when I take the stage and add my name to that list!!
Print the flyer below to save money at the door:
Note: ….Hollowbody LA presents acoustic Thursdays at the Green Room, the downstairs lounge at the Viper Room. 21+, $8 w/ flyer. Guests will have access to the entire venue. The Green Room bar offers serious drink specials for its guests. Makers Mark, Tanqueray Gin, all flavors of Sky Vodka, Wine and many other premium brands are only $5. Pabst cans are only $4. Free street parking is easy for the early shows. Yellow, loading zones are safe parking after 6pm, as are any green curbs. Otherwise there’s a pay lot on property, which is only $5 after 11pm. 8852 W. Sunset Blvd. West Hollywood, CA 90069
If you don’t currently own all four of Kevin Burdick’s albums (available on iTunes) there are a number of websites giving away free previews and a free download or two of his 40+ tracks. Some of these sites offer a cool interface and an easy way to discover tons of brand new bands and artists, besides just enjoying Kevin’s CDs. Here are Kevin’s 5 favorites that you may want to explore:
Blip.fm
Blip is a cool site where you are able to set yourself up with a free “DJ” account. Friends can see what music you’re listening too and can choose to follow/listen to your playlist or create their own. Kevin’s albums are currently all over this site and are in regular rotation by a number of fans and friends. Feel free to get an account set up and start creating and sharing your own custom play lists with your friends. It is currently Kevin’s favorite of the music sharing sites and is linked with his Twitter account.
Last.fm
Last.fm can actually be set up to connect to your current iTunes library and will make recommendations of other artists you might like based on your current album collection. This site also features a large number of Kevin’s songs. It operates in a similar fashion to Blip.fm, but isn’t quite as user friendly. Still, it is a great way to find, share, and listen to new music based on your current musical tastes.
TheSixtyOne.com
TheSixtyOne is filled with independent artists of all types and is a perfect site for someone wanting to discover new and unsigned artists. The website is currently offering Kevin’s song, Mercy, from his 2006 Album “In Your Cocoon” as a free download. It’s a great site for exploring new music and for networking with like-minded people who prefer NOT to listen to Top 40 radio, but would rather find their own unique sound.
Soundcloud.com
Soundcloud features one of the coolest music player interfaces on the web – it looks and sounds awesome. There are several of Kevin’s song’s available for your listening pleasures and these tracks can be interfaced easily with your facebook page or myspace page for easy playing or to share with your friends.
PureVolume.com
PureVolume features thousands of large and small unsigned acts, with a few well-known bands thrown in that you are no doubt familiar with (i.e. Fall Out Boy, etc). PureVolume is currently showcasing all 4 of Kevin’s songs from his 2006 EP, “In Your Cocoon.” It features a clean, easy-to-browse profile for each of the bands and allows users to pick and choose their favorites from a wide selection.
One last site you may want to check out it is iLike.com – we’re not really sure how it works, but Kevin’s music has found it’s way on there and he has a small established fan base there. We do know that the site interfaces with Facebook and allows you to share your favorite music with your Facebook friends, but other than that – well, you’re on your own. You can get there by going to: http://www.ilike.com/artist/Kevin+Burdick
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.
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