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!

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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.

I am very excited to announce the release of my very first cd album “Never Too Late.” And I am equally excited to hear what you think.

Go hear all the songs and get your copy by clicking on the image to the right or by visiting my Music Page. The album is available as a download (in pretty much any format you can think of) as well as a physical CD or download.

Click Here To Check It Out!

Have you heard of Winona360.com? It not, here is what it is in their own words;

“Winona360 is a community news and information site for the Upper Mississippi River Valley region, produced by the Winona State Mass Communication Department as a laboratory for students and faculty to learn and teach emerging media that serves our community and the world.”

So, why am I telling you this?

Well, I’m not sure what they were thinking but they were kind enough to let me write an article for the site and I figured that maybe you would like to read it.

The title of the article is “Live Performances Relate To Everyday Life.” Basically I give an example of how what I’ve learned about putting on a good live show could be used by you and I to help make our relationships better.

Go read it now here and see what you think -

http://bit.ly/are4eJ

Last Sunday I had the pleasure of being on the Cubanarama Show over on BlogTalkRadio.

The host of the show, Marta Sosa, was extremely fun to talk to and I really think you will enjoy listening to her. She has a great spirit and can easily brighten up the room and put a smile on your face.

Aside from me spilling my guts on everything from past relationships to where the songs come from and growing up in Minnesota, you’ll learn why everyone outside of the midwest just doesn’t understand the concept of “hot dish” (go figure!).

Go listen to Corey Koehler on Cubanarama now.

This Sunday afternoon Doc and I will have the honor of donating our time and abilities to a good cause by performing on the KTTC Eagles Cancer Telethon. I can’t wait.

To be honest, I didn’t put much thought into the whole thing other than the fact that it is a great opportunity to put myself out there while at the same time, giving back.

But as the telethon gets closer, the weight of the event is really starting to sink in. I keep thinking about how cancer not only effected my life but the lives of my family and friends as well.

Both my grandma and grandpa Koehler both passed as a result of the disease. I was much younger with my grandpa but I remember the trips to the old VA hospital. I remember watching him – a strong proud man – whither away over the course of a year while at the same time watching my grandma slowly lose the love of her life, and my dad, aunts and uncles deal with the loss of their father.

Years later my grandma had a very aggresive style of cancer – pancreatic I think. She selflessly refused the chemo because she didn’t want to put the family through the same year long meatgrinder that everyone endured with my grandpa.

My wife has had four very close relatives who have been effected deeply by cancer. I am glad to say three of the four have either beaten it or are in the process of beating it.

One of my longest and closest friends just lost his father – another strong and proud man – to it last summer. I have co-workers that have been battled the disease. And unfortunately, if I really thought about it, I could go on.

Bottom line, this disease has effected a lot of lives and taken some damn good people. It will continue to do so until somebody much smarter than I can figure something out. All I can do, other than make a donation myself, is show up, play a tune and hope that someone like yourself watches long enough to consider picking up the phone and making a donation too.

So if you are around the TV or internet at all this weekend, flip on channel 10 or KTTC.com and check out some of the acts and seriously consider making a donation.

Chances are you will be helping out a close friend or relative.

Join Doc and I at around 1:16 pm on Sunday afternoon to here us performing a song called “Minnesota Got Colder” (you can hear the demo below).

The song is a result of all of the seemingly endless amount of funerals I was attending over the course of last year. I walked through a lot of lines and all I could say to these friends and relatives was “sorry for your loss.” I felt I need to offer something more, something that could possibly provide some piece of mind. So I wrote the song. I hope that it is good enough to provide comfort to anyone else dealing with loss.

Press play to listen now.

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For more information about the telethon please visit KTTC.com.