tag:www.chriskoza.com,2005:/blogs/chris-s-ramblings?p=2From The Road2019-02-08T12:56:50-06:00Chris Kozafalsetag:www.chriskoza.com,2005:Post/56339112019-02-08T12:56:50-06:002023-12-10T10:50:18-06:00No 7.0 Earthquake is Gonna Bring Me Down<p>I was lucky enough to be in Anchorage, Alaska earlier this month when an earthquake of 7.0 magnitude struck at 8:29am on an otherwise typical Friday morning. It was the largest earthquake in the region since 1964's 9.2 which caused extensive damage and casualties. Although there was some pretty hefty damage this time around in spots, overall the city and its hearty people stood strong.</p>
<p>I was with the New Standards, for a holiday show at the Performing Arts Center and despite our tectonic first impression, we kept our wits (mostly) about us. Despite having to cancel the first of what would have been two shows, when we did take the stage the following night we were joined in a memorable performance by dozens of local and indigenous artists in celebrating the bond of community with a little holiday cheer.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/37f3fd348502426c9fe93369b55b81b2823608fd/original/img-0907.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br> </p>Chris Kozatag:www.chriskoza.com,2005:Post/43559622016-09-03T17:09:13-05:002017-01-12T08:24:42-06:00Day 5/6: St. Louis and Dubuque <p>St. Louis was a healthy stretch from Nashville, about 5 hours plus the requisite stops for gas, browsing the truck stop merchandise and fast food menus I try to abstain from, and shitty decaf coffee everywhere you go. I've grown accustomed though. It's insanity to do the same thing over and over again and expect different results. Now I get what I anticipate - thin coffee-flavored-brown-drink that stays undrinkably hot for 60 miles. Still seems a crime to pay $1.69-$2.29 for it when Starbucks is only $2.09 for a medium. It's not everybody's favorite brew but speaking in crypto currencies, it's Bitcoin versus the field. <br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/553406e1800b64b44c79ded93887ab15a50f40cc/original/image.jpeg?1472940409" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">(Above photos </span>found in google image search.. They are not mine)<br><br>About 8 miles out, I saw the Gateway Arch downtown. It immediately reminded me of the Foster/McConaughey film rendition of Carl Sagan's 'Contact' and the gyroscopic interdimensional travel machines depicted therein. I fought traffic along Forest Park Parkway to Washington University to pick up my Airbnb keys before zipping south east to the venue: San Loo on Cherokee Street. </p>
<p>I was a bit early so I parked and sat down for dinner at Tower Tacos. I had a cold bottle of Mexican Coke and a portobello mushroom quesadilla. Yes. I also started getting texts from a friend warning me of what she made sound like apocalyptic crime in the city of St. Louis, most specially near where I was to be staying. After much deliberation, I decided to relent, and return the Airbnb keys to the host before soundcheck. But lo and behold, my host was planning on coming down to the show! It was a strange couple of hours mired in a deluge of text messages, but all in all, I think it worked out best for everyone. My (almost) host got the cash, my friends got piece of mind, and I got a great night's sleep. <br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/118ba784310322b79c18250097650b9024ae205c/original/image.jpeg?1472940080" class="size_l justify_center border_" />(Yep.. Google street view touched up a bit in Photoshop.. I also forgot to take a picture of the venue..)</p>
<p>San Loo is a sweet little venue. Unassuming and appearing almost as an afterthought down the block from a still-resuscitating commercial sector in a mostly residential neighborhood, the bar is small with minimal but choice decor. But it's vibey. And the PA sounds great. And the drinks are cheap and plentiful. John the bar manager and sound engineer was a real gem. Great taste and philosophy in music. Plus he's a big fan of Weird Al just like me. <br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/62c4bcddfe472c79c50aa3e084e65933814ac1b6/original/image.jpeg?1472938654" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>The next day was another long drive (the onus of touring..) northwest to Dubuque, Iowa. I arrived around 7:15pm, low on gas and patience for driving. The brick-built city looked majestic and vulnerable lit by the low evening sun from the west. I set up for my set then ordered dinner and a sazerac from the bartender. </p>
<p>There were only a few people hanging around to hear my first set, so I held some of my favorite songs for the second set, in case of a late crowd. At the set break, I went outside and took a stroll. <br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/2e7ae1eeb3e2878d0e2107c55482ad35371dee2e/original/image.jpeg?1472938657" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>Nobody is on the streets of Dubuque. And it doesn't seem like people are in the buildings either. I felt as if I'd been shrunken down to H-scale and inserted into a miniature model train cityscape. Passing cars have never slowed down or had to stop in this town; the stop lights always yellow, and there's just enough toe on the gas pedal to make it. Like St. Louis, most of the buildings are historic and made of brick. </p>
<p>Walking around during the set break I heard the call of nighthawks slashing above the din of freeway traffic and the buzz of streetlights. The breeze which tussled the mighty weeds overgrown through the sidewalk promises a cooler Autumn. <br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/41aa4355c58b0bf8f986f25ed6d964e265656cd7/original/image.jpeg?1472938655" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>The Smokestack is a world of potential with a good stage and sound system. The people are good listeners; staff and patrons alike. No one yelling into their phone tonight during a ballad, which goes a long way. The owners are real visionaries and have big plans for the building. I look forward to coming back through sometime down the line. </p>
<p>A few regulars and stragglers wander in, but tonight is going to be about the quality, not the quantity. While the bartender is cleaned up, The Prince Pandora station played no Prince but did feature Nu Shooz's 1986 smash "I Can't Wait" or Queen's 1980's hit "Another One Bites The Dust." Even in his passing, the Artist still extends the middle finger to those that try to defy his commercial integrity. Nobody else can be you.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/0388935b1b298eb8b167cfed3bfc5b1724db780b/original/image.jpeg?1472938658" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Chris Kozatag:www.chriskoza.com,2005:Post/43546652016-09-02T14:37:23-05:002018-08-28T05:15:56-05:00Day 3/4: Nashville<p>You live by the Airbnb and you die by the Airbnb. Tuesday morning starting a day off from shows, I got up and out of that bedroom as fast as I could. Didn't use the bathroom or brush my teeth. I'm no Merriam Webster, but I'm pretty sure "historic" doesn't mean dirty and neglected. I headed downtown to the post office and marveled at the architecture. The World War Memorial is breathtaking. That's historic. I'd Airbnb that. </p>
<p>First on the itinerary was lunch in Lexington, KY with a music friend from back-in-the-day. I drove the farmlands and rolling hills through Indiana, Ohio, Indiana again, then finally Kentucky. I always forget how lovely Kentucky is. So many trees engulfing the road. I listened to a podcast of On Being: Krista Tippet's interview with Argentinan composer Gustavus Santaolalla and felt the surge of inspiration one feels only when it's impossible to do any work. I stopped at a trucks stop for a coffee and browsed the local fashion. While the proud wolf is always a trusted classic, apparently shirts with actual piercings on them are really hot right now too.<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/7284789f8a39d3043a817fa0319f6a9f0e91b66c/original/image.jpeg?1472844975" class="size_l justify_center border_" />JoAnna James and I met up at a cafe and reminisced about the Good 'Ol days.. Simpler times.. That sort of thing. She's lived so many places since leaving Minnesota back in 2009, but when we grabbed the guitars and played through some Gillian Welch, Tom Petty, and Alison Krauss, it as as easy as water in a river. I left Lexington for Nashville a little after 4; westbound and pushing a surprising 80mph+ amidst light traffic along the quiet tree-lined freeway. <br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/87bfa7c965b36dcd3165d2969fb865bcb5d85bd3/original/image.jpeg?1472844073" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>Most of the time when I come to Nashville I make a point to see Broadway and some of the other touristy places; buy one pair of bedazzled boots, get 6 free. Not this time. I met up with family and then spent another 45 minutes driving south to Franklin for a late night beer and hang with longtime friend and audio guru Joseph Logsdon. I drank all the beer because he's on a super strict diet due to a hefty monetary wager. Personally, if a voluntary diet caused me to eat only triscuits and coconut water for lunch, I'd probably give up, but Joe is probably the most committed person I've ever met. He's one of those friends who you can pick up a conversation with after a year in-between. Wouldn't mind it being more frequent. </p>
<p>The next morning I went for a run along the Cumberland River apparently trying again to give myself heatstroke. I practiced some guitar and tried to hone in on some new finger-picking patterns I've been messing around with. Evening came around and my Uncle and I headed to the venue in East Nashville to a place called Drifters BBQ. I set up outside and serenaded the guests on the patio - mostly cicadas and a couple of dogs - as the sun set behind a silhouette of downtown. As I packed up, a few kids were skateboarding down the ally behind the venue, the dull roll of the wheels skimming and skipping across the uneven pavement. <br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/8c81999b48e480634ae1558bcabcfd8660b38e4b/original/image.jpeg?1472844125" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Afterwards my Uncle and I checked out the Patterson House, a high-end craft cocktail establishment. The depth, density, and total mass of beards in this place was unparalleled. A family of Sasquatch would have felt self conscious. The drinks were delicious and each one had like 19 individual drops from various jars and potion bottles. </p>
<p>Waking up somewhere twice while on tour is a recipe for homesickness. It was tough to leave for St. Louis but I filled up the tank, got a gas station coffee, and readied the podcasts for another day of hanging out in America at 80mph inside a car.</p>Chris Kozatag:www.chriskoza.com,2005:Post/43486782016-08-30T10:18:28-05:002021-12-18T15:18:24-06:00Day 2: Indianapolis<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/1efc85c2b3c7782db6d6af358ae9830572a474bb/original/image.jpeg?1472569875" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>What's the best thing to do when waking up to a humid, 93° Monday morning in an air bnb bed in Griffith, IN? Why, go for a 6-mile run, of course. Granted, had I known the weather before stepping outside, I probably would have wussed out and browsed my phone for 55 additional minutes, so ignorance = sweat. </p>
<p>Intrigued by the name alone, this morning's breakfast spit was Jedi's Garden. Think of it as a Perkins with a gruff, veteran waitstaff and French Toast Stackers with an astonishingly high count of midichlorians. The vibe was less of a garden and more of a grounds for ambush a la Attack of the Clones. But the food was pretty good. I was able to choose raisin toast as a bread option which was like a little taste of home (albeit a home that isn't mine). </p>
<p>Jedi's breakfast made the subsequent drive to Indianapolis a struggle to stay awake. Podcasts and music be damned, I had to pull off on a rest stop about 30 miles outside of the city, leave the engine and AC running and contort my body until it 'locked' into a tolerable position.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/535904b1fd9ed77aef5dd469be2e0eae3f5454c7/original/image.jpeg?1472570128" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>Coming into Indianapolis, I noticed the vast differences in houses and neighborhoods. Almost block by block, the city took a turn from dilapidation to gorgeous historical restoration. I found the venue, The Irving Theater, admits similar surroundings. </p>
<p>The show was on a patio, in the ally. A food truck hummed down the block and listeners gathered around underneath a mighty tree that gave shade to the stage and seating area. Everyone I met was super friendly and supportive, from Don who ran the evening and Dale who owns and manages the Theater, to Mark and Ray, Robot Drawings and the other performers, who checked out my set, bought albums and stuffed the jar. It felt good to forget about the strategy and stress involved with trying to make music for a living and just spend the evening sharing songs with other songwriters. Don had a lyric in one of his songs about music as a catalyst for a personal freedom. I think it is if you let it be.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/04373651b5622aa6494df80eae31d8486cd37e68/original/image.jpeg?1472569876" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Chris Kozatag:www.chriskoza.com,2005:Post/43476202016-08-29T16:49:45-05:002022-04-03T04:24:30-05:00Day 1: Chicago<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/07bccdde64b7858265410f1ab5562e4861135110/original/img-6210.jpg?1472507252" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Prince and Pearl Jam. Can't go wrong there.. Legend begets legend. Granted, glory days come and go, but in my annuls of pop music history, both artists are easy first-ballot HOF-ers. This was my sonic red carpet, laid out at the Elbo Room last night in Chicago. I've been in Wicker Park, Hyde Park, Rogers Park, Lincoln Park, Logan Square, Wrigleyville and the Loop over the years but this was my first impression of the Lakeview neighborhood. I found parking easily, which I attribute to the anatomy of my tiny rental vehicle. <br><br>The neon "Elbo Room" sign above the bar was ultra badass. I set up my gear and the doorman Nick (Punk rock drummer and student of Greek philosophy) found Ron (pulling upstairs/downstairs double duty) the soundman who walked me through the soundboard and a literal 97 second soundcheck. It was all good. I've got simple needs and am self sufficient. James the bartender (lover of hardcore noise bands and Minneapolis's Triple Rock) was keeping the bellied up customers sated as the changing sounds from the basement venue (I was upstairs in the lounge) shook the room. <br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/c1e71adbce87cc53478bf1890cd1a1a0acb25517/original/img-6212.jpg?1472507254" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>The other band on the bill cancelled due to van troubles, so the good news was that I could fill 8pm-midnight if I wanted. While I have lots of material, outside of Phish or Springsteen I don't know who wants a 4-hr concert. I stuck to my 9-10:15 or so set length and played mostly stuff from In Real Time, while touching on some Dark Delirious Morning tracks and some unrecorded stuff. The audience was quality, if the quantity wasn't there. I met a lot of really friendly Chicagoians; Musicians and songwriters who were at the Elbo Room to hear and be heard. Kudos to Sharmon and the Philbillies for giving a touring songwriter a much-needed jolt of goodwill, and to Thomas and Lilly for making the trip out. <br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/f1a4a530b372dc70e3255f6eb5059d1e001cd9fe/original/img-6211.jpg?1472507252" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>A dude named Shareef was all-too happy to answer my question of "what is the Chicago shot?" with a shot glass spilling over with Malört - a tequila-seque citrusy sip whose aftertaste lasted 4 songs later. The descriptions from the room included 'grapefruit rind', 'sweat', and 'athlete's foot.' They were all apt. In trying to recall the name of said liquor I typed in Murloc which introduced me to an amphibious creature from the World of Warcraft which is a different kind of weird altogether. <br><br>Nick kindly helped me load out and I plugged in my Airbnb, Indiana-bound. I listened to K-pop and the BBC on my post-show drive, beating Monday morning's commute with a sneaky Sunday night escape from the clutches of Chicago traffic. It's so glamorous at night. The lights of downtown; the sports cars on 94.. I felt like I was playing Cruisin' USA. But this is 2016 and nobody knows what that is anymore. *sigh*. It's not a sure-fire first-ballot HOF-er, like Pole Position or Spy Hunter, but it's in the conversation. May we all achieve a semblance of relevance, if not more.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/5006eb16d59e31af8653d19dfd3810d335624c7c/original/img-6213.jpg?1472507254" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Chris Kozatag:www.chriskoza.com,2005:Post/43457502016-08-28T13:43:35-05:002022-07-27T06:15:02-05:00End-of-Summer TourThis blog post probably could have been posted a couple weeks back but, hey.. It's been a busy month. Lots of time on the road with Rogue Valley, and moving! We bought a house. It's impossible to fathom, really, after 11 years basically in the same apartment, but here it is: The next steps. It begins with home ownership, dog ownership, and basically just owning "It" whatever that transient "It" may be. There are so many projects awaiting attention. No electrical outlets in a room.. surprise! For now it'll take a trail of extension cords. Mystery dampness on the back steps? Surprise! For now it'll take a couple of shop towels and a call to a plumber for next week. Poltergeist vortex in the crawl space? Surprise! Not sure what that'll take to remedy, but I'm grateful to have so many friends from many walks of life. Any exorcists out there?<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/15120ac3f24af9fb271c280664a3469a22d23641/original/article-image-57.jpg?1472409643" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>So.. while planning and plotting the road, I've been moving boxes and trying to eradicate any proof of 11-years of existence at my old place. That's not easy. While I'm excited to be out on the road, I'm homesick for my new home. A strange phenomenon. Because of my fragile emotional state, it's more crucial than ever before to see any friendly faces while out there singing my songs and peddling my wares in middle America. Please, come say hello and lets share stories over this next week.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/03deef01c8a4367811c7701ade0a33c3fb2eaac1/original/aug2016.jpg?1472404192" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>Starting tomorrow, I'll begin my regular tour blog, so please check back and follow along with all of the rest stops, drive-throughs, music-halls, and introductions I'm making out on the road. It's a jolly slog, and one that I happily endure for the moment, and the long-term. Until then, be wise and well..Chris Kozatag:www.chriskoza.com,2005:Post/43002172016-07-29T02:57:19-05:002022-05-18T01:03:49-05:00The Sleeplessness of Giving Birth (Symbolically) to New Music<em>The band was nestled, all snug in their beds...</em><br><br>Tonight is the night before the Rogue Valley radiate/dissolve album release. I hope the rest of the band is in bed right now so they can help prop me up tomorrow when I'm counting on adrenaline and muscle memory to pull me through. With every next album I release, the stress seems further and further away. but it lingers still, perhaps just under the surface like a pea under a mattress that one can feel only upon lying down for bed. The album-release insomnia has gripped me this week. I've tried booze, exercise, tv, reading, songwriting, and yes, actually getting in my jammies and nestling into bed. But it hasn't worked well enough. I fall asleep and 30 minutes later wake up, hoping that at least a few hours have passed. I read coverage of the political party conventions on my phone. I scan trivia and definitions of obscure words. My memories of life and media start to blur.. Is Jebediah Springfield a real person?<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/e07c1c1503f6de6e4b871ac3a2e785463e10e7c8/original/20160728-rogue-valley-1-91.jpg?1469778990" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><div style="text-align: center;"><em>photo by Nate Ryan</em></div><br>I want to savor these last few hours before we present this music. Once it happens, it is over - the future lives only in its anticipation. Once it passes, there is no golden halo surrounding the moments and the memories. Sip your drinks. Laugh with others and not at them. Tell the ones you love that you love them as honestly as possible. These are the things one can do to trick the seconds into ticking a little slower. Tonight at dress rehearsal, I felt unusually emotional during some benign melodic passages. A frog had found a corner of my throat and was speaking for me at unpredictable moments. This happens sometimes when I'm low on sleep and spare time. I think about CEO's of Fortune 500 companies.. of Olympic athletes.. of kids working two jobs and paying their own way through community college.. of peace corps volunteers.. of mothers and fathers and single parents.. I think about all the hours that so many people devote to the things that matter most to them and how I yearn to possess that same kind of drive and desperation.<br><br>The resulting gem from the compression of songwriting and persistence is quite subjective in its value. When I remember to land each note and to communicate my lyric is when I can live in the song as if it were its own little fortress or treehouse hovering above the stage. These are the moments that are easy to overlook, and once forgotten turn a show into a rote experience that offers little of interest to performer or audience.<br><br>I'm very happy with this album. I was lost for awhile, and thought perhaps radiate/dissolve would be lost too; buried under the weight of time, expectations, and diverging paths. But I'm energized making this music - and I'm grateful for those that have helped show me it's okay to love what you do and to believe in it with what others may consider to be a foolish bias. Doesn't an artist need to at least like their own work in order to convince others of its merit? Is radiate/dissolve my best album? I don't know. That is a question I can't answer. I like all of my albums for different reasons. No shame. But I don't think any other album except for my very first one - Exit Pesce - has been more vital to my emotional state than radiate/dissolve. Back in 2004 I didn't know what to do with my aspirations for a career in music until I figured out how to get that album out. I feel the same way now. The release of radiate/dissolve is truly a catharsis. I feel better now. Like maybe I can grab a couple hours of sleep.<br><br> Chris Kozatag:www.chriskoza.com,2005:Post/42846292016-07-19T00:15:03-05:002022-05-17T10:16:00-05:00Considering the Media ObsessionSo.. No new Game of Thrones until 2017 but this weekend I discovered something delightful on Netflix. And by discovered I mean devoured and by delightful I mean addictive. It's a pretty damn good hodgepodge of lots of familiar stylings, harkening back to Spielberg's ET, a little Hughes' Breakfast Club, a dash of The NeverEnding Story, Goonies, War Games, and a somewhat obscure film called D.A.R.Y.L. There are layers of contemporary en vogue psycho-science-fiction a l a Jeff VanderMeer's <em>Southern Reach Trilogy </em>and David Mitchell's <em>Bone Clocks. </em>And despite all of this familiar ground, <em>Stranger Things </em>is so well done it immediately becomes its own thing, existing in the modern day as a lost treasure of the 80's.<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/2b4a0a4ff59dee3d275eab08560e25f62e1c60c0/large/darylv011.jpg?1468901429" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><em>Stranger Things</em> is really about the wonder of discovery, even when said discoveries lead to dangerous situations and death. There is a quality of adolescent magic woven throughout which surrounds every interaction; a special balance of earnestness, emotion, self-doubt, and hope. The episodes are tight, focused, and despite being filled with cliches and predictable turns, are fresh and engaging. Unfortunately, my crack brain went into withdrawal mode every time an episode came to a close, so I ended up watching the whole series in 2 days. I mean, I<i> did</i> do laundry, folded clothes, caught up on email, and cleaned a little bit during that time but.. yah. It will be a long wait until next summer.<br><br>Which means I have the brain space to focus on other things.. and more important things, frankly. It's easy to be soothed by the world of fictional dramas that resolve neatly, more or less, at the end of a few episodes. I need all the brain space I can muster to consider the delicate state of affairs of this modern era. Every day for the past three months the leading story has been about devastation, death, loss, and injustice. Every next story is a Jenga block pulled out from the increasingly unsteady tower, vulnerable now at even the slightest nudge of crashing down. I can't believe the horror that is happening all around the world.. France, Turkey, Dallas, Baton Rogue, and Minneapolis - and that's just in the last week. It feels so indulgent to live in a country where there is so much possibility, potential, and freedom for so many, yet still so much intolerance, racism, poverty, and a general lack of empathy for our neighbors - our fellow humans. Recently I was privileged to witness a fascinated piece of performance art at the Southern Theater called <em>A Hill In Natchez </em>at the Souther Theater that was directed by Minneapolis artist Joe Horton and involved over 30 collaborators and personnel in the disciplines of dance, theater, music, and design. I can't say it any better than the show synopsis:<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/4b35f0ff0c99f0be96dd71e79bab9d8acb71bd56/medium/natchez-250.jpg?1468903219" class="size_m justify_center border_" /><em>"Beautiful and unsettling, A Hill in Natchez is a meditation on the strange gravity of power that transforms a scenic hill into a bazaar where people stroll idly past humans for sale. Through a hallucinatory mix of music, visuals, and dance, director Joe Horton tells the story of a woman and man caught in this gravity and the myriad ways they are touched by power. Seen through their eyes, the New World is an ever-evolving mosaic of symbols, violent and seductive, dictating laws they are bound by yet can't quite understand."</em><br><br>The production left me feeling moved and inspired - inspired by the idea of communicating real issues and relevant emotion through art and not merely trying to create a piece of tight entertainment. In our society there is great value placed on media, and at all hours of each day, this media is accessible and consumed by the masses. Truths can be found in the corners of fantasy in the same way make-believe is evident in the thoroughfares of everyday life. What struck me was the integrity and commitment of the performers not to bend or break the wall. There was no cynicism, only beauty. <br><br>So for my next obsession.. I'm writing some new songs here and there.. got a couple.. my goal is to be honest in my storytelling; to be raw in my emotions and blunt in my vocabulary. I want to use new words to say new things. I will write songs for the artist that I want to become, not for the artist I hope others see me to be. Because, none of us really know how others see us - even our own mothers and fathers.. our own spouses.. our own children. Every day, people are struck down for nothing.. because of assumption and fear. Let these stories of racial, religious, political, and economic divides find a common arena for balanced dialogue, where we can listen, and be heard. Let the monsters be in the fictions we read and binge-watch when it's 98 degrees outside and the AC has you trapped on the couch. Let us celebrate the differences and diversity of our species instead of condemn. The world doesn't need more bullies. Does it really need more weirdos sitting in their kitchen typing blogs and taking selfies? I don't know what it needs. I don't know what I need. But I know I need to be kind, and be vulnerable, and let love win. <br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/eb19b91ff17756c71e459b8c195dfb5e569dba50/medium/file-jul-19-12-09-49-am.jpeg?1468905087" class="size_m justify_center border_" /><br> Chris Kozatag:www.chriskoza.com,2005:Post/42299032016-06-16T14:52:21-05:002017-01-12T08:24:42-06:00Drop a Seed in the Soil<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/8e71a8676ffcd4df6318f934bc2ad76f313f8679/original/lance-hw-800px.jpg?1466105406" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>I was in the studio today, at Human's Win working with my talented friend/engineer/musician Lance Conrad on pushing an album towards completion. It is quite different than anything I've released before.. and it has been in the works, slowly marching along in the background; parallel with the many other projects that have been my main focus over the years. Things take the time they take. I'm enjoying the process more now than I have at any other time I can recall. Perhaps I've suddenly become more patient and less anxious over the last few months? Not likely. I think I'm obsessing less. That seems to help. Out of sight, out of mind? The new project/album is called Nobody Kid. Look for it to drift out into the world sometime Spring/Summer 2017..<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/1c02aba2c1637896d3dcf65a15f6d70cb127f798/original/speaker-skittles.jpg?1466106533" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>I'm reminded at how much time can go into creating 3 minutes of finished listenable audio. Seeds that first took root five years ago whose shoots still won't breach topsoil for many more months. It's actually insane when breaking down the time and resources that go into creating a 3 minute parcel of ear candy. Or a head of ear broccoli if we're keeping the plant analogy going and observing healthy listening habits. Why do artists do it? I can't speak for others. I create music because it is what I know. It is what I am better at doing than almost anything else. I'm not even that great at watching TV compared to working on music. I've never seen Lost, The Wire, Orange is the New Black, Parks & Rec, True Detective, Fargo, etc.. Of course, for Game of Thrones I am a slobbering fan, and I've seen all of Breaking Bad and about half the first season of Better Call Saul. I still have season 6 left to go on Mad Men. I love Bojack Horseman. 23-minute episodes are easier to squeeze in.<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/6339903de214dae9766fc820de93865668e56ac4/original/rv-cover-800px.jpg?1466105405" class="size_l justify_center border_" />It's easy as an artist to get hyped about what's coming down the pipeline, but there are so many amazing things in the works over the next couple of months. And I am excited for what is happening with Rogue Valley. Our new album will be officially released next week - June 21st to be exact. <a contents="Preorders are still open and available, and you can gain access to special packages and rewards." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://lostinroguevalley.com">Preorders are still open and available, and you can gain access to special packages and rewards.</a> The show at the Fitzgerald Theater will be quite the breakout for this album, titled <em>radiate/dissolve.</em> To have the opportunity to present music in such glorious halls fills me with a sense of gratitude that I hope to repay by pouring every last bit of myself into the music and show production. We'll be joined by a supergroup - The Laurels String Quartet featuring Jeremy Messersmith, Chastity Brown, Nona Marie, and Joe Horton, and Rogue Valley will employ a brass troupe and other captivating elements throughout the evening.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/cf95297b1095552cb363309db383fad4ed291ca7/original/icehouse-promotional-banner.jpg?1466105403" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>With the emphasis shifting to Rogue Valley over the next few months, It's likely I won't be performing at all with my solo band. We have one show left before the hiatus: <a contents="This Saturday June 18th at Icehouse" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/events/565637246942347/">This Saturday June 18th at Icehouse</a>. I'll still have some regional solo/duo dates populating the calendar, but probably not much in the Twin Cities. Also on the bill is Michael Shynes, who is a hard-working, sweet-voiced singer-songwriter from St. Cloud. It'll be a great night.. bittersweet to wind down the solo band, but I'm ready to once again become lost in Rogue Valley.<br><br><br><br><br><br><br> Chris Kozatag:www.chriskoza.com,2005:Post/42193832016-06-08T11:09:58-05:002017-01-12T08:24:42-06:00Economy of ScaleThe last couple days on the road were fairly easy and without drama. Cornfields and farmlands whirred by outside as I soldiered on, earbuds in and mind occupied with podcasts. Radio Lab, This American Life, and a surprise discovery - a Game of Thrones podcast all took turns igniting the spider lightning of electrical connectivity throughout my brain. At a couple of points during the drive, critters from the campsite earlier in the week crawled out of their hiding spots, undoubtedly disoriented and maybe hopelessly forlorn at their newfound predicament. They might as well be on another planet in a far away galaxy. This wasn't a pixar movie where an off-track anthropomorphized insect makes a sensational return to its family and friends on a remarkable journey filled with helpless tomfoolery and earnest self-revelations. I tried to keep the wayward crawlers in sight while driving and lure them outside of the car at rest stops or Dairy Queens (gotta draw the line somewhere in the name of forward momentum), and deposit them into a new realm of unknown.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/f04aa103ca652830eaa235a808036e6d81ecfc92/original/artpark.jpg?1465402086" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>Downtown Des Moines is an odd scene, but one that has grown tremendously over the past dozen years. I remember rolling through a venue called the Vaudeville Mews in 2006, and it was one of maybe three businesses in the downtown that were open after 5pm, a coffee shop and bail bonds shop being the others. Now there are trendy bars on every block and drunken patrons ordering street tacos from food trucks. On one street corner, across from an open-air bar whose music blared over the din of clinking glasses and energetic chatter, an armchair astronomer had set up a sizable self-built telescope, and for a tip, was offering views of Jupiter. I dropped a buck in a narrow slot cut into the lid of a white 5-gallon bucket, and with the man's guidance, lower my eye to the viewfinder. <br><br>And there she was, clear as a handful of marbles tossed onto a swatch of black velvet. Jupiter and her four moons: Io, Eurpoa, Ganymede, and Callisto. So many truths evident and overlapping. For a only a dollar I could see these celestial bodies with my own eyes, far-away worlds I have no hope of ever visiting. Then across the street, for only three dollars, I could walk into the bar across the street and order a bottle of any beer on the menu. And for only seven dollars, I could go to the Vaudville Mews and see three bands from other cities playing original music. Makes space travel seem cheap.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/180dab88a5d6def869da3dbd60b4d99cf75138b9/original/vm.jpg?1465402109" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>The next morning, driving back to Minneapolis, I felt the dull pre-partum depression in anticipation of the trip coming to a close. I didn't want the drive to last any longer - but I wanted to go someplace else. More shows. Not home. Not yet. Sometimes it's not some mysterious equation of luck and ability that are conspiring to yield shows of increasing opportunity and reward. Sometimes it's just having a guitar, a song, fairly reliable means of transportation, and a willingness to go.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/42a0f270b7c10829d6b8d1f6265ea8c08d5a2bc1/original/sunset.jpg?1465402086" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Chris Kozatag:www.chriskoza.com,2005:Post/42090992016-06-02T17:16:57-05:002017-01-12T08:24:42-06:00Meniscus Synthesis For me the simplicity of camping is rewarded by a welcome serenity and feeling of self-sufficiency that makes the lack of creature comforts and excess of crawly creatures more than worth it. For night 2 in Sioux City, I was also grateful for that thin layer of waterproof nylon that protected me from thunderstorms that began at 1:30am and lasted until I finally emerged for the day around 8:30am. My dreams were broken and populated with familiar faces in unfamiliar settings; with both potential violators and eventual vindicators.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/50818ad3fe232d0f8731aa198a159ef02e8c3310/original/img-5683.jpg?1464905706" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br><br>I shoved my feet into a pair of tennis shoes and crawled out into the morning to disassemble the tent and pack up. I collapsed the tent, laying it and the tarp and rainfly out to dry in the sunshine that according to the weather app was due to appear any moment. I drove to town for a quick breakfast forgoing the quaint diner - mainly because I was in the mood to trade a bottomless pot of diner coffee for a reasonably-sized cup of coffeehouse brew, and also because I didn't want to linger longer than I needed. After a couple hours, with the camping accessories reasonably dry, I saddled up in the trusty Pontiac Vibe and plotted a course for Kansas City, MO.<br><br>For a place I rarely visit, I think about Kansas City a lot. To me it is the quintessential midwestern city. It's like dead center of the US. I had a great friend from my childhood who lived there for a few years whom I visited a couple times while passing through town to play cafes and dive bars. It's the place I could never commit to moving to but that I have a pull towards. My show was at the Westport Saloon, a sweet old building in the Westport district that is known for its roots music and the substantial amount of 4 Roses Whisky they go through on a nightly, and daily basis. I played with a really sweet dude named Tyler Giles, who's been around a bit - from Nashville and back, and despite being a strong songwriter and incredible guitarist, said over the mic "I moved back from Nashville because you realize quickly how much better everyone else is at music than you are."<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/23003f4aebf8b8afa5c9c15e0ad8d1c8df2bd965/original/img-5676.jpg?1464905753" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br><br>The show went well, although the shots of whisky started adding up. When it comes to booze, I'm much more of a sipper than a shooter. I'm pretty sure I had something with Red Bull in it, so that's a big no-no. After the set, I hung around the neighborhood for awhile, with a half gallon of water and some gas station taquitos. Glamour, glamour, glamour. It only costs you $4.69. <br><br>Wednesday morning was a bit of a battle, but I scraped myself off of the bed at Days Inn and meandered around the freeway culture in northern Kansas (where the hotel was) until I settled on a Perkins overlooking a freeway onramp. After an essential breakfast, I made the drive to Lincoln, Nebraska, listening to podcasts and missing my exit and turning a 3 hr drive into a 4.5 hr drive. Consequences come in all shapes and sizes, but some days it manifests as an aura or thin skin obscuring the body and turning what was once clear window out onto the world into panes of frosted glass.<br><br>The show Wednesday night in Lincoln was quaint and the handful of attendees were attentive and eager listeners. I was grateful. There wasn't a single rose, let alone four in sight.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/0864f01bf4d0aa1ca49e3e77440321f3187bb159/original/img-5678.jpg?1464905776" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br><br><br><br><br><br> Chris Kozatag:www.chriskoza.com,2005:Post/42039952016-05-30T21:19:00-05:002017-01-12T08:24:42-06:00In the Margins of Decaf and DecayJust started a short solo tour yesterday in Sioux City, Iowa. Never been here before. Last night's show was a great success - a private party in the Morningside neighborhood at the gorgeous Latham Park. Today, on my day off, I've had a chance to see the city a little bit, although mainly through a bug-splattered windshield. My quick analysis is this: Sioux City offers a subtle and encroaching beauty through all of its sprawl and urban neglect. For every building that appears to have been a prop in an apocalyptic super hero film, there are stalks of beauty poking up throughout the city like a flower among the thistles. I am no expert - no expert on anything; especially on places where I have known for less than 48 hours.. but I have traveled through close to 100 US cities over the last decade and have made a mental flat file of oversized impressions. This is a quiet city. Not sleepy. Not apathetic. It is a place where people are people and care deeply about what matters most to them. Family. Friends. Hard work. <br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/d39d44a4057396b7f37fea46755313bc3b410c5b/original/dakotapoint.jpg?1464660714" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>Camped last night at a State Park on the outskirts of town. Setting up a tent is fun and easy! First time camping alone in all my years. It's actually not as freaky as the movies will make you think. Aside from the robed dude standing 75ft away in the bushes, nothing of note to mention.. What I forget about camping, since I rarely enjoy the outdoors, is how fucking hard the earth is. Dirt and rocks covered with a trodden layer of thin grass equals a sleep number bed of negative 100. Definitely a step up from concrete and broken glass. Yes, I have a coleman self-inflating sleeping pad, so I will only have to imagine what my body would have felt like were it straight ground beneath me last night. Maybe I have weak bones (despite a broken arm in HS, I'm probably dead average).. Or a weak psyche (won't rule that one out) but I commend the outdoorsy type. I used to think that I was one, that I love the outdoors. But during my 7.5 mile hike today I noticed everyone else on the trail were wearing activity-specific clothing; loose fitting t's, hybrid cargo-athletic fashion shorts while I greeted my trail-neighbors in a black v-neck t-shirt and grey skinny jeans with the cuffs rolled up. At least my White-Walker-blue Nike Free's (they are as blue as the evil glowing eyes of the Night King in GOT) gave me a sliver of cred. Whatever.. the path to being outdoorsy doesn't give a shit about pants or shoes. Neither do Mosquitoes. <br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/299997c7f313b3c440616f001764fe239a03de34/original/nightking-nikes.jpg?1464660171" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>I'm looking forward to one more night in the tent, free from external distractions. No cell phone service. No lights. No sirens or traffic to interrupt sleep. Just the incessant progressions from nature's nightlife symphony. There is one spectacularly persistent bird that trills through the same 6-note melody from dusk to dawn. When something is on a loop, I fine my perception of time shifts. I couldn't tell how long I slept last night; Fifteen minutes? Three hours? Eight hours? I was awaken at 5:15am, by the early light of morning navigating the canopy of trees illuminating the envelope of my tent as a soft glowing 10-watt light bulb. The tungsten wire of me, my sleeping bag and alleged sleeping pad had no choice but to be up, and drive into the city in search of breakfast.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/11b6d970109d4b95c1b889a409392e631aa62d8e/original/grammarose.jpg?1464661091" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>I found breakfast this morning at a place called The Madonna Rose Cafe. It was named after the proprietor's mother, and there are mementos in her honor all throughout the interior. It is one of those restaurants where you order a coffee (currently, decaf, in my case) and the server brings you a whole pot for yourself; where the portions are always a little bit too big and the prices a little bit too low; where ketchup tastes good on everything and the checks are hand-written and signed in cursive with a name like Flo or Alice. Tomorrow, I'm assuming the morning will find me at a similarly early hour - after all, how much does one acclimate to a place / pace-of-life in 48 hours? I don't sleep through foreign birdsong. While I'm a self-professed-non-expert, my intuition tells me this town is filled with these sorts of mundane yet magical breakfast places that I can't help but love. Because when you're alone in a town, sometimes you still want to be among family and friends, even if they aren't your own.<br><br> Chris Kozatag:www.chriskoza.com,2005:Post/41597942016-04-29T16:29:00-05:002017-01-12T08:24:42-06:00All I Really Need Is to Know That You Believe<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/0e6ab7d66d7680c1e5bf4908b33dddf8134cddc0/medium/img-5540.jpg?1461965283" class="size_m justify_center border_" /><br><br>Some thoughts on Prince.. </p>
<p>The first song I can remember hearing by Prince was when he ditched the bass and harnessed his electric falsetto for the 1986 smash “Kiss.” I must have been in 3rd grade and heard it in the morning carpool on Z100 on the way to school, in between the incessant banter of the drive-time DJs. It was so fresh - so artistic. I was really just learning about pop music at that time, and I think whatever curious surge of energy I felt was probably the unconscious prepubescent inkling of Prince’s powerful and artistic sexuality. I loved that song. A few years later, in my high school band, we covered that tune along with a few other time-honored songs - The Violent Femme’s “Blister In the Sun,” the Beatles “You've got to hide your Love Away,” and the Grateful Dead’s “Friend of the Devil.” All those tunes were good melodic campfire jams, but Prince’s Kiss had a rhythm and soul that felt so good to play. Into college Kiss became my go-to song for karaoke and I loved trying to hone in my sexy falsetto and dance moves. A protege I was not. A clumsy, theatrical wannabe I am. </p>
<p>Prince is many things to millions of people. His music, philosophies, and successes have influenced generations of songwriters, fashionistas, and performers. The world will never see another Prince in any lifetime, but we will see new waves of artists and makers inspired by The Artist to be themselves; to be talented and headstrong; committed and unapologetic; unyielding and masterful. I too, with confidence will strive for excellence. Viva la Purple Rain. </p>
<p>For some reason, years later "I Would Die For U" became my anthem. It is a very different song than Kiss.. less casual and a deeper cut, for me. We recorded this tune, at a session way back in 2007 at Pachyderm during the sessions for The Dark, Delirious Morning, with guest vocals from Haley Bonar and Joanna James. Lance Conrad at Humans Win mixed this tune a few years back and released it on a studio compilation album. It's an interesting take.. sweet, raw, silly, and polished.</p>3:29Chris Kozatag:www.chriskoza.com,2005:Post/41438752016-04-19T13:07:14-05:002017-01-12T08:24:42-06:00April LandscapesLife has emerged from the hasty hibernation of the passed winter, with people eagerly taking in the warmth of a welcome, if premature Spring. The highs are higher than normal, and the cools tend to sneakily reside during the nocturnal hours, which may also reveal a secret rainfall upon waking. The budding leaves on the trees double in size and quantity with every casual glance, and the chittering of squirrels and cardinals of day give way to the delicate whooshing of bats of night. <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/a1258e8f88516baadc56435900466775d94a63ba/medium/krank191-5x5-300dpi.jpg?0" class="size_m justify_center border_" /><p>My soundtrack this Spring has been a surprising one - a Vancouver BC ambient electronic artist that goes by the name of Loscil. He has numerous albums, the latest being <a contents="2014's&nbsp;Sea Island" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0NS7P9kUa8QZvlSTOFpcdco9Mki_5AXl" target="_blank">2014's Sea Island</a> and the ones I've heard are all supremely consistent. The first one I picked up was 2004's First Narrows, and while I was initially ageist about the release year, I figured there was nothing wrong with "old" music except maybe my own bias. If one were to crash on a desert island and be stranded with albums only from 2004, I think there would still be enough quality hours for listening to last several years. I released my first album Exit Pesce in 2004, and I still run into people who cite that as their favorite album of mine.</p>There is something both steadying and searching in Loscil's music; the unflinching landscape-like synths, the breezy jet-stream melodies, and a pulse that is more reseting pulse than the beating of a heart-in-motion. But this music puts me in motion. It ignites the imagination and focuses the body. The words I hear in the absence of any lyrics are swirling lexicons of images, ideas, and rumors that there is a thriving existence outside of our own well-worn habits and mental ruts. I'm eager to embrace new creative ideas, and finish the rest of what has kept me so busy over the last eighteen months.<br><br>My band Rogue Valley is finally releasing our new album. It's been a long time coming, but why does "time" for me seem to be a way to indicate an expectation that we should have released this album much sooner?It wasn't ready until it was ready, and to think of this stretch of time as lost is unfair to the substantial work and real growth that was necessary in completing this album. It's a really beautiful album, that I can not wait to share with the world. <a contents="The release date is June 21st and we'll have an official release show announcement for July in a couple of weeks." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.lostinroguevalley.net" target="_blank">The release date is June 21st and we'll have an official release show announcement for July in a couple of weeks.</a><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/bc301f15935cf0a5ccbeccb35ffe7bfcd1e99b7c/medium/rvprereleasepostcard-bleed2.jpg?0" class="size_m justify_center border_" />What else has been in the works during this time? A heartfelt album I recorded with my Dad which we released in a debut concert in Portland Oregon last month. An album I've been working on with singer-songwriter Becky Shaheen that we began pre-production on in Spring of 2014 which is shaping up to be quite lovely. Her album is nearing completion. Also, I have a set of strange iPad-produced pop songs that I'm finishing up at Human's Win, which I've worked on with producers Paul Marino and Lance Conrad. That collection will see the light of day eventually, possibly under a new moniker altogether. There's the covers EP Lucy Michelle and I recorded, and possibly a new set of songs with her band Little Fevers. Then there are errant loose tracks, songs I love that have yet to be properly recorded. I'm hoping to get some of these scratched out eventually. But maybe It's time to step away from the surroundings I've known so well for an opportunity to explore new landscapes.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/5bf4ff7fbca2a07332581a98855e4b5bad4d5e33/medium/jg-nov16-2012-northfield-arts-guild-theater1-e1438056918460.jpg?0" class="size_m justify_center border_" />But first, a couple of shows coming up: First is as a part of the 411 Concert Series curated by the Northfield Arts Guild in Northfield, Minnesota. I'll be performing as a duo Saturday April 30th. Northfield is a lovely town that is alarmingly rich in it's proliferation of the arts for a city of its size. Some of that is undoubtedly attributed to the two Colleges (St. Olaf and Carleton) that inhabit the city limits, but I think there is something in the water as well. Ye 'Ol Cannon River floweth forth; flouted strong. <a contents="Advance Tickets here." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://65010.blackbaudhosting.com/65010/page.aspx?pid=196&tab=2&txobjid=dae99bf6-4aa4-49c8-b0f0-eb8cc27cf1cf" target="_blank">Advance Tickets here.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/59c2e55b6bb3d064463280603d4832503b889b70/medium/house.jpg?0" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></a>My friend and singer-songwriter Brianna Lane has opened a new venue in South Minneapolis that promotes the experience and culture of house concerts. It's called the Warming House, and I'll be performing there as a part of their Grand Opening Weekend, along with Peter Miller of We Are The Willows. Our show is Friday May 6th, and it's going to be an amazing night! <a contents="Tickets are available here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/1153127/tfly?__utma=1.506817085.1453275596.1453275596.1461088291.2&__utmb=1.2.10.1461088291&__utmc=1&__utmx=-&__utmz=1.1461088291.2.2.utmcsr=thewarminghouse.net%7Cutmccn=(referral)%7Cutmcmd=referral%7Cutmcct=/&__utmv=-&__utmk=188644520" target="_blank">Tickets are available here</a>.<br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br> Chris Kozatag:www.chriskoza.com,2005:Post/40906712016-03-16T13:02:52-05:002017-01-12T08:24:42-06:00Springtime for SongwritersFor many students throughout Minnesota, Spring Break has begun, and for once it actually feels like spring. The ice shanties are long gone from the lakes, most of the ice has melted, and snow is now just another 4-letter word to file away for a rainy day. I've spent the last couple of weeks in my hometown of Portland, Oregon and Los Angeles, California. The purpose of these trips was partly to see friends and family, but like with every trip I take, was also to gather new inspiration for songwriting and music-making. While I have devoted much of the last couple of years not to writing new songs, rather to finishing existing works, I'm eagerly seeking a return to the creative role that I embrace with great curiosity and unquenchable interest. Writing new songs is like discovering a mysterious package of seeds in the gardening closet. You aren't sure when you bought them or if someone left them laying around. But you go through that package of seeds and examine each tiny little specimen, planting the lot and tending to the garden all the same, to see what fruits come from your labor. <br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/356821ab7d15b402bae3739eba2b9f4f88d02b0f/large/web-2016-mar19-splash.jpg?0" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /><p>So far it's mainly larger concepts and song "universes" I want to create within. There's no timeframe, no recording or release strategy. The return to Springtime is also a rebirth of seeing the world and one's surroundings from a position of discovery and play. For now, I'm enjoying the notes on the guitar, and the words from my pen as all the unhurried sounds of a forest. Birds sing without stage, and florae and fauna go through their days searching instinctually only for what allows them to thrive and grow. There is only the stress of being, not of a thousand unseeable pressures that crowd the minds of modern life.</p>
<p>Late last summer, my Dad - a lifelong musician - and I produced an album of his music; songs that he knew and loved that I basically forced him to record. It was a fun process - I got to find some of my favorite musical peers and convince them to come track some tunes in a makeshift recording studio I set up at a local church. Over the course of that fall, I edited and added a few overdubs to the sessions and just this last week, Frank Koza made his debut performance introducing his first album, the 7-song EP Family Roots. <br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/fba25eb0dcb726aa3934e3dda79e0ce1966c4ab4/large/img-5322.jpg?0" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>We got to perform together and were joined in support to a packed (albeit small venue) audience of family and friends. It was definitely a highlight in a career that I continue to be surprised by in so many ways. When it comes down to it, I am beyond grateful to have the privilege of sharing music in this life with so many other wonderful human beings. </p>
<p>Ramping up to the performance, we took a mini-rehearsal trip to the Oregon Coast and between drilling the songs, we found a little time to take advantage of the salty air, the meditative waves and postcard-perfect scenery. </p>
<p>Now I'm off to sail the Pacific with some of my best friends old and new. Sounds more adventurous than it really is - we'll likely troll conservatively around in a marina until I barf - but technically, we'll be on a sail boat in the Pacific Ocean. I guess I like to keep my stories open-ended. </p>
<p>But before that, I have one more Acoustic Cabin Video to post as of now. There'll be more coming later in April and beyond that I'll have some new things to share, including new music/video from my band Rogue Valley, and a special-secret-side-project that nobody knows about..<br><br><iframe class="justify_center" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="86OLGR49VaI" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/86OLGR49VaI/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/86OLGR49VaI?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p><br><br><br> <p> </p>Chris Kozatag:www.chriskoza.com,2005:Post/40359032016-02-11T01:21:40-06:002023-12-10T11:02:00-06:00Love Covers cover Album now available! By Lucy Michelle and Yours Truly..THIS LINK WILL BE REPAIRED SHORTLY<br><br>For now, please visit <a contents="bandcamp" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://chriskoza.bandcamp.com/album/love-covers" target="_blank">bandcamp</a>Chris Kozatag:www.chriskoza.com,2005:Post/40081902016-01-26T11:20:00-06:002022-03-02T09:48:04-06:00Acoustic Cabin Videos I have a new series of videos I'll be releasing over the next few months. These were imagined, directed, and created by visual artists <a contents="Kate Casanova" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.katecasanova.com" target="_blank">Kate Casanova</a> and <a contents="Ben Moren" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.benmoren.com" target="_blank">Ben Moren</a>. Both are wildly talented and dedicated - and I was honored that they'd spend a weekend with me at a small cabin along a quaint river in this pursuit. <a contents="Check out/subscribe to my youtube channel here.." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/c/chriskozamusic" target="_blank">Check out/subscribe to my youtube channel here..</a><br><br> <div style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_center" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="r4MQK3einFc" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/r4MQK3einFc/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/r4MQK3einFc?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="400" width="640" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div><br>The songs chosen for this initial Acoustic Cabin Video series reference basically all of my albums... <em>Exit Pesce, Patterns, The Dark, Delirious Morning, A Friend of a Friend, In Real Time</em>, and even a couple of Rogue Valley songs. <br><br>Compensation for the artists' time and abilities was in part made possibly by an Artist Initiative Grant and the Minnesota State Arts Board, which administers resources from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. In other words.. taxpayer dollars.Thanks for earning and spending money, everyone. <div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/06b89fe0e5a9ccb08bdbd8d6d84969c14948ce59/medium/msab-proper-logos.jpg?1470960648" class="size_m justify_center border_" /><em>Chris Koza is a fiscal year 2015 recipient of an Artist Initiative grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is make possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature; and by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.</em>
</div><br> Chris Kozatag:www.chriskoza.com,2005:Post/39978032016-01-20T10:45:00-06:002017-01-12T08:24:41-06:00Tiptoeing the Straight and Narrowing<p>Dammit if it isn't impossible to stay true to a New Year's Resolution. I can't say I'm making HUGE promises to myself - which is why it's a (somewhat predictable) bummer that I haven't been able to stick to my relatively mild schedule of posts, videos, and mailing list stuff. So, tonight I go back to my old ways - which is to put the tea kettle on, put on a little <a contents="Charles Mingus" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JY3hJc4sKqs" target="_blank">Charles Mingus</a> (which transcends the tiny, tinny laptop speakers), and get to work. Tuesdays. Gonna try to make Tuesdays my days for new media posts. Today is Wednesday. I realize how that is immediately anti-my-goals, but you gotta start sometime.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/e83a9a21f8c920a3ef9d9b3d9da45df2596f0be4/medium/img-4987.jpg?1453274010" class="size_m justify_left border_" />I visited a songwriting class in St. Paul, at The University of St. Thomas today. The class was filled with bright young minds with eclectic tastes. It gave me cause for optimism; that music and a career in creativity is not awaiting its beheading. There are problems with figuring out how to pay for recordings, how to sell records, and finance tours; in gaining more exposure - sure. That's always been the case for a majority percentage of artists who are trying to transition from student to success-story.<br><br>So maybe right now the industry isn't in great shape for a lot of people who remember "how it used to be." As long as I've been pursuing music, it's been in a state of flux and change - so I guess it's always been "how it used to be" for me. Maybe the biggest thing that's changed is the notion of "stardom" or the definition of "success." To be in that classroom today, listening to students share their ideas on the kind of creative investigations they're making was the sort of inspiration that leads to being an artist in one's own life. The art comes first, the career second. It's a valuable notion to keep in mind.<br><br>What else of consequence happened today.. oh yeah, I visited the dentist. <em>The dentist?</em> Who likes going to the dentist? It hurts, it's expensive, and the next time you go, it's the same thing. Luckily I was able to gain access to dental care through an amazing organization called <a contents="MusiCares." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.grammy.org/musicares" target="_blank">MusiCares.</a> They partner with clinics all over the country to provide musicians and industry professionals with some basic health care needs. Today, I found myself on the 9th floor of the Moos Building on the East Bank of the University of Minnesota campus, in a cubicle, with an attentive - if unrefined - student dentist reading my x-rays and giving me a thorough interrogation of my hygiene habits. Yes I floss. No I don't smoke. Yes I burn my mouth on frozen pizzas and hot coffee with alarming regularity.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/e525fbfa72cbb10d582da4fccd3b1bdb12e800b3/medium/lucychris-blogpost.jpg?1452043665" class="size_m justify_left border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/8944f5899bb0c34482c4f57266c54f856fd32cee/medium/koza-lubeck-hottub-blogpost.jpg?1452043340" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p><br>Tonight I spent some time preparing music for my <a contents="Valentine's Day show with Lucy Michelle" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1545258052459525/" target="_blank">Valentine's Day show with Lucy Michelle</a>. It's gonna slay. We've got some serious jams in the work. All I can say for now is that I lubed up my euphonium (not a metaphor) and loosened up the valves along with a favorite Tom Waits tune. Feb 14th, 2016 at the Cedar.<br><br>While on the topic of shows, Ben Lubeck and I have been rehearsing like madmen for our <a contents="Flying Burrito Brothers tribute show Monday January 25th at the Aster Cafe" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1660683457535282/" target="_blank">Flying Burrito Brothers tribute show Monday January 25th at the Aster Cafe</a>. It'll be a sweet, cozy night in the River Room. Reservations can be made ahead of time by calling the Aster: 612-379-3138.<br><br>Until next Tuesday.. or Wednesday.. or Whenever..<br><br><br> </p>
<p> </p>Chris Kozatag:www.chriskoza.com,2005:Post/39755212016-01-05T20:41:33-06:002019-12-14T06:42:49-06:00 The Flying Burrito Brothers and True Love in 2016 It's a <strong>New Year</strong> and a perfect opportunity to dust off the keyboard and share some exciting news. It's been awhile since I've released new music, with the last album <strong><em>In Real Time</em></strong> out a little over a year ago in November 2014. That album continues to find fresh ears and new listeners. There are a few exciting possibilities out there, but all are in need of confirmation before I can share, but this music is still very much alive. <a contents="Beginning next Monday, January 11th I'll begin a bi-weekly video release on my youtube channel" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/c/ChrisKozaMusic" target="_blank">Beginning next Tuesday January 12th I'll begin a bi-weekly video release on my youtube channel</a> of some new solo performance videos of songs from <em>In Real Time</em> and also some other gems from earlier releases. Another regular feature will be a bi-weekly blog post to come during the weeks between video releases. Hey, it's the New Year and everyone's making resolutions and commitments.. I think it's clear what mine are..<br><br><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/8944f5899bb0c34482c4f57266c54f856fd32cee/original/koza-lubeck-hottub-blogpost.jpg?1452043340" class="size_l justify_right border_" /><strong><span class="font_large">Monday January 25th</span><br>Chris Koza & Ben Lubeck perform<br>A Tribute to the Flying Burrito Brothers<br><a contents="Aster Cafe" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.astercafe.com">Aster Cafe</a><br>Minneapolis, MN<br>All Ages<br>$15<br>7pm </strong><br><br>I've got a couple of interesting concerts coming up featuring special musical pairings with some of my favorite Twin Cities musicians. The first is Monday January 25th with Ben Lubeck (of Farewell Milwaukee) at the Aster Cafe in Minneapolis, MN.<br><br>We'll be performing as a duo and paying tribute to one of our favorite bands, The Flying Burrito Brothers by covering their catalogue. In addition to their classic numbers, Ben and I will also perform a few of our own originals inspired by everyone's favorite tortilla-inspired band.<br><br>It's a small room, and a cold night, so we are anticipating a good crowd and good times.<br>Call ahead to secure your tickets at the Aster:<br>612-379-3138<br><br><a contents="RSVP on Facebook" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1660683457535282/" target="_blank">RSVP on Facebook</a><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/e525fbfa72cbb10d582da4fccd3b1bdb12e800b3/original/lucychris-blogpost.jpg?1452043665" class="size_l justify_right border_" /><p><strong><span class="font_large">Sunday February 14th</span><br>Chris Koza & Lucy Michelle present<br>A Valentine's Evening<br><a contents="Cedar Cultural Center" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.thecedar.org" target="_blank">Cedar Cultural Center</a><br>Minneapolis, MN <br>All Ages <br>$15 adv, $18 doors <br>7pm </strong></p>
<p>The second is a Valentine's Evening with Chris Koza and Lucy Michelle at the Cedar Cultural Center. Tickets will be available at noon on Friday January 8th.<br><br>Lucy and I will perform solo, as a duo, and as a quartet with the musical guidance of Richard Medek (drum) and John Munson (bass). Special guests for the evening include Adam Levy (The Honedogs, And The Professors), Alexei Moon Casselle (Mixed Blood Majority, Kill the Vultures), Leah Ottman (LOTT, We are the Willows), and singer-songwriter Brian Just. <br><br>Lucy and I are also recording a special covers EP for the occasion - available for free but only with a ticket purchase. More on this project soon!<br><br><a contents="RSVP on Facebook" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1545258052459525/" target="_blank">RSVP on Facebook</a></p>Chris Kozatag:www.chriskoza.com,2005:Post/39498112015-12-04T12:57:38-06:002021-12-25T13:29:06-06:00Music for MN Children's Hospitals Dec. 19th w/ Matt HiresWe're in the thick of the holiday season. It feels like everyone is moving at a hundred miles per hour trying to finish tasks, send out correspondence to friends and colleagues, and prepare for many wonderful - and stressful - social obligations that pepper the calendar through the few remaining weeks of 2015. I have an increasing sense that all of the spare moments where happenstance hellos happen and exciting ideas sprout root from seed are being assimilated into the margins by technology. For every melodic idea I've captured on my voice memo there are dozens I haven't even considered because I'm filling the micro-minutes with screen time. Not a bad thing inherently - just something to acknowledge. I find I feel like I'm often on the verge of something, but perhaps that is merely an emotion that I carry with me and not an actual truth. I have so much to be grateful for and one of these things is the warm and supportive music community here in the Twin Cities. <br><br><strong>My last show of 2015 will be at the Fineline on Saturday December 19th</strong> with my solo band. For this performance the band will be a 5-piece and features Cody McKinney on bass, Alicia Christiansen on keys and vocals, Richard Medek on drums and Peter Sieve on Electric guitar and vocals. It's gonna be AMAZING!! We'll play songs from last year's <strong><em>In Real Time</em></strong> and other songs from <em><strong>The Dark, Delirious Morning</strong></em> and <strong><em>Patterns.</em></strong><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/2d7ef643d5dab3a4bf3c1b6b8cc7c5efd98ab4cc/original/img-1466.png?1449254164" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br><br><strong>On the weekend of December 18th and 19th, 89.3 the Current, The Fineline, and MN Children's</strong> are holding a 2-day benefit blow-out concert to raise awareness and funds for MN Children's. Night one is <strong>The Belle Weather, Peter Wolf Crier, Jillian Rae</strong> and <strong>Old Desert Road</strong>. Night two is <strong>Matt Hires</strong>, Yours Truly - , <strong>Chris Koza </strong>& Band, <strong>Dan Rodriguez</strong> and <strong>Sammy Brown</strong>. I'm going to feel like a bona-fide fan at my own show! So many great artists, beautiful music, and a special atmosphere - all for a truly important cause. Other sponsors include Rock the Cause, RedCurrent, Twin Town Guitars, MTM, and The House. Single night tickets available, but also 2-night passes and VIP tickets available.. Facebook RSVP here: <a contents="Night one RSVP" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/events/771897059588004/" target="_blank">Night one RSVP</a> and <a contents="Night two RSVP" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/events/957128147659521/" target="_blank">Night two RSVP</a>.<br><br>One other thing! I recorded a song for a holiday compilation titled <em><strong>A Minnesota Holiday Volume 7</strong>. </em>I recorded a cover of Billy Squire's classic and vastly under-appreciated song <em>Christmas is the Time to Say I Love You</em>. <a contents="(For Billy's Version on YouTube click here)" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/JnOBggLe0tY" target="_blank">(For Billy's Version on YouTube click here)</a> My version was interpreted, tracked, mixed, and all that stuff at my studio Little Radios, aaaaand I'll say that I think it turned out to be a charming little rendition. Might make Squire fans cringe with its lack of big guitar moments, but it's got more than enough quirkiness to fill in the spaces. You can pick up <em>A Minnesota Holiday Volume 7</em> online at <a contents="CDBaby" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.cdbaby.com/cd/minnesotaholidayvol7" target="_blank">CDBaby</a> and in the Metro Area at Kowalski's Markets. Proceeds benefit <a contents="bethematch.org" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.bethematch.org" target="_blank">bethematch.org</a>. If you want to check out my track you can do so <a contents="here.." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaaH6N2B5xQ" target="_blank">here..</a><br><br>That's it for the moment.. more to come before the final embers of 2015 fade into the new year, but until then..<br><br> Chris Kozatag:www.chriskoza.com,2005:Post/38725152015-09-28T15:41:06-05:002022-04-03T04:26:45-05:00Everwood Farmstead Saturday October 3rd w/ Jeremy MessersmithWhen it comes to entering a creative mindset, place becomes incredibly important. Whether it's a crumbling, grey K-Mart parking lot or a tiny bedroom that's been freshly painted in bright colors to welcome in a newborn, environment plays a crucial role in helping to inform the free associations that spur creativity. I love the city. I love the lakes. I love the countryside. All of these environments are found in great abundance throughout Minnesota and the greater midwest. <br><br>There is a place that bursts with this sort of creative vitality. It is Everwood Farmstead, tucked away just outside of Glenwood City, Wisconsin. For the past four years has been producing shows and giving back in the form of both money and creative currencies to both the artistic and student communities in Western Wisconsin and Eastern Minnesota. The visionaries behind Everwood have curated theatre, dance, music, visual artists, film screenings, and storytellers in a beautiful restored barn that serves as an idyllic performance space. I'm so pleased to be a part of their inaugural fundraising mini-festival called CULTIVATE. It's going to be a lovely Autumn Day filled with original music, creative cuisines, and people who are passionate about the coming together of music, art, creativity, sustainability, and lifestyle. A very limited number of tickets are still available for this special event. <br><br><a contents="tickets" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://us8.campaign-archive1.com/?u=24f132247382ee63778809a0e&id=40612c953c" target="_blank">tickets</a><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/599e27948ddd2e24fb5ed7370cca0b6caa3951f6/original/d8851ce7-9ebf-4e68-8d69-36ab00dee863.jpg?1443472984" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><div style="text-align: center;">
<strong style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0); font-family: arial, 'helvetica neue', helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; text-align: center;">EVERWOOD FARMSTEAD FOUNDATION</strong><span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0); font-family: arial, 'helvetica neue', helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px; text-align: center; font-size: 14px;"> invites you to join us at Everwood on </span><strong style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0); font-family: arial, 'helvetica neue', helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; text-align: center;">OCTOBER 3rd, 2015</strong><span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0); font-family: arial, 'helvetica neue', helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px; text-align: center; font-size: 14px;"> to enjoy an afternoon of music, food, friends and the beauty of Western Wisconsin in the peak of autumn as we raise funds to support the work of the Foundation.</span>
</div><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/171982/08e728076b1e85157b2ccafe6500921a2c5d290b/original/cultivate-image.jpg?1443473870" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><div> </div>Chris Koza