Merry Kicksmas!
Greetings friends and family!
Although it has been several fortnight since our last post, I assure you that we are still here and have been very busy. Recently, we synced up with our good friends, Cornerstone, for a long overdue roots reggae tag-team extravaganza at both SoHo and SLO Brew. Anyone who hasn’t heard much from Cornerstone needs to check out their new self-titled album ASAP. You’ll be glad you did.
Also in the headlines for The Kicks: our first full-length album, Break Free, has made it to Spotify! Thanks to all who are listening and spreading the music. We’re all on this too so drop us a line if you want to join in on our (often ridiculous) collaborative playlists.
We’ve also recently created our very own YouTube channel with cuts straight off of our album, Break Free. Search up ‘The Kicks Reggae’ and check the tunes and please let us know what you think!
With 2011 coming to an end, we have so many great memories to look back on thanks to you all – our friends and family who have supported us and more broadly, live music. Thank you. Please be on the lookout for new music and a more expansive tour schedule in 2012.
Much love,
mike G & the kicks
spring at last
With the passing of the Spring Equinox and the official end of Winter (hooray!), we find ourselves trying to stay focused with the beautiful weather outside. Thanks to all who came to Stokefest, SLO Brew (with Katchafire and Tomorrows Bad Seeds), and the UCSB Spring Fest. It’s been a fun couple of weekends to say the least. As you may have noticed if you attended any of these shows, we played very short sets. Want some more? Well so do we! Here are some upcoming opportunities to catch some live roots music later this month:
-Friday April 15 at Rooney’s Irish Pub, Old Town Orcutt with Tomorrows Bad Seeds. It’s always a good time playing in Mikey J. and Timmy’s hometown!
-Saturday April 16 at The Burton Inn, Cambria, 2nd annual Elephant Seal Festival. Come relax among the pines in Cambria for this afternoon bash.
-Friday April 22 at SLO Brew with Native Elements Band. Come see San Francisco’s (and possibly the West Coast’s) finest roots/island reggae band blow up the Central Coast!
-Saturday April 23 at SOhO Santa Barbara with Native Elements Band. Didn’t make it up to San Luis for Friday’s show? Get your chance in SB.
MC
Thanks and Praises
Thank you to everyone in San Luis Obispo and Carpinteria who came out to make our CD release parties so successful! This weekend was certainly one for the books with a packed SLO Brew showing love from well before the first note was even played–we love sharing such shows with so many friends, family, and fans. Saturday at the Carp Theater was awesome with the crowd of all ages’ tireless fervor and willingness to cram up in front of the first row of seats to dance. Thanks Carp for always making us feel at home!
Now, we look to the coming weeks (more details on the Tour page):
-Friday, February 11: Frog and Peach Pub, SLO
-Saturday, February 12: Benefit Concert at Carpinteria Women’s Center–please come to support a Carp local in need!
-Tuesday, February 15: Sandbar, Santa Barbara
-Friday, February 18: Twin Oaks Restaurant, Los Alamos
-Saturday, February 19: Rooney’s Irish Pub, Old Orcutt
on the horizon
Lion & Fox Sunset
so many great things are in the works: we’re closing out 2010 in San Francisco’s Rockit Room with an island style bash with Native Elements and Natural Vibrations. our full length CD “Break Free” has been mixed and mastered at lion & fox studios and is on it’s way to being finished and released (*squee*). looking forward to february 4th, we get to rock our home town stage at SLO Brew with the help of some dear friends.
so many great new songs are on the verge of existence and i can hardly contain myself… and to top it all off, it’s Mikey J’s birthday 
looking forward to seeing all of you again. we’ve got some great music to share.
-reese
Feeling blessed.
This past week felt like a dream… Some notable highlights: Farmers market jam with Reesie, Tim and the Spanish vacationer dancers. Playing the Sandbar and Reese getting straight ICED on stage. Full moon walk thru Lotus Land and acoustic jam in the Japanese garden – simply amazing. Katchafire, Collie Budz, Rebeultion’s stage intro, UB40, SOJA, “nyert” and tiny beers at West Beach. Cab ride harmonies and knock-knock jokes on the way to see Katchafire at SoHo. Last but certainly not least – finishing the tracking of the full length and booking time with Lion Fox for the final stages of production!!!
To anyone involved in the events listed above – can you please confirm that they actually happened? Sometimes life seems too good to be true.
mike g
fiesta forever
santa barbara was magical last night on fiesta thursday. it was a beautiful night for good food, good friends, and some excellent music at the main stage at el mercado de la guerra.
reese
las palmas 2010
thank you Carpinteria for showing up to the palms last Friday night… good to see the town in good spirits and enjoying themselves. we sure in the f* did too. it’s always a good time to throw it down in the homeland and looking forward to doing it again soon. avo fest?
-jimmy g
the little things
Sometimes it’s the little things in music that really make you appreciate the bigger picture–a new chord progression, a cold beer with a bandmate, or the back of that bald guy’s head who’s letting it all out at the front of the dance floor. Every day I find another reason to feel lucky to create music with the people that I do; today that reason is the creative energy that my musical cohorts put into every part of their lives (particularly Mike G. and the Roots Brothership!).
Cheers,
Mike C.
Sunset Magazine Celebration Weekend 2010
stoked to be a part of Sunset Magazine’s Celebration Weekend this saturday. come check us out on the music stage on June 5th at 3:30p. To see who else is playing (and what else is going on) go here.
Avalon
After our radio debut, we hit the studio again. It’s been awesome seeing everything come together bit by bit. I’m just excited to get the chance to record more music. It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do and it really hasn’t hit me that I’m actually doing it for real. That being said, I’m also looking forward to when we’ll be finished with our full length album if only because I’m really excited about the new stuff we’ve written. I promise you’ll like it.
Here’s the view from the vocal booth from when we tracked 2 months ago. Today I gave the horn section my moral support while I couch surfed with my laptop.
reese
Santa Cruz Trip
We went up to see Alborosie backed by the Shengen Clan on their first US tour and all I can say is, “BOOMSHAKALAKA!!!!!!!”. Shengen absolutely killed it and they have such great stage presence. Pupa Albo definitely delivered the high grade to the SC massive. Can’t wait until they come back!
Peace~Mikey J.
giving back
we decided to donate our payout from the elephant seal fest in cambria to the american red cross and i’m happy to say i’ve just completed the donation on behalf of the band. a little can go a long way, please volunteer, give blood, and donate what you can. more info at redcross.org
SLO Rootz Sessions
Well, I must say that this past weekend was a lot of work, but so enjoyable and very well worth it. The four new songs that we tracked are absolutely pure rootz music!!!
Bless~Mikey J.
In the studio…
It’s 4:37 on Saturday; beer cans have slowly materialized on every flat surface in the sound room at Avalon Studios. I love recording! We’ve been working hard for the last five hours to track four new songs and re-track one other. Right now, Mike G. is playing some amazing fills for a heavy dub break. With each listening session, we grow increasingly excited about the imminent completion of our first full-length album. We can’t wait to share our hard work with our friends and family. I feel truly blessed to create music with such a great group of people.
MC
barn jam
there’s something about rehearsing in a barn that makes you feel country. maybe that’s why we’ve been drinking all that bud light. yee haw!
TTBs are ROOOOOOTs
Life is precious and I am thankful to have such beautiful freinds and family. Looking forward to seeing my close friends at the barn tonight.
Beginnings
To everything, a beginning. Here begins the record of the thoughts that cross our minds each day, and the stories of the things that make us into who we are. Welcome.