PAN FRIED SUCCESS
Sept. 17, 2009- The show with subdude Tommy Malone on Saturday night was a big success. The standing room only crowd was very receptive and made us feel loved all night long. Thanks to every one of you! I woke up Sunday morning with a wee bit of “now what?” feeling but I already have a list of things to do that is longer than my arm.
For one thing, we recorded the show Saturday night and are seriously considering tweaking it and releasing it- so a “Pan Fried” CD could very well be in the works. It will be a lot of work but we’re up for it. With the subdudes’ new release “Flower Petal” just out, they’ll be touring heavily for awhile, so we may not get to do another Pan Fried show before 2010. A CD would be a great way to enjoy that music until we can play again.
We also had a video crew come and tape the show so editing and viewing is in order there too. By the way, I saw lots of folks with cameras that night and I would LOVE to see some of the pics- so if you are willing to share please contact me at bethmckee@gmail.com.
There is still my brand new CD “I’m That Way” to promote and distribute. I am thrilled to say it is getting radio airplay on quite a few public stations (my favorite kind of radio) and is ranked at #14 on the Austin TX 3rd Coast Music FAR chart.
http://www.tcmnradio.com/far/ I can’t wait to get the digital download reports for August!
As an independent artist I am learning a lot of valuable info about the music biz and starting to see that I really CAN do this for myself and truth be told, it’s kinda fun. This week I am researching bloggers. If you have a favorite blogger that you would like to recommend please email me with the link and I will contact them for a possible review.
I am working on some dates in Louisiana over Thanksgiving so if you live in that area, stay tuned! I would like to play in Pensacola or Mobile on the way, then hit New Orleans, Lafayette and possibly Baton Rouge. It might even be feasible to dash up I-55 to play for my hometown folks in Jackson.
Also, I am looking forward to my next club date in Orlando on Oct. 24 at McWell’s (Orange Ave. & Gatlin) where I’ll be sharing the bill with Galloway-Kelliher. I hope to see you there!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
30 days and counting
Today begins the one month count down to our CD release party, June 13. Woohoo! We'll have a 7 piece band plus some special guests and we're really looking forward to it. Our music is our passion, so we've been
busy. Jim Markel who founded and runs the wonderful cultural web resource swampland.com generously summed it up:
"For artists like McKee, music is not a piece of fashion or stage in life. It is life. It is a vocation, a calling. She gives meaning to the term "working musician" as someone who lives by and on the power of the music she creates. With her musical journey through wonderful towns like Austin and New Orleans staying close in her rear view mirror, McKee chose a perfect way to truly launch herself as a solo artist."
Yes, I have lived in some very musical places and believe it or not, Central Florida is one of those too. Because of the abundance of good gigs resulting from tourism, there is a community of extremely talented players here, representing many genres of music. Add to that
the plethora of groups that have emerged from Central Florida over the decades, from the Allman Brothers to NSync, and it's pretty undeniable that this area has contributed significantly to the collective music consciousness.
My goal, like any artist's I suspect, is to meld my experiences into something cohesive that reflects where I have been and who I am. My drummer
husband, Juan Perez, feels the same way. If our performance can reflect our different influences -- from my Austin days to NOLA, my Mississippi blues
past to here in Orlando with this amazing circle of musicians; and Juan's past from Cuba to the rodeo circuit with the Bellamys and his history with Kingsnake artists like Rootboy Slim, The Midnight Creepers and Sonny Rhodes-- then we will feel like we have been successful.
busy. Jim Markel who founded and runs the wonderful cultural web resource swampland.com generously summed it up:
"For artists like McKee, music is not a piece of fashion or stage in life. It is life. It is a vocation, a calling. She gives meaning to the term "working musician" as someone who lives by and on the power of the music she creates. With her musical journey through wonderful towns like Austin and New Orleans staying close in her rear view mirror, McKee chose a perfect way to truly launch herself as a solo artist."
Yes, I have lived in some very musical places and believe it or not, Central Florida is one of those too. Because of the abundance of good gigs resulting from tourism, there is a community of extremely talented players here, representing many genres of music. Add to that
the plethora of groups that have emerged from Central Florida over the decades, from the Allman Brothers to NSync, and it's pretty undeniable that this area has contributed significantly to the collective music consciousness.
My goal, like any artist's I suspect, is to meld my experiences into something cohesive that reflects where I have been and who I am. My drummer
husband, Juan Perez, feels the same way. If our performance can reflect our different influences -- from my Austin days to NOLA, my Mississippi blues
past to here in Orlando with this amazing circle of musicians; and Juan's past from Cuba to the rodeo circuit with the Bellamys and his history with Kingsnake artists like Rootboy Slim, The Midnight Creepers and Sonny Rhodes-- then we will feel like we have been successful.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Sunday, May 10 and the one month countdown begins
We're gearing up for the CD release party on June 13, practicing the tunes we recorded over the last year. Of course those ten songs won't make for a full evening of entertainment and I am anxious to add new songs to our set anyway. As a result, we are learning some favorite soul standards (Band of Gold & What a Man), re-working some older originals that never seemed to cut it and a few new compositions are squeaking out of us too. Juan & I penned one this a.m. that was very descriptive of our relationship both personal & working. It's a blues song and the title is "Tug of War." I'm sure you get the picture.
Bobby Charles keeps checking in with words of support, saying something has just GOT to happen with the CD. "It's just too good!" he says. Well Bobby, my fingers are crossed. Recording his songs was like taking a graduate level course in southern songwriting. His lyrics are so natural and unpretentious. They sound just like what you would say in a conversation. His melodies are simple and catchy, very easy to learn. Bobby knows that people like to sing along to his songs and he makes that easy to do.
Bobby Charles keeps checking in with words of support, saying something has just GOT to happen with the CD. "It's just too good!" he says. Well Bobby, my fingers are crossed. Recording his songs was like taking a graduate level course in southern songwriting. His lyrics are so natural and unpretentious. They sound just like what you would say in a conversation. His melodies are simple and catchy, very easy to learn. Bobby knows that people like to sing along to his songs and he makes that easy to do.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Enough about me, let's talk about my new album!
I guess the reason I find it so incredibly hard to blog means it is something I really should do. For the person tripping along who happened to click through and doesn't know me, I will tell you a bit about myself now. I'm a singer/songwriter/piano player who loves to perform blues, old soul, New Orleans R&B and the occasional classic pop song (Burt Bacharach comes to mind here.)
I was on a record label (MCA) back in the 90's with a Louisiana band called Evangeline. We had a good run before we eventually sputtered out. I've been lucky enough to tour internationally at a pretty high level -2 tours as part of the opening act for Jimmy Buffett & many festivals and club dates from Stephens Talkhouse in Long Island (and Miami) to Tipitina's in New Orleans.
Speaking of NOLA, I lived there for years and even though I am not there now, it is "home" to me and always will be. New Orleans piano players have always been my idols- Fess, Dr. John, Huey Piano Smith, Art Neville, Eddie Bo and of course, Fats. I'm also a fan of southern songwriters. You know, the kind that make you feel like you've just read a Eudora Welty or a Tennessee Williams short story. Allen Toussaint, Lucinda Williams, Dan Penn, Sam Phillips, Lyle Lovett, people like that. One of my favorite songwriters ever is a guy named Bobby Charles. He wrote some very recognizable songs like See You Later Alligator, Small Town Talk and Walking To New Orleans and boy, he is Louisiana through & through. Bobby's songs have so much heart in them and not one extra syllable. He is a master at keeping it simple.
I'm married to a Cuban drummer named Juan Perez who has got the New Orleans drumming thing down like Brown. We decided to do a whole CD of Bobby Charles songs and release it ourselves. The result is "I'm That Way" which is also the title of one of the cuts. We had a great time recording it, though sadly, the owner of the studio who was also a very dear friend, died unexpectedly just as we were wrapping up the recording process. I guess it will always be a bittersweet memory for us. His name was Billy Delk and he was a helluva guy and a right good organ player too. The B-3 part he played on "Spent All My Money Lovin You" was the last he ever recorded. He is greatly missed by many people, especially us.
Anyway, I sent a copy of "I'm That Way" to Bobby Charles in Abbeville, LA and he has called me no less than 8 times since, to tell me how much he loves it. What an endorsement! Bobby is committed to helping me find a label to put this thing out on, but I'm not waiting around. I have put it up on CD Baby and also have it for sale on my website, bethmckee.com. I have received several inquiries form blues radio stations and publications in the US and abroad and I have faithfully sent out copies for review. Additionally, I am trying to take advantage of all the social media opportunities that are available to try and get the word out about it. It is something I am proud of and want to share. Also, Juan and I would like to take the band out on the road and play these wonderful songs for lotsa folks, so here's hopin' we can get something going.
Well, that's about it. Thanks for stopping by and if you ever see me out there, come on up and tell me "hey."
Beth
I was on a record label (MCA) back in the 90's with a Louisiana band called Evangeline. We had a good run before we eventually sputtered out. I've been lucky enough to tour internationally at a pretty high level -2 tours as part of the opening act for Jimmy Buffett & many festivals and club dates from Stephens Talkhouse in Long Island (and Miami) to Tipitina's in New Orleans.
Speaking of NOLA, I lived there for years and even though I am not there now, it is "home" to me and always will be. New Orleans piano players have always been my idols- Fess, Dr. John, Huey Piano Smith, Art Neville, Eddie Bo and of course, Fats. I'm also a fan of southern songwriters. You know, the kind that make you feel like you've just read a Eudora Welty or a Tennessee Williams short story. Allen Toussaint, Lucinda Williams, Dan Penn, Sam Phillips, Lyle Lovett, people like that. One of my favorite songwriters ever is a guy named Bobby Charles. He wrote some very recognizable songs like See You Later Alligator, Small Town Talk and Walking To New Orleans and boy, he is Louisiana through & through. Bobby's songs have so much heart in them and not one extra syllable. He is a master at keeping it simple.
I'm married to a Cuban drummer named Juan Perez who has got the New Orleans drumming thing down like Brown. We decided to do a whole CD of Bobby Charles songs and release it ourselves. The result is "I'm That Way" which is also the title of one of the cuts. We had a great time recording it, though sadly, the owner of the studio who was also a very dear friend, died unexpectedly just as we were wrapping up the recording process. I guess it will always be a bittersweet memory for us. His name was Billy Delk and he was a helluva guy and a right good organ player too. The B-3 part he played on "Spent All My Money Lovin You" was the last he ever recorded. He is greatly missed by many people, especially us.
Anyway, I sent a copy of "I'm That Way" to Bobby Charles in Abbeville, LA and he has called me no less than 8 times since, to tell me how much he loves it. What an endorsement! Bobby is committed to helping me find a label to put this thing out on, but I'm not waiting around. I have put it up on CD Baby and also have it for sale on my website, bethmckee.com. I have received several inquiries form blues radio stations and publications in the US and abroad and I have faithfully sent out copies for review. Additionally, I am trying to take advantage of all the social media opportunities that are available to try and get the word out about it. It is something I am proud of and want to share. Also, Juan and I would like to take the band out on the road and play these wonderful songs for lotsa folks, so here's hopin' we can get something going.
Well, that's about it. Thanks for stopping by and if you ever see me out there, come on up and tell me "hey."
Beth
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Beth is learning to blog
I don't have time to think of something cute to say here. I am trying to learn how to market my new CD and apparently this is something I have to do as part of that process. When I figure all of this out and become blog savvy I am sure I will be both profound and prolific. Until then. . . .
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