I should say a few home stretches all at once.  Let me explain...

As of today, I'm 31 weeks from completing my Bachelor's degree.  This last year and a half has been a lot of work, with stress at times, fascination at others and the chance to meet and work with some really fun folks.  Final team project due Friday and then it's six more classes (at five weeks each = 30 weeks).

The Division CD, "Control Issues" is also in the home stretch.  Despite being useless this past Sunday, vocals are still coming along steadily and the guys are putting down some amazing solos at the same time.  That means this thing will see the light of day this year, at the current pace.  Division is busy, busy, busy, with a show lined up May 27th with Evergrey at Jaxx and Midwest Metal Anthem on August 21-22nd in Illinois. (Info on those shows, click HERE.)

The completion of my degree buys me back time for two really important things.  First, Sybir and I will have more research completed and credibility built to begin our child safety nonprofit business.  Second, I can get back to writing...serious, series novel editing, slicing parts, rebuilding scenes, focusing on character and plot direction and really putting Cat through hell again.  The last few times I've tried to focus, I haven't put a steady stream of energy into it and the work was not to my standards, which means those scenes will never seen the light of day.

That brings me back to editing, of course.  I've noted some interesting parallels in the recording studio and the editing phase of writing a book. Parts get chopped or re-worded. Words get expressed differently, either through different techniques or inflection.

The greatest contrast, however, is that the scalpel comes out a lot more often in print writing.  I think that's due to how differently one voice can express the same words. With writing, the approach is much more literal and there's maybe even more room for interpretation than in lyric writing.  Hmmm....open for debate.  Your thoughts?

One love,
nK

No, I'm not suddenly single.  I am still happily married to Sybir and that ain't changing until one of us is brought back from the dead as a horrible pile of rotting flesh hell-bent on eating the living.

What?  Too soon with the zombie talk?  Sorry.  I'll save that for the end.

By available, I mean there are more ways than ever for my friends, fans and family to get a piece of me.  In addition to this site and the official Nick Kelly MySpace page, there are now official Nick Kelly FaceBook and Twitter pages.  Plus, there's Instant Messenger, Email, phone, etc etc.  You'd think for a guy who is into so many things, I'd be hiding behind a keyboard and making sure no one could find me.  That doesn't really help any of my efforts succeed.  Tim Sales is right - it's all about communication.

So, here's the update from Camp Kelly on the current fronts.  We had a great recording session on Sunday night with Division.  We are almost done the song, "Feast", which is about the aforementioned zombies.  I had a fun time writing that one, including a conversation with Ken Foree, who starred as Peter in the original "Dawn of the Dead".

The next public appearances are September 20th for Just Wanna Play at the Rev Your Engines 2008 charity event to raise money for Stop the Silence.  We're having a motorcycle ride and a family fun day to help build awareness and donate to prevent and treat child sexual abuse.  It's a great cause and will be a fun day.  There's all sorts of stuff for the kids to do.  We look forward to seeing you there.

The next Division gig is October 10th with Jon Oliva's Pain, Circle II Circle and Manticora.  That's right - both Savatage singers I've been compared to will be performing!

Finally, Sybir and I have starting building up our health and wellness business (as stated last post).  A few of you have listened to what we're doing, and a few have joined the cause to "Love life and live it to its fullest in happiness and health". (Dr. Myron Wentz, Ph.D.)

Feel free to contact me on one of the many channels (new or old).

One Love!

nK

Most people who know me know my love of the horror film genre through its many iterations.  There are so many instantly recognizable horror icons; Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Barbara Steele, Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff...Claude Raines.  But of them all, if I had to pick a favorite, it would most likely be the delightful Vincent Price.

Among his many talents, Price was a gourmet chef, a stage actor and an art collector.  And so, in my pursuit to emulate the man I'd consider an entertainment hero, I decided to repeat something Price did in his lifetime.  Cook a gourmet meal?  Purchase a Rembrandt?  Take the stage in a dramatic one-man show?  Nope, none of those things.

I bought a bug zapper.

For those who remember Price's brilliant Citibank commercial circa 1985, the image of Vincent smiling with glee at the deaths of insects is priceless.  For those who don't, it's linked here.

Now that the shows are behind us, Division is hunkering down to get the final sessions recorded and begin editing the upcoming CD, Control Issues.  We've made sure to record video of some of the sessions, and we'll be posting a recording diary blog on the official and MySpace sites.

In the interim, it's repetition to cut down time on the clock once we're there.  Special thanks to everyone who made the show at Mac's The Club last month.  It's the last one for at least four months.  See you guys on the web or maybe at Jaxx?

One Love,

nK

There was a five-week stretch last year that included a very odd sequence of shows for me.  Apparently, that full moon is back again, because April is proving to be a very strange month for this performing artist.

Tonight, Just Wanna Play scrapped rehearsal for recording, and it was a productive (if way late) kind of night.  We got the music recorded for six songs, with a few more and vocals planned for the next session.  This means the long-awaited new demo will be available soon, so keep your ears tuned to the JWP MySpace page.

Now, the weird stuff.  I’m supposed to be doing a guest spot on someone else’s show this week.  I don’t want to ruin the surprise, but I’ll mention that it’s a band that hangs out with Division A LOT...and it’s a very appropriate tune for us and them.  So that’s Friday night (at Jaxx).  Then, here comes the big news...

I’m playin’ VEGAS!

Yep.  I’ll be singing and playing guitar (guitar, not bass..eek!) at a sales conference in Vegas that includes roughly 4500 people.  It’s with a made-up band, and we get one rehearsal before the gig.  Expect horrible things, but I’m excited.  I’ve never played Vegas before.  Maybe I can channel some Dean Martin and get all boozed up and be the next big star.  Or, I could suck. Whatever works.

I fly back from Vegas on the 26th...with four hours to spare before I’m supposed to be on stage with Division.  That show is going to be fun.  It’s a CD Release Party for Black Widow USA, and we’re doing a new cover, and a song we haven’t done in a few years.  I expect a fun, and tiring time.

I’m not sure yet if it tops last year’s stretch, which included a bar gig, a car show, a gig at an elementary school, and an open house for a custom home builder, but it’s going to be a fun month. Be safe and be well.

One Love,

nK

What do you do in DC when it's cold and gray in the skies and the winds are blowing far too much for your liking?  If you're Division, you go get your pictures taken.  We dragged Mike Gong (www.shadowflood.com) out to snap the pics for the new CD, "Control Issues".  So far, we've made a lot of progress on art, recording, business plans and more.  It's going to be a busy 2008!

Speaking of, Division takes the stage for the very first time in 2008...hell, the first time in four months...to revisit Jaxx Nightclub.  The gig is Saturday, March 15th.  We'll be playing with heavy ass thrashers Arsis, Skeleton Witch and Veil of Maya, plus our buds in Cab Ride Home.  Tix are $10.  Drop me a message if you need tix (or call me if you know me).

We've gone a much more violent route with this record, and the songs are coming out a lot more like our live shows.  So, there's the question of the day, or question of the blog.  If you've seeen us and heard the other CD's....what's your take?  Do you prefer the recorded Division or the live shows?  Why?

Thanks for the love...

nK, Division

    I felt it only fitting for a view into Catwalk's life at this holiday season.  Let's just say his view on the holidays isn't the same as mine!! One Love -nK

It was cold, bitter cold, in the dangerous depths of Downtown Nitro City.  Winter always seemed to bring out the desperation in the less-fortunate inhabitants.  Burglaries increased, as did the counts of missing persons, arsons, and robberies.  The fight for survival was easily quantified in the number of cases recorded by local law enforcement.  Catwalk had seen firsthand how many cases went unrecorded.  Usually, they resulted in a job and a paycheck for the so-called "killer with a conscience".

 

Several stories below, the people shuffled about, in greater numbers than usual.  Cat knew the reason; he'd seen the fliers drifting in the cold winter air.  There was a chorale concert, a voluntary gathering of singers, of all things, to be held in the spot which used to be Peterson Memorial Park.

 

The sun has just set, or at least fallen into obscurity behind the skyscrapers that clawed their way toward the heavens.  Uptown was where the real money existed; home to the celebrities and the wealthy.  Down here, Downtown, the remainder of society existed; outcasts, renegades and those never given a chance.

 

Cat preferred it here.  As a former orphan, a former invalid, and a member of the police force back east who never seemed to fit in, he could understand those who lived Downtown.  He had accepted this place, and it had welcomed him.  Once he'd grown accustomed to life in the bowels of the city, he couldn't picture living anywhere else.

 

Cat gazed upward for just a moment.  He'd finished a number of jobs that had gained him respect and notoriety Uptown.  None of them had provided him the ability to balance and center as this place had.  He felt himself chuckle and scoff at those labeled "better off".  He pulled his collar up against the spiraling winter breeze as he directed his attention to the gathering people below.

 

The fascination grew within him as we watched from his perch.  The carolers lined up in uniform fashion, armed bodyguards taking their places on each side.  The small crowd gathered in the makeshift park, the grounds painstakingly cleaned up and picked over by the singers over the past three hours.  As they began their song, he could see the faces of some of the onlookers mouthing the words.

 

To Cat, Christmas was a curious event.  He'd been taught the story of the birth of Jesus Christ, Son of God, and how he was born in a manger to a loving father and virgin mother.  He'd learned that Jesus grew up, gathered his apostles, was persecuted, crucified and rose from the dead.  Anyone who believed in him could gain eternal peace, and their sins would be absolved.

 

He exhaled sharply, the steam from his breath forming in the cold air.  Eternal Peace.  The promise of that was reward enough.  He didn't need pure angels with trumpets and wings, or contentment for all eternity.  He didn't need blinding lights, festivals and food on which only the divine could feed.  Peace itself would be a welcome change from the chaotic life he'd played out so far.

 

As much as he'd like to think the Bible stories were truth, he had grown too calloused…or too much of a realist…to believe they were anything more than fairy tales.  God had created Man in his own image, and yet, everyday in Nitro City, there were thousands of people paying fortunes to remake that image, preferring their own take on creation.  Most of them did so willingly.  Others, like him, weren't really given a choice.

 

Try as he may, there was still something sympathetic in the heart of the hitman.  Instead of watching in fascination or feeling the so-called "spirit of Christmas", he scanned the crowd, his hand gracing the palm of his pistol.  While he may not join in the caroling, he caught himself protecting the carolers from anyone who might destroy their special moment.  His spirit might be weak, but his flesh was willing.

 

In that moment, he envied them; the singers…the hopeful…the believers.  Had the lessons of his past not been what they were, who knew…he might even be among their number today.  Though he couldn't find it in his heart to believe, something within him respected their hope, and that something was willing to protect them.

 

 

-In our own special way, Merry Christmas from Catwalk and myself, and a very special "I Miss You" to Criss Oliva (1963-1993)

 

 

"I am the Way, I am the Light,

I am the dark inside the night,

I feel you hope, I feel your dreams,

And in the dark, I hear your screams,

 

Don't turn away, just take my hand,

And when you make your final stand,

I'll be right there…I'll never leave,

All I ask of you is Believe."

 

-Savatage, "Believe" (1991)