"The Lotus Effect" Album Release! 08/26/2011
Hey folks, I'm excited to announce that my new album "The Lotus Effect" is now available at live shows and via www.kalafarnham.com! I've put an extraordinary amount of time and effort into producing this and I feel great about the final product. "The Lotus Effect" tells a story of attachment, loss, and the development of inner strength and resilience. I think the theme of the album is best reflected by this quote by Sri Sathya Sai Baba: "You must be a lotus, unfolding its petals when the sun rises in the sky, unaffected by the slush where it is born or even the water which sustains it." I recorded and produced the entire album independently, but my friends and family worked hard to help me put together some beautiful album artwork. Mark Maksim (marcmphotography.com) photographed a great cover image and Mom created beautiful digital graphics of the lotus flower to place throughout the lyric booklet. Thanks Mark! Thanks Mom! I want to thank you all for being so supportive of my music. Also, thank you to all the musicians and friends I have encountered this year who have been such an inspiration! Order the album online at www.kalafarnham.com/store.html Or pick it up at any one of my upcoming shows: www.kalafarnham.com/performance-schedule.html Last but not least, I've been working on getting up a few more youtube videos for those of you who aren't able to make it out to my shows! Check out my cover of Alicia Key's "If I Ain't Got You" and my newest original song "Maitri", accompanied by Marty Wirt on the djembe: www.youtube.com/kalafarnham That's all for now guys, hope to see you soon - let me know what you think of the album! Add Comment Hey everyone, I'm reaching out because I need your help! I've entered my music in a competition to get my music heard on the soundtrack of the movie "Renee". I'm counting on friends and fans to vote for my songs from today until May 30th! It's so easy to help out, please take the time to vote at least once! All you have to do is go to www.reneethemovie.com/soundtrack, search for "Kala Farnham", listen to the song for 30 seconds and vote. You can vote as many times as you'd like! My song "Strong Enough" is doing really well. All I have to do is finish in the Top 20 and it will be considered for the movie by a panel of judges. Here's the details: Renee the Movie is about Renee Yohe, a teen who struggled through depression and addiction and inspired the creation of the "To Write Love on Her Arms" charity organization. Because music is so central to her story, they are going to chose one unsigned artist to be featured on the movie soundtrack next to Travie McCoy, Rachael Yamagata, Paper Route, & Between the Trees. Read TWLOHA's press release on "Renee" here: http://www.twloha.com/news.php?nid=229. This means a lot to me, please help me out! Thanks!! Spring Fever! 03/10/2011
Hey folks! As the end of the winter draws nearer and spring fever starts to kick in, I'm finding myself anticipating all the musical events that warm weather brings. This spring and summer I will be returning to some of my favorite outdoor venues in Connecticut for original music: Blue Back Square in West Hartford, Hank's Dairy Bar in Plainfield, and the Particle Accelerator Benefit Concert in Putnam. I'll also be sharing the stage with Kris Bonkowski & the Young Professionals as they provide summertime entertainment along the Mystic coastline. Keep your eyes peeled for upcoming performances. I can't wait to celebrate the return of spring and I want you to join in the fun! A reminder that the first Friday of each month I host the Vanilla Bean Open Mic with Faith Montaperto. I encourage any and all poets and musicians to participate; share your stories and creativity in one of Connecticut's best listening rooms. Sign-ups @ 6:45, show starts @ 7:30. $7 cover charge. February was a busy month for me. I debuted as the opening act for Adam Trudel at Indigo Pizza in Coventry, RI. My music seemed to go over well and I will be returning for another performance on March 25th! I also had an excellent experience at Javapalooza Cafe, a cozy, artist-friendly coffeeshop in the college town of Middletown, CT. The show was almost canceled due to torrential rains, and though I began playing to a nearly empty room, by the end of the night passers-by old and young were drawn in and I closed out the night with a full audience. I felt I was really able to make a connection with the Middletown community. One innovative young man expressed his appreciation of my performance in a spontaneous poem inspired only by my music and a Ginger Ale label. I was flattered, and the poem now lives on my refrigerator door! Thank you for the warm reception, Javapalooza Cafe... Between the friendly folk and the exceptional coffee and crepes, I can't resist coming back for more! Outside of my work as a performing singer/songwriter and cover musician, I try to participate in the musical community in every way possible. This month I stepped in as an accompanist for a high school musical. I had a wonderful time working with the kids and got to enjoy a great show in the process. It's inspiring to see young people pursuing their dreams and exploring their creativity! I want to mention that I've been writing a lot of new music for the new year. As I come out with these ideas I'll be sharing some rough demos via Facebook. The demos are quick, one-take recordings that I laid down in the comfort of my bedroom; the point is not to create studio-quality audio production but rather to share the ideas that I have been working with - I want to know what you guys think! "Like" my page on facebook to gain access to my unreleased songs here. See ya around! Kicking off 2011 01/02/2011
Hey folks, I hope you all had a great holiday season and started off the New Year with a bang! My transition into the New Year was musical, warm, classy, and wild all at once. I started out New Year's Eve with a performance at Ballou's Wine Bar in Guilford, CT. It's a hidden gem and if you're ever passing through the area, it's my top recommendation for delicious food, a friendly staff, and needless to say a nice wine selection! Not to mention the great music ;-) After a fine evening at Ballou's, I headed over to the VooDoo Grill to watch my new cover band rock out the remaining hours of 2010 and kick off 2011. The place was packed and there was a lot of dancing, singing, and general merriness. These guys really knows how to get a crowd going... we all had a blast. I'm excited to announce that for the new year, I'll be joining the band on keyboards and female vocals! New Year's Day I performed with the band at the Black Sheep in Niantic, CT. Some of the songs I feature on include "Pokerface" by Lady Gaga, "I Love Rock N' Roll" by Joan Jett, and "Since You Been Gone" by Kelly Clarkson. Quite a change from my usual mellow mix of folk and pop... I love it! I've got the band backing me on one of my favorite covers, "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey. It's so exciting to be playing with a full band! In other news, I just got a Little Martin guitar... and we are in love, completely inseparable. If you've ever seen me perform live you know I'm a little person with little fingers, and the Little Martin fits me perfectly. We were made for each other! With the guidance of my guitar-playing friends, I've been diligently learning, practicing, writing, and building up my calluses... I feel more confident than ever about bringing the guitar on stage with me. Look forward to meeting Little Martin this year! Last but definitely not least, you are probably wondering what happened to the full-length studio album I promised way back in the fall of 2010. We've had some major setbacks with that - recording always seems to be a much more grueling process than I bargain for - but I'm sorting that situation out and I'll keep you updated on the release date. In the meantime, I've lined up my first few shows of 2011 and I'd love to see you there: 1/21/11 @ 10pm - Daniel Packer Inn - Mystic, CT 1/29/11 @ 9:30pm - The Gold Eagle - Danielson, CT 2/1/11 @ 8pm - The English Club - Worcester, CT HAPPY NEW YEAR!! Peace~ Kala Hey everyone, Hope you are all doing well. We're winding down to the end of summer and I've got a lot in store for fall 2010 that I want to tell you about! If you haven't already heard via my Facebook Fanpage: My first full-length studio album is now in the works! The final interactive media CD will include my first music video, photos, live performance videos, and more. I'm super excited to announce that I'll also be bringing some talented musicians into the project. All this month I am recording with Adam Oppedisano of Dood Productions in Malden, MA - We're documenting the whole process, so you can keep track of my progress via www.doodproductions.com/kalafarnham.html. We'll keep it updated with photos, media clips, and other news. Don't forget to check the website on September 1st to pre-order your copy! We're shooting for a release date in fall 2010. More details on that soon.... Also, I now have a regular gig in Putnam, CT! I perform every Saturday from 9pm-12pm @ Casa Mariachi Mexican Restaurant. The show is 21+ and free; the food and drink is delicious and affordable. I'd love to see you there sometime :-) Peace ~ Kala Here's to the New Year! 01/02/2010
Hey everyone! First off, I hope you all had a great holiday season. I enjoyed having a bit of time to relax with my family and friends, but also kept hard at work learning some new material for 2010. I'm hoping to play at a lot of new venues this year, one of which seems quite interested in having me as a mostly-cover artist. So if you hear me playing a lot of Regina Spektor, Jewel, Amanda Palmer; if you hear some Billy Joel, Elton John, Pink Floyd - and yes, by special request, Tool - don't be surprised! But don't worry, I'll still be writing like a fiend as always and still plan to work with primarily original material. As a songwriter, I feel like its important for me to innovate and change. I don't want to bring you the same type of music over and over from year to year. Maybe you've noticed this - I try to find different rhythmic patterns in my piano playing from song to song, and I try to expand myself by writing in different genres: a little bit of folk here, a touch of rock there, some jazz and some pop. I'm trying to learn some different instruments - guitar, dulcimer, and harp to name a few - to broaden my knowledge of music and see it from new perspectives. That said, I have some new ideas in store for this year's performances. I hope to be collaborating with some other musicians - ultimately I'd like a folk band to back me, but I'm willing to wait as long as it takes to find the right people. The main goal is to find inspiration from other artists and see what kind of magic we can create together. In addition, I've got some new equipment that will enable me to be a one woman band of sorts. It might look something like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0vcxA29okM - but with more real instruments! (I love David Ford and I aspire to be his female counterpart!) So, there's a little bit of what you can expect as the year progresses. As always, be sure to keep track of my show schedule - I plan to have a year full of performing! Also, remember that my new live album "Naked Honest" will be available at all of these shows along with my first home studio album "Raincloud". For those of you who can't make it to my shows, I promise to have "Naked Honest" available online very soon. Well, here's to a new year - I can't wait to see what it brings! New Album Out Available at Shows! 11/21/2009
Hey everyone! After some time off from performing to do some writing and put together a live album, I've finally booked some shows for the fall... and there all coming up within the next month! And yes, I will be selling my new album, "Naked Honest - Kala Farnham Live 2009" at all of these shows. All of the recordings come from this summer's performances - thanks to Kevin Farnham and Bradley O'Connor for running the sound - so, if you've been to any of my recent performances, many of the songs you heard will be on the album in their purest, stripped down, spur of the moment form. I'm also very excited to feature the work of photographer Marc Maksim for my album art. After I spent countless hours designing the album art, mixing, mastering, and mostly listening to the same songs over and over again trying to decide which to put on the album (I think I started out with over 30 possible tracks, and finally narrowed it down to 13) it's so relieving and fulfilling to have the final product available to you all. The hard copies are being produced this week! Right now, the live album will only be available at live performances - so be sure to come and get your copy at one of these upcoming performances! On Thursday, November 19th, I will be performing at the Copper Stallion Restaurant and Pub in Sturbridge, MA from 7:30 to 10 pm. I'm working really hard to try to get my live album in production in time for this show! On Friday, November 27th - yes, the day after Thanksgiving - I will be playing at Border's Books and Music at the Westfield Mall in Meriden, CT at 7:00 pm. My will that be a busy night... Come and get some holiday shopping done, than sit back and relax to enjoy a coffee and some music! On Saturday, December 5th, I will be performing for the first time at Stoggy Hollow Restaurant in Woodstock, CT from 6 to 8 pm. On Wednesday, December 9th, I will make an appearance at Central Connecticut State University from noon to 1 pm; so CCSU students, be sure to take a break from your studying to listen to the music (I won't bribe you to skip classes). Finally, on Friday, December 11th, I will be participating in the Brian Jarvis Christmas Bash Benefit for CCMC Children's Hospital in the Autorino Hall at the Bushnell in Hartford, CT. I'll be performing early on around 7 pm as one of the acoustic openers. Tickets will be $10 for this event, but there will be a lot of great performers including Brian Jarvis, Article 19, and Columbia Fields. And finally, I'll leave you with this lovely review Paul Rosano wrote up on my music and demo album "Raincloud": http://www.thetrickismusic.com/?p=2057 I hope to see everyone soon! New projects in the making! 07/03/2009
Hey folks! Gosh, I've been so busy performing that it seems I've forgotten to write about it these past few months. This past month has presented me with a lot of great opportunities and I'm excited to see where they take me. Upcoming performances 04/07/2009
Hello everyone! A lot going on at the beginning of the year! 02/18/2009
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