In response to a bit of a hubbub between journalists this morning, I'm throwing my hat into the ring. In the old days, there might have been something like a musical style or taste that developed out of what some called a music scene. But this is rare. Think of Bird and Dizzy, riffing up Be Bop in New York. Or a few geniuses behind Staxx and Motown.

At any one time, the wealth of talented singers, players and songwriters collected in Boston, Nashville, Chicago, Memphis, Detroit, Liverpool, London, New York, Berlin, Paris, Vienna, and even Barcelona or San Francisco, might have contributed to the validity of this idea.

But who made these artists? Was it the cities; diverse personal experience; or perhaps a blending of these things? To point to the region the music comes from diverts too much attention from the artist(s) who create it. To say that James Brown is from Georgia is meaningless because James Brown is James Brown. To say that Jimi Hendrix was from Seattle and just passing through London, has even less meaning.

Even less so today.

We live in a time where anyone, anywhere in the world can listen to whatever they want, whenever they want, with only two requirements: 1) that they can get online, 2) that they have working speakers or headphones.

There is no longer any need to be authentic or true to any scene other than the one you want to create and be a part of. If you are true to yourself and your audience, that is enough. If not, good luck!

The question we should be posing to new artists, therefore, isn't where are you from, but who are you? What sounds do you like, what moves you?

When: Aug. 12th
What time: 7pm
Where: Santee City Buildings on Magnolia

Anyone who's ever wakeboarded knows:

1) how much fun it can be.
2) how expensive it can be.
3) how much it helps all your other board activities, be it skate, surf, or snow!!!

Let's make this happen. For those of you who don't know, Santee Lakes is in the works to hopefully get a wakeboard/waterski Cable Park put in. It is a cable pull system with jumps, rails, and perfect water all the time that allows us all to enjoy our sport without a top of the line $70k boat. It will also bring the sport to many more people.

So please, get your friends and family and go out and support the cause.
The Santee Lakes Wakeboard Cable Park has a City Council Hearing on August 12th at 7pm at the City Buildings on Magnolia. Can you help spread the word? They need the support and as many people to show up as possible!

Yesterday was an awesomely musical day. I finally got to hear our bass player's band, Blues n Greens when they opened for us at Oceanside Sunset Market.

Happily, they rocked. A young band, Scott's guitar technique makes his hands sound at least twice as old as he is. That is to say that his and Jason's playing with local blues act, Bad Brad Karow and the Blues Pharoahs is definitely paying off. These guys are tight and have the chops of 40-year-old professionals, despite being (on average) barely 22.

Scott's vocals are still developing but he does manage to do a great mix of classic rock covers such as the Doors and George Thorogood (two of my faves--and not easy to cover well) plus some solid originals. Teenage girls lined up for photos with the band and autographs. What does that tell you?

Another cool thing about Blues n' Greens is that they have two drummers: Kyle, Jason's brother, and Dustin. Dustin's the hard hittin' rock n' rolla, while Kyle is the precise attentive soundman, making for a cool and interesting dynamic.

Still preferring to play loud as hell, these guys are nevertheless in a class of their own when it comes to young rockers, in that they really don't need to: they've got the skills to play at lower volumes and kill it. But that comes with time.

Currently recording their first album, they are a BRAND NEW must-see live act, hitting the road for New Orleans next Saturday:
BluesnGreens



Jason then joined me and Bob on an action packed 1hr.40min. set as we played to the crowd until Sunset Market shut down. After last week's outside show, this was another fun opportunity to try out the new PA and guitar and things sounded good, especially on Pain Perdu and Cinq Avenues.



Afterwards, all were tired but I was glad I made the drive down to the Ken Club to see Echo Revolution, one of my favorite original San Diego bands. Lee Harding, Mark Sturino, and Nate Schaedler are so locked in, it was hard to believe that they were also playing with 2 new members.

Lee was definitely on, dancing and smiling through most of the songs with his guitar. Mark was burning up like a flickering flame of intense positive energy while Nate kept the beats tight and powerful.

New players learn as they go, and so ER fans will learn about them. Who are they? Check out their website and see: echorevolution.com

I just launched some brand new KVB merch on zazzle. Come on, dazzle us with support. Shower us with cash: http://www.zazzle.com/kylevanband


Be sure you keep in touch. Make some shows. We're rocking, othering and two-stepping all over town this summer.
--Kyle

http://reverbnation.com/kylevanband

They say it could rain tonight in Southern California, but the show will go on. If you happen to be in the Santa Monica area tonight, Feb. 5, I will be playing a set in the Rusty's Surf Ranch Battle of the Bands on the Santa Monica Pier at 8pm. Feel free to catch up with me before or after the show.

Tomorrow night, Feb. 6, we'll be at Joe's Music n' Coffee for another free show at 119 E. Grand Ave. Escondido, CA. Had a couple of fun shows there last summer and this is my favorite (urban) part of Escondido so it should be fun.

Later on, Feb. 18, we'll be at 710 Beach Club, opening up for the Buzzbombs. At this gig and the next, I'll be introducing Dana, our new lead guitarist. I think you'll like his style and creativity. The guy learns fast and seems to have an innate sense of radical riff making.

Sat. Mar. 14 will see us at the Brick by Brick for St. Paddy's weekend fun. Mar. 17 is on a Tuesday this year, so feel free to get your green on early with us.


Finally, for people curious about the album, but not curious enough to order one yet, I've added 6 MORE SONGS here on the reverbnation site. Make a playlist and hear them streaming till your heart's content. The link is provided below.


Feel free to leave a comment or email. If you write me, I will write you back.

Keep in touch,

-Kyle
http://www.reverbnation.com/kylevanband

Please help spread the word:

Kyle Van Band's entered a Battle of the Bands!!!
8pm
Thursday Feb. 5
Rusty's Surf Ranch
On the Santa Monica Pier
Santa Monica, CA

NO COVER!!!

Every day it seems I hear three more stories about things not working out, people out of work, people hurting. I turn on the news radio in hopes of finding something upbeat to get my mind off such things and it only reinforces the feelings of loss and desperation by putting it all in a global perspective.

Are there people unaffected by this economic crisis? I've seen the repomen bragging that business is booming... but taking away things from families, however undeserving, is not something I could ever get behind.

And then there's the bailouts. Our Government gives money to banks, who in turn refuse lto give us loans and credit. It's as if we gave them a blank check, a ticket out, but now the malls are closing.

When and where and how's it gonna end? How long can businesses be slowed to a standstill?

I miss the good times. I've chased the dream. Many dreams. I've surfed around the world. I've lived and worked in other countries, on other continents. But wherever I've gone, it's always been good to come back home.

Some lines from timeless tunes help me now, minute to minute:

"Times like these, we learn to live again" -- Foo Fighters
"Thumbing my way back to heaven" -- Eddie Vedder
"We were meant to live for so much more" -- Switchfoot
"This land is your land, this land is my land" -- Woodie Guthrie

and of course there's the one I painted on my guitar case as I hitchhiked through Ireland (right after they signed the peace treaty in '99): "Right now, I can't read too good, don't send me no more letters, no! Not unless you mail them from Desolation Row." -- Bob Dylan

My hopes lift listening to the Boss's 1977 classic, Thunder Road -- the kareoke favorite of my creative writing cohorts back in Roanoke Virginia: "Oh come on Wendy, tramps like us, baby, we were born to r-r-r-r-r-r-r-run!"

But where do we run to? I've been all the way to Timbuktu and all I thought of in that 110* F heat was coastal San Diego, my home, and the girl I left behind.

So I'm here, I sneer -- get used to it. I've still got a few surfboards and a couple guitars. I've got a gal that loves me, a lame dog, and a cold to take care of. I've got no better way to deal with anything than to sing about it.

Sing about God, sing about the devil. Sing about glory, love, joy, and hope. And I sing about pain. Sing about how the holidays are great, sing about how they suck. I got no better plan than to keep on this way. I've got no greater hopes than to sing a song that will touch you and help you also through your day.

If your shit's bad, I am sorry. It's the same story here. It's only a matter of time before we're all out on the street in gypsy caravans and Bushvilles. But where would we go? Many of us are ALREADY in California. Where's Mecca? Where's the Holy Land? Is it ironic that every Paradise comes to an end? Is that our destiny, too? It doesn't have to be.

Community is key. Reaching out to one another. It's time to stop running. Time to stop being selfish. Time to plan ahead for the good of many, rather than a few. Shall we live wastefully assuming it will all come to an end someday anyhow, or responsibly, considering one another and future generations. Perhaps a reckoning is just what everyone needs. Let's all take a good hard look at ourselves at this time and do what we can to set things right.

After all, making others feel better is the best way to feel better ourselves.

So thanks for reading, and thanks for listening. Thanks to all my myspace friends. Most of all thanks to every single one of you who continue to hope, believe, and dream. Thanks to you who come to our shows and dance and laugh and sing along. Tonight I'll dream of playing to a stadium full of you.

That's right, folks--the album is ready.


For a mere 10 bucks, you'll get to hear the best of the Kyle Van Band from 2007-2008.


It's not too late... so order yours TODAY and get your Kyle Van Band CD BEFORE Christmas.


Happy Holidays,
Kyle