• Texas, possibly in September
• Chicago
• Alabama
• Somerset, KY, May 19 at Cruisers Showcase
• Janesville, WI
• Nebraska, July 13, for Sandhills Summer Jam
• Ohio, July 29, for HogJam  <—-I am THRILLED for this one!!!
• Madisonville, KY

And to close off the list, Kris said, “Up into August, we have a lot of hold dates for gigs.  A lot of hold dates.  Stuff that’s pending, hasn’t been quite confirmed yet, all the way into October.  I guess the best answer for that is just to keep an eye on the schedule on the website.”  And that website?  Check out www.KrisBellMusic.com!

Now, for the other questions:

Me:  When’s the EP coming out?
Kris:  Depending on studio time, hopefully in a month.  That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. Cause every month I can say “a month.” I don’t give an exact month, I just say “a month.” I didn’t say a month from NOW.  I just said a month.  “A month.”  That could be any month.  (laughs)

Me:  What is your favorite song to play live?
Kris:  All of them.  They’re all fun to play.  “Hereafter” is really fun to play.  It’s become I think a big song.  “I Hope You’re Proud” is really fun to play.  There’s not a song where I say “I don’t wanna play it.”

Me:  And your least favorite song to play?
Kris:  I don’t really have one.  It’s just there are some old songs we don’t get to play.  It’s not because we don’t like them.  I think a lot of the style has changed.  If we’re doing shorter sets, it doesn’t fit well to put “Letter of Goodbye” in with “Bad Mutha” and “I Hope You’re Proud.”  It’s still a cool song that we get requests for still.

Me:  Finally, a question on everyone’s mind:  Toilet paper roll:  over or under?
Kris:  Over.  Definitely over.  I just don’t–over.  That’s it.

And yes, that’s it.  Thanks to everyone who submitted a question (or two or four).  We are hoping to do this kind of thing on a more regular basis.  For those whose questions weren’t answered yet, never fear.  I still have them and might just pull them out in the future.

London’s is a loud, crowded bar in downtown Tullahoma, Tennessee.  The people there, even though they don’t necessarily come out to see Kris, really show enthusiasm for the music.  As a fan, I appreciate a good, long acoustic set from Kris.  He’s relaxed, talkative, and I think that really connects with the audience.  And Coop’s conversations with people as they walk by between songs is incredibly amusing.  Of course, if I start quoting him, next time I’m there, he won’t say a word, so I think I’ll keep those quotes to myself   You’ll just have to come with me next time, so you can experience it for yourself.

The set list was a mixed bag of blues, rock, and rebellion, including covers of popular hits like Bon Jovi’s “Dead or Alive” and The Rolling Stones‘ “Gimme Shelter,” as well as his own songs, ranging from the introspective “Gray” to the kick-ass new song “Hereafter” (in my opinion, a hit in the making).  I always enjoy watching the crowd reaction when Kris rips into “Runnin’ Out on You” or “So-Called Friend.”  In fact, Friday night, “So-Called Friend” got the most enthusiastic response, especially when Kris introduced the song by asking if anyone at London’s had ever had a friend who just took and took and never gave anything back.  Well, even a kindergartner can relate to that kind of relationship.  (Mom!  Jimmy won’t SHARE!)  The crowd hooted and hollered and was engaged throughout the entire song.  I’d post a photo, but the bar is so dark that none of my photos turned out very well.

Towards the end of the night, sweetheart that he is, Kris played MY favorite song, “The Match,” which I totally appreciate.  It’s the song that made me realize what a great talent Kris is, all the way back in 2006.  I know I’m not alone in that feeling either.  After 3 hours of music, broken into 3 sets, it was time to go home.  Boo!  Oh wait!  I have more music tomorrow night!

Saturday night, the Kris Bell Band returned to The Limit, the venue they played opening night just over a year ago.  This time, they were sharing a double bill with Hip Kitty, a fun band from the Nashville area.  Their tight harmonies and heavy guitars reminded me a bit of Blackwater James, also from Nashville, but Hip Kitty is led by a charismatic female singer, and she strutted the stage like she owned it.  She and the band rocked the crowd with their 80′s flavored rock for almost an hour, closing out the set with a chorus or two of “meow meow meow.”  I guess with a band named “Hip Kitty,” it was inevitable.  HA!

*** HIP KITTY ***

And now the moment I – and those around me – had been waiting for…  THE KRIS BELL BAND!  Oh wait,what’s that buzzing sound?  Guess we’ll have to wait a minute for the sound team to figure out why we’re getting that low hum so that Kris and the guys can actually start playing.  For those who have been to The Limit, let’s share an eye roll and move on LOL!  I guess it could happen to anyone, right?  Whoops!  They found it (sort of), so Kris, Coop, Shane and Bryan hit the stage and prepare to rock us.

This show started differently than usual.  Kris normally cranks up the volume with a series of power chords and rips into “Livin’ for Tomorrow” or “Will I Believe,” but not tonight.  Tonight he started slowly, softly, with some stellar guitar work, a little quick rhythm, shades of the classics of the 70′s, leading into that classic Kris Bell tune, “What Song Is It,” followed quickly by “Will I Believe” and “Bad Mutha.”

*** KRIS BELL BAND ***

When they got to “Whipping Post,” Coop gave up a quick shout out to Gregg Allman and his Grammy win before pumping out the trademark bass riff that starts the tune.  The band really poured their full energy into the song, and Bryan showed off mad skills on his new guitar, Ruby.  All I’ve got to say is, Bryan must be loving his new baby, because he’s been practicing like a madman.  He played better than I have ever heard him play that night.  Rock on, Mr. Denton!

After “So-Called Friend” (careful, boys, this is an ALL AGES show ha ha!), they kicked into my favorite two songs of the night.  “Hereafter” has all the makings of a hit song – catchy riffs, strong lyrics, memorable chorus.  I love it live, and cannot WAIT to hear it on the up-coming EP.  It should be open-the-sunroof, crank-up-the-volume, share-with-the-world magnificent!  The song promises to be a special tune for Kris.  I can just feel it.  Follow that with “Take It All,” and the crowd at The Limit is whipped into a frenzy.  When the boys indicated that’s it and put their instruments down (yeah yeah, we know it’s all a game, but you gotta play the game to get the prize), people started shouting what we ALWAYS do at the supposed “end” of a Kris Bell show:

“FREE BIRD!!!”

Kris looked out and raised his eyebrows, as if to say, “Really?  You want to hear ‘Free Bird‘?” and the crowd got louder.  Coop and Bryan shrugged back into their guitars and Shane ducked back behind the drums, looked at each other, and then started the trademark opening guitar riff, while Kris walked back to grab his slide.

Any words I type to try to describe the Kris Bell Band playing “Free Bird” will fall short of the actual experience.  “Riveting.”  “Emotional.” “Intense.” Not even close.  I just encourage you to get to a Kris Bell Band show and pray that they get a nice long set, so they can play ALL of the songs – the originals, the classic covers, EVERYTHING.

So that’s it!  Coming up in the next few weeks, Kris will be all over the place.  First, next Friday, March 9, he and the guys will be playing for their lives as part of Hard Rock Cafe’s “Hard Rock Rising” competition.  You may have voted for Kris several weeks ago by downloading “I Know the Sun Will Call” at the Hard Rock Nashville’s Facebook page.  With that vote, you earned Kris the opportunity to compete against other finalists at Hard Rock Nashville.  I’m not sure who Kris is playing against, but having the best fans in the world there to support him would go a long way to move him to the finals on March 23.

After that, Kris and the boys will head to Texas to reunite with former bandmate Heath Clark at the Red Gorilla Music Fest in Austin.  They will rock Darwin’s Pub Wednesday, March 14, starting at 9:30-ish.  They’ll follow up that gig by heading to Tyler, Texas, to play a show March 16, at the Half-Moon Grill.  Rumor has it that Heath might be playing there too, but I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

When he returns to Nashville, he’ll have gigs at London’s (yep, it looks like it could become a regular gig) and Hard Rock with two-piece rock band The Cold Stares, and at the end of March, he’ll head down to Birmingham, Alabama to play at Workplay, opening for Brother Cane.

In between shows, Kris will be working to finalize his EP at The Castle Studios in Franklin, Tennessee.  He hopes to have it out there in a month or two, so be on the lookout.  Follow Kris on Facebook and Twitter, and follow Rebel Bell on Facebook and Twitter.  We’ll make sure you know when the EP is out.  There are some surprises in store, I’m sure of it.

Upcoming Shows:
Sunday, February 19 in Clarksville, TN at The Warehouse
Friday, February 24 in Tullahoma, TN at London’s (acoustic)
Saturday, February 24 in Nashville, TN at The Limit

TURN IT ON, TURN IT UP:
Head to CD Baby! CD is $9.99 and MP3 Album is $8.99.  Kris and the band have been working in the studio and soon we’ll have more KB music to listen to everywhere we go!

Great News:
“Bad Mutha” will be able to be heard exclusively on Hard Rock Nights, Worldwide Syndicated Rock Radio, beginning Friday, February 24!  Check out the list of affiliates and listen in!

Still Waiting to Hear:
Thanks for all of you who got those votes in for the Hard Rock Rising competion.  We are waiting to hear whether Kris has made it to the next level of the contest.  We know he belongs there… we voted, voted, voted… and soon we will know!

BTW:
Every week at the Rebel Bell Facebook page, we have a few blasts from the past for you to enjoy.  Have you seen ‘em?  Photo of the Week.  Video of the Week. Go see!  They are awesome.

Keep listening!  Keep sharing!  Keep reading!  “See” ya’ll next week!
Lisa

Today, Kris loaded the song “Livin’ for Tomorrow” to his ReverbNation account. ReverbNation is great because it gives so many ways to share media. Feel free to check out the song here, and let us (and Kris) know what you think!

CONGRATULATIONS to Kris & Terri and big brother Logan on the new addition to the Bell family, Lyra Kathleen, born March 20, 2009!! Check out Kris and Terri’s Facebook pages for pictures! If you have a Facebook account, you can click here to get to Kris’ page.  You can also leave your good wishes for Kris and Terri at Rebel Bell.

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MARK YOUR CALENDARS!! After much anticipation, it’s finally here – the CD RELEASE PARTY!! Scheduled for May 22 at the Limelight in Nashville, it is going to be one ROCKIN’ night! Make your plans now to be there! You can find more info in this thread.

And speaking of dates, Kris is adding a ton of dates to his schedule – don’t miss your chance to see him and the band live!! You can check out all the dates on Rebel Bell in the On Tour section as well as on Kris’ MySpace page or on Rebel Bell’s Myspace page …and make sure you check back often for new dates!!

Here’s the current schedule:

Friday, April 10 – Headliners (with Skinny Molly) – Toledo, OH
Saturday, April 11 – Tequila Rocks (with Skinny Molly) – Huntington, WV
Friday, April 17 – Rivers & Spires Fest – Clarksville, TN
Thursday, April 23 – Cadillac Ranch – Nashville, TN
Friday, April 24 – The Rock Bar – Nashville, TN
Sunday, April 26 – The Blue Rooster – Murfreesboro, TN
Friday, May 22 – CD RELEASE PARTY! @ The Limelight – Nashville, TN
Friday, June 12 – Bison’s Bar & Grill – Madison, AL
Friday, June 19 – Bison’s Bar & Grill – Madison, AL

You owe it to yourself to make it to at least one (or ALL!) of these shows!!

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Kris’ song “My So Called Friend” is currently #1 in the Rock category on OurStage! Go check it out and take some time out to vote! It’s head-to-head type voting but it’s worth it to get exposure for Kris’ music so show your support! Check out OurStage to vote.

Also, Kris has submitted his music to 102.9 The Buzz, a Nashville rock radio station that plays music from local bands Sunday nights from 9-midnight. The best way to get played on the show is for fans to request the music. There are three ways to make your voice heard:
~ call the request line at 615-737-1029
~ email the host, AlJon
~ send a message via the show’s MySpace

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Now you can follow Kris on Twitter!  If you’re not familiar with it, Twitter is free social messaging utility for staying connected in real-time. It’s a fun way to keep up with what Kris is doing all the time…..ok, maybe not ALL the time….

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As always, we here at Rebel Bell are grateful for your continued support of Kris and his music – this is going to be a kick-ass year for Kris and we’re all happy to be a part of it! So remember to stop by Rebel Bell and say HI! – we’d love to hear from you – and keep Livin’ For Tomorrow!

The Rebel Bell Team
Laura, Paris, Jackie & Lisa