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.

Well I’ve tossed it around for months and I have finally decided that I am going to name my first CD. For a long time I thought about just having it self-titled because everything I was coming up with was either cheesy or risky. But in a flash of inspiration the other day, I decided on “Never Too Late” (for the record, that is “not” the cover up above).

Not only does it have a certain ring to it but it explains circumstance behind the recording of the CD ( that is, my musical pursuits at age 37). Also, and more importantly, I feel that it is a great message to rally behind and one that I passionately support, want to encourage and shout from the rooftops.

What do you think about the title? Let me know in the comments below.

The CD

Oh! And about the CD itself, I have all my parts laid down and most of the lead stuff – that Doc and Tom Moncrieff are helping with.

Now it is just a matter of going through everything and doing some what I call “redlining” to make sure everything is the way we want it. Stuff like fixing errors, determining order of the songs, tweaking audio levels, some other techy stuff I don’t understand and adding some purcusssion in certain areas to dress it all up a bit.

That said, I hoping to have something in your hands by early to mid February.

Thank You

I have had the good fortune of having some very good crowds at my last few shows. I want to thank all of you for coming, showing your support and singing along. It is fun partying with all of you and it is way cool hearing the whole bar sing stuff back at us.

I also want to thank EB’s, Ed’s no Name, Twin Bluffs, and the Hei n Low for putting us on over the past month. And Puff out at the L-Cove for letting me Hi-jack the PA to play a few impromptu tunes a few weeks back for Levi’s Birthday party.

Overall, it has been unbelievable meeting so many new people, all from different walks of life. That is one aspect that I didn’t expect – and really enjoy – when I started this whole trip. Good stuff.

Be on the look out for some more shows coming. I’ve been chit chatting with a bunch of local venues and may have an opportunity down the road in LaCrosse for some of you in that area.

Have a good one!

Today I rolled into work and there was a quote in our daily in/out email. It really got me thinking and I wanted to see if it would do the same for you. Here it is.

“The more you seek security, the less of it you have. But the more you seek opportunity, the more likely it is that you will achieve the security that you desire.” – Brian Tracy (Personal And Professional Development Author and Speaker)

It really made me think about how I’ve been playing it pretty safe for most of my life with “security” as an excuse. The few exception being joining the National Guard and quitting a foundry job to go back to school while working another job for a lot less pay – both of which, by the way, turned out to be some of the most fulfilling, cherished and “alive” feeling periods in my life.

Stagefright

My most recent flirtation, with things not associated with security, would have to be the exploration of my musical side. For years I dodged it because I was scared. Scared of what people would think. Scared of getting up in front of people. Scared of letting people know what is going on in my head via the songs I write. Scared if my thinning hair line was gleaming in the limelight and on and on. I was just scared.

Other than this inner knowing that I needed to do something greater than just waste away in a cubicle during the day and in front of the TV at night, I also thought about my kids.  I looked at them and thought about the future. I feel that being scared is no way for a father to act. I mean how am I supposed to tell them to follow their heart and block out all of the noise if I can’t do it myself? That is not the example I want to set for them (and for the record I am deathly afraid of being a hypocrite and – to keep my honest – you are welcome to call me on it any time).

Out Of Thin Air

Now since I’ve been implementing this type of thinking, I notice a  funny thing happening. When I started looking at music as being an opportunity, things started to fall in place and continue to do so. For instance, places that I’d like to play at became available, old friends come back into my life and offer their support, I meet other artists and industry people who answer questions and provide guidance, I find all the resources necessary to help me record my CD, and I could go on and on!

The other thing I noticed was that the work I do (write and perform music) is about as fulfilling as anything I’ve ever experienced. It is so freakin cool to have people come up to me and tell me about how a tune of mine made them feel better about something, made them think a little more about a subject or just helped make their day better.

It is double freakin awesome to see the community that is slowly starting to arise around the music. When I play live it is  surreal to be able to look out into the crowd and see old fiends, new friends and family all gathered in the same place, interacting with each other and having a good time. What more could I person want?

The Rewards

Bottom line, if I had stuck with the security of playing my guitar and singing my songs behind closed doors, I would not know any of this.  I may not have met a good guy like Ray “Yeah Baby” Roberts. I never would have known what old friends Stacy and Marcy were up to these days. I might not know how dedicated my brother Troy,  sister Heather and the rest of my family are to going above and beyond helping me out. I might never know what a great excuse playing live is to go out and party with my friends all without my wife getting mad (had to throw that in). And again, I could go on.

What a boring waste of life it would have been to have not known any of these things.

So ask yourself this “Am I playing safe in some part of my life?” And then ask yourself, “what could I be missing out on because of it?”

I just wanted to let you know about a few upcoming show and tell you about where you can hang out with us over on Facebook. But first, I want to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a very happy Thanksgiving.

I know I have a ton to be thankful for this year. It would take forever to list everything but there are a few I put right at the top of the list; my beautiful family, my health (minus the beginnings of a runny nose..fingers crossed) and YOU! Yep you. I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you stick around to hear what I have to say here on the blog, or when come out to hear me play or many of other ways you have shown your support over the past year. I am extremely lucky to have you and I am more motivated than ever to make the best music I can for you, help you live a better life and show you a good time.  THANK YOU!

What are you thankful for? Help me get to know you better by telling me in the comments below.

Mark Your Calender

Just wanted to let you know that I book a bunch of new shows over the past few weeks. Check them out and I’ll see you there.

12/9 – Ed’s No Name Bar (Winona)

12/12 – EB’s Corner (Winona)

12/31 – Twin Bluffs Tavern (Winona)

1/2 – Hei n’ Low (Winona)

1/9 – Rebels Rollin Inn (Rollingstone)

Are You On Facebook?

Also, I wanted to let you know that I finally put up a fanpage over on Facebook. I put it up three days ago and already have 166 people. I am in awe. Thanks to everyone one of you who helped spread the word. If you are on Facebook, make sure you stop by and say hi. If you aren’t, don’t be shy. Throw up a profile and drink the Kool Aid (you’ll be glad you did). Here’s the link Corey Koehler Music on Facebook .

See you later, and again, Happy Thanksgiving!

Just wanted to remind you that you are invited out to Twin Bluffs tonight to party with Doc, myself and the rest of the party animals that seem to make their way to our shows. Music starts at 9:00 and goes til 12ish. Don’t be afraid to come early and grab something to eat. The food is excellent out there.

Also, I will be playing tomorrow night from 7pm until 10pm at the Rollin Inn in Rollingstone. You can bet it will be a good time too. We’re expecting a great turnout.

Hope to see you there.

I just learned this week that I will be opening for one of my sister Heather’s favorite artists. His name is Nick Shattuck and I will be opening for him starting at 10pm on Thursday November 12th at Del’s Bar in LaCrosse.

This is a great opportunity for me to open some doors in a fun city. I have always been a big fan of LaCrosse since I’ve had a LOT of fun there. I have a ton of great – and possibly incriminating – stories to tell (ask me sometime when I see you).

If you wanna check out Nick – and I highly suggest that you do – you can check out the official Nick Shattuck Facebook Fanpage. Also, for more info on the gig itself or to add yourself to the guest list, visit the events page.

Before I go I wanna publicly thank both my sister Heather, for hooking me up, and Nick, for giving me the opportunity. I owe you guys big time!

Talk to you later… have a good one!

Related show

• Artist: Corey Koehler
• Date: Thursday, November 12th 2009
• Time: 10:00pm
• City: Corey Koehler in LaCrosse, WI
• Venue: Del’s Bar
• Country: US
• Admission: Free
• Age restrictions: No minors
• Notes: I will be doing a 30 minute set of originals opening for Nick Shattuck.
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A few weeks back I was at the Trempeleau Hotel to a attend a meeting for a discussion group I am involved with. A fellow member – and successful business/family man – by the name of Roger Zehren gave me a piece of very simple advise that I figured I would share with you.

When I arrived he asked how my music pursuits were going. I told him about the shows I did and the song I recorded. Then I also mentioned that I brought a CD along – with me that night – because I knew that the Hotel books many acoustic acts similar to mine and that I was going to present it to them “after” the meeting in the hopes that I could get a gig.

He asked me what I was waiting for and suggested that I do it right away. I told Roger that I was a little apprehensive about approaching the bartender and “bugging” him with my pitch right now – it didn’t feel right. To which Roger replies, “You gotta put yourself out there. If you want something, you gotta go get it”

I thought about it for a second and then thought to myself “Screw it, Rogers right!” So I did it.

Not only did it feel liberating – and even a tad exciting – but, it turns out the guy behind the bar just happened to be the person in charge of booking the shows. And if I had waited til after the meeting, he would have been gone.

Even though I haven’t heard from the Hotel yet – and even if I don’t – I learned a valuable lesson that I will not forget. Just like Roger said “You gotta put yourself out there. If you want something you gotta go get it”

How about you? There has to be something you want. Are you putting it off? How about going to go get it?

Pssst…feel free to share any related stories below. We’d all love to hear them.

Here’s chance for you to hang out with fun people, eat some good food and melt away the damage done from a long week of work.

I just booked a gig party out at Twin Bluffs on Friday November 13th (9:00 pm). Everyone had a great time out there the last time Doc and I played and this time shouldn’t be any different.

Also, the food is freakin awesome. It is all home style (read large and tasty) and the pizza -called “The Garbage Can” – that Doc and I shared at the last gig still makes my mouth water just thinking about it.

If it seems like its a little far out for some of you, perhaps it could be an excuse to go do some Christmas shopping in LaCrosse with a good timin’ pit stop on the way back home (just a thought).

If you missed it, here’s more about what went down at Twin Bluffs the last time we had a chance to hang there – Labor Day at Twin Bluffs.

Related show

• Artist: Corey Koehler
• Date: Friday, November 13th 2009
• Time: 9:00pm
• City: Corey Koehler in Winona, MN
• Venue: Twin Bluffs Tavern
• Country: US
• Admission: Free
• Notes: Here’s another chance for you to hang out with fun people, eat some good food and melt away the damage done from a long week of work. Twin Bluff’s in is a great place to hang out!
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