Nancy Kelly: News

Really great news! I am starting a new project with the Mix House here in Boise, Idaho, with Scott Pergande! Check out the photos in my photos section!

I'm happy to get busy recording some new songs written over the last 4 years or so. Scott has an award-winning ear for mixing and he's a drummer as well! We've worked together on an earlier project of mine at a different studio and his lovely wife is singer/songwriter, Ruth Pergande, who sang angelic BVG's on that same project.

I decided to approach this project differently than my previous ones. It's more of a pay-as-you-go concept instead of fundraising for the entire amount which means I won't be hitting up all my friends and relatives for donations to supplement whatever I can come up with. My parents gave me a little birthday money that I put toward this though and that helped me actually get started! (So thanks Mom and Dad!)

I plan to have mini-goals of 3 songs each and then when I have a full collection I'll release it as an album. So stay tuned and I'll keep you posted as I progress by posting the songs here and on My Space.

Just letting you know that I've been writing songs for my new dulcimer. Not sure if they are ready for performance yet, but I'll keep practicing and hopefully will feel ready soon. I'll let you know!

The song titles are:
1. On The Porch
2. Wisdom is a Shelter
3. So Right You're So Wrong
4. Baby In a Stable

I'm pleased, no, I'm ECSTATIC, to announce that I now have my very own music blog. You can find it in my navigation bar, bottom button. Or under the address of: http://www.nancykellymusic.com/blog/

Heretofore I have been able to post little bits of NEWSY happenings in NEWS section of my web. But I've often had a hankering to tell a story or ruminate about my music world and putting it in the NEWS section didn't seem quite appropriate (scroll down to PLAYING COFFEEHOUSE VENUES and you'll see what I mean. I'll be moving that story to the blog shortly!)

The icing on the cake, though, that I find it quite liberating is having a blog gives YOU the opportunity to comment on anything I say if you are so inclined!

So come on over -- I've posted a few thoughts already and if you want to chime in, by all means, CHIME AWAY!!

I'm booking my local calendar for 2008 and have also been sending out bids to play in coffeehouses beyond Idaho. What a great way to visit friends or family who live in far away places and weave it into the tapestry of my musical path as well. Let me know if you stumble upon a venue in your neighborhood that embraces the independent artist/ minstrel. (Just leave a msg on my guestbook so I can contact you. Don't forget to include your email address. It won't show up on the guestbook but I'll be able to see it on my administration page! Thanx!)

Finally got around to posting some pics of my new dulcimer in my photo section -- I bought it to celebrate my birthday with help from my family and a few friends who dontated. It was handbuilt by Scot Hamlin of Hamlin Guitars in Kansas. He used redwood for the body and walnut for the neck and bridge. I've written one new Christmas song with it so far and am just generally learning to play it. I'll post the new song and pics of me playing it soon I hope! Click on PHOTOs to check it out!

Now that we are settled in our cozy bench cottage I'm stepping up my music world a notch or two. I'm looking forward to expanding my horizons beyond the Treasure Valley, although I still plan on playing at my favorite local coffeehouses as always. If you know of a venue that is looking for singer/songwriter type musicians, please leave me a message on my guest book page.

Finally uploaded the video my producer made of the title song to my Vessel of Gold CD. Ian wanted to try out his new movie camera so we (Stan, Ian, Ashley and I) ventured out one early June morning in 2004 and took the winding road up to Tablerock and shot it just as soon as the sun came up. Ashley is Stan's and my daughter and having her in it with me is what makes the Vessel video special to me. It's amazing how much she's changed in 3 years. So this is a picture of how she was in high school. I've changed too but let's not go there...

...since I've posted anything new in my little world. Thanks for dropping by though. This month we are in the process of moving house and all that entails. Sold our Meridian home and will close tomorrow. Cannot wait to move into our little cottage at the end of this month. It's just a short bike ride up the hill from downtown Boise. If I ever get my much coveted digital camera i will take a few photos to upload in my pics. Anyhoos, music life is on hold till May but will return to keep you posted. (my piano and keyboard are in the storage unit! gaaaah!) (i miss you so much already little white and black muse) (sigh.)
to be continued...

Here we are, very early in 2007. It's both a hopeful and intimidating feeling to look down the long corridor of a brand new year from it's beginning. I conjure up the nerve to set goals for myself, first looking into the future with a sense of anticipation and then quickly clamping my eyes shut, peeking through my fingers in fear.

What looks impossible now can either keep us from moving ahead or can motivate us to take at least a tiny new step into our dream. Like many people, I've come to believe that dreams happen one step at a time. Each step happens by a decision to put one foot forward even if it's a little scarey.

Here's to finding out the next step in the dream and doing it. Subsequent steps will reveal themselves one after the other in an amazing and unique unfolding of events. Excelleration. Soon you and I will be running to keep up with ourselves and won't have time to be scared. Then we will find the need to learn to pace ourselves and take a vacation when the year is half over!

Hmmmm, June 2007. Sounds a lot warmer than it is now!

I love this story my friend Andy Stone from Sussex England sent me, so I thought to share it here:

I've been listening to your "A Christmas Dream" track and want to say what a wonderful tribute it is to your brother Terry. The song works on a personal level but also paints a picture of winters past for everyone
(even though I can never remember a white Christmas, well maybe a flake or two.)
Not so much skiing but I can remember we could always guarantee a weekend of crazy sledding each year and nearly everybody had a sled in their garage ,or else they made do with a tin tray or a sheet of polythene! My Dad used to make our sleds and even built a steering one one year (not we got to play on it as he hogged it!) The funniest (and scariest) thing was when he thought he'd try to go down the hill on a big old rocking chair with my sister Claire on his lap, what was he thinking of? Well maybe he though he'd slide majestically down in first class comfort but he'd just picked up speed when the chair It did what it was designed to do and tipped them out and cart-wheeled over them, but thankfully neither of them where hurt.I can remember on those sledding days staying out till dark and returning very cold and wet.

The snow hasn't settled deep enough to sled on here (Sussex,UK) for years now-- the winters are so mild so you just don't see sleds in the shops or kids playing on them. It's sad. I guess it must be a result of global warming. I feel that my children, (Laura and Jake) have missed out.

With all the swirl of events in my life right now, i.e. my CD release and getting it into stores and mailing out presale packets, AND getting our house ready to sell (not to mention the everyday maintaining of home and work life), I just haven't been able to get to the stores to Christmas shop. Thankfully, many of the stores in our towns stay open till 12 midnight the week before Christmas. I'm counting on it not being too crowded, like last year, so I can concentrate on what I need to buy. I guess 3-4 hours of sleep a night is starting to affect me brain.

So, how's YOUR shopping going? If you have it all done, more power to ya, but try not to rub it in, ok?

Well, it's finally here. We released my Christmas CD last Saturday night. IT WAS GREAT FUN! Thanks to all who dropped in to hang out and pick up CDs. You all made it such a lovely event! I'm still in a bit of a daze and am thinking more than ever that the CD title fits perfectly in so many ways. The finishing of the project itself is somewhat of a dream and I have to pinch myself to see if I'm really awake!!

The CD is available very soon at CDBaby.com or you can just email me and I'll make sure I send one to you.

Check out all the new songs in my music section under the album title.

If you are into buying downloads, a song at a time, link to EMUSIC - one of the biggest,
best, and definitely the original seller of downloaded music.

EMusic has been selling downloads since 1999, years before iTunes
made it mainstream. They're a GREAT service that especially appeals
to people actively searching for
independent music, not just big top-40 media stars.

EMusic sells real MP3 files, so when you buy your MP3s there,
they'll be able to play them on ANY computer and ANY device, not just
Apple stuff.

check it out - you can buy my songs here: http://www.emusic.com/album/10932/10932432.html?fref=700329

I'm happy to announce that my Christmas CD should be wrapping up real soon so I'm planning on having a CD Release Night at the Library Coffee House NOVEMBER 18th. If you aren't on my mailing list already, sign up now so I can keep you in the loop. Also, check out my song "Christmas Cards" I just uploaded from the album in my music section for a sneak peek!

NEW SONGS ~
Check out the new songs I uploaded to my music page, Screen Door and Not Quite Ready. These aren't my Christmas CD songs yet but a few songs I've written this summer and are basic vocal and piano with no frills. You can find out a little about both songs by clicking on the liner notes. (these songs are also in my EPK)

ELECTRONIC PRESS KIT ~
I've also added a link to my Electronic Press Kit, a feature I've signed on for with SonicBids. This is for potential venues to view to help me get gigs and whatnot. It's at the bottom of my home page and also in my contacts page.

HOUSE CONCERTS ~
If anyone is interested in a House Concert, I'd be glad to be an addition to your lawn party in the warmer months or in your living room in the colder months. It kind of harkens back to the day of chamber music played in the parlor, only this would involve my keyboard, small sound system and your piano if you have one.

I finished up the vocals on my Christmas CD in Steve's studio yesterday. The session went really well even though we had to take a time out to watch the hail storm out the front window. The hail was so loud it sounded like kids skateboarding on the other side of the wall! Pat Storey said 'Look at the size of those hailstone sized hailstones!' (you know how people usually say 'they were the size of golf balls!'

We got some pretty nifty backing vocals that sound like an angel trio. can't wait to hear it in the mix. That happened last time too in some of the songs. It's cool how it comes together unexpectedly as you go like an evolving creation.

Speaking of mixing, Steve will be doing that next and then mastering and then I'll be done with the production end and will move on to the artwork. It a-happeninnn. yay.

On May 30th my friend Alisa Costa and I had a fundraiser in the form of a Premier Jewelry Show in my home. It was in effort to raise money to finish up production on my Christmas CD. Thanks to everyone who purchased jewelry and special thanks to Alisa who donated her earnings of the show to my project. The total sales were close to $900 and the amount raised was $439, money that Alisa would usually pay bills with.
I've got some really great people in my life. :)

Last night I played again for the Idaho Photographic Workshop. Very nice artsy venue above Main Street on the 2nd floor of the Alaska Building in downtown Boise. My husband used to work in that very building when it was the Bazaar Dept Store. Years ago. Anyway, I loved the light that came through the windows and the photographic renderings displayed on or by white walls. Had a very clean and modern effect.

My music provided a soft backdrop to the goings on -- lots of people walking through, looking and discussing and then getting their pictures taken by Allan Ansell, the current president of the IPW who primarily works with traditional black and white images. You can find out more about him at http://idahophotographicworkshop.org/NewFiles/portfram.html

All the photographers were very kind and thoughtful as were Monique and Connie, two of the photographers sidekicks. It was a fun evening.

Oh, one of the photographers, Keith Walklet(www.quietworks.com), took a picture of my pedal-stop doggie and my feet! He thinks I should include this dog in part of my marketing and title my next CD "Sit and Stay". I'll post the pic to my photo page here shortly :) Thanks Keith!

What a treasure of a place in Caldwell, very worth the time driving out there. It's a wine shop/restaurant with great food and soothing ambience. Bruce and Yvonne are excellent hosts and treat everyone with kindness.

My friend Vonnie has been trying to get me out there to play for a year now. I kept meaning to call Bruce and connect but it didn't happen till a few weeks ago. Finally, I ended up playing at Open Mic Night on Thursday with some other great musicians that showed. Doug Brown hosted and played also. He played some great renditions of John Prine songs which I love. Then some fun college students came by with guitar, mandolin, harmonica and great voices. So very fun.

I'm excited to return June 16th on a Friday Night to play my tunes on their patio. yay. Come on out and have appetizers or dinner and discover this treasure yourself!

I just finished laying down the final piano tracks in Steve's studio (Audio Lab) for the Christmas CD. He's got a really nice grand piano that sounds luscious.

It's been really fun doing it this way ~ Steve building around my piano ~ and we are coming up with a surprisingly unique sound; so get ready for something different!

Monday I'm going in to lay down the final vocals for the songs. We'll be adding any harmonies we hear also. It's where some more rubber meets the road or let's just say I'd better sound GOOD! ~ gaaaah!

I'll be posting a few session photos but need to remember to take a few first! I also want to post some song samples by early summer so you'll know what you've been waiting for. Some PRE-CHRISTMAS JOY, how's that?