08/08/07
NEW MUSIC NOW! Go to the PKO MySpace to hear "In Light of Your Less Complicated Life" and a nearly-complete "Looking For Snow!"
Also, The Paula Kelley Orchestra returns in a glorious 6-piece line-up for this year's Int'l Pop Overthrow. Check out the live page for details.
04/14/07
NEW SITE!
Paula has a beautiful new site up to showcase her arranging work, thanks in large part to the creative minds over at DayKamp and photographer Eva Crawford. Check it out, especially all you songwriters, producers, and filmmakers, etc.
Big thanks to everyone who came out for the New York and Boston shows! It's always good to be back on the home shores, despite how damnably cold it is there. Bleu continues to keep Paula busy as well, with another show here in Hollywood on April 23. The live page tells all.
03/12/07
Paula heads back to the East Coast for a couple shows with the newly-christened Paula Kelley Chamber Orchestra (PKCO). She'll be opening up for Bleu and will also be playing keys in his band on those nights, so be sure to check out the shows in NYC and Boston! Details.
01/21/07
A very happy 2007 to you all! The Boston PKO show right after xmas was a real blast - great to play with those wonderful folks again, and there was so much great music all night long. Big props to Bob & Kimchee for pulling it all together.
The new year is starting off busily, with Paula working on the score to a French film called "Ouest Terne" while continuing to record tracks for her next record. In February, she is putting together a special quartet to bid farewell to the wonderful Lava Lounge. Check out the live page for more on that.
Later in February, Paula expects to be doing more shows playing keys for Bleu and we will get the full PKO back on stage before Spring gets too well under way.
12/20/2006
The goose... he is getting so fat. Happy holidays one and all! We here at PK central are very excited about the classic PKO lineup's return to the stage at the Kimchee Records 10th Anniversary Showtacular. The night features five great bands and Paula will be bringing some new songs to the East Coast for the first time.
In other festive news, Paula has posted her holiday classic "Why Christmas," along with a new recording - a lovely arrangement of "Christmastime Is Here" - on the PKO MySpace page. Check 'em out!
Look for L.A. shows in the new year!
12/03/2006
It's the holiday month again. How does that happen? We're very pleased to announce that Paula will be returning to Boston for a full PKO show at the end of the month. It's especially sweet as it is the 10th anniversary party for our friends at Kimchee Records, so it's guaranteed to be a night of excellent music. The show is December 29 at the Middle East. Check out the live page for all the details.
Also: Paula has posted her gorgeous version of Christmastime Is Here on the PKO's MySpace page.
And here are some links to newly i-Tuned stuff mentioned in the last update:
10/08/2006
Recording continues on Paula's follow-up to The Trouble With Success...
But some of the fruits of her labors over the past year are being released this fall, and they're contained on two records well worth picking up.
- First off, there's L.E.O. The brainchild of Bleu McCauley, this ELO-inspired set includes and incredible collection of writers and performers, including Paula, naturally, Mike Viola (Candy Butchers), Andy Sturmer (Jellyfish), and even Hanson! The album Alpacas Orgling is out now through Cheap Lullaby Records order here!
- And also out in October, UK Shoegaze label Club AC30 releases Never Lose That Feeling, Vol. 2, a collection of 90's shoegaze cover songs, including a couple Drop Nineteens tracks, and - more importantly - Paula's stirring version of the Ride classic "Vapour Trail." Find out how to get it at the Club AC30 website.
And we still want to remind everyone about the existence of the
Burnin' For You EP. This great little piece of bonus work, exclusive to iTunes, features two songs otherwise only available on 7-inch 45 RPM record (which, by the way, if you want to get, drop us a line). Here's a little MP3 sampling for ya!
08/10/2006
There's new media afoot! Paula's first Video Podcast is now avaiable for streaming, download, and video iPod download at Stop, Pop, and Roll. The video features subjective lens, Ansel-Adams-worthy scenery, some brand new live recordings, and much fun for all!
And another thing... NEW TEE SHIRTS! Yep. Stunning new shirts featuring a one-of-a-kind Jef Czekaj design are available now at live shows and in the store. Get yourself dressed, already!
And this weekend, Paula and the Orchestra head into a studio at a secret North Hollywood location to begin work on the proper follow-up to The Trouble With Success or How You Fit into the World. Everyone's real excited about how it's been sounding in rehearsals and can't wait to get this thing out for you all to hear. Stay tuned!
07/25/2006
At last, Paula has made it through the Donner Pass, the various baking deserts fo Northern and Southern California, and is back in sweltering L.A. The local atoms even teamed up to welcome her back with a stunning power outage!
And, so how to cap off this fabulous tour of the East and West coasts? How about with a killer show at The Knitting Factory with the full PKO lineup? Yeah, we thought you'd agree that there is no other option.
Be sure to read the tour blog, which will be wrapping up shortly. And we'll post photos and perhaps even a video-podcast soon!
07/18/2006
Paula & Aaron are mid-way through the Northwest tour, and it's going smashingly! Everyone en route has been great, and they've really been digging into the ol' song-bag (ew!) for these shows. Check out the set list from tonight's show in Clarkston to have a gander at an extreme example what's been going on.
Paula will be sticking close to Spokane for the next couple days, including a limo ride through the town while being interviewed for a podcast! Should be a blast. We'll post a link when it's online.
06/28/2006
The show in Boston was f***ing euphoric! All of us here at PK central send out big thanks to everyone who came down, filled up that hot little room, and had a good time with us. Also big thanks and props to all the other great bands/artists on the bill. The Silver Lining, Ad Frank and Rooftop Suicide Club were all stellar on the main stage, and Mercy James and Corin Ashley got the night started off perfectly over on the pub side. Great times. Thanks, Boston!
We're very pleased to note that great reviews of Some Sucker's Life keep pouring in - and Dagger 'Zine just put the disc in its Top 15 for June list!
06/04/2006
COMING UP: Fri Jun 23 at Radio Bean, Burlington, VT
PK kicks off her tour in the Green Mt. State!
Happy June, everyone! We're all very alive with excitement here at pk.com, due to the fact that Paula will be hitting the road again later this month to spread the word about Some Sucker's Life. She will be returning to places long familiar as well as heading out into new terrain, so it's going to be a thrilling ride, for sure.
Check out the full and ever-evolving tour schedule here!
05/14/2006
The Strip reached its thrilling conclusion last night, and everyone involved is, I think, a little relieved, sad, and definitely exhausted. There was a festive atmosphere at the Evidence Room for the night, though, and between the PKO's pre-show performance and the happy endings (no pun intended, American Nympho fans) to the stories, it all ended on a very high note. Paula, for her part, is hoping that the Strip will be resurrected again soon, perhaps this fall.
Now Paula will be working behind the scenes for the next month, doing string arrangements for a couple more artists as well as getting into the recording studio to begin work on a new album! The new songs have been getting great response at live shows, so we're all excited to get them ready for the masses.
In the meantime, Some Sucker's Life, Part 1 is available through the SP&R store, so go on and pick up a copy now, in preparation for Paula's summer tours in support of the record.
05/07/2006
Last night's show at the Strip was amazing - and the Strip was hilarious, too! The PKO played an energetic set and ended the night with a complete rendition of Queen's In The Lap of the Gods... Revisited, which brought the house down. Only one night left, so definitely check it out if you're in Los Angeles. This week's shows:
Fri. May 12th: Paula Kelley @ Swedish American Hall, San Francisco
Sat. May 13th: the Strip at The Evidence Room, Echo Park, L.A.
Some Sucker's Life, Part 1 has been wowing the press! F'r'instance:
"The best songs are those like the girl group-y "Life Isn't Fair" from 1996, or "Over Your Head" from 1998 that show off her nascent
arranging skills. You can draw a line from those songs to a 2005 demo "Goodbye September," admiring along the way how much richer her voice has become,
how much fuller the arrangements are, and how drastically the demo technology she utilizes has changed. Some Sucker's Life is a real treat for Kelley fans..."
- All Music Guide
"these songs prove Kelley's superior talent. After all, isn't it a sign of brilliance when an artist's "rejects" and unreleased songs are of such a high
standard? I think so. These demos are excellent, and this is a wonderful collection." - Mundane Sounds
04/10/2006
Paula and various members of the PKO had a busy and music-filled week and are now in repose until Saturday, when Paula returns to her Music Director's chair for another installment of The Strip at the Evidence Room in Echo Park.
Some Sucker's Life, Part 1 is out now! Get yours at the SP&R store. And while you're at it, check out the special release-month markdowns on a bunch of other stuff from Paula's catalog.
All Music Guide have been the first out of the gate to review the disc, and it's a smart one. Check it out!
And finally, Summer Tour dates are up! Paula will be returning to the East Coast for tour and a Boy Joys reunion show, and the
Northwest follows hot on the heels of that. New dates are being added all the time, so keep checking back...
04/04/2006
Some Sucker's Life, Part 1 is out now! Get yours at the SP&R store. And while you're at it, check out the special release-month markdowns on a bunch of other stuff from Paula's catalog.
The Burnin' For You EP is back! Get it here!
All the videos we posted are still online. Just visit the microsite by way the music page (The Early Years link), where you
can find them all.
05/01/2005
Just a quick note to let everyone know that Paula is working hard on the next record, putting a new band together in L.A., and generally
keeping busy, but this news page will probably be a little bit more sporadic until the album is complete and plans for a release get under way. In
the meantime, keep visiting the page for almost weekly entries from Paula herself on the main page, with older entries compiled here.
04/08/2005
The new Farrelly Brothers film, Fever Pitch, opens this week and featured in the opening scene of the movie proper is a snippet
of Paula's "A New Time!"
12/19/2004
Paula has arrived in Los Angeles and performed for the first time last night. Kid Lightning a/k/a Dave Gibbs
hosted a benefit show at the very swank Hotel Cafe and Paula
opened the night to a very appreciative audience. She performed a new song, a track from the last album, and her perennial
holiday favorite "Why Christmas? (The Longest Day of the Year)." Performances followed by Steve & Phil Hurley, Gibbs himself,
and Paula's inverse: Californian-turned-Bostonian Rachael Cantu. Her next show is Jan 20 in Glendale, and she's busily getting
demos together for the follow-up to The Trouble with Success.
10/30/2004
The time has come for Paula to bid Boston a fond farewell. She's packing her bags and heading west to set up shop in Los Angeles, where she will almost immediately begin work on her next album. For her final Boston-resident show, Paula hosted a gala show at TT the Bear's Place on October 23rd, featuring performances by Garvey J (ex-Elevator Drops), The Rudds, Vitamin-D (PKO trumpet player Dennis Cronin's band), a career-spanning set by the PKO, and more! Fans were excited to hear some old PK songs like "Over Your Head" and "Left & Right" in the set, but the real show-stopper was the 3-horn trumpet section blaring out on the newer material. The band even debuted a new song just for Boston; the sure-to-be-a-single "Brave."
A week later, The Paula Kelley Orchestra performed as part of a great event at Irving Plaza in New York City. It was a special Halloween show put together by
Pat DiNizio of the Smithereens and the entire night was a blast. Also performing were Glen Tilbrook, Southern Culture on the Skids, Marshall Crenshaw,
Graham Parker, The Smithereens, and Sandra Bernhardt.
09/30/2004
Paula has spent most of the summer working on songs for her next album and planning her move to L.A. In addition, she has begun working with other artists - providing string, vocal, and horn arrangements and sometimes co-writing with some of Boston's finest, like Ad Frank, The Charms, and Bleu. In fact, New Yorkers can look for Paula playing keys with The Charms at the Knitting Factory on October 14th. Once in L.A., Paula will set to work on the follow-up to The Trouble with Success or How You Fit into the World, as well as continuing working with other artists.
06/22/2004
The official end of the "Trouble With Success Tour" Friday night at Toast was a euphoric and down-home affair. The Paula Kelley Orchestra bid farewell to the live cicuit with a set of songs from the album, as well as a handful of new ones. They were pleased to be joined by Don Anderson on second trumpet, and the horns sounded expecially rich in the brick-walled confines of Toast's luxurious back room. We should have some pictures from the show up on the site soon. Special thanks to The Somerville News for asking the band to play, and for their support over the past few months. Look for a brief West Coast jaunt next month featuring the experimental Paula Kelley Trio of Herself, violinist Angie Shyr, and Aaron on vocals and whatever else is handy.
06/15/2004
Paula has had a busy and rewarding 2004 thus far, and she's greatly looking forward to her upcoming break from touring and otherwise playing live. She will almost immediately begin work on demos for the next album, plus she's also been busy lately arranging songs for other fine artists. More on that as details become available. In other news, the previously exclusive-to-the-Japanese-release-of-Nothing/Everything track "She Makes You Blind" is now available for download for pennies at Digizaar, along with the rest of that album. Look for more exclusives to show up there in the near future.
05/04/2004
2003 accolades for The Trouble with Success or How You Fit into the World:
"Local disc of the year" by Brett Milano in the Boston Herald and the Boston Phoenix!
Top 10 album of 2003 from New England Music Scrapbook.
Top 10 of 2003 from Excellent Online.
Top 5 (of 50) for 2003 from Mundane Sounds.
04/09/2004
Paula's show with Les Brown's band of Renown was a smash, with a sold-out audience of 1400 in attendance. Playing with such a great big band has inspired Paula to schedule another Paula Kelley Orchestra show, this time with a 12-piece orchestra. She'll be bringing the group back to Johnny D's on Friday May 14 and the set list this time will be comprised of songs from both her solo albums, as well as maybe a new song or two. Be there. And for those of you who missed out on the French tour mini-site, it's here. A couple solo shows will round out the spring, and then Paula will begin demoing material for the next album.
02/29/2004
Happy Leap Day! And so much for rest! Before Paula could teach the orchestra more than a couple new songs, France came calling and wouldn't take 'non' for an answer. She and the band leave tomorrow for a week-long tour in celebration of the release of The Trouble with Success in France and Switzerland. No sooner do they return than they play a show at the Paradise Lounge, on March 12. And almost immediately after that, Paula heads to Florida, alone, for a gala performance at the Naples Philharmonic Hall, fronting Les Brown's Band of Renown on a handful of classic standards. So, March has indeed come in like a lion for Paula Kelley. April promises some time to start demoing new material before a short road trip and a Boston show with the expanded PK Orchestra in May. 2004 is shaping up nicely, indeed. Stay tuned...
12/24/2003
A very happy holidays to everyone out there! This has been a great year for Paula Kelley and the year-end nods have just begun rolling in with a pair from Brett Milano. First, The Trouble With Success was the only local-indie release in his top 10 for the Boston Herald, and in today's Boston Phoenix, the album tops his list of the best 10 local releases for 2003. Paula had a great time last night performing a few holiday tunes at the bustling TT's holiday party, and now she'll be taking a break from the stage to rest and begin work on her next record. But she's also planning a very special show for Spring 2004, so stay tuned for details. It's going to be a big one. Paula and everyone at pk.com wishes everyone the best for 2004 and beyond, and thanks for all your support.
10/29/2003
Response to the new album has been fantastic and the tour was a great success! Many thanks to all of you all over the country who came out to the shows. We hope to bring the Orchestra out on the road again soon, but until then, a handful of shows in Boston and New York will be keeping Paula busy. The Trouble With Success in-its-entirety show on November 14 at Johnny D's will feature the PK Orchestra - this time augmented by a second trumpet, a second violin, viola, and cello! Do not miss this show. Next, the touring band will be back at Luna Lounge in NYC, and then later in December Paula will be hosting a special holiday show at the Lizard Lounge. Details for all that coming soon.
8/22/2003
Well, the new web site is here, the album's release is imminent and Paula's most extensive tour is about to get underway. We here at pk.com are just giddy with anticipation! We also wanted to note that the new album will be released in Japan the week after its US release. That version features different artwork, Japanese liner notes, and two bonus tracks. Boston people, be sure to come on down to TT's on Monday September 15th for a swanky cocktail party and album-listening. People everywhere else, drop us a line if you want Paula to play in your town.
4/7/2003
As spring cruelly fails to arrive here in Boston, Paula is readying herself for a trip to Chicago for another installment of the International Pop Overthrow. Last year's was a rousing success, so she's looking forward to bringing the new, expanded band to the windy city. Expanded band, you ask? Yep, Paula's very pleased to announce that Chris Barrett (late of the Buck Dewey Big Band) on trumpet and miscellaneous vocals and percussion. He's proving a very valuable addition, so stay tuned for all upcoming shows.
In other news, Paula's second album is nearing completion and we'll have all the details about its release here first.
1/8/2003
Happy New Year! Paula clocked up her first performance in 2003 by playing keyboards with an obscure 80's tribute band, playing bass with another, and joining a third for a cover of Maneater! Yep, it was the second Divine PK Presents night at TT The Bear's Place and it was a great time. Look out for next month's World War Tuesday . That said, the last proper band show for a long while will be at The Lizard Lounge next weekend, Saturday January 18th. The record is doing really well in Japan, so Paula will be filming a video at that show. Come on down and be digitized!
Recording sessions for the next album have been going great! Paula's very excited to get it done and out for all your ears to hear.