Hey all, I'm happy to annouce that I'll be performing in this year's Telluride Bluegrass Festival Troubador Competition.
This will be my first visit to Telluride and I'm just as excited to meet and listen to my fellow performers as I am to play.
Lots more news on the horizon...Hope to see you there!
On our way.
The record is nearing completion and it sounds more incredible than I could have hoped. You came forward to help me realize this creative dream, thank you.
We have big plans for this year and the release of the album will be unfolding as it rolls along, so stay tuned to my site for all the latest news.
Also...I turned 26 today! Come and help celebrate with me this month:
Performing My Music:
March 19th @ The Walnut Room w/Ari Hest ~ Denver, CO
March 31st @ The Meadowlark w/Chris Mc Garry ~ Denver, CO
Performing Friends Music:
March 17th @ The Sandbar w/Drunken Hearts ~ Vail, CO
March 18th @ Scruffy Murphy's w/Chris Webb ~ Denver, CO
March 25th @ Sullivan's w/Rob Drabkin ~ Denver, CO
Kickstarters, keep an eye on your inbox ;)
kj
PS ~ The team on the album are a busy lot, check in on their projects here:
Jayme Stone
Aaron Youngberg
Ayo Awosika
Ben Sollee
Grant Gordy
Ian Hutchison
Timur Yusef
David Glasser
Well, the record is fully tracked and we'll be mixing and mastering this month. What a long, amazing project this has been. I've learned a ton sofar and it's hard to believe this time last year I was imagining what it might be like to have my first album.
I'll be playing with a few different bands this Spring, trying to keep busy while the album gets its engine's running, look for a full tour sometime later this year.
keep in touch,
kj
Well, Jayme Aaron and I headed back into the studio last week to continue work on the record. We've managed to track banjo for 6 tunes, and have a ton of fun. I'll be back at it in a couple of weeks to finish the remaining 3 tunes, then it's on to mixing!
Whew! It sure feels great to be working on this project again, I can't wait to share it with you all!
Whew! That's a wrap on the new Will Knox album.
We've been tracking all week at the amazing Flux Studios in the Lower East Side. The tunes came together really well and I'm excited to hear the final result.
Headin back to CO tomorrow, and will be going back in the studio to finish my album in november, I can't wait and am diligently crafting my banjo parts. I am so ready for this record.
Many neat shows in oct so check the calendar, more soon, I've got a plane to catch!
Been on break from the site...but not from the music!
Wanted to drop a quick note about a couple great show this weekend.
First off:
Friday July 2nd @ The Walnut Room in Denver
I'll be opening the show for a really amazing songwriter, Bill Mallone. Joining me for an in-the-round performance will be my good friends David Rynhart and Gabby Louise. Tickets are just $9 dollar so come on!
Saturday July 3rd @ Ranch Del Rio
The show is Realm Fest presents Campout for the Cause II. I'll be joined by Adam and Joe from Head for the Hills performing tunes by Andrew McConathy, this is sure to be a great festival!
Gotta run, more soon!
kj
So, the last week resulted in a 4 day 50 hour insane creativity frenzy...o man I'm tired.
The tracks are sounding AMAZING, I'm so thrilled with the way everything has turned out sofar. Everyone in the band really came together and made the songs come alive, I can't wait to share them with you all. Check out the "Look" section for lots of great pics from the sessions.
pretty exciting!
Thanks again for all of your support, and if you know anyone who would like to contribute to the ongoing effort, please have them contact me at kjameshauser@gmail.com
And for those of you in the Denver area, come check out a few new shows @ the Walnut room this month!
more soon,
kj
PS ~ Check out this live performance on Radio 1190 from last friday!
It takes a village...
As you may or may not know, recording an album is a huge financial endeavor! And with the record labels going the way of the dodo, it's a tricky time to find a solution.
"Record in your basement!"
You might say, but the truth is, in today's incredible, competitive music landscape, a new artist simply cannot afford to release a recording that's less than professional. EVERYONE has an album now, and audiences are inundated with material. So much so that if they hear something that isn't up to par, they will likely pass on it for good.
So the quandary becomes, how does a burgeoning independent artist find the capital to pay the steep fees associated with recording an album? Which include:
Studio Fees
Production
Mixing
Mastering
Duplication
Design
Promotion
Musician's Fees
Travel
The answer is, it takes a village. For the first time in history, we the people have an opportunity to take a hands on approach with the the music we believe in, from the bottom up. This record will end up costing well over $10,000 to complete.
With that in mind, I'm asking that you make a donation to help make my dream a reality! This money will go directly to the studio/musician fees I will incur this May, and will allow me to progress in this most important step of the album making process!
Rest assured all the money you donate will be used exclusively for the recording of this album, and I will be happy to provide you with a detailed expense report at your request.
Thank you in advance! And please forward this, and my website to any friends, family members, co-workers, etc you think may like to be involved!
Kj
Now...this week's episode:
I've never actually met ben face to face...not yet. But he's been a frequent companion for me over the last year or so, from his amazing solo work to the inspiring Sparrow Quartet album, Ben has quickly taken the seat as my favorite little cello rocker. I couldn't be more thrilled to have him on the record.
For a stalwart young artist who creates different means to an end, Ben Sollee has enjoyed a whirlwind year replete with remarkable success and warm, exciting music to match.
Sollee hails from Kentucky, yet sounds nothing like the colloquial music one traditionally associates with the state (or anywhere else for that matter). He eschews traditional singer-songwriter and folk boundaries, choosing a cello rather than a guitar as his divining rod, and utilizing unique plucking and percussive bow techniques juxtaposed against his blue-eyed soul meets Antony Hegarty vocal leanings. Ben enjoys collaborating with musicians as disparate as Otis Taylor and Bela Fleck, touring with indie rock royalty, and covering Sam Cooke as an homage to blues. When he ventures out of Louisville, sometimes he'll just strap this cello to his back and ride his bike rather than enjoy the comforts of a van or bus, as he did on his southern trek in the summer of 2009 -- playing intimate shows in every town he hits between his larger headlining performances. Yes, Ben's always done things a bit differently.
Perhaps that's one reason why his 2008 debut album, Learning to Bend, received such lauding from hardened critical ears. No Depression put the album on their top five of 2008, Paste listed him on The Best of What's Next, NPR raved and invited him to play a World Cafe set, and music blogs provided (and continue to provide) Sollee a steady torrent of praise and journalistic intrigue. His inviting and impressive debut, saturated with sweeping moods and a visceral maturity way beyond his 25 years, also landed him prominent spots on the festival circuit, including Austin City Limits and Bonnaroo, as well as a riveting set on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Not interested in slowing down, Sollee spends his spare time championing issues close to his heart, such as ending mountaintop removal through his volunteer work, playing benefit concerts for Kentuckians For the Commonwealth and Oxfam, as well as assembling the aforementioned bike tours to encourage greener living. Ben wears his conscience on his sleeve without proselytizing or taking away from what matters most, his imaginative music.
The next year looks to be just as exciting as the previous. Ben will release a collaboration with Daniel Martin Moore, also of Kentucky, on Sub Pop due out February 2010 called Dear Companion. The album was produced by My Morning Jacket's Jim James, making the whole project a family affair. Though the project promises to be one of the most prolific for both Ben and Daniel, they are donating their artist proceeds to environmental advocacy group Appalachian Voices.
Yes, Ben truly traces his own trajectory. And perhaps that's what will keep him both an engaging artist and person for years to come.
Well, i'm back from a fun trip out west. Good food, good music, lots of beer...mmm...beer.
Things are cookin' up nicely for the record, studio time booked, plane tickets bought, fundraising is a major concern...but one thing at a time!
I've got two great shows this week, one w/my buddy Ryan Brasher from Eleanor @ the Laughing Goat here in boulder, the other with another great friend and player Murph of Slipstream @ the Golden Hotel. Both shows are free so come say hello!
I'm also excited to be playing @ the Bluebird Theatre April 1st with The Contribution for their CD release! Made up of memebers of The String Cheese Incident, Railroad Earth and New Monsoon, this is sure to be a fun night!
And now...
Grant has been around this scene for a while I think...and by this scene i of course am refering to the most bad-ass guitar players around scene. Grant is a BEAST on his guitar, and one of the nicest guys I've ever met. Honestly, I'm continually blown away and inspired by his playing and am REALLY excited to see what he comes up with on my songs!
He's got a solo album coming out in a couple months featuring some other monsters of rock, including, Dominick Leslie, Paul Kowart, Alex Hargreaves, Jayme Stone and David Grisman. Oh yeah, did I mention Grant is Grisman's guitar player? No? Well...now I did.
Grant Gordy took up the guitar at the age of 13 in his hometown of Portland, OR. He now calls Denver home and has been a part of the national acoustic music scene for the last several years. He cut his teeth as a working musician playing all kinds of music at all kinds of gigs around Colorado. In 2006 Grant auditioned and was selected for Edgar Meyer's "Porous Borders of Music" workshop in New York City, the culmination of which was a performance at Carnegie Hall, where Grant debuted a number of his compositions. He toured North America in 2008 with Jayme Stone and Mansa Sissoko and the "Africa to Appalachia Project", including dates at the Montreal Jazz Festival and Calgary Folk Festival, and a featured performance on NPR's All Things Considered. Their album won a Juno Award (Canadian Grammy) for Best World Music Record of the Year. Recently Grant has become the newest member of the legendary David Grisman Quintet, which has played all over the country at concert halls and festivals including Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in June 2009. He has shared the stage with such luminaries of the acoustic music world as Mike Marshall, Edgar Meyer, Béla Fleck, Darol Anger and of course David Grisman. He is quickly becoming recognized for pushing and blurring the boundaries of acoustic music in his compositions and improvisation, his assimilation of jazz influences, and his exceptional facility with his instrument.
