New Album (Out February 19th) to Benefit The Whole Planet Foundation

Our new album, Right Now, will be released  February 19th, 2014.  We wanted this music to help make a difference, so through March 31st, our CD will be exclusively available at Whole Foods Market stores, and all proceeds will benefit the Whole Planet Foundation.

The Whole Planet Foundation is a non-profit organization working to alleviate poverty worldwide.  Through micro-lending, Whole Planet works to give people the chance to change their lives, and their families', by starting their own businesses.

For every $10 Kiera Plan CD purchased, over $7 (100% of the profit) will go directly to the Whole Planet Foundation.

Help us to do something special.  Help us to change lives.

On February 19th, head to Whole Foods Market and pick up our CD.  Your purchase will help make a difference.



Thank you so much for your support!

Please help us spread the word: share this video, link to this blog post - even just telling a friend about what we're doing will help.

Check out the Whole Planet Foundation website for more on the great work that they do.

The new CD is already on its way to Whole Foods Market stores in the Philadelphia, PA and South Jersey areas for the Feb. 19th release.  We'll continually update the following list of stores that have the CD here on this blog.

If your favorite Whole Foods is somewhere else, please just e-mail us at thekieraplan@gmail.com to let us the location of the store you shop.  We'll make arrangements to get them a CD for you so that you can support this great cause and get your copy of the new album.

Participating Whole Foods Market locations:

WFM Glen Mills
475 Wilmington West Chester Pike Glen Mills, PA 19342

WFM North Wales
1210 Bethlehem Pike North Wales, PA 19454

WFM Devon
821 W. Lancaster Ave Wayne, PA 19087

WFM Plymouth Meeting
500 W. Germantown Pike Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462

WFM Marlton
940 Route 73 North Marlton, NJ  08053

WFM Princeton
3495 US Route 1 South Princeton, NJ 08540

WFM Jenkintown
1575 The Fairway Jenkintown, PA 19046

WFM South Street
929 South St Philadelphia, PA 19147

WFM Callowhill
2001 Pennsylvania Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19130

WFM Wynnewood
339 East Lancaster Ave Wynnewood, PA 19096

New Single Out Now!

After a year and a half in the studio, new music is finally here!  We've just released a two song maxi-single featuring two songs from the soon to be released sophomore Kiera Plan album.

We're so excited for you to hear these songs!  Here is "Right Now"

And here is "Annie" Both songs are available on iTunes, Amazon, and just about anywhere else you'd think to download music.

I'd like to thank all of the amazing people who you hear performing on these songs, we are so grateful to everyone involved for their time and talent.  Here is the full roster for each song:

Right Now
Shawn O'Brien - vocals, guitar
Tim Zaprala - bass
J.J. Davis - keys
Daniel Pawlovich* - drums
Alison Cloud* - backing vocals
Shawn Gamble* - backing vocals

* Fans will recognize Dan as former drummer for Valencia, and current frontman for his new band Mosey.  Alison and Shawn appear courtesy of their band Kick Back Tomorrow.

Annie
Shawn O'Brien - vocals, piano, bass
Vince Ratti* - guitar
Daniel Pawlovich - drums
Andrew Meoray* - cello
Rachel Minton* - backing vocals

*Fans will recognize Vince and Rachel from their amazing group Zolof the Rock and Roll Destroyer.  Vince has produced, engineered, and performed on both Dedication and the upcoming Kiera Plan album. Fans will find Andrew hard at work in both the Q Family Band and with up and coming hip-hop group Astronauts Really Fly.

The cover art for the single contains a fragment of the new album's cover, drawn by Matt Tyree, and colored by Val Staples.

The release date on the full album is still to be determined, but these won't be the only songs coming your way before the album drops.

So much more is on the way. For now, thank you so much for your interest and for your support!

Shawn
 

Putting the Pieces Together

We've been in the studio for several recording sessions per month, putting the pieces together for Kiera Plan: Album two.  Here's a rundown of what's been happening:

My Kiera Plan bandmates J.J. Davis, Tim Zaprala, and Kevin Brown have each been in tracking material. J.J. had some layers of synthesizer to put down, Tim came in for some backing vocals, and Kevin added some guitar riffage.

TKP drummer Kevin Brown, laying down some guitar.

Guest vocalists have also been dropping in.  Ann O'Brien and Dana Heinz, who fans will remember from their guest vocal appearance on Dedication's "Cross My Heart" were back in for another round of vocals.  Our friends Alison Cloud and Shawn Gamble from Kick Back Tomorrow came through, each making a stellar debut TKP vocal appearance.

Shawn Gamble and Alison Cloud

Mulch-instrumentalist Andrew Migliore from Idle Idols was also in the studio with us, adding some amazing string arrangements.  This is a first for The Kiera Plan, and we're really excited to have had Andrew in the mix.

Andrew Migliore, dropping some serious cello

As for me, I've been doing a variety of tracking on guitar, synth, and brass.  I was really excited to put down our fullest brass arrangement ever, reprising my role as trumpeteer and - for the first time since fourth grade - putting in some work on trombone as well.

A familiar face behind the trombone, yours truly, Shawn O'Brien

Meanwhile, comic book artists Matt Tyree and Val Staples have completed the cover art for album two, and we are so psyched for you to see what they've put together!

I'm headed into the studio with super-producer Vince Ratti for what could potentially be the last day of recording.  At this rate, we could have a single for you to hear as early as February, and the full album will definitely be coming your way in 2013.

For now, thank you so much for your interest, and for your support!

Shawn

Singing It Out

Shawn, singing @ The Skylight Studio, summer 2012

After six action-packed days in the studio over the last couple of months, singing it out with producer Vince Ratti, I've managed to lay down the vocals for all ten songs that will appear on Kiera Plan: Album Two.

Vince is a beast when it comes to vocals; he has a great sense for what a song does or doesn't need, and the wheels are always turning in his head in regards to what harmonies "might be cool here."

It's awesome to have Vince's decisiveness and reassurance at the helm when we're navigating the rough seas of vocal production.  The process for vocals is extremely exciting - you finally get to start really hearing the song you've been trying to put together - but there are so many options to consider at every point in the process (softer, louder, up an octave, down an octave, more sass, less sass, etc.) that, for me, it would be nerve-racking to be making all of these decisions from behind the mic without that great insight from behind the boards.

As to the big picture, while I have recorded the lead vocals for all the songs, and most backing vocals and harmonies, there are still some touch ups and additions to lay down.  There will also be a number of guest vocalists who will be coming in to the studio to make an appearance.  With the vocals in hand, we also still have some final pieces of instrumentation to record: keys, lead guitar riffs, strings, brass, supplemental percussion, and so forth.  It sound like a long list, but this stuff can go really quickly.  Some songs could be as little as 15 minutes of studio time away from being a wrap.

We definitely want to make sure that we don't leave any great ideas untapped for these songs, and we're really excited to get the guests we have lined up on the record.  So even though there isn't a lot of red light time left for album two, the coordination of the ten or so people who will be dropping in will probably take the recording process up to the end of September or early October.  At that point though, new music will be right around the corner!  We're incredibly excited for you to hear these songs.

I'll definitely be blasting session by session updates on Facebook and Twitter, so I hope all of our Tweeps will stay tuned there.

For now, thank you so much for your interest.

All the best!

Shawn

Inspiration and Instrumentation

Recording sessions for Kiera Plan Album Two have continued at the Skylight Studio with producer Vince Ratti over the last few weeks, and the record is really coming along.

Sessions at the end of May saw a couple of my bandmates getting in on the recording adventure.  Bassist Tim Zaprala helped finish up the bass tracks, and keyboardist J.J. Davis was in for the first round of synthesizer. 

Tim Zaprala on the left, J.J. Davis on the right

Just last week, I headed back into the studio for a couple of days, where Vince and I were able to lay down the lion's share of the guitar tracks for the record.  Getting the guitar down feels like turning a corner in the recording process:  the songs start to really sound like what you're hoping they'll sound like, and now there are a number of instruments playing off of each other.  There's a lot to like ("I love it when this guitar comes in!"  "Dude, that feedback sounds awesome there!").  I came away from these guitar days feeling so excited about how well everything is coming together.

A bearded Shawn O'Brien on guitar

Next up are vocals. We know from last time that we work through the vocals at the rate of only one or two songs per day, so we've scheduled a half dozen sessions between now and the middle of August.  Once the vocals are done though, we'll be within striking distance of wrapping up the actual tracking for the record.

It's definitely time to get psyched!  Album two is happening, team.  This is not a drill.

Thanks so much for your interest!  We'll continue to keep you posted, and we'll be really psyched to share some music with you. 

All the best!

Shawn

Recording for Album Two Kicks Off (Featuring Members of Zolof and Valencia)!

Recording sessions for our first album, Dedication, had wrapped up all the way back in 2008, so, needless to say, I was ecstatic to finally get back into the studio a couple weeks ago to start recording Kiera Plan: Album Two.

l-r: Daniel Pawlovich, Shawn O'Brien, Vince Ratti

I returned to The Skylight Studio in Fairless Hills with the incomparable Vince Ratti (of Zolof the Rock and Roll Destroyer) once again handling engineering and production.  This time out, I had the incredible pleasure to be joined by drummer Daniel Pawlovich (of Valencia).  All I can say about the lineup is that when you're starting your new album in collaboration with members of Zolof and Valencia, you know that you're in good hands with Allstate!

Leading up to these sessions, I'd been writing, demoing, and in some cases performing these songs live for a while now, and I want to thank John Collier, J.J. Davis, Tim Zaprala, and Kevin Brown who have already helped to make this collection of music something really special.  John and I had arranged the first album together, and we worked on several album two songs as well.  J.J., Tim, and Kevin have been performing live with me as the Kiera Plan and have all made contributions to the new material.

Vince, Dan, and I came into the studio on a mission to get the drums for all ten Album Two tracks laid down in the two days that we had together.  The sessions were just magic.  Ten tracks is a lot to try to get recorded in such a short window, and other than exchanging some demos via email, we hadn't had much prep time together.  In the end, that didn't really matter.  It was really exciting to be bringing in Vince and Dan's fresh ears to the songs, and Dan's drum work is incredible!

Dan, making the magic happen

I felt really lucky to have him on board for these sessions.  And after an action-packed 48 hours of production and percussion, we came away with the framework for a really great record.  Now we just have to build on that.

I'll be back in with Vince and a number of other collaborators over the course of the summer to continue recording.  I look forward to sharing the experience with you.  I can't wait to have something for you to hear!

For now, thank you so much for your interest.

Shawn

Album Two Update

Cover art for the "Time Flies" single, out now

So, we’re racing towards the finish line in the Battle of the Bands for a spot on the 2011 Warped Tour, and we’re very much in the running.  Kiera Fans can vote once a day until July 14th to help us win.  We really appreciate your continued support.

Other than trying to win our way to Warped, the focus right now is on getting ready to record the follow up to our debut album Dedication.  The official album two recording sessions could begin as early as the end of the summer.  In the meantime, I figured I’d hit you with an update on the pre-production process (a.k.a. everything we do before we actually record an album).

Our new single, “Time Flies,” was released back on February 25^th.  “Time Flies” is available on iTunes and Amazon, and you can hear the full track on our Battle of the Bands page.  The single is an acoustic version of the song we recorded back in late 2010, with engineer/producer Vince Ratti – the man behind the boards on Dedication, who’ll also be back for album two.  John Collier (you’ll remember his ferocious drums) and I have been working up the full band version of “Time Flies” which will appear on album two.

There are also four additional new tracks very likely to appear on the next record that are already in the mix for our live shows.  If you’ve been to any show this year, you’ve heard “Right Now,” another new one which I’ll probably want to rename or subtitle in light of Van Halen’s 90s hit of the same name.  I played two more new songs at the Whole Foods show a couple weeks back.

I feel so strongly about the fifth new song that if we aren’t ready to start the album two sessions at The Skylight Studio in a month or so, I’ll probably go in to record it as another acoustic single just to get another new song out.

There are a handful of other songs contending for a spot on album two, but they’re all still too unfinished in one way or another to count into the tally.  I’ll be demoing and writing a lot in the next few weeks, and so these will quickly start to take shape as full songs.

Long story short, new music is definitely in the works! In the meantime, we appreciate your continued support with the Warped contest.  There is also a pretty decent stockpile of pics and video from the last few shows, so stay tuned for some serious new multimedia in the next few weeks.

Thanks for reading,

Shawn

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

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