Rod Kim Music Available At Wal-Mart, A Trip To Scotland...Basically A Lot Of Blue And White

So there's a lot of blue and white going around these days for me. Recently "Live From LaDue Auditorium" became available from another fine retailer, Wal-Mart...okay, I guess that depends on where you live, but if you've been itching to find that live Rod Kim record on the Wal-Mart Music Store, wait no more, click here and start downloading!

Another little piece of blue and white is getting the final details of my trip to Scotland pulled together. I'm trying to catch up on new 3-1-1 rules and other international travel hurdles. Funny thing is, a lot of friends I talked to just these past couple weeks were very surprised by my trip. I thought I had been mentioning it on and off for the last two years casually, I guess too casually. Anyway, for anyone who didn't know, I'm going to Scotland for a week in July. A friend is getting married in an ancient castle up there and I'll be making my trip up with my best buddy Jeb and his wife Dawn.

On a side note, about a week ago, I hit the 100 mile mark on my running habit, at least according to my iPod. Lance Armstrong congradulated me...well, his pre-recorded voice did at least...hehe...I believe right now I'm up around the 130 mile mark, I wonder what will be in store for 200 miles?

Anyway, it's a crazy week at work and I should either a.) get back to work or b.) rest.

More to come, don't forget to go to Walmart.com and get "Live From LaDue Auditorium" from the download store!
-Rod

Jerry Falwell

Well there's a lot of not nice things I could say about Falwell...since he just kicked the bucket, I'll restrain myself, but luckily someone already said some of it...

Hurricanes, Eulogies and Letters I Meant To Write

So I've taken a couple weeks off from actively working on the record, mostly to regroup and step back and take a fresh look at the material. Just as well, work has been mad busy and my apartment has just finished some renovations. A few weeks ago, there were some CRAZY rain and wind storms and they ripped up the roof on near everything in Wilmington including the roof over my roommate's room. Well, having less roof in combination with record setting rain storms is a recipe for disaster. Oddly enough, the rest of the apartment was spared with the exception of a couple damp spots. The apartment complex's management and maintenance team reacted quickly and soon went to some massive construction work. We vacated Chris's room of furniture and the old ceiling was ripped out as the roof above was repaired and soon after a new ceiling was put in. A week's worth of painting went by and just a couple days ago, we have a beautiful apartment again.

Even though I haven't been putting the mic and piano to tape, I have still been working on the album in a lot of peripheral ways. I've been filtering and listening through a lot of great music and unique voices. I mentioned a post or two ago about a new favorite, Amy Winehouse, and got a comment from an old friend, Jay$, (hey $!) and he mentioned that there are a lot of foreign records and older records that are similar and even better, I don't doubt it. The reason I liked Winehouse's record was the road where it met artistic uniqueness, homage to the golden years of pop and the fresh production of today. That's all to say, I figure if you're going to be a pop singer, then why not revisit the golden age of pop? Another addition (sort of) to my favorites is Dolores O'Riordan. I say "sort of" because Dolores is far from a newcomer. Many of you would be familiar with her voice as the lead singer of the iconic rock band, The Cranberries. Today, Ms. O'Riordan released her solo record, "Are You Listening?" and it is great to hear new material from a veteran rocker. I don't want to say it's a complete departure from The Cranberries, but it's not the same either...it's like a lite version of The Cranberries still with the distinct vocals I've come to know and love. I'm actually listening to the record while blogging. It's a great excuse to do both.

A bit of sad news, a week and a day ago, Thor (the hamster) kicked the bucket due to old age and proliferative ileitis. He received a proper burial in the woods out behind my apartment complex and after work I went to the pet store and picked up our new friend, Twitchy (shown in the photo below). He's a lot smaller than Thor and a lot more hyper. So far he's a little stinky, but friendly.

Along with blogging, I'm catching up on my emails and letters I've been meaning to write for weeks. I've been busy trying to keep in shape with running, working like crazy and preparing for the wedding season (taking me to Scotland, Chicago, Hershey and more!).

A blast from the past came a couple days ago. I was working at an event at the University of Delaware Bob Carpenter center and the keynote speaker ended up being a comedian. The comedian also did music and we were finishing his sound check when I asked him how long he'd been doing this show and he replied, "Oh, a long time...15 years or so." And I replied, "I don't want to put a date on you, but I remember seeing you perform when I was in Junior High 11 years ago!" And I was right, it was Mike Williams, a hysterical guy that I have remembered since I was in Jr. High. He came to a youth conference at my school and brought the house down. I've worked with a lot of great talent (Kelly Clarkson, Bonnie Raitt, and Bill Cosby just to name a few) but this was the first time something has come full circle. I got to talk with Mike between the sound check and the start of the show and he was just as cool off stage as he is on stage. If you haven't had a chance to catch Mike Williams' show, check him out.

Well, Dolores is almost finished taking me on a musical journey, and the bed is calling my name...so g'night friends...I love you all...

-Rod