» americana music

New Environmental Song Called “Frac Sand Blues”

Corey — Mon, 07 May 2012 03:30:33 +0000

Folk Rock Singer Songwriter Corey Koehler (aka me) has released an environmental song in his song-per-month campaign. The song is titled “Frac Sand Blues.”

The song is an attempt to raise awareness about the controversial practices of Frac Sand Mining and Natural Gas Fracking.

And please, don’t just take my word for it, make up your own mind. Click the links at the bottom of this post to learn more on Frac Sand Mining and Natural Gas Fracking.

Watch This First…

Press Play, Listen and Share

Press play below to listen to the song. When you are done listening download the song (Pay What You Want…yes, even free!) and please click “Share” and share with your friends on your favorite social network. THANK YOU!

Mobile Users click here to go listen.

Pay What You Want

You will notice that the price is currently set to “Pay What You Want.” It means what it says and even includes paying nothing (yep, the song is completely free. Costs you $0). And you can download the new music in any version you would like – mp3, wav, ogg, etc . Hell you can even send a copy to your friends if you feel like it and I will not call the internet police or the RIAA or anything like that.

Just so you know, If you pay anything at all between now and the first Monday in April (when I release more new music), I will put your name in the song credits under “Associate Producer” or whatever title you choose. This will forever link you to the song and proudly put you on display for everyone to see that you are supporting one very grateful musician. Your name will reside in the credits on Bandcamp, iTunes, Amazon, CdBaby, etc for now but when it comes time to release physical copy of the CD, it will be there too.

“Your contribution not only helps me offset the cost of providing this music for free but it also tells me that you think what I am doing is worth the effort and that you want me to continue creating more music and moments for you.”

A Big THANKS to last month contributors – Associate Producers: Nicole Gentry, Alvin Kinsey, Jim Scherley, Brian Meek, Teresa Jerome and self proclaimed Podcasting Bitch: Greg Davies.

Get Your Download

Learn More About Frac Sand & Fracking

What is Fracking? – Very informative page – both visually and textually – on what fracking is. Also, check out the documentary film.

Pros and Cons on 60 Minutes (Video) – Both sides of the issue are presented in this 60 Minutes story.

Frac Sand Mining (Videos) – These are some random videos highlighting Frac Sand mining and its impact on the communities where its being done.

How Much Gas Do We Have? – Very informative article from Kurt Cobb – a journalist who reports on issues surrounding energy and the environment. I was able to catch a presentation of his Winona State University a month or so ago. He presented some very interesting data about the amount of “recoverable” natural gas and its importance relative to relieving us of our dependance on foreign suppliers.

Thoughts?

What do you think of the “Frac Sand Blues?” Leave a comment below I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Pssst… My “One Song A Month Indefinitely” plan is in full swing which means I will be releasing new music the first Monday of every month.

Enter your name and email below because then you will be one of the very first to hear my new music (Plus I’ll send you two free songs right now).

Are You A Folk, Country or Americana Music Lover? …Then Meet Sally Barris, Jon Vezner and Brandon Sampson (Six Mile Grove)

Corey — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 00:01:17 +0000

Like you I am a huge fan of good music. I am always looking to find and share whatever I find with you anytime I can.

Today, aside from authoring a headline longer than 3 freight trains, I wanted to profile a few of the world class singer-songwriters that I have the honor of supporting next Wednesday night (Sept. 21st) at the Mayo Civic in Rochester, MN: Sally Barris, Jon Vezner and Brandon Sampson.

Here are a few facts and some video from each of these artists. Enjoy!

Sally Barris

Website: http://www.sallybarris.com

She has had her songs recorded by Martina McBride, Trisha Yearwood, Lee Ann Womack and American Idolist finalist Kellie Pickler.

Here is a video Sally singing here tune “Let The Wind Chase You.”

Jon Vezner

Website: http://www.jonvezner.com

Check out the list of accomplishments this Minnesota born songwriters has compiled:

Grammy Award for “Best Country Song” (“Where’ve You Been” Kathy Mattea – 1989)
Country Music Association (CMA) ”Song of the Year” (“Where’ve You Been” Kathy Mattea – 1989)
Academy of Country Music (ACM) “Song of the Year” (“Where’ve You Been” Kathy Mattea – 1989)
Nashville Songwriter Association “Best Country Song” (“Where’ve You Been” Kathy Mattea – 1989)
NSAI “Songwriter of the Year”

Wow!

Add to that the laundry list of musicians who have recorded his music: Steve Warriner, Clay Walker, Diamond Rio. Martina McBride, Janis Ian, John Mellencamp, Nancy Griffith, Faith Hill, Clay Walker, Diamond Rio and Native American recording artist, Bill Miller.

Check out Jon performing “Where’ve you Been” at the famous Bluebird Cafe in Nashville:

Brandon Sampson

Website: http://sixmilegrove.com

Brandon is singer-songwriter from Minnesota. You can usually find him playing with his band Six Mile Grove (from Lyle, MN) and touring the Midwest with (Johnny Cash) music legend Bob Wootton.

As a cool side note, Brandon and Six Mile Grove were featured in an episode of “ABC’s Extreme Makeover Home Edition,” which re-built a house in Albert Lea, MN.

And, he is also one of the people responsible for putting together the Americana Showcase (and for hiring me… thanks Brandon!).

Check out this warm-fuzzy inducing Six Mile Grove song featuring his 87 grandpa:

Good Stuff Aye?

Remember you can see all of them live, along with myself, on Wednesday September 21st in Rochester, MN at the Mayo Civic Theatre. You can get find out more information by clicking here now.

Let me know if you can make it and I’ll look out for you. We can have a few drinks and watch the show together.

Oh and are there any artists you think I or anyone else reading this should know about? Feel free to tell us about them below.

A New Tune About Staying Out Too Late With Your Buddies (Music Video)

Corey — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 20:58:26 +0000

Last Wednesday I had the pleasure of playing up in Chanhassen, MN at School II. It was a great trip and I’ll have more about how it went in a post on Monday. But for now I just wanted to share my new tune with you.

It is called “Cold Shoulder”. It is basically a tune about getting home really late after being out with my buddies all night. I bet many of you can relate to this whether you are the one home alone or the one getting home late.

Either way, here it is. Let me know what you think and don’t be afraid of sharing it with everyone you know.

A big thanks to Stephanie Shinn for the great video footage.

OH, and before I forget, be on the look out for some future posts on this very subject. You could just sign up to my fanlist at visit PlanetCorey.com. 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.

Song Facts: the Story Behind My Song “Change The World”

Corey — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 01:28:48 +0000

I heard that it was a good idea to explain the meanings behind your songs to help people connect better with both the artist and the song, so I figured I would try it out. Today, i would like to tell you about the inspiration behind my song “How To Change The World”. Also, it gives me a chance to share a sketch about the song which was done by a fantasy football blogger freind of mine, Tom Van Wyhe.

Change The World Sketch by Tom Van Wyhe

Frustration

The theme of this song comes from my frustration with and my desire to reach out to two types of people;

1) People who complain…

…about everything going on around them and not doing anything about it. I know these types of people very well because I was one for a long time and still have to remind myself to this day.

2) People that simply choose to vote for one team…

…or the other as if there are only two – when neither team has done squat for years and years – and then expect things to change. Again, for years I was one of these people.

My Humble Advice

My humble advice (in the chorus) and fictional example of someone making a difference (last verse) both come from personal observation, many years of reading, and advice from people who know. I truly believe that we can all change things for the better but we have to start with ourselves and work outward. Like Ghandi said “You must be the change you wish to see in this world”.

So I guess when it is all said and done, my belief is that the answer to “Change The World” is to start with changing your world.

Listen here

“Change The World”

Download audio file (Change%20The%20World.mp3)

Lyrics / Free Download / Buy CD

Check Out Singer/Songriter MJ Kroll With Me At Westfield On Saturday July 17th

Corey — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 04:13:52 +0000

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!

Memorial Video For Minnesota Got Colder Is Complete (Video)

Corey — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 03:10:42 +0000

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!