RAISE MY VOICE, the new album by Kira Small, available now!
I'm elated to say that my new album, Raise My Voice, is finally available...right here on kirasmall.com. (Or click here to purchase a digital copy) I've put together some other special package deals, as well. Click the lovely album cover pic to purchase or for more details.
People have been telling me for years that they love my Christmas letters. I do love writing them. This one was really hard, and bittersweet, and took me until March to finish. But the more people I share it with the better, I think, so I've decided to post it here. Especially since I haven't posted anything else here...yet. This one's long but worth reading when you have a moment, and perhaps a cup of tea. Pics included.
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Last year I wrote this in January on a plane heading for my Grandpa Edwards’ funeral. This year I started this letter on a plane back in January having just learned that my Grandpa Petty had moved into a nursing home. He died February 12th, 3 weeks shy of his 95th birthday on March 6th, and a month before my birthday, which is today, March 12th. Since this is the first birthday I’ve had without him I knew what I’d do today…and how I’d finish my “Christmas” letter: tell you about my G-Pa P.
WesFest 5: A Concert to Benefit the Wes Wehmiller Scholarship at Berklee College Of Music is happening at on Sunday 2/28 at The Roxy in Hollywood ADVANCED DISCOUNTED TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE THROUGH 2/25!! CLICK HERE TO GET YOU SOME!!
For 5 years now Bryan and I have been joining friends new and old to celebrate the life of Wes Wehmiller, our friend and contemporary at Berklee College of Music. Our way of celebrating is to rock the house and raise money for the scholarship at Berklee established in Wes' name. We've raised over $50,000 so far. Pretty rad, huh?
Speaking of rad, check out our headliner Tal Wilkenfeld (aka Jeff Beck's hot young Aussie chick bass player - WAY rad!!). She'll be playing with her own band: Oz Noy (guitar), John Beasley (keys) and Vinnie Colaiuta (drums). There's more info on my calendar page about the show
CAN'T ATTEND BUT STILL WANT TO CONTRIBUTE? We understand that there are plenty of you who won't be able to attend the event but still wish you could help out. We invite you to check out the WesFest 1 and WesFest 2 DVD's, as well as the one and only CD from Wes' band I, Claudius: Bleed (The Wes Demos). The sales of all these items also count towards the WesFest 5 fundraising total Click here and scroll down on the WesFest page to see all of the products available to support this year's fundraising drive.
When did I get a blog? Woo-hoo! Thanks, website! Now I must think of something to say. Oh crap!
So many times I've thought to myself "You know...why don't I have a blog? If I had a blog I could blog about what just happened." Alas, I can't remember any of those things I thought would be blog-worthy. The fact that the most recent time that happened was in Scotland a few weeks ago as we were busy sampling every wee dram the country had to offer probably has some bearing on that lack of remembering...uh, yeah.
But beyond whisky-soakedness, there's something that just doesn't feel right about blogging after the fact. Like all relevance and authenticity are lost after some arbitrary amount of time goes by. Maybe there's a way to do it. "The Hindsight Blogs" or something. Figures I'd try to come up with some rules about it all...f*ck!! If I could just get over that compulsion I'd be in MUCH better shape. Well there's my first neurotic blog confession. How thrilling. And is it just me or is the word blog kind of ridiculous and silly-sounding? As I type this I hear my own voice speaking - until I get to the word blog - which is suddenly and consistently voiced by Kermit the Frog. Aaaand that would be n.b.c. #2. Man, this shit just rolls on out, I guess! Muppets in my head aside, now that I have someplace to write things before I forget them, I shall endeavor to be entertaining...or at least honest. That counts. Cheers, pals.
WesFest 4: A Concert to Benefit the Wes Wehmiller Scholarship at Berklee College Of Music is happening at 7:30 on Thursday 2/26 at the Knitting Factory in L.A. ADVANCED DISCOUNTED TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE THROUGH 2/23!!
Wes was a brilliant bassist and old college buddy. His memorial service brought Bryan and me together almost 4 years ago. One of many reasons this is dear to my heart. We'll both be participating again, along with many dear friends and a haul-ass headlining band. There's more info on my calendar page about the show: http://kirasmall.com/calendar.html
To learn more about Wes, please visit: http://weswehmiller.net/ BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW BY CLICKING HERE: http://weswehmiller.net/new/news/wesfest-4
I've played in other people's rounds at the Bluebird but this is the first time I'm hosting one. As if that weren't enough to get excited about, check out who'll be joining me: Lisa Silver ("40 Hour Week" - Alabama, "One Promise Too Late" - Reba) Daryl Mosely ("He Saw It All" - Booth Brothers) Cindy Richardson Walker ("Almost Over You" - Sheena Easton) I have amazing friends.
In addition to being brilliant writers, these three have pretty rocking singer/player credentials. Daryl sings like an angel, plays upright bass for The Osborne Brothers, and was lead singer and bassist of The New Tradition. Cindy and Lisa have sung (and played fiddle in Lisa's case) on hundreds of hit records. Anyone within earshot that night will be blown away, I promise. Oh - and those background vocals on my CD? It's me with Cindy and LIsa - so expect some of that magic up close and personal and unplugged and stuff.
For reservations, please call 615-383-1461 between 11am and 4:30pm CST Monday-Friday, or click on Bluebird Cafe right up there to reserve a table online. (web link on my calendar page)
Oooooo, I made a flyer...neat-o. Details (like those teeny, fuzzy names up there) are on the calendar page but know that this is gonna be a serious R&B throw-down!! Here's a piece of the press release we wrote:
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Don’t call it a showcase: R&B/Soul Singer Kira Small announces all-star “superbad” lineup for CD release Show Off party
Nashville, TN - Offrow Records recording artist Kira Small will bring a full serving of her sultry, authentic soul and R&B – as well as an all-star-for-all-time lineup of musicians and vocalists – for a Superbad CD Release Show Off party to celebrate her new CD Love In A Dangerous World. This free event will take place at Rocketown in downtown Nashville on Tuesday, May 22 at 6:30 p.m. Produced by Bruce Dees (James Brown, Ronnie Milsap), Love In A Dangerous World features a lineup of Motown and Muscle Shoals veteran musicians that can only be called “superbad.”
Ms. Small will be rendering the record in its entirety with those very musicians: keyboardist Clayton Ivey (Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, BB King, Temptations, Supremes); keyboardist/vocalist Andy McMahon (Neil Young, Tracy Nelson, Ray Stevens); drummer Jonathan Dees (Jimmy Hall, Ronnie Milsap); multi-instrumentalist Nick DeStefano (Kathy Mattea, Dave Loggins); percussionist Tom Roady (Etta James, Michael McDonald, Dixie Chicks, James Taylor); bassist/vocalist Steve Brantley, guitarist/vocalist Jamie Brantley, and producer/guitarist/vocalist Bruce Dees (James Brown, Ronnie Milsap, Dave Loggins, Gary Morris); and singers Cindy Walker (Commodores, Clarence Carter, Faith Hill, Emmylou Harris), Vickie Carrico (ZZ Top, Sam Moore, Brenda Lee) and Lisa Silver (Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton).
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I had to force myself to limit the band's individual credits cuz each one's list of credits deserves it's own press release. Craziness. I am so honored. Please come join us. Oh, and there'll be free food.
Joe Travers, me, Bryan Beller, Wes Wehmiller - Los Angeles 1994
Wes Wehmiller was a friend I went to Berklee College of Music with. He was a brilliant bassist and beautiful human, among many other things. He played a bunch of shows with me at Berklee, including my Judd's tribute show. After that he played with some band called Duran Duran. Wes died of thyroid cancer in January of 2005. A scholarship at Berklee was created in his name and I, along with many friends old and new, participated in a concert called WesFest last February to raise money for that scholarship. We rocked the house and raised over $12,000. Well, it's time to do it again.
WesFest 2 will happen on Tuesday March 6 at The Gig in Hollywood. Doors open at 7. Click here for all the details: http://weswehmiller.net/wesfest2.html
Please join us if you can. Advanced tickets are available through 2/28 at discounted prices. Even if you can't be there in person, I invite you to consider making a donation to the scholarship fund. Will Snyder, who was the recipient of last year's scholarship, will be playing at this year's event. (I'll be singing some fiercely grooving R&B songs with young Will and his teacher, Berklee professor Danny Morris. I'll sneak a song in from my CD as well, fear not.) I haven't met Will yet, but from all accounts he has the same kind of talent and spirit that Wes had. This scholarship came into existence to honor that talent and spirit and nurture it in others for years to come. The photo above is me, Wes, Joe Travers and Bryan Beller taken in LA not long after we all finished college. Joe, Bryan and I - along with many other friends from our Berklee days (click the link above for a list of all the participants - it's a righteous group!) will be there on March 6 tearing the roof off the joint. Please be with us however you can.
Here's that link again: http://weswehmiller.net/wesfest2.html
I had the distinct pleasure of meeting and working with two pretty legendary musicians this past weekend: Bob Babbitt (bass) and Ed Greene (drums). Bob is most noted for being one of the 2 bassists who played on all those Motown hits we know and love - "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" and "Midnight Train To Georgia" - stuff like that. No biggie. Ed has a list of credits a mile long too - Barry White, Steely Dan, Marvin Gaye, Hall & Oates, Smokey Robinson...it's CRAZY how many records these guys played on. They were absolute sweetie-pies and we had a great time.
Here's me and Babbitt...
And here's me and Ed..
I love my life.
