Hello, College Radio!

It's easy for me to fall into the habit of focusing my musical energy exclusively on performing and recording.  But, I know that I need to do more than just play and record, because there is so much that I want to make happen for the Kiera Plan.  So lately, I've been putting a lot of time into the behind-the-scenes business stuff that it's all too easy to neglect.

One big project has been getting the Dedication album to as many college radio stations as possible.  I've had a number of great experiences with college radio in the past -- in fact, West Chester University's WCUR was spinning the album months before it even came out -- so I'm really excited about what I've dubbed the "College Radio Mission."  This could be a big help in introducing new people to the Kiera Plan, and building up buzz as we gear up for the next record.

If you'd like to hear the Kiera Plan on the airwaves in your area, here are a list of stations that currently have our album, and the phone numbers for their request lines:

WKDU, Drexel University / Philadelphia, PA – (215) 895-5917

WDNR, Widener University / Chester, PA - (610) 499-4440

WPRB, Princeton University / Princeton, NJ – (609) 258-1033

WERS, Emerson University / Boston, MA – (617) 482-8890

WICB, Ithaca College / Ithaca, NY – (607) 274-3217

Radio DePaul, DePaul University / Chicago, IL - (773) 325-7308

KEXP, University of Washington / Seattle, WA – (206) 903-5397

WJCU, John Carroll University / Cleveland, OH – (216) 397-4438

KZSC, University of California, Santa Cruz / Santa Cruz, CA – (831) 459-4036

KPSU, Portland State University / Portland, OR – (503) 725-5945

WNYU, New York University / New York, NY – (212) 998-1818

BSR, Brown University / Providence, RI – (401) 863-9277

WBRU, Brown University (Commercial) / Providence, RI – (866) 382-9555

KALX, University of California, Berkeley / Berkeley, CA – (510) 642-5259

KXLU, Loyola Marymount University / Los Angeles, CA – (310) 338-5958

Radio K, University of Minnesota / Minneapolis, MN – (612) 626-4770

WRMC, Middlebury College / Middlebury, VT – (802) 443-6323

CHUO, / Ottawa, Ontario, Canada – (613) 562-5967

CJLO, Concordia University / Montreal, Quebec, Canada – (514) 848-7471

CFUV, University of Victoria / Victoria, British Columbia, Canada – (250) 721-8700

We appreciate all of your support!  And, of course, you can still rock to Kiera Plan Radio on Pandora, or stream the full album at ReverbNation.  What I really want, though, is to be on your iPod, so e-mail the title of your favorite song to tkprock@gmail.com and I'll e-mail you the mp3 for free.

When you realize that you have to have the rest ;), you can download them from iTunes or get the physical CD from Amazon.

Never Underestimate the Value of Kickin’ It Old School

In keeping it old school, here is one of John and Shawn outside the studio way back in 2005

I’ve spent a fair bit of time over the last couple of years both lamenting the fall of MySpace, and complaining about the constant frustration of trying to use ill-suited Facebook to promote our band.

Don’t get me wrong; it’s not Facebook’s fault.   Facebook was created as a sort of online yearbook for lonely single people, and I assume that it still works well for them today – just not for bands.  The band stuff on Facebook was kind of an afterthought, and the resulting chaos means that a band has to fight the site for every basic thing it would like to do (fact: I would need to scan and upload my driver’s license for permission to upload a KP video directly to Facebook).   MySpace, on the other hand, was created specifically so that any person (let alone a band of people) with enough money to buy a guitar could easily and intuitively bury their friends’ MySpace inboxes in so many requests and event invitations that it would be impossible for those friends not to acknowledge that person’s possession of said guitar.  All you needed was that ax and that MySpace, and you were set.  Having three guitars, you can imagine how happily occupied with self-promotion I was back in the glory days when MySpace was still a thing. 

Back at It / Free Music

l-r: your boys John Collier and Shawn O'Brien

John and I are officially back at it, working on new material for Kiera Plan Album Two.  Right now there are a lot of songs in contention for a spot on this next record, and if you’ve been to any of the last few shows then you’ve heard one or two of these contenders.  We’re still so proud of the Dedication album that it’s that much more exciting to be building up the catalog.

In fact, I was so excited that I couldn’t wait for album readiness to hit the studio.  I popped down to The Skylight Studio a couple weeks ago with our all-star producer Vince Ratti to start work on a new track.  We released a couple of singles while we were working on the last record, and I really liked the way that worked out.  The track I just started recording isn’t finished, but just know that we’ve got new music coming your way sooner than you might think.

Meanwhile, we’re really trying to get some buzz going and introduce more people to The Kiera Plan. So from now until the end of 2010, we’ll be giving out a free MP3 to everyone who wants one.  All eleven songs from Dedication are streaming on our Facebook and ReverbNation pages.  You can check them out, and pick your favorite.  Then just e-mail the name of your favorite TKP song to us at tkprock@gmail.com, and we’ll send you that song for free.

So feel free to get your free MP3 today!  And please let your friends know that we have a free song waiting with their name on it.  We want to spread the love.

Thank you so much for your support!

Shawn

Do you want to be in our new video?

We want you to be in the new Kiera Plan video “Cross My Heart”! You can create an awesome cameo for us from the comfort of your own home!

For your part, all you’ll need is a camcorder, webcam, or anything that takes digital video.

The idea is that a bunch of people log on together to rock out to “Cross My Heart.” So whatever you use, set it up in a webcam-like position; that way it seems like you’re in front of your computer (even if you’re totally not).

THINGS WE'RE LOOKING FOR
A. You with a “promise sign” [see the YouTube video for an example]

B. You singing (and eventually clapping) along with the group vocal outro (singing starts at 2:33, clapping joins in at 2:51)

C. Any smiling, laughing, waving, head-nodding, or other clips of you rocking out (to this song) that you’d like to throw in

D. Any combination of the three that you're into.

You don’t have to send them all, you could just do B and we’d be very grateful. But the more you send us, the more screen time we can try to get you.

Don’t worry about your vocal performance; we won’t use the audio. We’re syncing your visual performance to the studio recording we made of “Cross My Heart.”

Please make sure the volume of “Cross My Heart” is nice and loud in the background of your clip. We’re sort of low-tech, so we need that to sync things up properly. If you don’t own the Dedication CD, or don’t have the loot to download the song on Itunes, you can stream it on MySpace or Facebook.

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND
- Offensive clothes, backgrounds, language or gestures will need to be edited out, as will big name logos (Nike, etc.), so think about what’s in your shot. In some cases, your footage might not be usable otherwise.

- The best footage will fit the vibe of the song, so a sign like “Dear Sally, I promise to never talk to you again” wouldn’t be right for this video.

ONCE YOU HAVE YOUR VIDEO SAVED
1. Go to yousendit.com

2. Send your video (via yousendit.com) to tkprock@gmail.com

The biggest file you can send for free is 100MB, so best to not tape you doing the whole song. Stick to a couple little highlights (promise sign, smiles, etc.) and definitely the outro.

Once your video is sent (or if you have any problems or questions before that), please e-mail us directly at tkprock@gmail.com . We’ll need to follow up with you about the details for legally allowing us to use your clip in our video.

Please submit your clips by September 10th 2010 so we can try to get you in the video.

Thank you so much for all of your support, and for your interest in this project!

We are psyched to see your submissions!

Tomorrow Night's Show = Awesome (and now at 6pm)

I am so excited for tomorrow night's show at St. Paul's Church in Levittown, PA! Here are just a few of the reasons why:

1. This is the first full-band Kiera Plan show in quite a while.

2. This marks the debut for a couple of first-time Kiera Plan performers, and the return of a veteran all-star. They have been a particularly fun crew to work with (incidentally, the new guys will be the 11th and 12th people to join me as part of a Kiera Plan live show).

3. For one night only, TKP posters will be free and the album will be just $5!

4. St. Paul's is a really fun place to play, and I'm psyched to be back!

5. We'll be performing several songs that may be on the next Kiera Plan album! It's fun to try out new stuff live, and I think that we have some really good tracks in store for you.

It's going to be an awesome night! I hope to see some of my favorite blog-readers in the building.

Oh, and apparently the start time has been bumped up to 6pm, and we're slated to go on pretty early, just so you know if you're planning on catching us.

Thanks for reading, and we'll see you tomorrow night!

Shawn

Pandora Opens Unto TKP

I just found out that The Kiera Plan's Dedication has been accepted into Pandora. This is incredibly exciting for at least three main reasons:

1. Pandora is a fun way to find new music. I've used and enjoyed it for several years now, and I'm very grateful that I'll be able to be involved with this awesome service.

2. A lot of people use Pandora. These people might like The Kiera Plan, but they don't know it yet. They are about to find out.

3. We will finally be able to answer the question: "Who do you guys sound like?" with confidence. The good people at Pandora have made a science of analyzing music (so they can suggest similar music to listeners). When they weigh in, the results will be official.

The album is on its way to Oakland for processing now, but it will be a couple months until The Kiera Plan actually pops up. Trust that your boy Shawn will provide you with an excited, exclamation-point-filled, status update when The Kiera Plan goes live.

Speaking of going live, stay tuned for more on the next show which is coming up on Friday August 13th at St. Paul's in Levittown, PA.

For now, thanks for reading.

Shawn

What’s next?

The first question is probably more like: “Where have you been?” So I’ll say that it’s been an action-packed year for me outside the musical sphere, complete with the highest highs and the lowest lows. The lows have involved, and continue to involve, job stuff. Long story short I have no permanent gig yet, and so there is a lot of nail biting. Whether it’s the job search, or working two temporary jobs to get by, this issue has demanded the lion’s share of my time and energy. Fortunately, that didn’t stop it from being the best year ever because just over a week ago, a lovely young woman named Ann made me the happiest person in existence by signing on as my wife. I can’t tell you how lucky and inspired I feel to be able to share my life with her. “Completed” never felt more appropriate.

So, my mysterious disappearance having been explained, what is next for The Kiera Plan? I don’t know exactly, because the crazy job situation is still a pretty mountainous life obstacle. However, I can say this: I miss music, and I look forward to getting back to a more active TKP status. There were a few shows throughout the year, but I haven’t had anybody else performing with me since Warped last summer. So, getting back to a full band set up and rocking live is definitely high up on my wish list.

In the little time I’ve had this year, I have been working on a bunch of new material. My thought is that this stuff is all in contention for album two. My best man and illustrious drummer John Collier will be back playing drums and arranging songs with me in the near future. I feel like we have a pretty clear vision of what we’d like this next album to be, and I have some interesting new thoughts on how we might put it all together.

So, what is next for The Kiera Plan is definitely pre-production (writing, arranging, demoing, etc.) for the second album. What is hopefully on deck as well is somehow or someway getting some other people involved in bringing the music back to the live stage.

I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your interest and support. I’ll be sure to keep you posted on all things TKP both here and on Facebook (or whatever social networking site might dethrone it as the place to be).

Best wishes from your boy.

Shawn

Help Me Win a Spot on The Warped Tour / Win Free Stuff / Hear New Music

I’m trying to win a spot on the 2010 Vans Warped Tour, and I need your help! It’s really easy, actually, and if you don’t mind helping out then I’m going to try to hook you up with some awesome Kiera Plan merch.

All you need to do is to go to:

http://www.battleofthebands.com/thekieraplan

You’ll need to create an account the first time, but that will only take like 30 seconds (first name, last name, birthday, password, and that’s about it). Once you have your account set up, you can visit that Kiera Plan link anytime and vote for TKP to win! You can vote once a day for me. You can also become a fan of The Kiera Plan on that same page.

I understand if you can’t vote every day, but every vote is a huge help! So I appreciate anything you can do.

To thank you, I’ve posted two songs from the debut album (“It Only Takes One” and “If They Could See You Now”) that aren’t available for full streaming anywhere else! There are also some other favorites from the album up there as well. Please do rock out and enjoy.

Here’s the best part: YOU CAN WIN FREE KIERA PLAN STUFF! I’m officially announcing The Kiera Plan 2010 Warped Tour Contest.

Once a week, starting this Friday April 16th, I will randomly select a fan on the Warped Tour page who will win a free copy of The Kiera Plan debut CD, Dedication. I’ll select a weekly winner every Friday from now until the end of May.

In addition, on Friday April 30th and on Monday May 31st I’ll select the two grand prize winners who will receive a free copy of the CD, a Kiera Plan t-shirt, and an autographed Kiera Plan poster!

To be eligible to win, you’ll just need to be a fan of The Kiera Plan on the Warped Tour site, and you’ll just need to leave us a comment saying that you want in on the contest!

Your help would mean a lot to me, so thank you for your consideration! And good luck to all of you who decide to participate in The Kiera Plan 2010 Warped Tour Contest!

In the Kitchen (That's Where the Coffee Is)

The kitchen is a great place to cook things up, whether you’re making fresh bread or fresh beats. In my case, the latter has been more appropriate – I’m not sure I want to eat any baked good I created myself until I’ve received formal culinary training first.

The point is that I’ve been working on a new song that I’m really excited about. It’s definitely one of my favorite contenders for album two, and I may actually try to utilize the demo I’m making in my live show. I miss hearing other instruments around me when I’m performing, and I have something fun in mind that I’m going to experiment with.

Speaking of the live show, I’m actually going to be playing a show (live in person) this Friday at The Well in Feasterville. It’s a coffeehouse-type deal, and not only will there be other musical acts, but I even think there may be some comedians or poets, too. I think it has all the makings of a memorable gig. Please check out the event details on Facebook if you’d like to see the show.

Thanks in advance to my friend Susan for inviting me to play, and retroactively to my homie Jeff from Me Against Myself for an awesome show invite a few weeks back as well. I’m especially grateful for these opportunities right now, because with two jobs and wedding planning (the big day is in June) I’ve been too busy to be an effective booking agent for myself. These invites are keeping me in business! Please do consider the currently acoustic stylings of The Kiera Plan for your next show or event. I would love to play!

Now on Amazon

I popped online to find that Dedication is now available on Amazon.com! I'm psyched about that, knowing that it's such a major online retailer.

Look out Pandora, you're next!

Things in Motion

While I don't feel that The Kiera Plan is lacking in terms of online presence, I'm always pretty selective about what I post as a blog on MySpace or a note on Facebook. I try for periodic updates and any big information in those places, but I think a standalone blog like this will be a cool way to share more information and more of my personal feelings and experiences with anyone who is interested.

Right now I do have a lot of things in motion, and even more that I'd like to set in motion. Here are a few:

1. I'm trying to get TKP into a national magazine. This photo was from a photoshoot last spring, and is what I used as an "official" pic. Two former bandmates were actually in the shot, and I had to had my homie Doug edit them out since I wasn't going to have a chance to do another photoshoot anytime soon. I have love for those two, but they aren't in the group anymore (nor were they on the album) so it would've been confusing.

2. Also in progress is a mission to get the CD up for sale on Amazon, which is a prerequisite for inclusion on Pandora (which I think is super-awesome and would be psyched to be on).

3. The same people who run the Warped Tour contest, which paid off big for TKP last summer, are doing a contest for the chance to record with Slash from Guns N' Roses. In eighth grade my favorite song was "November Rain," so it'd be pretty unbelievable to have Slash on a Kiera Plan single. With nothing to lose, and little to set up, I put The Kiera Plan in the mix. If you signed up to vote for us last summer, you can use your same account. If not, you would need to set one up. Once you're set up though, it's super easy to just hit up the site and click your vote for TKP once a day. If you are down to help out by voting, that would be amazing (as obviously are you). The site is called YourNextRecord.com if you'd like to help out.

4. As I've said eleswhere, I'm working on music for album two. I met someone while I was stocking shelves Friday night who has Dedication, and digs it. She said, "you should make another album." Lady I met in the water aisle, I am on it.

5. I'm looking for bandmates. I happily embrace the Shawn-centric nature of this project: I enjoy that freedom, and I'm proud of what I do. However, I miss having a team, and I miss being able to bring the music more fully to life live. The trick is that, after having a lot of people in and out, I know that this isn't a good fit for just anybody, and so I'm screening carefully to save people time. When someone is out, it always feels like a break-up, and I don't enjoy that feeling at all. I want people to have fun; I don't want them to get hurt. So, I'm being really careful to bring in the right people, who I think could be almost as happy doing this as I am. Problem is that means this could take a while. Until then, just call me Shawn Solo.

More on me and more on TKP very soon.

Thanks so much for reading!

Shawn