we have babies!

Our cardinal family has hatched... can't tell how many but they were feeding Saturday when I arrived home... and yesterday I heard their first vocalization (how's that for a singer's description?!)

The season kicked in with weddings, masses, weekly bookings this weekend... I performed in Downtown Manteo at the waterfront stores this morning... beautiful day, nice crowd and good company... tonight I'm on my way to one of my favorite outdoor venues, Tale of the Whale Gazebo... gorgeous setting, good food, lots of wildlife... and fun folks! The Pearl Restaurant is another favorite spot right on the ocean: great food & beautiful scenery... I'm there Wednesdays and Saturdays.

After tonight's performance, I'm on the road back to Nashville to tweak the cd one last time before it goes to the next stage...all is going well but I feel like I need a vacation... Be sure to click on the link to see my music video for the title track to my CD, Let The Door Swing Wide.

see ya soon! ~k

What day is this??

I have lost count of what day in the studio this is.... driving back to OBX for weekend engagements has made this a looong process & tiresome BUT never the less an endurance test that is almost done yet just the prelude to my upcoming summer season! The blessing and gift column always out weighs the other side... last week (Friday) we had breakfast with a friend from the past, Lisa Chapman. In conversation Lisa mentioned she had a cabin on a lake she'd like us to stay at the next time we were coming to town. That time of course was this week so we are staying on 1500+ acres in a cabin on a lake in the middle of nowhere. I was in the boat & on the water within 10 minutes of unloading the car. I am in heaven, thank you GOD! (& thank you Lisa!) A pair of geese met us & literally gave us the grand tour of the lake... introducing us along the way to the bass, turtles and water fowl.... it is beyond beautiful.... ahhhh



Back to the studio: we finished all the back up vocals today. Again a wonderful experience being surrounded by in-spirit, talented & good humored sisters and brothers...what a high! It's exhilarating to say the least...

On the home front, 2-3 days before leaving for Nashville (the first week) I noticed a pair of cardinals outside my office window frantically flying in and around a tree. When I got home that weekend they had started gathering nesting materials. When I returned the nest was done and upon leaving Sunday mama was sitting on eggs. Now I didn't plan this cd project and I certainly didn't time it in sync with the nesting cycle of a pair of cardinals. Some would not pay any attention to this so called "coincidence" but I don't believe in coincidences and find it interesting that my new cd is going to "hatch" in conjunction with the eggs being incubated outside my office window.... I'm sure there is a deeper meaning to it all, but I'm so brain dead right now I haven't figured it out so if anyone who is reading this gets it, email me please.... thanks!

We'll be mixing for the next 3 days and then some. I'm back in OBX for Memorial Day weekend and then back in Nashville to finish up the project... see you at the beach! ~k

Day 4 in Nashville

I am ready to start Day 4! After rushing home for the weekend in the Outer Banks, we arrived back in Nashville Monday midnightish ...overslept Tuesday morning (thank goodness for cell phones which brought us to reality very quickly) & hit the studio by 10am ....got through my vocals on 5 songs! ...left around 9pm ....good deal ....back at it today ....I miss my morning walks with Winston

....on a local note, Mother's Day dinner at The Pearl restaurant was wonderful! Nice group of folks, everyone enjoyed! The atmosphere is very nice, comfortable, intimate ...the ocean view is gorgeous and the food is devine ...I'll be there most Wednesdays & Saturdays between Memorial Day & Labor Day (check my website schedule for specifics) so if you're in the OBX plan to join us at least one night. One of the chefs at The Pearl was my chef Jeremy at the Horny Toad & he is very talented!

Day 2 in Nashville

Wow! we finished all 10 instrumental tracks on Thursday...

12+ hours in the studio...great job guys!! We laughed, danced (thank you Pat!) and worked hard!

            

...exciting to be surrounded by such creative and talented 

“in-spirit” people...good vibes, warm fuzzies, good humor and great coffee (thanks Kenny!)...

            

Can’t think of a better way to spend a day in Nashville! 

      

Friday we visited with friends before getting to the studio to record my string section: John Catchings and David Davidson from the Nashville symphony...and Jim Hoke my flutist (Jim has played sax and harmonica on past projects for me). 

This is gonna be a gooood cd....stay tuned

peace ~k

on the road... again

It's the night before we hit the road to Nashville to start the recording process of "Let the Door Swing Wide"... I've made notes, I've listened & re-listened to material, I've picked the keys and most of all I've thanked God for the opportunity and for the blessings of this project, the time spent on it and all those lending their gifts of creativity to it... and THANK YOU for your emails, calls and prayers of support and encouragement... wow! 

Let the doors swing wide! ~k

Spring Has Sprung!

Well Happy Spring!

I've finally caught up on 2007 paperwork... January was time to recoup. In February we launched my singing telegrams for Valentines Day.

WAVY-TV 10 (from Portsmouth VA) came down to film the delivery... what a blast!! It was a wonderful way to spend the day - delivering music to homes, shipyards, Home Depot and restaurants. This has been added to my website and is available for birthdays, anniversaries, get well, whatever special occasions you might have!

I've done a few special performances at a few churches in this area and have been warmly received...music and conversation about personal journeys. It's great to share our stories.

Spring has now sprung in the Outer Banks & so has my schedule...I'll be back at 3 of the same venues I was at last year 2 nights a week at each venue: Tale of the Whale, Millers on the Waterfront, and The Pearl Restaurant (formally Ocean Front Trellis in the Sea Ranch Hotel). I will also be leading song at Holy Redeemer and Holy Trinity churches on the weekends (see my calendar for mass times). I'm still working on my afternoon schedule so keep an eye on my calendar. I have a good number of weddings, some solo, some w/other local musicians (Leslie Erickson-violin, Sue Waters-violin, Jason Evans-keyboard, Suzanne Blackstock-flute). Leslie and I lead music Sunday mornings at Holy Trinity in Nags Head.

Leslie Erickson and I will be at the Beach Bread Company this Saturday April 19 @ 7:30 for our joint restaurant debut.

Along with all the marketing, accounting and scheduling I had to finish in March, I've managed to squeeze (literally) time out of May to record a second Christian cd. We start May 8 and will be in and out of the Nashville studio ALL month! The title of the cd is my motto for 2008: “Let The Door Swing Wide” title song written my by most favorite female Christian singer-songwriter, Sarah Hart. The material on this cd is wonderful and I'm anxious to hear what my fellow studio musicians and back up vocalists create! My ever present God will have hands full with this project!

Look forward to seeing everyone in the coming months...if you stop by a venue, church or restaurant, please come say hello!

blessings ~k

Happy New Year!

It's almost New Years Eve...I'm looking forward to singing at Williamsburg's First Night & having breakfast with the crew @ I-Hop! (a tradition)

The last few weeks have been filled  with Christmas...we did in-stores for retail support at several of my vendors: Good Life Gourmet, Beach Bread Company, A Holistic Pet Shop, Salty Paws Biscuits, Chip's Wine & Beer Market, Bagels to Beef.  Great to see everyone, thanks for joining me & supporting our vendors! 

The title track from the Christmas CD, A Christmas to Remember,  was put into rotation on Mix 96, Orville & Wilbur.  I had 2 radio interviews: Mix 96  & The Sound 99.1 Acoustic Coffee Break (great job Sam & Jeff...thank you!) & of course press releases in the local papers (Coastland Times & Sentinel)...look for more coverage in papers & radio in 2008 as well as retail as several vendors are interested in working my other CDs during the summer!  Exciting marketing...now if I could just clone myself...

During the next 2 months I'll be doing some local appearances at some of the restaurants: Good Life Gourmet, Beach Bread Company & working on some others...check the calendar for scheduling or email me...

I'm rehearsing extensively with Leslie Erickson my violinist for weddings, private parties etc offering more of an instrumental selection: classical and contemporary...there are audio samples on my wedding page on this web site...check it out!

Here's to a healthy, prosperous, exciting new year filled with friends, family, and peace....let the doors swing wide!!

peace ~k