I’ve been so busy promoting last Saturdays show at Westfield that I didn’t get a chance to tell you that my CD “Never Too Late” is now available to purchase down at Hardt’s Music in downtown Winona.

A big thanks to everyone down there for being part of the great selection of local artist.

About a month ago I was at a music conference in Las Vegas and I met some very talented musicians from all over the country. One of the artists i met was MJ Kroll, who – lucky for us – just happens to be from the Twin Cities.

She is extremely down to earth, is a very talented songwriter and, from what she tells me, like to tip a few back from time to time (so she’ll fit in real nice with our crowd).

Anyway, I thought it would be pretty cool to invite her down to Winona to share her music with you and give you a little taste of something different. So on July 17th she will be performing with Doc and I at the Westfield Lounge (show starts a 7:30 pm).

In the meantime, check out her video for her song called “Resonate.” After watching that, stop over and grab a free download at her site, www.MJKroll.com. See you there!

Related show

• Artist: Corey Koehler
• Date: Saturday, July 17th 2010
• Time: 7:30pm
• City: Corey Koehler in Winona, MN
• Venue: Westfield Golf Club
• Country: US
• Admission: Free
• Age restrictions: No Minors
• Notes: To add a little twist to our usually good timin show, Doc and I will be joined by Twin Cities singer/songwriter MJ Kroll. This show is FREE and open to everyone. Don’t miss it! Stop down!
• Add to Google Calendar | Download iCal

I love food almost as much as I love writing and playing music, so I figured I would write about it every now and then. Today I wanted to talk to you about what could be my favorite meal of the day – breakfast.

It is something that I, along with a majority of my family and friends, take very seriously.  Why? Its simple. Having a crappy breakfast is about as annoying as the damn alarm clock buzzer that wakes your ass up.

The No Chain Rule

When we are in our home town and we feel like going out for breakfast, its easy to pick a place. After years of trial and error, we know a few restaurants to trust our morning appetites with, BUT when we are on the road it is difficult.

But, not any more.

Over the years we’ve come up with a simple rule; No Chain Restaurants. Sorry Perkins, Denny’s, iHOP, McDonalds, etc but my bet is with the locals.

6 Reasons

Here’s are 6 reasons why I think that your odds of getting a good breakfast are substantially increased by walking into a local cafe or restaurant:

1) Better Service And Friendlier - Not to say that the chain restaurants can’t be friendly, but there is something about the atmosphere that is present when all the locals are hanging out in a place that is owned and operated by one of their own rather than from some board room in a big city.

2) Cheaper – Maybe its because they don’t have to pay a franchise fee or maybe it is because they just want an honest days pay for and honest days work – I don’t know. But 9 times out of 10 your wallet will be “less” lighter when you walk out of one of these places.

3) Better Quality – I worked at a McDonald’s back in the earlier 90’s and everything came on a truck from some far away processing plant (hmmm…processing plant, makes the mouth water doesn’t it?). You are more likely to get something that is grown and/or raised nearby when you go local. Also, I think there is a pride factor that is more prevalent at a local restaurant. Typically it is an owner or family member cooking the food and their reputation and livelihood is on the line.

4) Local Flavor – I am not just talking about how the food taste here but the whole experience. I mean, if you’ve see one Perkins, you’ve seen them all right? Why not get a feel for the soul of the town you are in? Life is all about about moments and there is a greater chance you find one at a local joint.

5) More Food – 9 times out of 10 you are gonna get bigger portions at a smaller restaurant. Maybe its the pride factor at work or maybe it just that the place is more likely to think of you as a guest as opposed to a dollar sign.

6) Its Just Exciting – To me it is just exciting to break out of the same old, same old. You could meet new people, learn something new or just discover a new take on a ham and cheese omelet. Besides, I don’t jump out of airplanes so I have to get me excitement somewhere right?

What Do You Think?

So there you have it. Next time you are out of town and looking for a good solid breakfast, try the “No Chain Rule” – and then stop back and tell us about it.

Now, do you agree or disagree? Did I miss anything? Do you have any recommendations? If so, please jot down your thoughts in the comments below.

OH, and before I forget, be on the look out for some future posts on this very subject. I will try to blog about some of the places I come across and share them with you. You could just sign up to my fanlist (look to your right when you visit PlanetCorey.com now).  I will deliver the article right to your email inbox and I’ll even give 3 free mp3 downloads right now just to say thanks.

I wanted to take time out to thank some a few people for interviewing me and reviewing and playing my music. Make sure you click on their links and check out what they have to offer.

Big thanks to…
… Chris over at Criss Cross Radio for having me on the show. I had a lot of fun and even had the chance to play a few tunes live over the phone. Listen to my interview on Criss Cross Radio.

… Thanks to Valsam at Rootstime.be over in Belgium for what could be it my first review. You can read a reviews of Never Too late here.

… Felicia Ceballos-Marroquin over at RecordSpeak.com a review of my CD. You can read another review of Never Too Late here.

… Eric over at Double Shot Radio for playing “Change The World” and “One Step At A Time”. Listen to the Double Shot Radio podcast here.

And as always thanks to everyone who has bought a cd, came to a show or shared my music. I appreciate it all more than you know.

Well I didn’t get it out as early as I had hoped BUT I did get it out on Memorial Day. My first video release was a learning experience and I will definitely allow for more time in the future.

But anyway, enough about that. Here is the video

Lyrics / Download / Buy CD

I am extremely thankful to those of you who submitted your photos and I hope that you are happy with the way the video turned out.

Also, I want to thank my sister Heather for sacrificing her limited time to help out with this. It was great working with you on this. There were a ton of late nights with early mornings involved and it wasn’t easy but you did a great job.

If you have any thoughts about the video, the song or want to share a story of someone close to you that has passed, do so in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you!

Have you ever had a good massage? If so, you know why I love them. If not, then you are missing out big time. Bummer!

Not only do they just feel damn good but there are a ton of health benefits associated with them. Things like stress reduction, improved immune system, increased circulation, healthier skin, and a few others you can find here.

Why I Am Telling You This

Well, other than the fact that I wanted to keep you guys up to speed on all things that keep you relaxed and healthy inside and out, I wanted to tell you that I am giving everyone – who comes to this Saturdays show at Westfield – a chance to win one.

My friend, and very skilled masseuse, Kari Babler has agreed to partner up with me by offering up a full body version. The great thing about Kari too is she doesn’t have a set time she goes until the job is job is done – she shoots for an hour BUT if she doesn’t hit it, she will finish.

Stop out to the Westfield Golf Course Lounge between 7pm and 9pm. Doc and I work on your mental – via our music – and you’ll get the chance to let Kari help you with everything else. See you there!

Corey Koehler is an acoustic artist who makes music that loosens up stiff necks, warms the heart and makes beer, wine or any other beverage taste better (it’s true!). If you could use a little more passion in your life, visit PlanetCorey.com now and download $3 worth of his music for the all time low price of FREE!

The last week has been a good one for me thanks to a few people out there.I am gonna list them and post a link to there site so you can stop by and check em out.

So here goes. I wanna give a BIG thank you to…

… Mike Johnston over at The Indie Media Show for playing “Change The World” and interviewing me via Skype.

… Henrik over at PodKaista over in Finland (yes you read that right) for playing “One Step At A Time”.

… Steve at Dalecast.co.uk in the United Kingdom for playing “One Step At  A Time”.

…  Greg Davies for playing my stuff on a bunch of different shows over the past few months.

You guys are helping me more than you know. And if you are reading this, stop by and check out their sites and shows.

I am coming to party in one of the biggest party towns in the tri-state area and I am pretty damn excited. Best of all, everyone – including YOU – is invited.

I have a long history partying in LaCrosse going back to my college days so I am pretty damn certain it is gonna be fun. LaCrosse never lets you down.

The music starts at 9pm and goes until 12ish. Get there early and grab a good seat. See you there!

I would like to create a video for my song “Minnesota Got Colder” for Memorial Day and I thought I would give you a chance to participate. Since the song is about remembering those that we’ve lost, I figured this would be a great way to do that.

If you haven’t heard the song, here it is. Click play and then read on below!

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Lyrics / Download / Buy CD

Here’s my idea…

Using the song as a backdrop, I would like to make something like a slide show using photo’s of the people whose memory you and I want to keep alive. I am thinking that I would like to intertwine the lyrics between photos. I am going for an old fashioned scrap book feel or maybe something like the pics are laying around on a desk or table (feel free to offer up any suggestions in the comments below).

If this is something you would like to be part of, send an email with following info to me at corey [at] planetcorey [dot] com:

Here’s what I need from you…

1. Send a picture – along with the name – of the person you would like to have in the video. Make sure they are smiling or are in a moment of happiness. Other than the fact that this is the best way to remember them, it will also match the lyrics in the songs “pictures cast a sunlight they warm this cold and empty space, they record your beaming face on your happiest days.”
2. Include the dates that they were with us (ie 1950-2001)
3. List any moto or saying that they might have had or something that is inscribed on their monument OR anything else you want to share about them with everyone. Also, Feel free to include why they passed if you are looking to raise awareness about are particular disease or if they passed in the line of duty.

I can’t promise that I will be able to fit every bit of info in the video but it will be nice to have some stuff to choose from. Also, I am thinking that I will only need 10-15 photos and I may not be able to use them all. To be fair, I will do them on a first come first serve basis.

If we have more pictures than is needed for the video or there is an overwhelming response, I may put up a dedicated webpage or set up a special account on a photo sharing site were we can publish any additional pictures.

Also note I will be publishing this video everywhere I can so please do not do this is you are uncomfortable having these pictures on display for the world to see.

There you have it…

Part of me can’t wait to see how this turns out and part of me is nervous about the scope of this project. Asking you to share something this personal is something that I am taking seriously. I will do my best to honor all involved the best that I can.

If you have any questions, concerns or suggestions, feel free to shoot me an email or type it out in the comments below.

Lets do this! Lets immortalize the ones that are no longer with us physically by sharing and celebrating their lives with anyone and everyone.

By the way, if you are new here and could use a little more passion in your life, join the party and sign up to my fanlist. To thank you, I’ll give you $3 worth of my best songs free.

Check out this video of an artist named Matthew Ryan. While I am will be performing in the lobby during intermissions at the Americana Showcase on April 15th at the Rochester Mayo Civic theatre, Matthew will be one of the artists on the main stage.

He will be joined by Brandon Sampson from Six Mile Grove and Charlie Parr.

Good stuff aye?

Now I know you might think that I am biased for what I am about to say, since I am playing there myself, BUT I’ve been a spectator at two previous Americana Showcases and I can tell you that there is nothing like them around here – especially if you are fan of any form of acoustic music. The environment is very intimate and the people – artists and fans – are extremely friendly and way passionate.

Bottom line, if you are a music fan, you don’t want to miss these types of shows.

Go learn more about the show and check out more from these artists, click here now!

See you there!

Oh, and if you have any questions just shoot me an email.