KS.com update – REM TOUR STARTS THIS WEEK

REM hits the road with KS on various instruments as part of the band…check the tour page for dates in North America, Europe, and South Africa between now and next July (ulp!). I am also planning shows in Europe in support of Soft Commands, these dates will take place in December. I will post them in a couple of weeks. I am still looking for tennis partners all across the globe, please puruse the dates and let’s make a court date…my computer is back from the Apple repair center, so I will be posting much more frequently…esp. when that REM backstage wifi starts kickin’ in!

Love

KS

Philly

SOFT COMMANDS EXPANDS, coming soon – KS.com update

I have been doing a lot of press for the int’l version of Soft Commands (with two more tracks than the US version), to be released by Rykodisc Oct. 11…all over Europe, plus S. Africa, and more to come. In between REM tours I will be hitting as many places as possible…stay tuned for those details. In the meantime, I have been here in Europe with REM making various radio and TV appearances, so far in Italy and the UK but Sweden and Germany will be visited this week as well. Check remhq.com for details on that….or check local listings! I will be reunited with my computer when I get back to the US at the end of this week, so I will update the tour dates, etc.–with REM, Posies and KS solo all performing soon there are a lot of them!!

Love

KS

Milan IT

KS.com update

I had the pleasure to mix two songs for Cheap Star in Paris this week…did quite a bit of press for Soft Commands’ approaching European release date (Oct. 11, in fact, one week after REM’s Around the Sun is released). I will be posting some tour dates for Europe soon. REM has announced European tour dates for January and February 05, see remhq.com for details…I will have all of that posted on the site soon.

And yes…as someone wrote in and pointed out to me…there is a familiar musical theme within Frank Zappa’s Invocation and Ritual Dance of the Young Pumpkin, from the 1967 LP Absolutely Free…that those familiar with Any Love on Soft Commands would recognize…bizarre minds thinking alike???

Also, the Posies will be playing two shows in the Seattle area the week of Thanksgiving…stay tooned for details.

Love

KS

Paris

I’LL BE AROUND…AND AROUND – KS.com update

REM is leaving soon to do promotion for their upcoming album, ‘Around the Sun’–on which I play keyboards on a few tracks–the album comes out next month on Warner Bros. We’ll be appearing on radio and TV all over Europe–incl. Top of the Pops in the UK/Germany, the Viva Comet Awards in Germany (Sept. 24th on VIVA), Parkinson’s show in the BBC UK (Sept. 16th), Festivalbar Finale in Italy (Sept. 18) and Quelli Che il Calcio TV in Italy (Sept. 19), Live with Luuk in Sweden (Sept. 22), and the Oxfam Wateraid show in London Sept. 14. There’s also a couple of other bits for UK radio and TV, etc.

The songs and brief interview I recorded for WUGA in Athens GA will air on WUGA September 11th at 4pm.

You can listen live to WUGA at: http://www.wuga.org

During the REM promo tour and my brief time home my laptop is going in the shop! So I may post a little less between now and my return to the states on the 25th.

We posted a few choice shots from the tour in the photos section…if anybody has one you think the site can’t live without, send it along! We will put it up if we feel the same way!

Love

KS

Athens GA

PATIENCE PLEASE – KS.com update

Due to circumstances beyond our control, the international version of Soft Commands has had its release date pushed back to Oct. 11. This version has the two bonus tracks (Never My Love and Down to the Wire, cover versions of the Association hit and Neil Young) and will be released by Rykodisc in Europe, Australia/NZ, Asia, S. America, etc. etc. Rykodisc is also releasing the new recordings by Big Star and the Posies that will be released next year.

During the Soft Commands tour this summer, I stopped by the XM Satellite radio studios and recorded a few performances plus an interview for ‘the Loft’ program. It will air on XM at noon eastern time on Sept 13, and be replayed that night at 9pm ET, 9/16 at 3pm and 9pm ET, and 9/18 at 6pm ET.

I also visited WUGA in Athens this week and taped a few songs for broadcast at a future date…

Love

KS

Athens GA

BETWEEN THE TOURS

KS.com update:

I recorded a version of the Replacements’ song ‘Kids Don’t Follow’ for a tribute record… being released at some point by a label in Sweden… had a very nice visit to WFMU in New Jersey, and beyond that… looking forward to REM’s upcoming tour and the release of Soft Commands in the world outside of North America soon (well, in a month). Got a couple of interesting things in the works… but can’t talk about that yet.

Love (in the meantime)

KS

Athens GA

KS.com update

Played the ‘Little Steven’s Underground Garage Festival” yesterday…Big Star played a 15 min. set, following Nancy Sinatra, and we did just fine, without any leggy dancers. If you ever wondered what it sounds like when you cross #1 Record with Live at Leeds, yesterday was your chance to find out. Amazing day of music…the Chocolate Watchband, the Stooges (Iggy attacking the cameras in TV Eye prob. the highlight of the day) , the Creation, the raunchy Pretty Things (LSD!) all killer. Never had seen the Woggles either…stormin’!

I don’t know if I was clear but Soft Commands comes out Worldwide on Rykodisc next month with extra tracks. It’s already out in the US and Canada, of course, and now Spain on Houston Party, and soon…everywhere from Andorra to the UAE and inbetween on Ryko.

Also, this coming week’s issue of Mojo has 2 free CDs with american groups covering the Beatles…Nilsson to the Four Tops to…the Posies. There’s a good story behind the track–get the mag and find out!!

Love

KS

New Canaan CT

You can hear a clip of ‘I’m Looking Through You’ here: http://play.www.emap.servecast.net/downloads/emap/beatles_01_01.mov

TOUR COMES TO A PEACEFUL CONCLUSION

mirrored from ks.com:

Was it worth all the worry, all the anticipation? *I* thought so. I am the first to admit that I am no big deal… just doing my version of painting my little corner of music’s great house. Sometimes I paint myself into a corner, sometimes, I just walk up a wall when I’m done (done?).

The tour, as far as I’m concerned, was all highlights. I came away from each night feeling like I had added something positive to the lives of those present. But also, I constantly asked what more I could do. I try and discern what is most useful but also, music is subject to different valuations… that which makes money, that which garners attention, that which foments change. On that big grand scale, I am getting about a D+. But so many tiny musical things changed me, gave me the components of my intellect and aesthetics, maybe I will provide those little grains for someone’s, uh… loaf of thought. Argh.

Folks, I want to thank everybody who came out to see the shows, who put them on, and all the great op’ners… from Bridget St. John to Jesse Sykes to the Ex-Lovers to the Minders to Jessy Green to Kenny Howes… and to Oranger, for providing explosive back-up on ‘Down to the Wire’ and ‘Never My Love’ (the latter also augmented by Patented Padilla Peavey Power).

Highest order of thanks to all the providers of gear – Will K., Brian P., REM/Dewitt, Beth & Ed, Rachel I., JKY, Aaron, Padilla… and let us not forget one of my favorite moments, having the very talented Ian McGlynn play piano on ‘You Drew’… and a version of the ‘Summer Wind’. His new record, Tomorrow’s Taken, is a current fave of mine, I think anyone who likes my stuff would like his… check out ianmcglynn.com

And god bless the Magnum.

Several of the shows were recorded, and available online. The Boston show at the Middle East (thru the club’s website ), the Hoboken show at Maxwell’s, and the Chicago show at Schuba’s. (for the last two, check the club websites, and look for the emusic links.

I hope to hit some dates in Europe before the year’s end… in the meantime, I’ll be traveling around with REM (see tour page).

As always, I am looking for tennis partners on tour! Feel free to drop me a line if you’re up for a match around one of the posted tour dates.

Best

KS

New Canaan CT

KS.com update

SOFT COMMANDS TO BE RELEASED BY RYKODISC SEPT. 27 OUTSIDE OF US / CANADA / SPAIN

with two extra tracks, no less– a cover of the Association’s ‘Never My Love’ (feat. Larry Knechtel on keyboards/bass–the keyboard player on the original version!!) and a wild n woolly cover of Neil Young’s ‘Down to the Wire’.

I can only say that my lack of posts means that I have been working quite hard on this tour –and it has been a joy to do so. But it hasn’t left much time for me to sit in front of a computer. I will write a summary when I am off the tour next week.

Love

KS

Napa CA

Mirrored from KS.com

7.23.2004

Hello all…tour is lovely…please come see me…

The Middle East show I did the other night will be available on their website…http://www.mideastclub.com/…big star is playing a hot festival in NYC…http://www.littlestevensundergroundgarage.com/festival/index.html

still need keys in cleveland…

best

KS

Merchantsville NJ

The show will be available here and the festival is August 14th.