Now Available: “SNAP SHOTS”
Cover of the new CD “Snap Shots”
I’m happy to announce that I’ve just released a brand new CD titled “Snap Shots”. This is my 16th release of new music created on The Chapman Stick and I think you’re going to really enjoy this one. In the past I’ve released a lot of relaxing music that some of you have even called ‘Heavy Mellow’. This time I decided to do something completely different so you can hear the other things I like to play on The Stick.
All selections on the new CD were recorded on Maui performing on various models of Emmett’s instruments including the 12 string Grand Stick, the 10 string Alto Stick and the 12 string Stick Guitar (SG12). No two songs are alike! Some are purely solo performances. Some feature drums or percussion. Some use sound effects while some do not. Some were recorded “live” at remote island locations and others were recorded in a studio setting. I go from soulful like Santana to wacky like Zappa with even some Americana thrown in for good measure. Totally different. And different is good, isn’t it?
If you’d like to take a listen you can preview it simply by clicking on My Store (upper left) or at: http://www.cdbaby.com/all/stikmstr
It’s also available on iTunes. Just type in “Chapman Stick” and I’m still the only one who sticks it to ‘em there. Pardon the pun.
As always, thanks for your support of my one-of-a-kind music on The Chapman Stick!
I’m back on the mainland !!
Belly Dancers Dig Stick
After a grueling, non-stop six year World Tour of Maui it was necessary that I be taken to a private clinic in the bamboo rainforest above Hana where I was treated for the little-known but serious condition known as Hawaiian Tropical Exhaustion Syndrome. During the treatment I learned that yes, it’s true- you can only go snorkeling so many times before it catches up with you. Little did I know but all that continuous sunshine and near constant temperatures of 75 degrees can only worsen the condition. The doctors concluded there was only one cure for me- I must return to the mainland immediately and spread my Chapman Stick fueled brand of musical cheer at festivals, fairs and concerts anywhere they’ll have me. To protect against any future episodes of HTES they warned me to never visit Sea World, watch old surf movies or listen to the Beach Boys. So far, so good. I still get shaky whenever I see palm trees.
All kidding aside, it’s great to be back! I’ll be based in the Lake Tahoe area during the summer and fall. I’m really looking forward to seeing many of you who I missed while I was in Hawaii. I hope you’ll come out and say hello sometime soon. I’ll be on the road to some of my old haunts and hopefully lots of new ones, too. As time permits, I may even get to perform at some house concerts for those of you who might be interested in hosting one. I hear they’re a lot of fun.
I’ll kick off the summer this coming Memorial Day weekend at one of my all-time most favorite events- the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee. I met so many of you there over the years it will be a joyful reunion. I can’t wait. I’ll have a brand new CD entitled “Snap Shots” and lots of new Stick music to share with you. You’ll find more upcoming events listed in the above right box “UPCOMING”
I’ve posted a number of new songs (in their entirety) on both here my website and in my electronic press kit (click link below). Thanks, as always for your support of my music on The Stick. Doubt if I could have ever made it this far without you…
All the best,
~Michael K
Chapman Stick soloist
www.sonicbids.com/
Back on the mainland this Summer
- Michael K & The Chapman Stick
I’ll be back on the mainland this coming summer performing at some of the great festivals and fairs I used to frequent plus I’ll be spending time up in the Tahoe/Reno region because it always makes me feel good to be up near the lake. My newest CD release, “SNAP SHOTS” is being pressed at the duplication plant now. I’m really excited about the new CD because it is quite different from my earlier work. Some of the songs are soulful like Santana and other songs are as wacky as Zappa. No one will be able to call the music boring and if one track puts you to sleep the next track will rudely awaken you. It includes more original material than ever before. All the songs on “SNAP SHOTS” were recorded on Maui performing on various models of Emmett’s instruments including the 12 string Grand Stick, the 10 string Alto Stick and the 12 string Stick Guitar (SG12). No two songs are alike! Some are purely solo performances. Some feature drums or percussion. Some use sound effects while some do not. Some were recorded “live” at remote island locations and others were recorded in a studio setting. These songs are a collection of “audio snapshots” representing different time periods, events and feelings I’ve experienced while living on Maui. And they have all have been musically interpreted on The Stick for your listening enjoyment… I think you’re really gonna like it. “SNAP SHOTS” is my 16th independent release and it will be available May 2013 . I’m also hoping to perform at some ‘house concerts’ as time permits. If you are interested in hosting a house concert (or if you know of places where my music on The Stick would be welcome) please let me know. House concerts are a lot of fun: an intimate live music performance for just you, your family and friends right in your own home or backyard. Let’s do it!
Happy New Year 2013 from the Stickman of Lahaina
ALOHA & HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!
I know I seem to say the same thing every year so why be different in 2013? Last year just whizzzzzed by, didn’t it? They say the older you get the faster they go by but I’d rather not think about that at the moment. Geez, my kids tower over me and they are STILL showing me how to operate my phone or build a webpage. I guess some things never change…
Hope your New Year celebrations were the best ever and now that we are well into the New Year, I’m hoping all the good stuff finds you in 2013. It may be my imagination but I think ODD numbered years are always the best ones. Or at least the most dramatic, anyway.
Things are a-hopping here on Maui. The whales are back and so are the visitors. The Christmas season was busy even though it never really feels like Christmas here on Maui. In the photo above I’m performing on the Chapman SG12™ 12-string Stick Guitar®. Or am I? If so I’m…
Probably wearing shorts. Not exactly chestnuts roasting on an open fire attire. Nope. Not here. We put our Christmas decorations on a palm tree this year. I just can’t stand the thought of needlessly importing a poor cut-down tree all the way from Oregon only to be tossed on the rubbish heap right about the first week of January. You know- when it gets all dried out, brittle and looks like a fire hazard. I think we’re done with that since we don’t have to play Santa anymore.
I’m working on a follow-up to my Beatles CD as it has turned out to be my all-time best seller. See- I KNEW you loved The Beatles as much as I do! The recordings are at the half-way point and the trouble is always just picking the right songs. The Beatles wrote SO MANY incredible songs, it’s a daunting task to choose them. But choose I must. I’m really starting to appreciate the songs written by the ‘Silent Beatle’ George Harrison. I’ve passed his old estate in the Hana area a number of times and I wonder what it must have been like to see him there happily planting tulips and working in the garden. I imagine the chances of meeting him back then would have been about the same as meeting Oprah is now. Slim to none.
At any rate, wishing you a fantastic year ahead and hope we’ll cross paths again soon. If you are planning to visit Maui this winter (or if you are already on-island) I hope you’ll stop by and say Aloha at some of the events listed below. As always, many mahalos for your support of my music on The Chapman Stick. Your encouragement keeps me going. It just wouldn’t be the same without you…
Hau’oli Makahiki Hou from
~Michael K
Chapman Stick musical artist for 36 years!
P.S. If you have ever wanted to own a Chapman Stick yourself- here’s your chance. I have two (2) beautiful instruments from my collection that are presently listed on eBay right this exact minute. I’m making way for a couple of custom instruments that I’ve ordered from Emmett Chapman. Obviously, I only have two hands and I can’t play them all at once. (Hmmm… Or Can I?) If you are seriously interested, just go to eBay and type in CHAPMAN STICK. You’ll have no problem finding them. Compared to the price of new Sticks, they are fairly priced and they will ship immediately. If you want one- don’t wait. Go now. Trust me, they won’t be there for long…
My 1st Blog & A Maui Christmas 2 U!
MY NEW BLOG 12-25-12 1720 hrs. HST
For some time, I’ve been toying with the idea of putting up my own blog and thus exposing needless victims to my endless stream of quirky, irreverent thoughts. Yes, I toyed with the idea. And then one day, a voice from Heaven said “Hey dude, YOU CAN DEWWWWW EAT!” Okay. Good enough. That’s all I ever need to get something started; a voice from Heaven. It must have been a heavenly voice because I decided to start it today- Christmas Day. So before I get started with this, I’d like to wish you a very Maui Christmas! And my daughter a very Happy Birthday. Talked to her this morning as she woofed down the FREE birthday Grand Slam from Denny’s while making it dangerous for other law abiding citizens at Disneyland in Anaheim. You know, the OLD one that Walt himself once worked at. Before Tokyo, Paris and (?) Orlando.
Back here on Maui, the wife and I decided that maybe a Christmas Dinner was in order (even though there is no family nearby to share it with…) Mister BBQ to the rescue!
Here on Maui, BBQ might as well be one of the Food Groups. We BBQ all year long and the temperature is in the low 70s, so the stage is set. It has been cloudy the last few days but it rarely rains here so we just bake in the sun. And BBQ. There must be something in the Kingsford Competition briquet smoke that makes us do it.It’s perfect most of the time. Actually, all the time. The weather here is- as described by a British tourist from London “monotonously perfect”- okay buddy you just go back to your monotonously foggy London. Bet it’s cold and ohhh sooo dreary. Somehow we’ll manage methinks.
If it isn’t already, I think THE HAWAIIAN WORD FOR PERFECT IS LAHAINA. Okay now. Throw on some well seasoned Costco tri tips and everything else that needs to be cooked on the grill. If we don’t eat it today, there’s always tomorrow. Ah yes, I can smell them now. Sweet! It won’t be long now… Dinner is definitely on the way on this Perfect Maui Christmas Night.
Because I’m a Chapman Stick player, I guess this blog should be about The Stick but on the other hand, that’s my day JOB. Who wants to come home and write about WORK anyway? Well, if you’re a physicist working on the super collider and you just discovered a brand new quark or something, I guess that would be different so I would defer to you on the subject of writing about work. But I haven’t discovered anything new lately except for maybe new ways to get strange beautiful sounds from The Stick. Nah. Just doing the holiday thing nice and slow. Hope this year, yours have been the best ever! Another week and it will be 2013. And, to think- I didn’t even get invited to any End Of The World parties. Close call there, eh? I was almost ready to stash extra water bottles like I did for Y2K but I got busy with something else so my doomsday preparations were for naught.
Nope. Not me. Just chooglin’ along and watching the whales from the back door. I know, I know. It’s A Tough Life but I just figure that somebody’s got to do it, so I might as well get the job. Until someone really smart like MacGuyver comes along anyway. Better go check that BBQ lest I let everything cook to ash.
One hour later… All is well. No burnt sacrifices for my BBQ coven tonight. I told my wife I was writing this blog and at first I think she thought that was some kind of a thing that you sometimes get caught in your nose. She asked why I was doing it (?) and the first thing out of my mouth was that I wanted to recruit new members for a Satanic cult. To my dismay, for a second or two, I think she actually believed me. Sometimes my jokes are too weird. I gotta go easier on the poor girl…
Well, here it is in all its Exalted Glory (it’s Christmas so I’m humming “In Ex-Cel-Sious-Day-O”). My first blog. And on a very Maui Christmas Day, too! Hope you enjoyed it. Maybe next time I’ll even write about my music (but no promises there). If you want to own your very own Stick, check out the one I’m selling. I need money to continue my flying lessons. Of course, I’m only interested in learning the takeoff parts. I’m not planning on landing any time soon. You’ll find the instrument here: Hint- if you actually read this and want to buy it— I’ll take a hundred bucks USD off just to know that you read my very first blog. Make an offer of exactly one hundred ($100 USD) less and it’ll be yours! Go to EBay, go to EBay, go to EBay (I’m learning hypnotism- is it working?)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160944954469&ssPageName=ADME:L:LCA:US:1123
Have a great week and try not to eat so many of those Christmas candies. Just think what that will do to your waist. In the meantime, honey- pass the See’s candies! Just the ones that areBordeaux flavor, if you can pick them out… Yep, they have little brown sprinkles on top….
P.S. Here’s a photo of the final dinner as it was served. There’s PLENTY of leftovers. Sure beat the heck out of turkey!
Special Christmas CD Sale on both ‘Frosty The Stickman’ & ‘Rainbows’!!
Frosty The Stickman
Aloha everyone,
Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. I always love this time of year because I have sooo much to be thankful for. Enjoying the holidays here in Lahaina is A-O-K by me. We don’t have any snow here on Maui (like Frosty The Stickman does above) but we get by. Imagine surfing in warm waters throughout the holidays… Or golfing or just about anything BUT shoveling snow. It’s not bad at all!
This winter holiday season will be fantastic. The humpback whales are returning from their summer in Alaska and they’re ready to do You-Know-What. They eat thousands of pounds of fish and krill while they are in Alaska and then they come here to Hawaii all ready for mating season. Gotta keep their strength up, right? At least they know how to pick the right spots!
So you can enjoy some great Stick music this winter season- just in time for Christmas- I’ve reduced the prices of both my most recent release, RAINBOWS and my Christmas album, FROSTY THE STICKMAN.
That’s right. Only $12 for each CD plus shipping. Either CD makes an excellent small last minute gift or stocking stuffer for virtually anyone on your list this year. Plus, there are additional discounts available if you purchase more than one of either CD or, better yet- both CDs. My distributor is located in Portland, Oregon and they ship very FAST and, they actually make the whole process FUN! And all right from the comfort of your own home.
Fast and fun… What more could you ask for? By the way, FROSTY is only 1 of 2 CDs that I know of here on Planet Earth that features holiday and Christmas favorites on The Chapman Stick! Many folks who already own FROSTY tell me they love to play the album while they are wrapping presents, at Christmas parties, while entertaining family & friends or just engaging in general all-around holiday merriment. I hope you’ll consider supporting a truly independent artist rather than spending your Christmas budget at Walmart. If you’d like to take a look, a listen and read the reviews you’ll find them right here on my brand new, easy to navigate Store Page. Either click below or on the icon to the right marked My Store. Either way you’ll get there. Check out some of my other releases while you’re there, too. Mahalo in advance!
http://www.cdbaby.com/all/
This month I’ll be playing around the island and you’ll find my performance schedule up in the right hand corner of this page. If you’re in town, I hope you’ll stop by and say aloha. Until then, I wish you and yours a very
MELE KALIKIMAKA!
All the best,
~Michael K
I Perform At Weddings, Too!
Performing for 10/25/12 wedding at Olowalu Plantation House- Maui, Hawaii
Maui is the PERFECT place to get married or renew your vows. If you’re planning to do so in the near future, why not consider having the perfect music, too? Over the last 25 years I have performed for literally hundreds of weddings in every imaginable setting. I’ve been told that my music on The Chapman Stick is ideal for weddings and receptions. I sound like several musicians at once, need hardly any space at all and I am completely self-contained and battery-powered so I don’t even need an a/c outlet. Want me to play on the beach or at the top of a mountain? No problem! I can play The Stick anywhere with this set-up. If you’re interested in finding out more, please contact me directly for further information. While you’re at it, why not add your name to the list for my monthly newsletter and I’ll keep you posted on new developments. The little sign-up box is on this page at the bottom right corner. Mahalo for keeping me in mind. A HUI HOU!