Producer and Artist in Sebastian, Florida
Now that I’m settled, I’m taking more time to focus on, and record my next CD. Here’s one of the tracks I’ve just wrapped up. Take a listen. I have two upcoming live performances with Heather McRae at the Kilted Mermaid in Vero Beach, FL. July 11th and August 1st, 2021 for the Sunday evening Wine, Women and Song Series.
2018 was spent learning lots of new music and moving through some transitions. I was lucky to get to spend some time with family over the holidays and to have a little bit of respite from my job, which I spent making music. In addition to writing pop/americana/rockabilly types of songs, I also have an alter ego, DJ K-OM who creates electronica. You can check out my latest, Jellybean here:
Ally and I have some shows coming up. Friday, January 18th, we’ll be at the Fox and Goose with According to Bazooka!
And Feb 8th, we’re opening Kevin BaconFest at the Torch Club. You do not want to miss this! BaconFest is a blast. 6 local bands playing some of your favorite hits from Kevin Bacon movies.
We look forward to seeing you in 2019!
Sacramento just hit the Top 25 Cities to Live In list and our musicians and artists are not surprised. We’ve been talking about how lucky we are to live here for years. There are some great local hot spots featuring live music including local and touring artists. The Torch, Fox and Goose and Old Ironsides can easily quench your live music cravings. In these venues you’ll feel a bit more intimately connected to the performers, and when the house is packed, the fun is infectious. All three are home to fantastic local acts such as Loose Engines, Danny Morris and the the California Stars, 50 Watt Heavy, Joy and Madness, Mike Blanchard and the Californios, to name a few. For bigger acts coming through there’s Harlow’s and Ace of Spades and that’s not even taking into consideration the large venues such as the new Golden One Center. Hello Lady Gaga and Neil Diamond!!
The 8-Tracks and I will be at Old Ironsides on August 25th playing some new songs and some fun crowd favorites like “Time To Break All the Rules” and “Still Got the Honey.” Come out and have some fun!
Danny Morris and the California Stars playing at The Shack in East Sacramento.
Loose Engines at The Torch
Mom said,”can I borrow your pink sneakers?” I looked at her and thought about it, “for the detail? That’s kind of gross.” “I think it’s perfect!” she said and after all, it was the ’80’s. I let her take them. They were this color pink. She bought them for me so I didn’t feel right saying no, “Yeah, sure” I said “try not to get them too dirty.” She was using them for an undercover prostitution sting operation that was happening in the turnpike rest areas in Florida, near Orlando.
When you’re the child of two cops the dinner table conversation is 
a bit different. We discussed all sorts of criminal behavior, how economy affects crime rates, recidivism, whether evil really exists or is the result of environmental causes and desperation. We chatted about every type of traffic infraction and car crash. It becomes household lingo. You get used to cleaning guns as part of the weekend chores and schooled on the “realities” of life and the misery that some folks face. So mom comes back with some interesting stories. One in particular was of this trucker/john she arrested. During the training, undercover agents are taught how to avoid “entrapment.” One way is get the john to say what he wants and how much he’s willing to pay. This guy offered her 5 bucks for a blow job. “Can you believe he only offered me 5 Dollars!?!” she said. I was really surprised, “only 5 dollars?, wow, that’s cheap!” I said. This was probably around the time when the movie Pretty Woman was out, so I was thinking we’re talking some real money here, certainly not 5 bucks. Well that was it for Joe. He got carted off to the hoosegow.
Her book is out. It’s called, “Behind Her Miami Badge.” and you can get it on Amazon: It’s a great read and it’s real life. I remember the stories so well. For some reason I see Reese Witherspoon playing her in this as a movie or series…
I was out one evening playing a show with my buddy and fellow songwriter, Jenn Rogar and I told her that story and she said, “that sounds like a song.” I thought about it and couldn’t quite wrap my brain around what that could sound like.
Creativity is like gardening. You plant a seed and give it some water and before you know it you’ve got a flower or a story about a truck driver named Joe. This refrain popped up and the story fell together on a Saturday morning. It’s a little punk, a little rock and roll and as my sound engineer buddy put it, “the first time I’ve ever heard anyone use the Miranda Rights in a song. You can buy it here on Amazon or Itunes
You can hear it here on Youtube as well.
“It’s late in the evening, the sun has gone down. The neighborhood is quiet but I hear the sounds.” I spent the weekend working on It’s a Lonely Christmas Without You. I somehow managed to delete my project files and had to recreate it, which was a good opportunity to make some changes and I’m pleased with the outcome. I hope your loved ones are near to you this Christmas. If not, wherever they are I pray they’re safe and sound.
“Just how lonely can lonely be?” by Southern Culture on the Skids is one of the covers I’m learning. I’ve got it down, guitar parts memorized. It’s pretty simple, just rooting the words down into my brain so they’ll stick and I can get off the page. I really like the structure of this song and it fits right in with my material.
I’ve never had much of a memory for certain types of data – the order of presidents, important years of historical events (minus the depression 29-32) have always escaped me. One thing though that does not escape me is a song. Especially a song that I’m working on. I can hear all the parts in my head and when it’s really bad it’s like a pinball machine on tilt.
I had a super interesting conversation with my father recently. He brought up this story from my past and asked me if I recalled it… I had come home from Neva King Cooper Middle School with a less than stellar report card. He was displeased. I was in my parents walk in closet and he was yelling at me. His exact words were, “What in the hell goes through your head all day?”
One thing about my father was that he could smell a lie. And lying to him was akin to an enormous betrayal. I weighed the consequences and decided immediately that the pure truth was in order. I looked up at him and said, “Songs. Songs go through my head all day.” He looked at me utterly confused and was unsure what to say. I think at that point I was wanting to audition for Annie so it was songs like, “It’s a Hard Knock Life, Tomorrow, You’re Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile,” etc. I would hear the melodies and the songs as if they were on repeat. And it was impossible to get it to stop. Sometimes it was the last thing I heard as I got out of the car.
Now here I am, three CD’s later, songs placed with publishers and on apps and my dad said to me, “It didn’t make any sense to me back then, but it sure makes sense now.” And it does. Perhaps it’s just part of my creative process. I had a voice teacher along the way say, “It’s not how much you practice but how well you practice. Sometimes the best practice is mental.” I never have to worry about not having a radio. 😉
Kally O'Mally 