Rehearsing for the UK and the Stones

Last night's rehearsal for the upcoming tour was a gas. Adam Marsland and I ran through duo versions of songs from ON THE REBOUND, along with hits from Smokey, the O'Jays and the Robots. Stay tuned if you're curious... or better yet, come down to a show. We did this version of things for my IPO set last August at Fais Do Do, before the album dropped. Sort of a cabaret setting. But now that you fans know the songs, there will be more points-of-reference to these acoustic performances. Plus the covers are a lot of fun.

Had a great time seeing the Rolling Stones at Staples Center last Friday. They pulled out a few gems including a rare version of "Factory Girl," the rollicking "Midnight Rambler" with guest Mick Taylor and a live debut of the disco-riffic "Emotional Rescue." I'm thrilled that I was part of the first audience to hear "Emotional Rescue" performed by the band. My guess is that "Start Me Up" was already charting by the time they would have been touring the material from EMOTIONAL RESCUE and that the disco curve was flattening. But I love that track and LP.

Our seats for the concert gave us a glimpse of the backstage action and it was very cool to see Mick prepare while the UCLA marching band banged out "Satisfaction." Plus, Mick gave me an idea of the proper kicks "mature" rockstars should wear.

Check the show schedule; the UK tour begins in less than a week! Can't wait to see you, Britain!

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One Fortnight Until Britain

In just two weeks, I will be making my way (accompanied by my producer/musical director, Adam Marsland) to the UK for a series of shows. I invite you all to join the ride. It's going to be a fun musical journey. I will be playing acoustic versions of tracks from ON THE REBOUND; plus a few choice covers.

The barnstorming will take me from London to Manchester to Liverpool. The specifics can be found on my website normankelsey.com. However, here are the dates; yes, there are double-headers on two of them. All shows are free admission!

Wednesday, May 15 at 9 pm
London - Notting Hill Arts Club

Thursday, May 16 at 5.45 pm
Liverpool -  International Pop Overthrow @ The Cavern Pub

Thursday, May 16 at 9.30 pm
Manchester - Thirsty Scholar

Friday, May 17 at 5 pm
Liverpool -  International Pop Overthrow @ The Cavern Club

Friday, May 17 at 8.30 pm
Liverpool - Festival Express @ Vinyl Bar

What else? I'm listening to a lot of new music that I'm digging, especially the latest Daft Punk single "Get Lucky," featuring Nile Rodgers, my disco-guitar hero. I had a chance to meet Nile about 20 years ago and it is one of my favorite early L.A. memories. And speaking of heroes, I am going to see the Stones next week. I think this will be my 7th time seeing them perform in person. Artists like Nile and Mick really keep me inspired. Last week was the Rock Hall induction. There was a time when I would devote an annual blog on how/why Chic (and Nile Rodgers) belong in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They still do.

Other new music worth a listen: Har Mar Superstar, BYE BYE 17 (raw soul); Local Natives, BREAKERS (raw souls); JT's "Mirror" is pretty nice; new music from Hanson continues to keep pop alive.

Did you see the latest review of ON THE REBOUND in Goldmine by John Borack?

L.A.-based singer/songwriter Norman Kelsey’s sophomore solo effort, On the Rebound, finds him mining the suave soul man territory, to great effect.  Kelsey’s vocals are top drawer (love the oft-present falsetto), the songs are across-the-board memorable (we particularly dig the Bee Gees homage “Our Love is Known By Name,” the silky “Huckleberry Finn” and the sweet, Prince-influenced ballad “Airport Kisses”) and he offers up a contender for Song Title of the Year: “Supermodels With Gatling Guns.”  Grade: B+

That's the groove for right now. I can't wait to meet more new and old fans at the shows.

Peace & Love!

Cinema Bar Show Recap

Wow, I'm nearing nearly 4000 views of this blog. Thank you all for checking in.

What a great way to start Grammy Week. Last night's show at the Cinema Bar with the Inimitables was a fantastic way to spend my birthday. The band was brilliant as usual; as was the audience. So many beautiful faces. Thank you for the rousing rendition of Happy Birthday, too. The set was heavy on tunes from ON THE REBOUND, as usual. Here the set list:

So Sophisticated
Saffron Dancer
Your Majestic Rejection
Supermodels With Gatling Guns
Our Love Is Known By Name
Huckleberry Finn
A Talent For Loving
She's My Go-To
On The Rebound
A Miracle Is On The Way

Later in the night, I joined Adam Marsland and the Chaos Band for some covers. I did harmonies on some; lead vox on others. Those hits were:

That's The Way of the World (Earth, Wind & Fire)
Hot Fun In The Summertime (Sly & The Family Stone)
Mama Can't Buy You Love (Elton John)
Jive Talkin' (Bee Gees)

I spent the rest of my day watching Martin Scorsese's documentary on George Harrison, Living In The Material World. My DVR had eaten it, when I recorded it originally. So, now owning a copy, I was able to watch it leisurely. I would never count George as my second favorite Beatle, but my appreciation for him grew even more. For anyone who cares about the wildest pop phenomenon of the 20th century; it's worth spending four hours with George.

What's next? Well, I'm looking forward to creating a video for Huckleberry Finn. The Missus and I are going to the Grammy Awards on Sunday. I promise to tweet. And there is another tour of the UK looming. I'm particularly excited because I have a proper album to properly promote. And proper fans to properly entertain. Look out Manchester and Liverpool. I will have a larger announcement once dates and venues are confirmed.

All for now.
Peace and Disco Beats

England Swings on Radio Fairfax Plays Norman Kelsey

I hope you have been having a peaceful King Holiday weekend. 

I sang U2's "Pride (In The Name of Love)" at church in memory of Dr. King. That is becoming an annual occurrence. 

Check out the press release today from England Swings on Radio Fairfax below.

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The Family Rain! Bring Me the Horizon! Peace! Django Django!

No, it’s not stream-of-consciousness writing, it’s just the beginning of the England Swings show today at 6:00 p.m. ET, and these are some of the bands we’ll be celebrating. We’ll also have new tracks by Lianne La Havas, Suede, Katy B, and a lot more, including our special features :

The Fab Four Freakout! With one of the most famous Beatles songs that was, um, never done by the Beatles.

Unsigned Artists Showcase! Featuring Norman Kelsey, an up-and-coming performer from Hollywood!

Request-o-matic, with, well, requests!

Top 5 Countdown! Featuring two new entries today as we count down the most popular songs in the UK!

It’s all very exciting, and you should be there. Well, not there, exactly, although you’re welcome to stop by any time, but you should listen!

You can do that :

In Northern Virginia : Cox and Verizon digital cable channel 37

In Reston, Virginia : Comcast channel 27

Anywhere else in the world : http://www.radiofairfax.com

For mobile devices : http://tunein.com/radio/Radio-Fairfax-s24818

See you at six!