blog http://tylerkealey.com/blog.cfm Tue, 15 May 2012 05:05:00 GMT http://bandzoogle.com I Know You http://tylerkealey.com/blog.cfm?feature=2711743&postid=2078615 This song has changed so much from what it was as a demo to what it turned out to be on the recording. When I first wrote the song it was in 6/8 time and I had no intention of putting much more instrumentation on it other than electric piano and vocals. It is loosely based around my grandmother who is 97 years old and who is going through the stages of dementia where she is not sure who the people are who come to visit her in her home. Sometimes she has this look in her eyes that makes me think she recognizes our faces but can't quite place where she knows us from. Recording this song presented some creative ideas. When I decided to have the song in 4/4 time, Steph had to come up with a drum part that would suit the song in it's new time signature. He definitely stepped up to the plate on the creative side! He found an old african drum that was hanging around the studio and somehow rigged it into his drum kit to use as a snare drum sound. The bridge for this song takes a psychedelic journey away from the choruses and verses so we needed something very different sounding again. Sure enough, Steph or as I like to call him: Macgyver) rose to the challenge. This time he made his own bass drum out of a plastic tool kit duct taped to a cement block . He then attached a pair of toy cymbals that were hanging around the studio belonging to Darryl's 2 year old daughter and attached them to his cymbal stand. I thought Steph was losing it but we recorded all this stuff and it worked! As you will hear on this record, Steph was very instrumental in coming up with unique drum sounds. Super creative ideas! I also had a special guest sing on this one. As if she wasn't doing enough for me in helping me make this album, my wife Melanie stepped up to the mic and delivered some angelic background vocals that put the final touch on this song! <a href="./music.cfm">Check out I Know You and tell me what you think.
It is loosely based around my grandmother who is 97 years old and who is going through the stages of dementia where she is not sure who the people are who come to visit her in her home. Sometimes she has this look in her eyes that makes me think she recognizes our faces but can't quite place where she knows us from.

Recording this song presented some creative ideas. When I decided to have the song in 4/4 time, Steph had to come up with a drum part that would suit the song in it's new time signature. He definitely stepped up to the plate on the creative side! He found an old african drum that was hanging around the studio and somehow rigged it into his drum kit to use as a snare drum sound. The bridge for this song takes a psychedelic journey away from the choruses and verses so we needed something very different sounding again. Sure enough, Steph or as I like to call him: Macgyver) rose to the challenge. This time he made his own bass drum out of a plastic tool kit duct taped to a cement block . He then attached a pair of toy cymbals that were hanging around the studio belonging to Darryl's 2 year old daughter and attached them to his cymbal stand. I thought Steph was losing it but we recorded all this stuff and it worked! As you will hear on this record, Steph was very instrumental in coming up with unique drum sounds. Super creative ideas!

I also had a special guest sing on this one. As if she wasn't doing enough for me in helping me make this album, my wife Melanie stepped up to the mic and delivered some angelic background vocals that put the final touch on this song! Check out I Know You and tell me what you think.

]]> Tue, 15 May 2012 05:05:00 GMT 8DC3725013AC03106A051790B2E823AE Victim of the Times http://tylerkealey.com/blog.cfm?feature=2711743&postid=2054064 This song was a last minute addition to the album. After combing over the selection of songs, I realized that there were many more mid tempo and slower songs than upbeat ones, so I wanted to include something that would not only pick up the pace but also fit well with the other songs on the album. I think it was a good fit for a couple of reasons. One is that lyrically it portrays a tone of sombreness and desperation that hints at the frustrating journey of chasing a goal or a dream which at times can make you feel like you have falling out of reach and that you are doomed to fail. This coincides with my journey in finding a way to make this record. Another reason I thought it was a good fit was because this album has a lot of songs with string arrangements and when I was writing this song, I always heard the potential for strings to be featured in it. For me, the strings add the emotional impact that I am trying to convey. Recording this was really interesting too. When I presented this one to Darryl as a contender for the record he liked it, and he said that there was something very &quot;ABBA&quot; about this song. We decided that it should have a real seventies drum sound to it. To achieve this sound, the drums needed to have a sort of blanketed sound to them and the trick to getting that sound is to drape pillow cases over the drums so that&rsquo;s what we did! Check out <a href="./music.cfm">Victim of the Times on the Music page and let me know what you think.
I think it was a good fit for a couple of reasons. One is that lyrically it portrays a tone of sombreness and desperation that hints at the frustrating journey of chasing a goal or a dream which at times can make you feel like you have falling out of reach and that you are doomed to fail. This coincides with my journey in finding a way to make this record.

Another reason I thought it was a good fit was because this album has a lot of songs with string arrangements and when I was writing this song, I always heard the potential for strings to be featured in it. For me, the strings add the emotional impact that I am trying to convey.

Recording this was really interesting too. When I presented this one to Darryl as a contender for the record he liked it, and he said that there was something very "ABBA" about this song. We decided that it should have a real seventies drum sound to it. To achieve this sound, the drums needed to have a sort of blanketed sound to them and the trick to getting that sound is to drape pillow cases over the drums so that’s what we did!

Check out Victim of the Times on the Music page and let me know what you think.


]]> Mon, 07 May 2012 09:00:00 GMT DB96CF8EE572D6BA940503C2B8A6F1CF Blues in the Schools - Week 1 http://tylerkealey.com/blog.cfm?feature=2711743&postid=1909154 I've been taking part in a program called <a target="_new" href="http://www.ottawabluesfest.ca/bluesintheschools">&quot;Blues in the Schools&quot; for the past few years. It's an educational program that was created to promote blues music and to examine the music's influence on other genres, and brings artists/educators to Ottawa and pairs them with local musicians for a two-week residency in Ottawa-area schools. The first week, I worked with my good friend and fellow musician Shawn Tavenier and we went from school to school, teaching the kids about the blues. It's great to have an attentive and interested audience, and some of these kids are just so creative and open about ideas. &nbsp;I&nbsp;was floored with both the staff and students at A Lorne Cassidy Elementary School especially. &nbsp;Great audience, so helpful and they even made an amazing backdrop for us to perform in front of. Here is a picture of me drawn by Emma at Westwind Public school in Stittsville, another one of the schools I worked at: Next week, we'll be working with 2 groups (one in the morning and one in the afternoon) and preparing a song or two for the kids to preset for the rest of their school. &nbsp;This is always a rewarding experience and I'm proud to be a part of it again this year! "Blues in the Schools" for the past few years. It's an educational program that was created to promote blues music and to examine the music's influence on other genres, and brings artists/educators to Ottawa and pairs them with local musicians for a two-week residency in Ottawa-area schools.

The first week, I worked with my good friend and fellow musician Shawn Tavenier and we went from school to school, teaching the kids about the blues. It's great to have an attentive and interested audience, and some of these kids are just so creative and open about ideas.  I was floored with both the staff and students at A Lorne Cassidy Elementary School especially.  Great audience, so helpful and they even made an amazing backdrop for us to perform in front of. Here is a picture of me drawn by Emma at Westwind Public school in Stittsville, another one of the schools I worked at:


Next week, we'll be working with 2 groups (one in the morning and one in the afternoon) and preparing a song or two for the kids to preset for the rest of their school.  This is always a rewarding experience and I'm proud to be a part of it again this year!
]]> Sun, 25 Mar 2012 01:00:00 GMT 6C5514590C5FD49D0CECEFDBE495BDDE Someone else's dream come true http://tylerkealey.com/blog.cfm?feature=2711743&postid=1719762 Rick Goodman is a friend of mine who has worked as one of the bartenders at Fat Tuesdays for many years and anyone who has come to see the duelling piano show has seen him play drums from behind the bar during the show. &nbsp;Rick recently got back to Ottawa after a vacation on a resort from Jamaica. &nbsp;When I arrived at the bar to set up for my gig Friday night, he told me he had a story for me and that I was going to be jealous. Thats a great way to begin any story and I was immediately curious. He told me that while he was standing in line at the buffet on the resort their was a man in front of him that looked awfully familiar. He said that he wasn't sure where he had recognized him from, until the man turned around. Guess who it was?.........Paul friggin Mcartney! I know that for some people this may seem like just running into any old celebrity but for a musician like Rick or me or anyone who loves music as much as we do, this is like standing next to one of the most legendary people in the history of music! It's like meeting Beethoven. Rick's wife told him that he shouldn't bother Paul so Rick fought every urge in his body not to bother him (do you like how I am writing this like as if I was there? Can't help it. I feel like it's my story too now) and so he didn't bother him. The next day Rick was down by the beach getting some snorkel gear when along comes this guy in a little sunfish boat attempting to paddle out further into the water. Guess who it is?.......Paul friggin Mcartney! &nbsp;This time Rick couldn't help himself. As he walked up to Paul he said, &quot;Exuse me, I don't want to bother you. I just wanted to shake your hand,&quot; to which Paul replied &quot;Not a good time. I'll shake your hand later. Help me with this boat.&quot; &nbsp; So Rick helped him get his boat out into the water and away went Paul. Rick said he was devastated because he felt like he had just annoyed one of his childhood heroes. Paul's wife came over to Rick and said &quot;Sorry about that. He's been having trouble with that boat all day.&quot; 45 minutes later Rick was on the beach with his family when along comes........guess who... And Paul says &quot;O.K, now it's a good time. Nice to meet you.&quot; &nbsp; So finally Rick got to chat with Paul and and introduced him to his wife and little girl. He said he was really nice and looked really good in a bathing suit for someone of his age (Rick's words, not mine). Rick said that even while he was swimming in the ocean, sometimes Paul would be swimming past singing to himself as he swam along.&nbsp; What's really strange about this for me, is that Rick had this dream a couple nights &nbsp;after he met Paul that he was at Fat Tuesdays telling Dave, Todd, and myself about this experience. Oddly enough I also had a dream earlier that week, that I was going to meet Paul McCartney.&nbsp; In the dream I was staying overnight at the Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield, and the owner of the place told me that the next morning I would meet him. I was so excited and honoured in this dream (it's amazing how even though the circumstances in a dream can be so ridiculous you still feel as if whatever is happening is real)&nbsp; and as I approached the door of the room he was in, I knocked and it opened and instead of a regular Paul, out came this tiny dwarf version of him and I remember feeling so disappointed and confused by his appearance. He was wearing a white tuxedo and he was late for something so as he rushed by me I just said, &quot;It was an honour to meet you,&quot; &nbsp;as tiny Paul went on his way. Perhaps he was heading to the airport for a flight to Jamaica....
He told me that while he was standing in line at the buffet on the resort their was a man in front of him that looked awfully familiar. He said that he wasn't sure where he had recognized him from, until the man turned around. Guess who it was?.........Paul friggin Mcartney! I know that for some people this may seem like just running into any old celebrity but for a musician like Rick or me or anyone who loves music as much as we do, this is like standing next to one of the most legendary people in the history of music! It's like meeting Beethoven. Rick's wife told him that he shouldn't bother Paul so Rick fought every urge in his body not to bother him (do you like how I am writing this like as if I was there? Can't help it. I feel like it's my story too now) and so he didn't bother him.

The next day Rick was down by the beach getting some snorkel gear when along comes this guy in a little sunfish boat attempting to paddle out further into the water. Guess who it is?.......Paul friggin Mcartney!  This time Rick couldn't help himself. As he walked up to Paul he said, "Exuse me, I don't want to bother you. I just wanted to shake your hand," to which Paul replied "Not a good time. I'll shake your hand later. Help me with this boat."  

So Rick helped him get his boat out into the water and away went Paul. Rick said he was devastated because he felt like he had just annoyed one of his childhood heroes. Paul's wife came over to Rick and said "Sorry about that. He's been having trouble with that boat all day."

45 minutes later Rick was on the beach with his family when along comes........guess who... And Paul says "O.K, now it's a good time. Nice to meet you."  

So finally Rick got to chat with Paul and and introduced him to his wife and little girl. He said he was really nice and looked really good in a bathing suit for someone of his age (Rick's words, not mine). Rick said that even while he was swimming in the ocean, sometimes Paul would be swimming past singing to himself as he swam along. 

What's really strange about this for me, is that Rick had this dream a couple nights  after he met Paul that he was at Fat Tuesdays telling Dave, Todd, and myself about this experience. Oddly enough I also had a dream earlier that week, that I was going to meet Paul McCartney.  In the dream I was staying overnight at the Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield, and the owner of the place told me that the next morning I would meet him.

I was so excited and honoured in this dream (it's amazing how even though the circumstances in a dream can be so ridiculous you still feel as if whatever is happening is real)  and as I approached the door of the room he was in, I knocked and it opened and instead of a regular Paul, out came this tiny dwarf version of him and I remember feeling so disappointed and confused by his appearance. He was wearing a white tuxedo and he was late for something so as he rushed by me I just said, "It was an honour to meet you,"  as tiny Paul went on his way.

Perhaps he was heading to the airport for a flight to Jamaica....
]]> Mon, 16 Jan 2012 23:25:00 GMT 0EA847F99C99F53233D2D0CB621A3105 The story behind the song "Characters" http://tylerkealey.com/blog.cfm?feature=2711743&postid=1523829 This post is dedicated to Ida Monette and the Monette family. This past Thursday was the 17th of November. &nbsp;It was 15 years ago that a tragic accident claimed the lives of 3 members of my family. &nbsp;It was one of those experiences in life that changes you forever. &nbsp;One where the sequence of events are tattooed in your mind for as long as you live and one of those moments where you dig deep inside your own thoughts and feelings in search of answers and reasons to help you cope with the mysterious experience of life and death. &nbsp;It's strange that we all deal with the loss of loved ones in different ways. &nbsp;This is how it was for me. I was 15 years old. &nbsp;I was coming up the stairs of the hockey arena in Kanata after my game. &nbsp;I had my hockey stick and my bag of equipment in my hand and my uncle Lionel was there there. &nbsp;I wasn't expecting him since I figured my mom or dad would be picking me up. &nbsp;There was something off by the look on his face. &nbsp;He wasn't smiling and I could tell something wasn't right. &quot;Tyler, there's been a bad accident,&quot; he said. &nbsp;Suddenly everything froze. &nbsp;I can still remember walking to his car and him driving as we made our way to my parents house in silence. &nbsp;I knew it was bad and all I could think of was the names and the faces of all the people in my life spinning around like a roulette wheel and I wondered whose name the ball would drop on. We got to the house where dozens of family members were gathered. &nbsp;One thing about my family is that in a time of need, there are always a lot of people there to support you. &nbsp;The house was full of people I knew and one by one my their names were removed from my suspicions of who it could be. &nbsp;I caught sight of my mom who looked very shaken and upset as she had gotten word that my aunt Kathy, my uncle Guy and my cousin Mike were killed in an car accident leaving behind their two sons, Jeremy and Jamie. &nbsp;Guy, Kathy, and Mike were coming home from one of Mike's practices and they hit some black ice on a long stretch of road where they crashed head on with a tractor trailer. I remember not knowing how to feel. &nbsp;I could see the devastation in the faces of the people around me but I was still trying to process the information. &nbsp;It didn't seem real to me which is part of the shock that a lot of people experience. &nbsp;There are so many flashes of images that I can recall. I remember the funeral and the hundreds of people in attendance in that tiny church. &nbsp;I remember the heart swelling speech that Jeremy gave on behalf of the family. &nbsp;I remember the news reporters at the Monette house interviewing my dad about his sister Kathy, Guy and Mike. I remember walking to school the first day back after the funeral and searching for an answer for what had happened. &nbsp;How could I cope with losing these three people so suddenly? &nbsp;They are gone forever...I can never talk with them or laugh with them or visit them so what can I hold on to? &nbsp;I guess for me, the only thing that seemed attainable were the stories and memories of these people when they were around. &nbsp;Life was just a big story. &nbsp; They were characters in my book, my play, my song, my poem and by preserving their memory I was able to keep a part of them immortal. Guy was like a cartoon character for me. &nbsp;A big jolly bearded farmer with a big jolly bearded smile, and a crazy laugh like a mad man. &nbsp;I always remember him joking around at Christmas time and I remember going down to the stable with him to see the new born kittens and his horse named Molly. Mikey was my older cousin. &nbsp;He was quite a handful and he definitely inherited his dad's rambunctiousness. &nbsp;I remember him pulling me on a sled with his skidoo in the winter when I was a kid. &nbsp;I remember when Jamie took the two of us my first ever rock concert to see Aerosmith. &nbsp;Mikey knew how to push someone's buttons, and we always had fun playing around at the farm. Kathy was so gentle in my memory. &nbsp;I remember her taking me swimming and I can hear her laughing and how it sounded just like my Grandma's laugh. &nbsp;I remember her dancing with Guy at their surprise anniversary party at Brennan's Hill Hotel as my band played &quot;Lost together.&quot; &nbsp;She loved Blue Rodeo. Characters was one of the first songs I ever wrote and it all came out of putting life in perspective for me after this tragedy. &nbsp;I've always like songs with a good story behind them. &nbsp;It gives the song a life but it also gives life itself some meaning. &nbsp;It turns people close to you into a treasure chest of memories. There were a lot of people touched by the lives of these three people. &nbsp;If you have any thoughts or memories that you would like to share, please feel free to add a comment below. &nbsp;After all, a good story can be told from many angles. &nbsp;This is just mine. This post is dedicated to Ida Monette and the Monette family.

This past Thursday was the 17th of November.  It was 15 years ago that a tragic accident claimed the lives of 3 members of my family.  It was one of those experiences in life that changes you forever.  One where the sequence of events are tattooed in your mind for as long as you live and one of those moments where you dig deep inside your own thoughts and feelings in search of answers and reasons to help you cope with the mysterious experience of life and death.  It's strange that we all deal with the loss of loved ones in different ways.  This is how it was for me.

I was 15 years old.  I was coming up the stairs of the hockey arena in Kanata after my game.  I had my hockey stick and my bag of equipment in my hand and my uncle Lionel was there there.  I wasn't expecting him since I figured my mom or dad would be picking me up.  There was something off by the look on his face.  He wasn't smiling and I could tell something wasn't right.

"Tyler, there's been a bad accident," he said.  Suddenly everything froze.  I can still remember walking to his car and him driving as we made our way to my parents house in silence.  I knew it was bad and all I could think of was the names and the faces of all the people in my life spinning around like a roulette wheel and I wondered whose name the ball would drop on.

We got to the house where dozens of family members were gathered.  One thing about my family is that in a time of need, there are always a lot of people there to support you.  The house was full of people I knew and one by one my their names were removed from my suspicions of who it could be.  I caught sight of my mom who looked very shaken and upset as she had gotten word that my aunt Kathy, my uncle Guy and my cousin Mike were killed in an car accident leaving behind their two sons, Jeremy and Jamie.  Guy, Kathy, and Mike were coming home from one of Mike's practices and they hit some black ice on a long stretch of road where they crashed head on with a tractor trailer.

I remember not knowing how to feel.  I could see the devastation in the faces of the people around me but I was still trying to process the information.  It didn't seem real to me which is part of the shock that a lot of people experience.  There are so many flashes of images that I can recall. I remember the funeral and the hundreds of people in attendance in that tiny church.  I remember the heart swelling speech that Jeremy gave on behalf of the family.  I remember the news reporters at the Monette house interviewing my dad about his sister Kathy, Guy and Mike.

I remember walking to school the first day back after the funeral and searching for an answer for what had happened.  How could I cope with losing these three people so suddenly?  They are gone forever...I can never talk with them or laugh with them or visit them so what can I hold on to?  I guess for me, the only thing that seemed attainable were the stories and memories of these people when they were around.  Life was just a big story.   They were characters in my book, my play, my song, my poem and by preserving their memory I was able to keep a part of them immortal.

Guy was like a cartoon character for me.  A big jolly bearded farmer with a big jolly bearded smile, and a crazy laugh like a mad man.  I always remember him joking around at Christmas time and I remember going down to the stable with him to see the new born kittens and his horse named Molly.

Mikey was my older cousin.  He was quite a handful and he definitely inherited his dad's rambunctiousness.  I remember him pulling me on a sled with his skidoo in the winter when I was a kid.  I remember when Jamie took the two of us my first ever rock concert to see Aerosmith.  Mikey knew how to push someone's buttons, and we always had fun playing around at the farm.

Kathy was so gentle in my memory.  I remember her taking me swimming and I can hear her laughing and how it sounded just like my Grandma's laugh.  I remember her dancing with Guy at their surprise anniversary party at Brennan's Hill Hotel as my band played "Lost together."  She loved Blue Rodeo.

Characters was one of the first songs I ever wrote and it all came out of putting life in perspective for me after this tragedy.  I've always like songs with a good story behind them.  It gives the song a life but it also gives life itself some meaning.  It turns people close to you into a treasure chest of memories.

There were a lot of people touched by the lives of these three people.  If you have any thoughts or memories that you would like to share, please feel free to add a comment below.  After all, a good story can be told from many angles.  This is just mine.
]]> Sun, 20 Nov 2011 02:30:00 GMT 9BA5292405B76A8EADE59114E073B0FC Requests From Last Night- a little of both? http://tylerkealey.com/blog.cfm?feature=2711743&postid=1470081 Jeff got this one. He said &quot; I'm confused... do I play Sweet Home Alabama or Sweet Caroline? I looked around the room and notice this guys looking embarrassed and his friends all laughing at him. I suspect he was the culprit. All in good fun :) &nbsp; Jeff got this one. He said " I'm confused... do I play Sweet Home Alabama or Sweet Caroline? I looked around the room and notice this guys looking embarrassed and his friends all laughing at him. I suspect he was the culprit. All in good fun :)


 


]]> Sat, 05 Nov 2011 22:42:19 GMT E213A34D662AA61A217009E0DE4A49E7 Requests From Last night- Attention Span http://tylerkealey.com/blog.cfm?feature=2711743&postid=1308628 &nbsp;I fear for the depleting attention span of the human population. Everybody wants to get to the end before they even begin. Its a funny world!



]]> Tue, 20 Sep 2011 01:00:00 GMT 592EB21C27BD0067CC5267C7646C5A1F Piano Solo http://tylerkealey.com/blog.cfm?feature=2711743&postid=1277026 At the Ottawa Bluesfest this past summer, I worked out a piano solo as an intro to one of my songs, and I've just gotten around to uploading a clip of it to YouTube. Here it is:

]]> Fri, 09 Sep 2011 20:15:00 GMT 1FBDCF6EEEDF11A20F4752C16FC93EB2 Live on 88.5 http://tylerkealey.com/blog.cfm?feature=2711743&postid=1263681 This morning was another early rise to the day (which seems to be a theme this month for me) since I was scheduled to appear on the <a href="http://www.live885.com/">Live 88.5 morning show in order to promote a fundraiser that I will be playing at for the Arthritis Society. The event is called <a href="http://arthritis.akaraisin.com/Common/Event/Home.aspx?seid=3657&amp;mid=8">More Than Just Desserts and it'll raise money towards research for a cure for Juvenile Arthritis. I joined Dave, Katfish and Amal at the radio station studios at 7 a.m. I always wonder how interviews are going to go, whether it's live television or radio. The threat of saying something stupid is always a possibility but I found that I relaxed more once I got there, set up my keyboard, and settled in. Singing and playing is a little rough at that hour, but luckily I just played for this segment. They invited me on the show to help promote the charity event so the idea was that I would try to improvise some piano playing while they read the news and weather. Things seem to happen pretty quick on air and a lot of what I did was in the spur of the moment. At one point Katfish asked me to play a layton song but I couldn't hear him very well and I was tired so I thought he asked for a &quot;late&quot; song but and that confused me and there was a pause and then I just played exactly what I was playing before he asked since I had no idea what he was talking about (we all laughed at that). I tried to throw in a range of little things like the theme song from things that I had heard them talking about on air. They were talking about the show The Office so I threw the show's theme song in and then I went into a little bit of Lose yourself by Eminem. Katfish would give me a signal when he wanted me to start and when he wanted me to stop. There was a song on the radio in between breaks in the show and when it came back on the air I had learned the chords to it so I started playing it as the song faded out. I was going to play a little bit of Fool on the Hill while they were talking about the Harper government and the recent federal budget, but we ran out of time. They did a quick interview with me after the news in which I explained a little about how the dueling piano show works and also about my upcoming plans to record a new album. All in all it was a pretty good segment and considering it was early I thought I held it together for the most part. Thanks to Dave, Katfish and Amal for having me on the show! Live 88.5 morning show in order to promote a fundraiser that I will be playing at for the Arthritis Society. The event is called More Than Just Desserts and it'll raise money towards research for a cure for Juvenile Arthritis.

I joined Dave, Katfish and Amal at the radio station studios at 7 a.m. I always wonder how interviews are going to go, whether it's live television or radio. The threat of saying something stupid is always a possibility but I found that I relaxed more once I got there, set up my keyboard, and settled in. Singing and playing is a little rough at that hour, but luckily I just played for this segment. They invited me on the show to help promote the charity event so the idea was that I would try to improvise some piano playing while they read the news and weather.

Things seem to happen pretty quick on air and a lot of what I did was in the spur of the moment. At one point Katfish asked me to play a layton song but I couldn't hear him very well and I was tired so I thought he asked for a "late" song but and that confused me and there was a pause and then I just played exactly what I was playing before he asked since I had no idea what he was talking about (we all laughed at that). I tried to throw in a range of little things like the theme song from things that I had heard them talking about on air. They were talking about the show The Office so I threw the show's theme song in and then I went into a little bit of Lose yourself by Eminem.

Katfish would give me a signal when he wanted me to start and when he wanted me to stop. There was a song on the radio in between breaks in the show and when it came back on the air I had learned the chords to it so I started playing it as the song faded out. I was going to play a little bit of Fool on the Hill while they were talking about the Harper government and the recent federal budget, but we ran out of time. They did a quick interview with me after the news in which I explained a little about how the dueling piano show works and also about my upcoming plans to record a new album. All in all it was a pretty good segment and considering it was early I thought I held it together for the most part.

Thanks to Dave, Katfish and Amal for having me on the show!]]> Thu, 24 Mar 2011 23:20:00 GMT A16C76128B5532357AE916AE3A2D2434 Surprise Surprise http://tylerkealey.com/blog.cfm?feature=2711743&postid=1263752 If you&rsquo;ve ever been the victim of a surprise party, you will find it&rsquo;s like having clever prank pulled on you, but you have to admit when you&rsquo;ve been fooled. You find yourself tracing back the little moments like clues that you missed in retrospect. I was a victim of a surprise party for my 30th birthday this year at Fat Tuesdays where I play my dueling piano show every weekend. I was booked by the manager of the bar for an early gig for January 29th, before the regular show that starts at 10:30pm and I thought it sounded good to me. An extra gig and some extra cash, sure! Book me in. Though I realize now I never thought to ask who the party was for. Since 30 is a milestone birthday I was somewhat suspicious of this kind of thing and to my credit there were a few clues that did give me the impression that something was up. My uncle nearly spilled the beans when he called me from Alberta weeks before wishing me a Happy Birthday and then backpedaling and talking randomly about a party in Montreal, when I told him the big day wasn&rsquo;t for awhile. My dad also phoned and asked to talk to Mel about some &ldquo;pictures.&rdquo; That was suspicious too. I guess I thought I was in the clear since we had invited my family over for dinner on Sunday, and Mel had confessed that she was trying to surprise me with tickets for a trip to Australia, but that she couldn&rsquo;t get it organized in time. I think that defused my suspicions that there would be any other surprises. Wrong. Never let your guard down! Saturday arrived and I was rushing in to get to my &ldquo;gig&rdquo; for 8 o&rsquo;clock. I opened the doors to Fat Tuesdays to find half of my family nonchalantly sitting round the bar and thought it was nice that a bunch of them just decided to come out. But as I made my way up to the piano I realized I had fallen for the trap. There was no early gig at all &ndash; instead there was a huge cake on my piano along with all my favorite toys from when I was a kid. I made my way around the room thanking friends and family, still in disbelief that I had taken the bait. I was asked to go to the piano where some of my music buddies were gathered around Jeff Rogers at the piano. I thought he was going to play happy birthday, but instead he broke into the Superman Theme song. When I was a kid, I was obsessed with Superman to the point where I would wear a full superman suit under my normal clothes. As he played the song, I turned around to see my cousin dressed up in a Superman suit and he presented me with a big cake with the big 30 candles on it. I gave a little bow and accepted my cake. What happened next was to date, one of the strangest and funniest things that has happened to me. It seems like a weird dream. With everyone in the entire room looking at me, my mom videotaping and all my friends singing me happy birthday, I felt like I should do something funny with all this attention. What I meant to do and what I actually did was completely different. It was a split second decision in my head. I thought it would be funny to pretend to put my face in the cake and and eat a piece of icing right off the top (I may be getting older but I refuse to become more mature). As I leaned in to the cake, my long hair caught the candle&rsquo;s flame, and the next thing I knew &ndash; the side of my head was on FIRE! Of all the moments for this to happen, it was in front of all my friends and family at the exact focal point of the entire celebration. Timing is everything. I saw the flame crawl up the left side my hair from the corner of my eye and I tried to very calmly pat my head to douse it out but that didn&rsquo;t work . I quickly moved towards Mel thinking that she would be able to put me out but then I thought, what if I light her on fire too? Thankfully I didn&rsquo;t, and she was able to put out the flame. I find it ironic that my head was on fire while Superman was standing right behind me with a look of shock on his face. In the end Mel saved the day. Hey, maybe I have gained my own super powers&hellip;If I can light myself on fire and get away with that, what can I get away with next? Tyler Kealey &ndash; hair of steel &ndash; invincible to humiliation. Is it strange that I have just finished recording a Michael Jackson tribute song and played a show for Pepsi two nights before? The night carried on with drinks, music and laughter and the smell of burnt hair which stunk up Fat Tuesdays. I had a great time. And of course there were some great requests (here come the fire jokes) and some hilarious drunken song titles from my brother Shane. I feel pretty lucky to have a really great group of friends and family around me. It really is the best feeling you can get. Good times like these are not only for the joy of the present moment but I have found them to serve a purpose like a warm reminder when things don&rsquo;t look good at all. Let&rsquo;s not kid ourselves about real life, there will be moments that will be tough. Moments that feel like a frostbite. The people you share great laughs with are the same people you might cry with some day, so having those people around will be the key to survival. They are the key to keeping the fire going. If you’ve ever been the victim of a surprise party, you will find it’s like having clever prank pulled on you, but you have to admit when you’ve been fooled. You find yourself tracing back the little moments like clues that you missed in retrospect.

I was a victim of a surprise party for my 30th birthday this year at Fat Tuesdays where I play my dueling piano show every weekend. I was booked by the manager of the bar for an early gig for January 29th, before the regular show that starts at 10:30pm and I thought it sounded good to me. An extra gig and some extra cash, sure! Book me in.

Though I realize now I never thought to ask who the party was for.

Since 30 is a milestone birthday I was somewhat suspicious of this kind of thing and to my credit there were a few clues that did give me the impression that something was up. My uncle nearly spilled the beans when he called me from Alberta weeks before wishing me a Happy Birthday and then backpedaling and talking randomly about a party in Montreal, when I told him the big day wasn’t for awhile.

My dad also phoned and asked to talk to Mel about some “pictures.” That was suspicious too. I guess I thought I was in the clear since we had invited my family over for dinner on Sunday, and Mel had confessed that she was trying to surprise me with tickets for a trip to Australia, but that she couldn’t get it organized in time. I think that defused my suspicions that there would be any other surprises. Wrong. Never let your guard down!

Saturday arrived and I was rushing in to get to my “gig” for 8 o’clock. I opened the doors to Fat Tuesdays to find half of my family nonchalantly sitting round the bar and thought it was nice that a bunch of them just decided to come out. But as I made my way up to the piano I realized I had fallen for the trap. There was no early gig at all – instead there was a huge cake on my piano along with all my favorite toys from when I was a kid. I made my way around the room thanking friends and family, still in disbelief that I had taken the bait.

I was asked to go to the piano where some of my music buddies were gathered around Jeff Rogers at the piano. I thought he was going to play happy birthday, but instead he broke into the Superman Theme song. When I was a kid, I was obsessed with Superman to the point where I would wear a full superman suit under my normal clothes. As he played the song, I turned around to see my cousin dressed up in a Superman suit and he presented me with a big cake with the big 30 candles on it. I gave a little bow and accepted my cake.

What happened next was to date, one of the strangest and funniest things that has happened to me. It seems like a weird dream. With everyone in the entire room looking at me, my mom videotaping and all my friends singing me happy birthday, I felt like I should do something funny with all this attention.

What I meant to do and what I actually did was completely different. It was a split second decision in my head. I thought it would be funny to pretend to put my face in the cake and and eat a piece of icing right off the top (I may be getting older but I refuse to become more mature).

As I leaned in to the cake, my long hair caught the candle’s flame, and the next thing I knew – the side of my head was on FIRE!

Of all the moments for this to happen, it was in front of all my friends and family at the exact focal point of the entire celebration. Timing is everything. I saw the flame crawl up the left side my hair from the corner of my eye and I tried to very calmly pat my head to douse it out but that didn’t work . I quickly moved towards Mel thinking that she would be able to put me out but then I thought, what if I light her on fire too?

Thankfully I didn’t, and she was able to put out the flame. I find it ironic that my head was on fire while Superman was standing right behind me with a look of shock on his face. In the end Mel saved the day.

Hey, maybe I have gained my own super powers…If I can light myself on fire and get away with that, what can I get away with next? Tyler Kealey – hair of steel – invincible to humiliation. Is it strange that I have just finished recording a Michael Jackson tribute song and played a show for Pepsi two nights before?

The night carried on with drinks, music and laughter and the smell of burnt hair which stunk up Fat Tuesdays. I had a great time. And of course there were some great requests (here come the fire jokes) and some hilarious drunken song titles from my brother Shane.

I feel pretty lucky to have a really great group of friends and family around me. It really is the best feeling you can get. Good times like these are not only for the joy of the present moment but I have found them to serve a purpose like a warm reminder when things don’t look good at all. Let’s not kid ourselves about real life, there will be moments that will be tough. Moments that feel like a frostbite. The people you share great laughs with are the same people you might cry with some day, so having those people around will be the key to survival. They are the key to keeping the fire going.

]]> Mon, 14 Feb 2011 01:30:00 GMT A899E2FA1490EF3E11DC7E56B273D3A2 Getting My Act Together http://tylerkealey.com/blog.cfm?feature=2711743&postid=1264003 As January rushes past and I close in on another birthday, I&rsquo;m trying to get things together for this summer&rsquo;s round of festivals and events. As always, it&rsquo;s a struggle between following my passion by booking solo shows of original material, and juggling gigs to pay the bills like weddings and corporate events. Do I book a date a year in advance and hope that it doesn&rsquo;t mean passing up a great opportunity later on? How much time do I devote to working on writing great songs and crafting clever lyrics, and balance social media obligations, networking, and inputting receipts for tax time? One thing that I did manage to get done recently is an electronic press kit video. Brendan McNeill is a local filmmaker and he put together a great video from bits of footage for me. Two of my new, recently recorded tunes are in there as well &ndash; check it out! Tyler Kealey Electronic Press Kit As January rushes past and I close in on another birthday, I’m trying to get things together for this summer’s round of festivals and events. As always, it’s a struggle between following my passion by booking solo shows of original material, and juggling gigs to pay the bills like weddings and corporate events. Do I book a date a year in advance and hope that it doesn’t mean passing up a great opportunity later on? How much time do I devote to working on writing great songs and crafting clever lyrics, and balance social media obligations, networking, and inputting receipts for tax time?

One thing that I did manage to get done recently is an electronic press kit video. Brendan McNeill is a local filmmaker and he put together a great video from bits of footage for me. Two of my new, recently recorded tunes are in there as well – check it out!

Tyler Kealey Electronic Press Kit

]]> Mon, 24 Jan 2011 02:15:00 GMT 6E3446D5944B0D3ACBF805C2546EF5BD Jingle Time http://tylerkealey.com/blog.cfm?feature=2711743&postid=1264076 The Cooper brothers are recording a song for the CUPE 503 which is a workers union. The union needed a 30 second version for a commercial and a 2 minute version for their website. I was called in to do some background vocals for the recording. I was singing with Brian Cooper and Darwin Demres, the same as for the recording sessions we did for the latest Cooper Brothers album (minus Jeff Rogers). I haven't seen these guys since the show I played with them last summer in Alberta so it was nice to catch up and hear what they've been up to. It's a great atmosphere at the studio. Darwin, Brian, and I recorded our vocals the same way we did it with Jeff for the Cooper Brothers album. The three of us gathered around one mic and sang our harmonies. If it's a good enough take, we record the same part again a couple of times to create what is called a double tracking technique. It's a way making the vocals sound bigger and thicker. If you listen to the Cooper Brothers songs like &quot;62 Fairlane&quot; or &quot;The Dream Never Dies&quot;, you can hear this sound, which is a trademark sound for their style. You can hear their influences of the Beach Boys and the Eagles from this technique. It's also used in a lot of Queen recordings to make it sound like there are more people singing than they're actually are. Brian sang the lead vocals for this song. There are always recording bloopers in the studio and Brian has a gift of swearing like it's poetry in his delivery. Don't worry Brian, I will leave the examples to the reader's interpretation. There is a line in the song that goes, &quot;We care because we live here too,&quot; and Brian kept singing the word &quot;there&quot; instead of &quot;here.&quot; Brian's justification was that &quot;well, here is just there without the T&quot;- I like that. Never heard that one before. For me, part of successfully creating music with other people involves a comfortable atmosphere where you are able to laugh and joke but also be inspired and motivated to get it right. These guys have this going on in their gang and it's nice to be included in that. I am glad that I am making more time for myself to focus on my solo material but I do admit that part of me misses being part of a group. It's the same feeling I get playing with Charlie Major or my friends in Silver Creek. But it's hard, as I have learned many times over, to do everything at once. Gotta focus on the solo material for now.

There are always recording bloopers in the studio and Brian has a gift of swearing like it's poetry in his delivery. Don't worry Brian, I will leave the examples to the reader's interpretation. There is a line in the song that goes, "We care because we live here too," and Brian kept singing the word "there" instead of "here." Brian's justification was that "well, here is just there without the T"- I like that. Never heard that one before. For me, part of successfully creating music with other people involves a comfortable atmosphere where you are able to laugh and joke but also be inspired and motivated to get it right. These guys have this going on in their gang and it's nice to be included in that. I am glad that I am making more time for myself to focus on my solo material but I do admit that part of me misses being part of a group. It's the same feeling I get playing with Charlie Major or my friends in Silver Creek. But it's hard, as I have learned many times over, to do everything at once. Gotta focus on the solo material for now.
]]> Tue, 18 Jan 2011 02:35:00 GMT 8CB80F66B07C666BA124CD961C9A2806 Parking Garage Symphony http://tylerkealey.com/blog.cfm?feature=2711743&postid=1264087 Last night as I left my gig at Fat Tuesdays around 2:30am, I made my way to the usual parking garage where I leave my car. As always, I paid my $6 to get my exit ticket stub. Then I got in the line for the cars leaving the garage. As I sat in my car, I turned on CBC radio 2 and the strains of a classical concerto began filtering through my speakers. Then I realized the two cars ahead me weren't moving. This happens sometimes - people try to pay right at the exit meter, or they can't figure out how to insert the exit ticket into the machine, but something else was going on. Neither of the exit bars were lifting to allow the cars out. Time started to pass and more and more cars grew onto the end of the line-up. The music played on and was soon punctuated by the horns of the cars behind me. Someone laid on their horn for at least 20 seconds. Soon other cars began a call and answer chorus of sorts, beep-be-de-beep-beep, beep, BEEP! improvising and replying to each other. I even pressed my horn for a quick second, just to see how it would fit in with the rest. And like all good concerts, there was an enthusiastic audience member. There was a huge red truck parked in a spot near the exit, and the driver couldn't back out, since the congested line of cars wound around in front of him, blocking the way and snaking all the way up to the second floor. One of the passengers got out to see what was going on, and decided to climb into the open back part of the truck. He propped himself up, cracked open a Mug root beer, and waved it at the cars, grinning and nodding his head to the rhythm of the horns. Eventually, the security guard came back from where ever he was and managed to open the gate. He just left it open and all of the cars streamed out into the dark streets, tooting a final goodbye and driving their separate ways.
As I sat in my car, I turned on CBC radio 2 and the strains of a classical concerto began filtering through my speakers. Then I realized the two cars ahead me weren't moving. This happens sometimes - people try to pay right at the exit meter, or they can't figure out how to insert the exit ticket into the machine, but something else was going on. Neither of the exit bars were lifting to allow the cars out.

Time started to pass and more and more cars grew onto the end of the line-up. The music played on and was soon punctuated by the horns of the cars behind me. Someone laid on their horn for at least 20 seconds. Soon other cars began a call and answer chorus of sorts, beep-be-de-beep-beep, beep, BEEP! improvising and replying to each other. I even pressed my horn for a quick second, just to see how it would fit in with the rest.

And like all good concerts, there was an enthusiastic audience member. There was a huge red truck parked in a spot near the exit, and the driver couldn't back out, since the congested line of cars wound around in front of him, blocking the way and snaking all the way up to the second floor. One of the passengers got out to see what was going on, and decided to climb into the open back part of the truck. He propped himself up, cracked open a Mug root beer, and waved it at the cars, grinning and nodding his head to the rhythm of the horns.

Eventually, the security guard came back from where ever he was and managed to open the gate. He just left it open and all of the cars streamed out into the dark streets, tooting a final goodbye and driving their separate ways.

]]> Sun, 16 Jan 2011 02:40:00 GMT BAE69A419AE1910460D2A458C6B20AB2 Requests From Last night- Whiskey in the Jar http://tylerkealey.com/blog.cfm?feature=2711743&postid=1264094 &nbsp;There's a strong possibility that who ever wrote this one is related to me. Then again, there's a strong possibility that almost everyone is related to me anyways...
]]> Wed, 12 Jan 2011 02:45:00 GMT 013941AF05084985EF7A14A4C110D397 Ottawa Family Cinema Christmas http://tylerkealey.com/blog.cfm?feature=2711743&postid=1263768 I played a couple of shows for charity this year over the holidays, and right before Christmas I was asked to play for the Christmas weekend at the <a href="http://www.familycinema.ca/">Ottawa Family Cinema. It&rsquo;s a great organization that has been around in Ottawa and has raised thousands of dollars for the community. Basically, they have TechnaLight state-of-the-art 35mm projectors, Dolby Digital theatre surround sound, and a huge movie screen. They show movies every Saturday in the Notre Dame high school auditorium, and donate the entrance fee proceeds back to the community. They also reserve seats for kids who can&rsquo;t afford to go to the movies. We arrived early on Saturday afternoon, and were taken inside by a few volunteers who had a dolly ready and helped unload my gear from the car. I caught a whiff of freshly popped movie popcorn as I was taken back stage to set up. Everything was easy and smooth. Their volunteers are fantastic and had me hooked up and ready to play in no time. The McNeills, who run the theatre, said a few introductory words and showed some previews on the big screen. (Can you see me sitting right behind it?) Then I played a few tunes for the kids and they were unbelievable &ndash; singing along from the first note and participating in songs like Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and the Cat Came Back. I even think they enjoyed my rock n roll, ZZ Top inspired Christmas song, <a href="http://tylerkealey.wordpress.com/2010/12/20/santa-claus-man/">Santa Claus Man. My cousin Corey got up with his electric guitar, black bad-Santa beard, and helped me out with it. At the end of my show, Santa arrived and helped give out toys and board games to the kids, then everyone settled in the watch The Polar Express. Seriously, if you have kids that like to go see movies, I really suggest checking out the <a href="http://www.familycinema.ca/">Ottawa Family Cinema. I played a couple of shows for charity this year over the holidays, and right before Christmas I was asked to play for the Christmas weekend at the Ottawa Family Cinema.

It’s a great organization that has been around in Ottawa and has raised thousands of dollars for the community. Basically, they have TechnaLight state-of-the-art 35mm projectors, Dolby Digital theatre surround sound, and a huge movie screen. They show movies every Saturday in the Notre Dame high school auditorium, and donate the entrance fee proceeds back to the community. They also reserve seats for kids who can’t afford to go to the movies.

We arrived early on Saturday afternoon, and were taken inside by a few volunteers who had a dolly ready and helped unload my gear from the car. I caught a whiff of freshly popped movie popcorn as I was taken back stage to set up. Everything was easy and smooth. Their volunteers are fantastic and had me hooked up and ready to play in no time.

Ottawa Family Cinema set up

The McNeills, who run the theatre, said a few introductory words and showed some previews on the big screen. (Can you see me sitting right behind it?)

Ottawa movie preview

Then I played a few tunes for the kids and they were unbelievable – singing along from the first note and participating in songs like Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and the Cat Came Back.

Tyler Kealey piano

Tyler Kealey kids show

I even think they enjoyed my rock n roll, ZZ Top inspired Christmas song, Santa Claus Man. My cousin Corey got up with his electric guitar, black bad-Santa beard, and helped me out with it.

Tyler Kealey Christmas song

At the end of my show, Santa arrived and helped give out toys and board games to the kids, then everyone settled in the watch The Polar Express.

Tyler Kealey charity event

Ottawa Family Cinema audience

Seriously, if you have kids that like to go see movies, I really suggest checking out the Ottawa Family Cinema.

]]> Tue, 28 Dec 2010 01:40:00 GMT 29A9A588AFE332F4D5B4302091282697 Santa Claus Man Song http://tylerkealey.com/blog.cfm?feature=2711743&postid=1263769 For your listening pleasure! Click the Play arrow to listen to my ZZ Top inspired Christmas song: Santa Claus Man Red suit, red hat White beard and a belly that&rsquo;s fat Eight reindeer, one sleigh Elves at the North Pole workin away They&rsquo;re making toys just as fast as they can Cause every kid&rsquo;s crazy bout the Santa Claus Man! Big list, checks it twice Gonna find out if you&rsquo;re naughty or nice Glass of milk, cookies too Put them out and he&rsquo;ll coming visiting you Then right back up the chimney just as fast as he can Cause every kid&rsquo;s crazy bout the Santa Claus Man! On Dasher, Dancer and Vixen Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen Through the snow so white Rudolph&rsquo;s nose will guide the way tonight Through Canada, the USA and even Japan Every kid&rsquo;s crazy bout the Santa Claus Man! santa clause man

For your listening pleasure!
Click the Play arrow to listen to my ZZ Top inspired Christmas song:

Santa Claus Man
Red suit, red hat
White beard and a belly that’s fat
Eight reindeer, one sleigh
Elves at the North Pole workin away
They’re making toys just as fast as they can
Cause every kid’s crazy bout the Santa Claus Man!

Big list, checks it twice
Gonna find out if you’re naughty or nice
Glass of milk, cookies too
Put them out and he’ll coming visiting you
Then right back up the chimney just as fast as he can
Cause every kid’s crazy bout the Santa Claus Man!

On Dasher, Dancer and Vixen
Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen
Through the snow so white
Rudolph’s nose will guide the way tonight
Through Canada, the USA and even Japan
Every kid’s crazy bout the Santa Claus Man!

]]> Tue, 21 Dec 2010 01:40:00 GMT 4C9F18EC035C2EAA02BBC767D593AD0D Christmas tunes for the kids http://tylerkealey.com/blog.cfm?feature=2711743&postid=1264107 Last Sunday, I played for the Christmas pageant and kid&rsquo;s show at St. Elizabeth&rsquo;s. My aunt works at the church, and it&rsquo;s always fun to do some Christmas charity gig this time of year. It was a pretty icy, slippery day. But, all the kids (and parents) made it to the church. As everyone settled in, we played a few Christmas tunes, and the kids got organized. Then we started the Christmas pageant. The angels all did an excellent job. The shepherds were great too &ndash; even if one of them wasn&rsquo;t too thrilled about the music! Notice the hands over the ears. And baby Jesus, aka the star of the show, aka Olivia, did an good job, was very quiet and loved the attention from the angels, shepherds and everyone. All around, the play turned out as well as you could have hoped! Afterwards, the kids had a surprise visitor &ndash; Mr. Santa Claus, who gave out candy. The kids also had cookies, hotdogs, and other snacks..so they were pretty excited to dance around to the music afterwards. I played some Christmas songs, and played a game with Rudoph the red nosed reindeer where we blindfolded a few of the kids. They had to find a box while being cheered on by the audience. This time last year, I&rsquo;d just finished touring in Charlie Major&rsquo;s band out in BC, opening for ZZ Top. So I decided to re-write my own rendition of ZZ Top&rsquo;s Sharp Dressed man &ndash; I called it Santa Claus Man. I'm hoping to find time to record it for your listening pleasure (?) so stay tuned! This past week has been full with holidays gigs, Christmas party gigs, accompanying kids at the Holy Spirit Christmas concert, playing some Christmas songs at the Villa in Stittsville, and I&rsquo;ll be playing today at the Ottawa Family Cinema. If you have kids, bring them out for some tunes and a movie (The Polar Express). Hope to see you!

angel

singing angel

The shepherds were great too – even if one of them wasn’t too thrilled about the music! Notice the hands over the ears.

unhappy shepherd

And baby Jesus, aka the star of the show, aka Olivia, did an good job, was very quiet and loved the attention from the angels, shepherds and everyone.


baby jesus

All around, the play turned out as well as you could have hoped! Afterwards, the kids had a surprise visitor – Mr. Santa Claus, who gave out candy.

santa claus at St. Elizabeth's

The kids also had cookies, hotdogs, and other snacks..so they were pretty excited to dance around to the music afterwards. I played some Christmas songs, and played a game with Rudoph the red nosed reindeer where we blindfolded a few of the kids. They had to find a box while being cheered on by the audience.

Santa Claus Man

This time last year, I’d just finished touring in Charlie Major’s band out in BC, opening for ZZ Top. So I decided to re-write my own rendition of ZZ Top’s Sharp Dressed man – I called it Santa Claus Man. I'm hoping to find time to record it for your listening pleasure (?) so stay tuned!

Santa Claus Man

This past week has been full with holidays gigs, Christmas party gigs, accompanying kids at the Holy Spirit Christmas concert, playing some Christmas songs at the Villa in Stittsville, and I’ll be playing today at the Ottawa Family Cinema. If you have kids, bring them out for some tunes and a movie (The Polar Express). Hope to see you!
]]> Sun, 19 Dec 2010 02:50:00 GMT 9194914E1A05B6B0CCC0463798A81DD9 Requests From Last night- Dec.6th http://tylerkealey.com/blog.cfm?feature=2711743&postid=1264127 Sometimes people have other requests besides songs. While we were playing, someone came up to us and asked us to &quot;make jokes about us.&quot; This made me laugh because I wondered if they thought we would just whip up a joke about them out of thin air having no idea about them or what to make fun of. It made me think of someone going to a restaurant for their birthday and asking the waiter to please put a pie in their face, you know, for a joke? This one was funny too. The person actually had it right the first time but decided that it couldn't be Bobby McGee so they scratched it out and replaced it with Baby McGee. &quot;Good enough for me and Baby McGee&quot;


"Good enough for me and Baby McGee"
]]> Tue, 07 Dec 2010 03:00:00 GMT 5F572946B22404909EB2B73278614C14 Requests From Last night- November 22nd http://tylerkealey.com/blog.cfm?feature=2711743&postid=1264132 Saturday night was fun and I found another gem for my funny request collection... or in this case a jewel? &nbsp;

piano man 
]]> Tue, 23 Nov 2010 03:00:00 GMT BFD794491C4D225E4DEB37AB5D3C50C0 requests From Last night- November 15th http://tylerkealey.com/blog.cfm?feature=2711743&postid=1264139 A great weekend was had. One guy got in a fight with the Jack Daniels Statue but Jack probably deserved it. I liked this one &nbsp;
 
]]> Tue, 16 Nov 2010 03:05:00 GMT 4B404C39C4FB11C7ADB95E7B200531D3