Another Midwest Tour…

Hey all.  First of all, thank you to everyone who came out to see me, Nate, and Jamestown Story on the Find A Way Tour last month!  I had a great time!  It was awesome getting to see so any familiar faces and to finally be able to play again.  I must admit, it was a little strange at first… I am definitely not used to playing and singing on stage.  I guess this forced me to open up a bit on stage, which is something I haven’t done much of before.  

Anyways, I am hitting the road again this April with Skies Alive, Famous Like You, and Good Problems (Pat Beezy) for a small midwest run again.  I apologize east, west, and southern states… I will reach you soon!  I want to do something cool and fun on this tour, so I will be booking house shows in every city that I go to!  Below is a list of the available cities I will be in, if you live in one of these areas and want to set up a show, simply e-mail me directly and we will set something up!  It won’t cost much, and if you and all your friends pitch in, we can make this happen very easily.  We will play living rooms, basements, tree forts, closets, basically anywhere you can fit an acoustic guitar and some friends!  Hope everyone is doing well.  Until next time…

Mon - April 4 - Omaha, NE

Tue - April 5 - Aimes/Des Moines, IA

Thu - April 7 - Madison/Milwaukee, WI

Fri - April 8 - Bloomington, IL

Sat - April 9 - Indianapolis, IN

Sun - April 10 - Louisville, KY

Mon - April 11 - Columbus, OH

Tue - April 12 - Cleveland, OH

Thu - April 14 - Grand Rapids, MI

Fri - April 15 - Chicago, IL

Sat - April 16 - Mankato, MN

E-mail - kierensmith@me.com if you want to set something up!

best.

-k

Winter Tour 2011 w/ Jamestown Story and Nate Flynn

wow it has been a while since I have posted anything on here…

this winter has been long, but definitely fun!  I went to NYC for new years, spent a week in Hawaii, recorded a record with my new band (yet to be unveiled) and now I am heading back out on the road for a short run of shows with some of my best friends!  I will be out with Jamestown Story and Nate Flynn, doing some awesome acoustic shows for all my friends here in the mid-west.  so here are the dates, if you can make it, please RSVP on facebook! also, if you haven’t already, please check out my solo stuff on all social networking sites, including iTunes and my online merch store

Feb 4th-Dassel, MN @ The Upper Room
Feb 5th-Duluth, MN @ Beaner’s Central (Jamestown Story CD Release Show!!)
Feb 11th-Minneapolis, MN @ The Beat (Jamestown Story CD Release Show!!)
Feb 13th-Omaha, NE @ Sokol Underground
Feb 17th-Mankato, MN @ What’s Up Lounge
Feb 18th-Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
Feb 19th-Chicago, IL @ Subterranean
Feb 20th-Looking for a show in Illinois, Indiana, or Michigan!
Feb 21st-Pontiac, MI @ The Eagles Theatre/The Crofoot
Feb 22nd-Southgate, MI @ The Modern Exchange
Feb 23rd-Looking for a show in Michigan!
Feb 24th-Grand Rapids, MI @ Mixtape Cafe
Feb 25th-Lake in the Hills, IL @ WARP Skate Park
Feb 26th-LaCrosse, WI @ The Warehouse

also, if you haven’t already, please check out my solo stuff on all social networking sites, including iTunes and my online merch store.  I need to start posting more regularly…

-k

kierensmith.bigcartel.com - Merch

itunes.com/kierensmith - iTunes

twitter.com/kierensmith - Twitter

youtube.com/kierensmithmusic - YouTube

facebook.com/kierensmithmusic - Facebook

The Deathly Hallows

Random thought…

So last night I went to the Harry Potter premiere with the lady.  The movie was decent.  Not my favorite one so far, but it wasn’t disappointing.  The only thing is, did anyone else find the semi-nude makeout scene between Harry and Hermione a little much?  I mean, I understand it was a pivotal part and all, but don’t you think it was kind of gross?  I am not much of a movie critic or HP diehard and sex scenes rarely bother me, but I feel they could have gotten the point across without the weird nude CG.  It was just unnecessary in my book.  That’s all.  On the other hand, poor Dobby eh? :(  

Sleepless In….Minneapolis?

So here I am once again.  Awake, laying in bed listening to the dog snore and hoping I don’t wake the lady up.  This is the time I think the most.  During the day I usually find a way to keep busy and keep myself focused on the now, but at night, my mind wanders.  I used to spend a LOT of time worrying about the future.  I would sit in the van/bus and just worry myself sick about who I was, and what I was doing with my life.  I will say that I have finally learned to relax and take things day by day.  Yes, of course I don’t want to end up alone or becoming so good at Halo that it should be deemed unhealthy, but I have finally found a balance.  It feels nice…

I was hanging out with Ben the other day and we both started talking about how good it felt to be on the other side of things for once.  I am talking in regards to tour and the touring lifestyle.  Now don’t get me wrong, I miss playing music and being able to play a rock show every night, but it is refreshing and ultimately good for me to step back for a while.  I have been to a few shows since the end of SIL and I can honestly say, I have never even noticed half the shit I saw go down when I was on the road.  The constant drinking, the obvious insecurities and egos in the room, and of course the endless competition for tour-tail.  It blew my mind to see how some people act in this environment.  I was shocked because, the lack of responsibility and pride just blew my mind.  I feel like spending so much time on the road and away from my family and loved ones made me numb to it.  The drinking/drug abuse, the infidelities, the constant battle for attention- I hadn’t even noticed it until now.  And yes, obviously I used to take part in the “game”, but now that I see it from an outside perspective, my view has changed.  It isn’t normal.  It isn’t all for fun.  It isn’t about the music.  Call me old or tightly wound, but it was just sad.  Not only should the young women at these shows have a little more pride and self control, the guys should too.  Come on guys, show some respect, show some dignity.  Be a gentleman.  Yes, I used to be an asshole.  I played my part in all the immature shit.  But seriously… Young people need to have some kind of standards.  If a girl is falling over at the bar, don’t try to kiss her.  Get her a fucking cab!  If your buddy is hitting on a girl you “wanted” for the night, let it go.  Don’t let a failed attempt at a one night stand piss you off and ruin your night.  People just need to realize what is appropriate in life and apply that to tour.  Because if that kind of behavior isn’t acceptable when your family, friends, gf/bf is around, it shouldn’t be at any place or time.  

Sorry for the rant.  I think people just need to grow a pair and have some self respect.  It isn’t cool to be a drunk.  It isn’t cool to be a player.  And most importantly- it isn’t cool to be an asshole.  

-k

The Better Life

Hey everyone!  Thank you all so much for checking out my first ever solo album, “The Better Life”!  I know it was short notice, but it has been sitting on the shelf for a while and I decided on a whim to release it.  No plan, no campaign, no waiting- just music.  I am thrilled to see that so far, it seems everyone is enjoying it!  I am working over the next few days to get all my online stuff in order so please keep your eyes open for things as they come.  I cannot even begin to tell you how great it feels being able to release music independently again!  I feel like a new man.  Hopefully I will be able to put out some more songs and play some shows here soon, but for now I am focusing on getting my new band up and going.  We hope to have some music out before the holidays.  Thank you all again for the support!  I am truly blessed.

-k

EP Cover!

Here is the artwork for my first solo EP that drops tomorrow on iTunes! Thanks a lot Ben and Chelsey!

Update

First off, I would like to thank everyone for the amazing feedback on the song I posted!  I didn’t really know what to expect, and I was blown away by all the awesome comments, so thank you all for that.  

Now that SIL is done I find myself at a crossroads.  Do I want to go solo?  Do I want to do another band?  What kind of music do I want to play?  I ask myself these things every day.  So I finally came to a conclusion… I am going to do it all!  

I will be releasing my solo EP as “Kieren Smith” on Tuesday, November 2nd!  Yes, in two weeks.  So please check that out when it comes out.  It features 6 songs, 4 full band and 2 acoustic.  

ALSO, I am starting a new band!  I will be playing alongside of Derek Johnson (Take Cover), and Dan Mariska (The King And The Thief).  We haven’t chosen a name yet, but we are set to record at the end of November.  I was afraid starting two projects would send a mixed message and just be confusing for people, but at the end of the day, I want to do it all!  

I am not too sure my future touring plans either as a solo artist or with my new band, but plan on seeing me sometime this spring!  Thank you all so much for the support.  I will be posting another song for stream this week, so stay tuned!

Dangerlove

So after MANY months of waiting, today I was finally able to release Dangerlove!  

I recorded this song with some friends a few months ago, but due to my contract with Epitaph Records, I wasn’t able to release it.  Now that Sing It Loud is done, and my deal with Epitaph is null, I am finally able to release music as an independent musician again.  

So I give to you Dangerlove.  This is not my main focus right now, I am starting a new band (name TBA) which will be my next “SIL” so to speak.  Dangerlove is just a fun rock ‘n’ roll band I am doing for shits and giggles.  We will be releasing songs periodically and maybe playing some shows in MN in the future.  I hope you enjoy it, it goes well with a cold beer!

Buy our single HERE!

Also, like us on facebook!  

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dangerlove/139078586134742?ref=sgm

On The Radar

So it has been a few days since we announced the end of Sing It Loud.  I just want to let everyone know once again how thankful I am for all the support.  It has been refreshing seeing all the messages we have gotten, and to know we have impacted so many people in a positive way throughout the past three years.  It really reminds me why I do music.  

I am currently waiting to master my EP and then I will be putting it out, hopefully within a month or so.  I still haven’t decided what to call it or myself for that matter.  I have been doing some writing with friends here in MN and it has been amazing.  I can’t wait to show everyone these songs!  Hopefully I will be able to get the ball rolling once again and will be able to see all of you on tour here in the future!  I may be releasing a song VERY soon, so keep your ears open :)

- K

Chat 9/15/10

So I tried posting a tumblr chat, but I can’t figure it out… so if anyone has any questions just comment them on here!

-K