Hey y'all!

Come follow me on  TWITTER and join me as a fan on FACEBOOK !

See you there,
Chris

Introducing my new song blog...

I'm calling it, "The Napkin Manifesto" - the name of a song I recorded for the Solidago Sessions that didn't end up making it on the album. The people who pre-ordered Solidago have heard the song already because they received it as a thank-you. (Gentle hint: If you join the Hive, you may also get it sent to you along with two other songs that didn't make the album).

So here's the idea. I figured there might be some people who are interested in finding out about what lies behind the songs on Solidago; what inspired them, how they were written - that sort of thing. So, I'm going to write every week about each of the 11 songs on the album and put it up on the website homepage in the What's New box. Here's the first one . . . .

Hard Way Learner

A bunch of the songs on Solidago were written completely or in part on the porch of my friends' house in Laurel Canyon. It's a cedar-sided cottage, tucked up in the hills and hidden under a leafy canopy of trees - California bay laurel for which the canyon gets its name, coast live oak, big-coned Douglas fir, eucalyptus which grow like weeds in California  (imported from Australia in the second half of the 10th century). The scene is this: dappled sunlight; chattering birds – finches, warblers, hummingbirds; the resident golden retriever, Fisher (named after Lakers' guard, Derek Fisher), lying on his side, vigilantly keeping one eye on me for the first sign that we can go for a walk; his shed fur scattered and swirling with the fallen leaves and pine needles . . .

Hard Way Learner was one of those porch songs (as opposed to a torch song, for clarification). It arrived in my head as just that - a phrase. I don't know why it showed up with the syntax all turned around. It just did. Someone told me they didn't like how it sounded when it was sung. But I stuck with it (or it stuck with me). The direct catalyst for the song was my running into some familiar wall of my own making. I can't remember exactly what it was, but it was frustrating and disparaging. Something that I thought I had moved beyond but that had resurfaced in another form to challenge me again.

And it struck me that life is a personalized, custom test to which only you have the answers. In other words, no one can take that test for you. And one person's experience of that test will be different from another's so you can't look over someone else's shoulder and cheat off them. And what's more, there's no one officiating or scoring the test but you – so only you know what you're getting wrong or right.

Finally – and this is the kicker – it's multiple choice, has no time limit and is handed to you daily, hourly, by the minute, piling up to the sky in your emotional inbox. If you always guess ( c ) to a question you're not willing to face just because you heard somewhere that it's statistically more likely to be correct or even (d ) "all of the above" because you're a waffler . . . this analogy is annoying me now but you get the point.

Your own unique lessons will keep coming back and haunting you until you learn 'em and get 'em right, whatever that means to you. And I felt this particular lesson walking up from behind, punching me on the shoulder and saying, "Heeeeyyy, Buddy, remember me?" I was humbled. In that moment of feeling down on myself, I indulged the self-pitying thought that I am somehow a hard-er way learner than the next person when it comes to life lessons – which is silly, really. It's not about that at all. Anyway, I topped the song off with a little Wheel of Samsara reference to give it the chance of multiple lives. Reincarnation is the ultimate comeback album.

Personal Song Highlights:

-Name checking Sisyphus in the last verse. What the . . . ?! I will venture – and someone correct me if I'm wrong - that this has never been hitherto attempted in modern popular music.

-Dan Lebowitz's blistering lap steel solo – it'll peel the paint right off your iPod.

 

Love and Love,

Chris

Hey There - My apologies if you've already received this news through my mailing list, but I wanted to be sure that I got the word out to everyone I know that my new album, "Solidago", is now available for pre-order until Feb. 1. The official release will be April 7th, but I thought it would be cool to give friends (and friends of friends) the chance to order it and hear it early.Here's the infomercial bit: When you pre-order the CD, you also get a new t-shirt (100% organic cotton, I'm happy to add) and a "dropcard" that lets you or the person you give it to (as a nice little gift) download a free copy of the album online. So there you go. All delivered to your door. Pass it on. TO PRE-ORDER, "SOLIDAGO", GO TO: WWW.CHRISVELAN.COM/STORE And if you haven't already, I invite you to join my mailing list (www.chrisvelan.com) so I can let you know about news and upcoming shows. Peace and good things to you in 2009, Chris

Hey Everyone-

Here's a link to check out a review on NPR.org of my Nov. 2 performance on Mountain Stage in Charleston, VW. You can listen to the set as well.


Chris Velan on Mountain Stage


Cheers,
Chris

Hey -

I just wanted to let you know that I've put up two new songs from my album, "Solidago", which is going to be released at the beginning of April. They're called, "A Year Can Change A Lot" and "Pauper In A Palace". Give 'em a listen and let me know what you think.

We're going to be offering the album for pre-order soon, though. I'll let you know when you can get an early copy of the album.

Chris

Thanks to everyone who came out to the show last night. We had the placed packed and there was a lot of love in the room. Sweet opening set by Mark Mahoney Jah of Inword.
I'll be doing another show in Montreal in January so keep checking the page for updates or even better, sign up on our mailing list at www.chrisvelan.com.

Enjoy the holidays....

Chris

I’m heading back East for some great shows in Boston and NYC at the end of March...

Sunday, March 23d - Boston, MA. – Paradise Lounge (969 Commonwealth Ave.) – start 9:30 pm

Monday, March 24th - NYC, NY. – Bitter End (147 Bleeker St.) – start 8:15pm

Friday, March 28th - NYC, NY. – Cutting Room (19 W.24th Street,) – start at 12 midnight



...Spread the good word and I hope to see you out there. They should be really fun shows.

c

Hey LA Fans and Friends-

Come out to the Hotel Cafe (1623 1/2 N. Cahuenga, corner Hollywood) at 11pm to see me play my last show in SoCal for 2007.

It would be great to see you out there. Spread the good word!

Chris

Hey There-

If you're in the Montreal area this weekend, you should really come out and see what's going on at Molson Stadium for the Step Up For the Cure event to raise money for cancer research. It's a 24-hour stair climbing challenge and more than 150 students and adults have registered to put their own sweat and tears into the fight against cancer. The goal is to climb one stair for each of the estimated 11 million people who will be diagnosed with the disease worldwide in 2007. All funds raised will benefit The Cancer Research Society (CRS). But the event is open to anyone who wishes to participate, be it one hour or for the full 24 hours so don't feel intimidated. Come down and get some exercise.

The opening ceremonies will be performed by Justin Trudeau. Also in attendance this year will be 2006 Olympic gold medalist Jennifer Heil and teammates. Dr. Josephine Nalbantoglu, a brain tumour researcher who received her first grant from CRS in 1982, will be among the events 50 volunteers.

Spectators will be treated to 24 hours of inspiration, music (I'll be performing at 10pm), food, and fun. A touching interlude will occur at 11:00 PM when cancer survivors will share their stories of survival and courage during a candlelight vigil.

Event Details
Date/Time: September 29-30, 2007 from 12:00PM -12:00PM
Location: Percival Molson Stadium, 475 Pine Ave West

For more information on Step Up for the Cure, to register to climb, volunteer, or to pledge financial support, you can visit www.stepupforthecure.com or call (514) 285-1112.

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE,
chris