i can’t believe this song is going to be FINISHED in two weeks! wow. it’s been quite a journey with this one but i love how it’s come together and i can’t wait to hear the end product.

in other news, things have been a bit insane lately. as many of you know, i recently began working on an “S.C.P” (secret crazy project). unfortunately, i can’t tell you anything about this thing except that it IS indeed crazy, and secret, and will remain so for the next… many many months. :/ it was probably mean of me to start talking it up so far before you’ll ever know what it is but i was just so excited. it will be one of a few things dominating my time for the next while, but it’ll be a fun journey!

i’ve also been trying to get back in the songwriting mindset. over the next few weeks i’m hoping to record demos of all my little song pieces i’ve written since Stairwells, and then, hopefully, finish some of them!

getting very excited for the fall tour! can’t wait to see you all. i just bought my plane ticket up to portland where i’ll rent my car and start off the tour! it’s getting real :) also having fun playing with the idea of debuting a few songs on tour… we’ll see.

here are the show dates, for the millionth time:

visit the shows page here for all show details as well as pre-sale ticket links!

9/17 • Portland, OR • Aladdin Theater
9/18 • Seattle, WA • The Vera Project
9/19 • Vancouver, BC • The Media Club
9/21 • Eugene, OR • WOW Hall
9/23 • San Francisco, CA • Great American Music Hall
9/24 • Santa Barbara, CA • SoHo
9/25 • Anaheim, CA • Heritage Forum
9/26 • San Diego, CA • Anthology
9/27 • Scottsdale, AZ • Martini Ranch
10/1 • Dallas, TX • House of Blues – Cambridge Room
10/2 • Austin, TX • Stubb’s Jr
10/3 • Houston, TX • House of Blues – Bronze Peacock Room

RSVP on Facebook here!

<3
kina

oovret: Week 81

If you could replay any one of your SST shows, which would you choose?
replay it because it was so AWESOME, or replay it because i could have done it better? i think i’ll keep both answers a mystery :) they were all special shows, even ones when i was out of it.
What kind of ukulele are you thinking of purchasing?
i’d love to eventually find one identical to my grandfather’s. it was a gold label koa kamaka hf-2 concert… i loved it! in the meantime, a very very generous fan sent me over a cute little makala uke from hawaii for my birthday which i’ve been enjoying. (by the way– thank you jason!)
What did you do to pass the time while traveling on tour?
book on tape– “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo!” this time around it will be “The Girl Who Played With Fire.”
Do you enjoy listening to Lady Antebellum?
i should probably check out more of their stuff! “need you now” is an incredible song.
How many live animals did you see on the road?
i saw a few deer on a hillside. some birds. that praying mantis. hmmm…. not nearly enough.

some stats on the Stairwells Springtime Tour for you:

shows played: 14
miles driven: 2,840
awesome people performed for: 2,860 (almost one mile per person… weird?!)
ukuleles lost: 1
suitcases of merch stolen: 2
subway sandwiches consumed: 20 (one a day)
praying mantises spotted: 1

i figured i’d spare you the number of dead animals in the road :( you’re welcome.

also, i wish i had more footage on this, but there was such an overwhelming amount of support and generosity after my car was broken into. to everyone that randomly donated money to my paypal or contributed to Phil Chao’s relief efforts… i cannot thank you enough. i was presented a check at my Toronto show for all the money Phil had raised with your help and it really just touched my heart to know that you all care so much, not to mention how amazing it was that Phil started this thing in the first place. i will be putting that money towards a replacement for my grandfather’s ukulele that was stolen (it was in my trunk, by the way, not out in the open) and my two merch suitcases, and as soon as I do I’ll be sure to show you all where the money went to!

i FINALLY got the Guitar Girl Keychains and signed Springtime Tour shirts up on the webstore, hooray! You can check them out here.

annnnd, because i don’t know what else to do with the fact that it’s my birthday, i made a discount code for 15% off any purchase on the webstore as long as it’s August 4th somewhere in the world. just type “happybirthday” in the discount code section and you’ll be set!

thank you all a bazillion for the birthday wishes! i was so overwhelmed by all of your tweets/emails/eCards when i woke up this morning… it was a wonderful way to start today :)

and just a reminder… here’s all the info on the UPCOMING tour!

visit the shows page here for all show details as well as pre-sale ticket links!

9/17 • Portland, OR • Aladdin Theater
9/18 • Seattle, WA • The Vera Project
9/19 • Vancouver, BC • The Media Club
9/21 • Eugene, OR • WOW Hall
9/23 • San Francisco, CA • Great American Music Hall
9/24 • Santa Barbara, CA • SoHo
9/25 • Anaheim, CA • Heritage Forum
9/26 • San Diego, CA • Anthology
9/27 • Scottsdale, AZ • Martini Ranch
10/1 • Dallas, TX • House of Blues – Cambridge Room
10/2 • Austin, TX • Stubb’s Jr
10/3 • Houston, TX • House of Blues – Bronze Peacock Room

RSVP on Facebook here!

i didn’t sleep very well last night, but today being a day-after-uploading-video day, it was easy for me to get out of bed. somehow these days are always a bit like christmas morning to me– my presents under the tree are all of your hundreds of youtube/facebook/twitter comments i find waiting for me in the morning… and i’m like a little kid dying to unwrap.. er.. read them all. so, thank you for that.

stairwells fall tour!
as you might imagine, i’m pretty excited to be back on the road seeing you people face to face again. i’m also pretty excited about the places i’ll get to see. and lastly, i’m pretty excited about the venues i’ll be playing (but i’m also a liiiiitttle intimidated… they’re a wee bit bigger than i’m used to.)

i’ll of course be doing meet and greets after every show just like on the last tour :)

visit the shows page here for all show details as well as pre-sale ticket links!

here are the lovely cities i’ll be playing this fall:

9/17 • Portland, OR • Aladdin Theater
9/18 • Seattle, WA • The Vera Project
9/19 • Vancouver, BC • The Media Club
9/21 • Eugene, OR • WOW Hall
9/23 • San Francisco, CA • Great American Music Hall
9/24 • Santa Barbara, CA • SoHo
9/25 • Anaheim, CA • Heritage Forum
9/26 • San Diego, CA • Anthology
9/27 • Scottsdale, AZ • Martini Ranch
10/1 • Dallas, TX • House of Blues – Cambridge Room
10/2 • Austin, TX • Stubb’s Jr
10/3 • Houston, TX • House of Blues – Bronze Peacock Room

also, for all you facebook people, you can RSVP for the tour and share it with your friends here:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=146996975311170&ref=mf

hope to see you soon!

<3
kina

For show details and pre-sale ticket links click here.

9/17 • Portland, OR • Aladdin Theater
9/18 • Seattle, WA • The Vera Project
9/19 • Vancouver, BC • The Media Club
9/21 • Eugene, OR • WOW Hall
9/23 • San Francisco, CA • Great American Music Hall *with band*
9/24 • Santa Barbara, CA • SoHo
9/25 • Anaheim, CA • Heritage Forum *with band*
9/26 • San Diego, CA • Anthology
9/27 • Scottsdale, AZ • Martini Ranch
10/1 • Dallas, TX • House of Blues – Cambridge Room
10/2 • Austin, TX • Stubb’s Jr
10/3 • Houston, TX • House of Blues – Bronze Peacock Room
*FLORIDA DATES TBA*

before i forget!
come hang out with me in Orange County, CA this weekend! it’s a free, all ages, outdoors… i mean, come on.

Kina @ Pittsford Park, 5:30-6PM
21701 Pittsford Dr.
Lake Forest, CA
Info: Meet and greet after my set at the merch table. Opening for Rita Coolidge!

anyway…
this past weekend i played at Lilith Fair in St. Louis and it was amazing. for those that don’t know, Lilith Fair is a tour/travelling music festival of sorts started by Sarah McLachlan years and years ago as a way to celebrate female artists. it was something i remember hearing about on the radio in middle school and thinking it was probably the coolest show ever. this summer, 11 years after the last Lilith Fair, it was revived, and somehow i was lucky enough to be a part of it.

it wasn’t until minutes before we sat down at the press conference (picture above) that everything kind of sank in. i had been excited for Lilith for a while, but i think i had forgotten just how much of an impact Sarah McLachlan had had on me. i found her at a time when i was just discovering how powerful music was… i remember when i was in high school laying in my bed with my candles burning and listening to her album all the way through (much like how i would sit in a dark closet in middle school and listen to k’s choice for hours…). i guess i’ve always just connected to music on a very emotional (or creepy) level. so anyway, minutes before she came out for the press conference i had this crazy welling-up of emotions when i really realized where i was and what i was doing and who i was doing it with. luckily i collected myself before i was introduced to her. as expected she was as kind and humble and graceful as a person could be, and the same goes for Emmylou Harris.

the rest of my day consisted of watching awesome performances by ingrid michaelson, mary j blige, metric, marié digby, meeting tons of awesome supporters, dying in the blazing st. louis heat, hiding away in catering (which was the only air conditioned place), and being eaten alive by roughly 30 mosquitoes (or so it seems by the look of my devoured legs). oh, and i also awkwardly introduced myself to ingrid michaelson by the dinner buffet and told her she was lovely. go kina!

all in all, it was a very exciting, emotional, inspiring day :)

been feeling very grateful for you all lately… thanks for allowing me to live my dream <3
kina

well, hello!

a few tidbits before i go pack for Lilith Fair…

- exciting things are happening
- fall tour will be announced VERY soon
- i <3 you
- shoot i can't think of anything else.

well, this blog was a total failure. in any case, i'm grateful for you all daily, and i hope to see you soon.

<3
kina

p.s. maybe i’ll start to blog more often on random days when i actually have something mildly interesting to talk about… thoughts?

Upcoming shows:
7/16/10 – Kina @ Lilith Fair – 2:30PM
Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
14141 Riverport Drive,
Maryland Heights, MO

7/25/10 – Free Outdoor Summer Concert – 5:30
Pittsford Park
21701 Pittsford Dr.
Lake Forest, CA
*meet and greet after the show

oovret: Week 80

When was the last time you had a Tim Tam?
….last night.
Have you ever attended a Lilith Fair concert?
never! but i’ve always wanted to. love sarah mclachlan!
Can you play a vuvuzela?
haa. if i could, i’m not sure that i would.
Do you enjoy listening to Brian McKnight?
he is very talented guy!
If you had to describe each of your immediate family members as animals, what would they be?
haha… i think i will refrain from this one as to avoid misrepresenting anyone :) i will mention that misa does a very good t-rex and baby bird.

so i’ve been back from the tour for about a week now! i miss it but it’s nice to be in one place again. my body is still thoroughly confused as to what is going on. i’m pretty much on the verge of falling asleep at any given moment (except when i actually get into bed). jet lag? exhaustion? fighting a cold? perhaps, but i’m thinking it’s some form of tour-withdrawal.

i’ve got a lot of catching up to do here at home, but i promise there will be a tour summary video and blog sometime in the near future.

well, i’ve been fighting a nap all day… i think it’s time i give in.

much much love and thanks,
kina

ovret: Week 79
Happy Anniversary!

Did you realize you have been answering our oovret questions for two years?
wow, we’re like old-time friends! only i have no idea who you are… :(
Do you miss going to the post office to mail merch?
no, i definitely don’t miss post office workers scowling at me for having bags and bags of things to mail. they made me feel like such a bad person!
[Replacement Q] Did you bring anything back from Japan?
yes. a hammerhead hand puppet. cutest thing that ever was. its name is hammy.
Do you enjoy listening to Hikaru Utada?
definitely haven’t listened to enough of her! i like what i’ve heard.
When visiting Japan, what is one restaurant everyone must try?
any restaurant that serves japanese food…

Kina singing “Valentine” + Interview

Kina singing “When You Come Back Down” by Nickel Creek