May 11th 2010 December/2009 Hello everyone Well, it’s that time of year again where you’re probably all busy preparing for the holidays. I hope it all runs smoothly for you. It’s going to be a very different winter for me this year as I leave for Melbourne, Australia on December 19th to record my 5th CD. I will be recording it with producer Greg Arnold who I am a big fan of. I fly into Melbourne on a Sunday around 2 pm and then we start rehearsing that evening. I will be documenting the whole trip on camera and video camera so when I come back I should have a visual library full of the events that took place. Since its Christmas I wanted to let you know that I will be offering my Album “FUEL” for free for 48 hours for anyone who drops by my website on December 25th and 26th. I realize there is a time difference around the world so I will send out a quick newsletter again to let you all know when I initiate it. Most of you already have the CD so if you want to tell a good friend it could make a nice present. A Christmas song I co-wrote with good friend Mark Clay a couple of years back in on my site as a free download right now. It's called Christmas Everyday and it's a fun sexy song so make sure to get it and add it to the Christmas songs this season. It’s also getting some exposure on several internet radio stations and the Vancouver Province. I have posted a video blog about a week ago here where I answer the question I’m getting a lot lately, “Why Australia”. I will also be posting a video blog once a week while down under. Come back often to check them out! September/2009 Hey everyone!  How are you doing? It’s been a while since I sent a newsletter out and I am surprised how quickly the time has past by. For most of you its summer and I hope you’ve been able to enjoy it. I was very busy the last two months and I performed over 30 shows. Half of those shows where at my reliable Theme Park where I’ve been gigging for years but the other half were made up of a wide variety of venues. One of my favorite places to perform is in a town called Kusatsu. It’s a beautiful place with many natural hot springs and visited by many Japanese throughout the year. I did a video blog while staying in my hotel there if you want to check it out.I also went to Tochigi prefecture and shared the stage with two other bands at a cool place called Nemu Nemu. My good friend Hibiki and I drove there from Gunma and it took about an hour but it turned out to be a fun night. I played an acoustic set and tried out some of my new songs I might release on my next CD and the response was good. On August 23rd I did a show at a new venue called “JHK”. It used to be a place for weddings but the owner converted it into a really funky place to perform live. After the show the owner turned on the Barbeque and poured ice cold beer and we all sat around sharing stories. September has been really busy. I’ve got a foot inside the door of a bunch of projects. For starters my friend Mark Clay and I are working on a very cool song he sent me called, “Dunkirk Spirit” that has a Celtic vibe to it. He also helped finish off a song of mine called, “What Have I Done”, and recorded his take on it with just a couple of acoustic guitars. Mark is generous enough to offer it to you exclusive on my website for free. You can find it here. Down the road I will attempt to record my version of it, too. I'm also trying to finish up a song and enter it in an annual songwriting contest that takes place in Japan. I must have that song complete and submitted by the end of September. I best buckle down and get on with it! October 16th, a friend of mine Simon Smith is coming to visit me in Japan. He will be here for 5 days and is flying all the way from England. Some of my loyal supporters might know him from our small community. I’ve got a few small shows lined up that I’ll be dragging him to. One of them is a venue I’ve never gigged at before so we’ll both be checking it out for the first time. (Simon, I hope you’re ready for a culture shock) Aside from my music career, I’ve been cycling and training often. I road over 2500 km during the summer. It’s getting dark earlier lately so I’m not able to ride as far. But ice hockey has started again and so now I’m doing that 2 to 3 times a week, too. If you want to go on an 8 minute bike ride with me, click here (but I warn you, it's not too thrilling unless you like that sort of thing). OK, I’ll sign off now. Sorry for the long delay from the last update. Hope you’re all well. Feel free to email and fill me in with what you’re up to. I’ll be sure to get back to you. Until next time, take care. Kelly Return to home May/2009 Hi! How is everything going? I hope spring is in full bloom and you’re able to get outside and enjoy some decent weather. It’s been fantastic weather here in Japan and it’s nice to put winter behind me for a while. I want to give a big thank you to all of you who have joined my mailing list and my eteam. As you might know, I’ve posted a couple new songs on my site for free download. I’m really happy with how many came by to grab them and leave comments as well. The newest song “What Have I Done” as you know, is a really rough demo (recorded in my bedroom live). It needs a bridge, and the lyrics need to be moved around, axed, or altered. But the feedback on the song makes me think I might just re-record it when I’m making my new CD. Hopefully in the upcoming months I’ll post some other ideas I have so that I can get your honest feed back. I really want the songs on the next CD to be for you. Meaning – while I always write from the heart, I write often and sometimes it’s hard to know which songs will end up being the most universal. Your opinion really matters to me. May was a great month for gigging and it was nice to play on a regular basis after a fairly quiet winter. Hands down, playing live is where I sell most of my CD’s. It goes to show there is nothing more captivating than a live performance. To me, a great CD and a great live performance are completely separate from each other. A great CD can have all the bells and whistles and be polished to perfection but doesn’t always show the true artist. I wish I had a chance to play live in front of most of you on a more regular basis. If I get enough support and a healthy budget I am planning on doing that after the release of my next CD. I would really love to know more about your music interests. What do you like in a good CD? What do you like in an artist? How I could better myself? How can I better my interaction with you? If you have any questions or comments please email me or join my forum and share your thoughts. Again, I’m looking for ways to improve in all areas of music. After all, it’s not called the music business for nothing. Don't forget to join me on facebook or twitter or myspace. I hope to see you around and thanks again for your support! Kelly return to main page April/2009 G’day! Another month passes faster than I expected it to. How about you? Spring is finally here and for the last couple of weeks the Japanese have been celebrating it with their Cherry Blossom festivals. It really is beautiful when all the trees are in full bloom. I did a cool concert outside in a park on a warm sunny Sunday and everyone and their dog was there. It’s also playoff hockey time and I am a huge Vancouver Canucks fan. They look really strong so far in the run for the Stanley Cup and I have been cheering them on at top voice while watching from here in Japan. GO CANUCKS GO! On the music side of life, I’ve been performing regularly again as this country seems to have woken from a long winters sleep. It’s nice to be playing frequently and getting my chops back. I tend to write a lot more during this time, too. Come by my website from time to time and check for new free downloads. In particular I am going to start posting some acoustic versions of songs that you can add to your collection. Most of the songs will be MP3 taken from a video that coincides with it . You can download my version of “Hey There Delilah” right now. Click here. I’d love it if you watched the video on YouTube and left a comment. Also, some more merchandise has been added to the store and some great discounts. Also, just a friendly reminder that I have a forum on my website as well that you can check out. It’s feeling very lonely over there and it would be great to get some social networking going. There are a few fun topics already started by me and my friends. Two of the questions I have asked that I am curious of are: “What are your current top 5 favorite bands/musicians?” and “How are you discovering your music these days?” If you post, maybe I’ll find some new artists and outlets I never knew about. Hope to see you there. There’s also a questionnaire where I ask a few simple questions to help understand what you like or dislike about my music. It’s just one of the many things I’m doing to try to become better. You can find it here. Join me on facebook, twitter, myspace and more. Finally, don’t forget if you join my eteam (it’s free), you have access to everything on my site, including contests, freebees, and more. Just fill out your name. Hope you are all well and thanks for all the support lately. Many of you have been great at keeping in touch and it means a lot. Take care and have a great month! ~ Kelly (return to main page) March/09 Hey everyone, Hope you’re all doing swell and life is peachy keen. March has been a month full of highs and lows for me. I had another birthday recently and it was very low key (just the way I like them) and spring is finally here so that is all positive. I have two family members that became quite sick at the beginning of this month and it’s been a tough time for them. One of them I’m happy to say is almost fully recovered but the other is about to enter chemotherapy and radiation treatment. It’s going to be a very tough battle but he’s an extremely positive person with a lot of fight so I’m waiting for good news to come. Life definitely is full of surprises and at times seems unfair. It really makes you appreciate it when you’re healthy and happy. The next CD. So initially I was planning on recording my new CD in August this year but I’ve been having a hard time getting everyone together to do it. It appears August is a very busy time for musicians (like I didn’t know that). This means, I believe if all goes according to plan, I will be recording the next CD in Late December in Australia. I’m not going to say much more until it’s all finalized but let me just say, the producer is very well known in the land down under and is one of my favorite songwriters (no, it’s not Neil Finn). Stay tuned for more on this later. Also, I'm going to try working with another producer from Vancouver via the internet. We're going to co-write a song together and see what happens from there. If we're happy with the relationship we might try it again. We'll be collaborating next week and when it's done I'll post it on line here for you to get. February 21st/09 Blast from the Past Hey everyone, How did you survive January and February? I bet you are as excited about spring as I am. These last two months are always the slowest gig months for me which means a lot of free weekend’s trying to write songs for my next CD. So, the other day I received an email from a fan who asked me if I had any past songs for sale. I've been asked this question on many occasions and my answer is usually, "Sorry, I'm all sold out". While this is true, there has also been a part of me that feels I am not that person who wrote those songs anymore. I've improved and those older CD's don’t meet the standard I’ve set for myself now. Secretly, I'm proud of the journey I have taken despite it being a slow one because I've never let go of my dream. Yet my pride has kept me from releasing my older CDs. So, after much thought, words of wisdom from friends and a change of heart, I decided to release my older songs in MP3 format for download on my website. I sat down one evening and for the first time in ages I listened to them again. It was immediately obvious to me that they were not produced by Mutt Lange or Mitchell Froom, they were not co-written with Jeffrey Steele, nor were they recorded in Nashville at Dark Horse Studio with the worlds best musicians and a bank full of cash. What I did discovered however, was quite spiritual. They are without a doubt, 100% me. They are my thoughts, my heart, my stories, and my influences captured into 3 minute time capsules. They brought back fond memories and surprisingly years later, if I do say so myself, they are not that bad ! In fact, I've had fans that I won over with some of those songs who are still with me on this musical journey today. That's got to say something right? LOL. If you’re interested in checking out those songs just click here. If you have a question or want to leave me a message or sign the guest book I’d appreciate it. I would also love to hear what you’ve been doing. As always, thanks for your time Kelly ( return to main page ) January 20th/09 365 days bring musical joy Wow, there is so much happening in the world of Kelly Pettit lately. I am just really excited that I have stuck with doing what I love. The last 365 days have been amazing for me as a musician. Here are some of the highlights: Out of 2000 bands competing for top prize of $200,000 worth of promotions, marketing and gear, I won the Ultimate Band Contest thanks to the support of family, friends and fans. By far my busiest year as a performer in Japan. I have played some incredibly cool festivals, functions and gigs including a concert where my good friends Jerry Wong and Aaron Grant came to rock out with me. I have received some great press from TV, radio, newspaper, magazines and internet. My song “She’s Just Like Summer” was nominated for best in Pop at the Hollywood music awards. The famous ABC’s Fame Games radio show which has 4,400 affiliate radio stations reaching more than 105 million listeners a week has made me a house hold name for listeners of their show. My song “She’s Just Like Summer” won track of the month a half year ago. Recently they held their annual Effigy Awards and I was nominated for 5 awards (Best songwriting, most popular song, Best overall song, Best song in light rock, Best song in Country) and took home two of them (Best song in Light Rock and Best song in Country). Not bad for a small town kid who now lives in the rice fields of Japan. Simon and brother Tony Cowell have backed up the show and even mentioned my name a couple times. So what does all of this mean? Well, I suppose time will tell but for now it has given me a lift. It offers me a sense that I really am a songwriter/musician and that I am on the right track. This is the kind of stuff that feeds the fire and keeps my passion burning strong. In fact, I’m really excited to get underway and start recording my next CD. In the meantime, thanks for coming by, thanks for helping me stay in the game, and thanks for sharing in the journey. You helped get me here. Look out 2009! (return to home) January 16th/09 The New Year! Hello friends, Happy New Year! I hope 2009 is an amazing year for all of you. I spent my Holidays in Canada and I had a fantastic time. My plane touched down at Vancouver International Airport the day before bad weather hit which caused many people to spend their holidays waiting for flights. I spent a bulk of my time shoveling snow at my fathers house which was probably a fortunate thing since I was eating and drinking more calories than I knew were good for me. It was so great to see my family and friends again and to share in the festive season. Highlights include meeting new and old friends, buying a new Larrivee guitar, watching the Canadian Junior ice hockey team win gold in fairy tale fashion, eating all that Canadian food that I don't get a chance to eat while in Japan, and laughing harder than I've done in some time. A couple of downfalls on the trip were saying good-bye to my favourite Grandfather who has Alzheimer’s and appears to be on his last legs and also missing my international flight back to Japan on January 12th because of heavy fog that kept me trapped on Vancouver Island. It gave me an extra two days to chill in Nanaimo but the rescheduling cost me $800. Still, I'm never in a rush to get back to Japan and the extra two nights allowed me to spend more time with everyone. New Years Resolution you ask? Not really. My main goals this year are to stay healthy and record a new CD in August. I'm hoping my friend Cory Churko will be able to help produce it. I'll keep you posted. How was your holiday? Feel free to leave a comment, an email or go to the forum and leave a message there as to what you have planned for the new year. I'm looking forward to stronger friendships in 2009. Thank you for helping me in my most successful year yet - 2008. Now it's time to step it up a notch or two ;) ~Kelly (return to home) December 12th/08 Christmas Everyday Rawking the Airwaves! Thanks to an amazing indepentent artist show called "Fame Games", The song I co-wrote with Mark Clay looks promising to head into the final show to be aired in front of millions for the 3rd time this week. My song "She's Just Like Summer" won track of the month there and opened up doors for heaps of new friends and fans. It's also a great site for music fans to check out the latest and also get involved in deciding what we should listen too. Check it Out! December 1st/08 Hollywood Music Nomination My song "She's Just Like Summer" was nominated for the best pop song of 2008 on the famous Hollywood Music Awards! Though it didn't win, it was really close and it's motivation to keep working hard in this tough industry. December 1st/08 Christmas News Hey Everyone, It's that time of year again! Winter holidays are approaching quickly and I wanted to give a shout out to all my friends, fans and supporters out there to enjoy the holidays with those you care about. I will be heading back to my hometown Nanaimo, in Canada to spend quality time with those I love. I've got an arsenal of guitars back home so I'm hoping my holiday mood will create some news songs for my next CD. While I'm currently writing new material for the new CD, the latest CD "FUEL" is still available and still receiving great reviews and press. Don't forget CD's make a wonderful present. All CD sales from here on in will go directly to funding the new CD which I am working harder than ever on. Please join my mailing list to receive the latest up-to-date news on what's happening in my life. Those that join will enjoy a journey that includes receiving free MP3 songs, entering contests, communitcating with me on the FORUM, sharing and contributing ideas towards the new CD, unplugged material, raw video blog links and more. OH YEAH: Click here to download the Christmas song I co-wrote with Mark Clay. On behalf of the two of us, Merry Christmas! (return to home) |
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