A B O U T   M E

I'm Nick Kelly, one of many Nick Kellys out there in the world wild web, but I'm the only ME that you'll ever know, and most folx are thankful for that. I'm a musician, a writer, an artist, a motorcycle rider, a hockey fanatic, a horror movie lover, a father, a husband, a son, and an overall lunatic. I've got some good stories so far on this wild ride I've called life and more comin' seemingly everyday, so hang out, pour yourself one up to the brim, and buckle up for safety. It's going to be a fun ride. more

M Y   R E A L I T Y

C R E A T I V E S

A Tribute to the Lord of the Dead

A Tribute to the Lord of the Dead

Most people who know me know my love of the horror film genre through its many iterations. There are so many instantly recognizable horror icons; Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Barbara Steele, Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff...Claude Raines. But of them all, if I had to pick a favorite, it would most likely be the delightful Vincent Price.

Among his many talents, Price was a gourmet chef, a stage actor and an art collector. And so, in my pursuit to emulate the man I'd consider an entertainment hero, I decided to repeat something Price did in his lifetime. Cook a gourmet meal? Purchase a Rembrandt? Take the stage in a dramatic one-man show? Nope, none of those things.

I bought a bug zapper.

For those who remember Price's brilliant Citibank commercial circa 1985, the image of Vincent smiling with glee at the deaths of insects is priceless. For those who don't, it's linked here.

Now that the shows are behind us, Division is hunkering down to get the final sessions recorded and begin editing the upcoming CD, Control Issues. We've made sure to record video of some of the sessions, and we'll be posting a recording diary blog on the official and MySpace sites.

In the interim, it's repetition to cut down time on the clock once we're there. Special thanks to everyone who made the show at Mac's The Club last month. It's the last one for at least four months. See you guys on the web or maybe at Jaxx?

One Love,

nK

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Gigging in April...No Foolin'!

Gigging in April...No Foolin'!

There was a five-week stretch last year that included a very odd sequence of shows for me. Apparently, that full moon is back again, because April is proving to be a very strange month for this performing artist.

Tonight, Just Wanna Play scrapped rehearsal for recording, and it was a productive (if way late) kind of night. We got the music recorded for six songs, with a few more and vocals planned for the next session. This means the long-awaited new demo will be available soon, so keep your ears tuned to the JWP MySpace page.

Now, the weird stuff. I'm supposed to be doing a guest spot on someone else's show this week. I don't want to ruin the surprise, but I'll mention that it's a band that hangs out with Division A LOT...and it's a very appropriate tune for us and them. So that's Friday night (at Jaxx). Then, here comes the big news...

I'm playin' VEGAS!

Yep. I'll be singing and playing guitar (guitar, not bass..eek!) at a sales conference in Vegas that includes roughly 4500 people. It's with a made-up band, and we get one rehearsal before the gig. Expect horrible things, but I'm excited. I've never played Vegas before. Maybe I can channel some Dean Martin and get all boozed up and be the next big star. Or, I could suck. Whatever works.

I fly back from Vegas on the 26th...with four hours to spare before I'm supposed to be on stage with Division. That show is going to be fun. It's a CD Release Party for Black Widow USA, and we're doing a new cover, and a song we haven't done in a few years. I expect a fun, and tiring time.

I'm not sure yet if it tops last year's stretch, which included a bar gig, a car show, a gig at an elementary school, and an open house for a custom home builder, but it's going to be a fun month. Be safe and be well.

One Love,

nK

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Leather, Lead and the Undead

Leather, Lead and the Undead

I'm still working on edits of Catwalk:Lineage, including a fresh visit to some vampire scenes. It's always fun to try and figure out where your vampires fit in the grand scheme of fang-toothed evildoers. In this case, I think Lineage minions (not the elders, they're different) fit somewhere between the hordes in Underworld, the colorful beasts of Vampire Hunter D, and the feasting brood of 30 Days of Night. They certainly don't have the elegance of Anne Rice's brood, that's for sure.

They have the Underworld fashion sense, and feature lots and lots of guns, that's for sure, but a different education. So, at any rate, Cat's story is wound around a vamp war in book two, and it's a lot of fun.

Also in the postmortem category is the subject of one of the upcoming Division songs. I'll go as far as to confirm rumors that we do indeed have a zombie song on Control Issues CD. Previews will have to wait, but if you want a glimpse into how your might sing it, go watch Romero's Dawn of the Dead.


From a writing standpoint, I got introduced to F. Paul Wilson's series of Repairman Jack novels. Good stuff.

Okay all, you're supposed to be writing, marketing or being generally productive right now. Don't let me interrupt.

One love!

nK

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Indiana Jones and the Morbid Speed Metal Band

Indiana Jones and the Morbid Speed Metal Band

This post is going to be totally random...no, not totally, but enough that it makes very little sense to anyone sober. I logged into my obligatory MySpace page (yes, you have to have one if you're in a band, write, act or are a webcam chick). I got to see an in-screen scene from the new Indiana Jones movie, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull". Is that for real? I don't have a problem with a 60+ year old guy cracking a whip and beating on fake Nazis, but the title?

Did they go dumpster-diving behind J.K. Rowling's mansion?

That title is pretty weak. Right along the lines of, oh, I dunno, Attack of the Clones? That doesn't work for a multi-billion dollar movie franchise if you ask me. Not when there's a Nickelodeon game called Jimmy Neutron: Attack of the Twonkies. It's bad. It's comical. It's like the Tribbles on the old Star Trek. Or like when Frank Drebin from Police Squad would get a towel thrown in his face and wrestle with it for twenty seconds like an Alien facehugger.

Skip that. That wasn't bad. That was priceless.

So, where the hell is the title of your blog coming from, Cat? Oh yeah. Division is playing on Saturday night at our club sweet home, Jaxx. We'll be on stage with some very thrashy and heavy bands, including Arsis, Veil of Maya and Skeleton Witch. We'll also be following our buddies in Cab Ride Home...slightly unsober since 2006.

So...if you were one of the Hollywood folks churning out remakes or rekindling old movie franchises, what would you call your latest project?

One Love...

nK

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What Fuels Your Fire?

What Fuels Your Fire?

As I sit down to go into editing mode again, I found myself comparing my different writing experiences. For instance, when I'm writing Catwalk, doing drafts or free form stuff, I find the heavier the music, the better (unless it's a sex scene or something meant to be dismal but not upbeat). This is night and day from when I'm writing for work or school, where I find instrumental music helpful but vocals distracting.

So, to the creatives our there, what inspires you to write/paint/sculpt/etc? Is it music, is it sunlight (I'm particularly limited to what I write depending on how bright the setting is)? What do you find that helps you to stir the creative juices?

One Love,

nK

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one word - FIERCE

one word - FIERCE

I can't explain it in detail, but let me tell you this...the upcoming artwork for the Catwalk novels is going to blow you away. Michal, one of my selected artists, has decided on a sort of facelift for Cat that makes him perfectly horrific. I can't wait to unleash him on the public!

In the interim, it rests on those of us here at CatKlaw, Inc., to solicit some agents for publication, or to simply self-publish. In the growing digital age, literary publishing is so much like musical publishing, it boggles the mind.

Division had our photo shoot for our newest CD, Control Issues, due out over the summer. Check out Mike Gong's amazing work, and then hit our MySpace page to let us know what you think!

Division's first show of 2008 is March 15th @ Jaxx. Click anywhere in this paragraph for a link!


One love,

nK

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Lawyers, Guns and Money

Lawyers, Guns and Money

I couldn't resist citing the brilliant Warren Zevon as I tried to describe the disparate chaos of my week. I'm working with Litigation Support Teams regarding e-mail archiving and discovery for my day job, studying terrorists and identity thieves for my school, and trying to handle re-distributing equipment for the bands. So there you go...lawyers, guns and money.

On the band front, both JWP and Division are busy. Check out the schedules for March, April and May often. We're about to get really busy!

On the Catwalk front, I tracked down the artist from the 2001 Comic, and I'm working with artists from Texas to Slovakia to find the best cover for the novels. Stay tuned for more on that front.

This is a brief checking in sort of post as the rain pummels the house and ruins my hot tub plans. Too bad, otherwise I'd be more introspective later I guess. Ah well.

Hey, it's Bob Marley's birthday. Celebrate accordingly.

One Love!

nK

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The Preview You Are About To See..

The Preview You Are About To See..

Ok, so a chapbook is to a novel what a trailer is to a feature film. It's time for me to slap together this chapbook and start teasing you all about how much fun you're going to have when you read the first Catwalk novel, Catwalk:Messiah.

I'm working with an amazing artist on a cover while we go through one more round of edits and start soliciting an agent. Let's see how all that goes.

Real life is going well too, but I don't wanna talk about all that right now, just about the Cat stuff, since it's been so much effort. I'll write about real life some other night!

One Love!

nK

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The Surgery Continues...

The Surgery Continues...

Ok, the edits continue, including what I think is the most powerful scene in the first book, Catwalk:Messiah. I had to make a few passes at it. I hope it translates well. Poor Cat, I've made him suffer quite a bit. I'm 25 pages away from the first round of edits being finished, but it will take a few more nights. I've hit the end of my editing ways tonight, and tomorrow night...Cloverfield!

Sybir has been awesome throughout, completing her massive daily regime and helpin' me with Pupzilla, who has been fun and tiring over the last few weeks. We had a chance to check out Eddie from Ohio on Saturday night which was fun. It was good to hang with bandmates from JWP.

Speaking of
JWP, we'll be back at Bogey's on Feb 2nd. Bring yer dancin shoes!

Division continues to record, as we go through more revisions of artwork and photography. Standby for updates on that! Ok, time to go shut down the brain for a bit. Best to everyone and Happy MLK Day!

One Love!


nK

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Serial Killers and Re-Writes

Serial Killers and Re-Writes

As I eagerly await my turn at recording my parts for the new Division CD, I'm still pounding away on the classwork and preparing to edit "Catwalk: Messiah" for consistency and adrenaline. I like what I have, but every time I read J. A. Konrath's blog, I feel like I'm in grade school again. The most recent post had me howling.

2008 has entered with a bang, and Sybir and I decided on a new tradition for ringing in the new year. Hopefully we can continue it. If I could say more, I would, but this is a family show.

Speaking of, I had a chance to write about schools of crime causation for a paper in class. That was a fun week of researching, drafting, editing and re-writing. I wound up handing in a 2000-word piece on Albert Fish. Read the linked article if you want to read about a gross killer and massive sexual deviant. This week is a team paper week, so I'm limited to mentioning Armin Meiwes, the German cannibal, but I take my shots where I can get them.

"Dexter in the Dark" was a great follow up to "Dearly Devoted Dexter" on my reading list. Now, if Showtime will get to releasing the Season Two DVD, I can get caught up on the show as well as the books.

No real goals or resolutions in this post. I've been far too scattered to have that degree of focus. That changes this week, since I have so much to do!

One Love,

nK

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A Christmas Post from Catwalk

A Christmas Post from Catwalk

I felt it only fitting for a view into Catwalk's life at this holiday season. Let's just say his view on the holidays isn't the same as mine!! One Love - nK

It was cold, bitter cold, in the dangerous depths of Downtown Nitro City. Winter always seemed to bring out the desperation in the less-fortunate inhabitants. Burglaries increased, as did the counts of missing persons, arsons, and robberies. The fight for survival was easily quantified in the number of cases recorded by local law enforcement. Catwalk had seen firsthand how many cases went unrecorded. Usually, they resulted in a job and a paycheck for the so-called “killer with a conscience”.

Several stories below, the people shuffled about, in greater numbers than usual. Cat knew the reason; he’d seen the fliers drifting in the cold winter air. There was a chorale concert, a voluntary gathering of singers, of all things, to be held in the spot which used to be Peterson Memorial Park.

The sun has just set, or at least fallen into obscurity behind the skyscrapers that clawed their way toward the heavens. Uptown was where the real money existed; home to the celebrities and the wealthy. Down here, Downtown, the remainder of society existed; outcasts, renegades and those never given a chance.

Cat preferred it here. As a former orphan, a former invalid, and a member of the police force back east who never seemed to fit in, he could understand those who lived Downtown. He had accepted this place, and it had welcomed him. Once he’d grown accustomed to life in the bowels of the city, he couldn’t picture living anywhere else.

Cat gazed upward for just a moment. He’d finished a number of jobs that had gained him respect and notoriety Uptown. None of them had provided him the ability to balance and center as this place had. He felt himself chuckle and scoff at those labeled “better off”. He pulled his collar up against the spiraling winter breeze as he directed his attention to the gathering people below.

The fascination grew within him as we watched from his perch. The carolers lined up in uniform fashion, armed bodyguards taking their places on each side. The small crowd gathered in the makeshift park, the grounds painstakingly cleaned up and picked over by the singers over the past three hours. As they began their song, he could see the faces of some of the onlookers mouthing the words.

To Cat, Christmas was a curious event. He’d been taught the story of the birth of Jesus Christ, Son of God, and how he was born in a manger to a loving father and virgin mother. He’d learned that Jesus grew up, gathered his apostles, was persecuted, crucified and rose from the dead. Anyone who believed in him could gain eternal peace, and their sins would be absolved.

He exhaled sharply, the steam from his breath forming in the cold air. Eternal Peace. The promise of that was reward enough. He didn’t need pure angels with trumpets and wings, or contentment for all eternity. He didn’t need blinding lights, festivals and food on which only the divine could feed. Peace itself would be a welcome change from the chaotic life he’d played out so far.

As much as he’d like to think the Bible stories were truth, he had grown too calloused…or too much of a realist…to believe they were anything more than fairy tales. God had created Man in his own image, and yet, everyday in Nitro City, there were thousands of people paying fortunes to remake that image, preferring their own take on creation. Most of them did so willingly. Others, like him, weren’t really given a choice.

Try as he may, there was still something sympathetic in the heart of the hitman. Instead of watching in fascination or feeling the so-called “spirit of Christmas”, he scanned the crowd, his hand gracing the palm of his pistol. While he may not join in the caroling, he caught himself protecting the carolers from anyone who might destroy their special moment. His spirit might be weak, but his flesh was willing.

In that moment, he envied them; the singers…the hopeful…the believers. Had the lessons of his past not been what they were, who knew…he might even be among their number today. Though he couldn’t find it in his heart to believe, something within him respected their hope, and that something was willing to protect them.

-In our own special way, Merry Christmas from Catwalk and myself, and a very special “I Miss You” to Criss Oliva (1963-1993)

“I am the Way, I am the Light,

I am the dark inside the night,

I feel you hope, I feel your dreams,

And in the dark, I hear your screams,

Don’t turn away, just take my hand,

And when you make your final stand,

I’ll be right there…I’ll never leave,

All I ask of you is Believe.”

-Savatage, “Believe” (1991)

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THE NOVEL IS DONE!

THE NOVEL IS DONE!

Alright, that's not entirely true. I still have to revise, edit, format, and add an Epilogue, but the first version of book three is done. "Catwalk:Mercy Killing" is the third book featuring the Nitro City cop-turned-independent-contractor who once again finds himself in the midst of the nastiest villains in all of the city.

This time, Catwalk faces off against a ruthless power monger bent on enslaving all of society with cybernetic enhancements, goes toe-to-giant-toe with an armored Russian Mech, and has to deal with his own psychosis. How will our sometimes-hero, sometimes-ruthless-bastard survive? Only time will tell.

Mercy Killing came in around 53000 words, and that was after a few trim-the-fat sessions, so I'm really glad with the way this story evolved. NaNoWriMo, for those aspiring writers who haven't tried it, is one intense month. Don't ask how much Jack Daniel's I went through.

For those with an interest in Catwalk, Click Here.

One Love,

nK

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Catwalk, Division and Lyrical Goodness

Catwalk, Division and Lyrical Goodness

"Don't waste your breath. Don't waste my time. If I hear one more excuse, I'll lose my mind."
- Lowen & Navarro


That's good stuff, isn't it? I love powerful lyrics. Friday night was a marathon night with JWP. Sunday night was an impromptu gig with Division. In all, not bad, and I'm glad work was slow enough Monday that I could recover.

I love music that holds a message and just sweeps over you like a wave burying a sandcastle. I got hit with one of those from an unlikely source. I was watching Scrubs, Season Two. There's an amazing episode ending including a musical number and a character named Elaine. Those who are familiar will already know where I'm coming from on this. Those who don't, go buy Scrubs from Season One on DVD and start there. You'll like it.

Catwalk is up to his helmet in trouble in the third book, "Catwalk: Mercy Killing". Progress is going better than I'd expected. Prostitutes, Russian assassins, political ambitious, arms dealers and more....stay tuned :)

Have a great holiday everyone. If you're traveling, stay safe!

One Love!

nK

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Catwalk progress

Catwalk progress

Time for major re-writes. I figured out tonight what the missing element was from the third Catwalk book, "Mercy Killing". I hadn't clearly designed the target of ire and hatred. What's a Catwalk book without a proper vehicle for ire and hatred? Well, I got it now (since the work week is wound down and i finished my first paper for school).

Now, 17000 words in, it's time to go back, add some cut-scenes a la all the cool video games, temper a few things to make the story gel more, and then it's back to blood, mayhem, gore and violence. In other words, time to unleash Catwalk again.

Stay tuned for more updates and samples!

One Love!

nK

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Therion and NaNo

Therion and NaNo

Division and I had such a blast Friday night, playing our last show of 2007 and playing host to a great band. We had the honor of playing at Jaxx (last time till March, kids!) and it was the last date of the U.S. tour for what-the-hell-do-you-even-call-them band, Therion. The easiest way to explain Therion is this. I have no idea how it works.

The band features four vocalists, two male and two female, and an instrumental section that makes its living kicking people in the head. The music is heavy and straightforward, and the vocals provide such a myriad of textures that you simply don't know what's coming next.

Minnesota-based Aesma Daeva was Therion's touring partner, and they are a damned laugh riot. They interrupted the encore by appearing on stage with a cardboard boat, plastic viking helmets and axes. I thought I was going to cough up a lung, I was laughing so hard.

Locals Burning Shadows and Almost Human opened the show and really set the stage for us. We were so thankful that every band played and mingled without ego or incident.

Special congratulations to the contest winners; Candy Caine, Alicia Smith and Suzanne Glover. It was fun to finally break out "The Collector" on people.

Now, it's November, which means more NaNoWriMo. Time to get back to writing episode THREE in the Catwalk series, tentatively titled "Catwalk: Mercy Killing". More to follow.

One Love!

nK

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Happy Halloween and Get Ready to Write!

Happy Halloween and Get Ready to Write!

Happy Halloween everyone! It's that time for one of my favoritest of favorite holidays, and as much fun as it's been, it's just getting waylaid in the storm of all that is going on. We're on what amounts to Day Five of our Halloween celebration, including parties, Trick or Treating, more parties, Candy, parties...well, you get the idea.

Pup is the coolest Optimus Prime of all time. Far cooler than the crappy Gorilla version in the last few years, even cooler than the original, trailer with Rolly and all that. He wow'ed and dazzled everyone at my day job last night, and was spoiled as a result. Shocker.

Tonight is the culmination of our Halloween celebration. More Trick or Treating, and then I'm off to see Lizzy Borden on his new tour. Should be a riot. Cant' wait to see Jaxx tonight. I'll be there again Friday for Division's gig with Therion. We get to close up our "Dying to Be in a Division Song" contest that night, so it'll be a good time.

School is fun and exciting. Trying to fit in the reading and posting has been a little challenging with all else going on, but it's nice to be back in a learning environment. Not that I'm not always reading and learning for my day job, but now it's double the workload.

It's also 12 hours til we kick off the 2007 version of NaNoWriMo. The Third Catwalk book is on its way!

Ok, busy is as busy does...or was that stupid. Ah, either way. One Love!

nK

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Back to School

Back to School

Cue the Danny Elfman music, this Cat is going back to school!

I finished my enrollment papers today to go back to school and finish up a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice. I have an Associates in Business Administration now, but it doesn't really apply to what I'm doing. It helps to have market knowledge and economics, but not so much on the creative side.

With the courses I've already taken, I'll be at the halfway point by January. It's exciting. I'm not sure how I'm going to manage this in conjunction with recording the new Division CD, participating in NaNoWriMo, maintaining everything else I have going on, but I've always managed to get it done before. Just time to juggle.

For now, it's all about the Bottles and Throttles Charity Event on the 20th, and Division's last show this year with Therion (Nov 2nd)!

One Love!

nK

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Bottles and Throttles

Bottles and Throttles

That's right, kids. Attention is now demanded since we are moving full speed towards our 2nd Annual Charity Event for the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

The date is OCTOBER 20th!

We now have the support of Motorcycle Factory, Inc, in Woodbridge, VA. We'll be staging there so if you want to shop in the morning, expect us from 9-11am. Then we're off for the ride, ending at Jammin' Java in Vienna, VA for an afternoon concert, raffles, prizes, games and more. It's totally a family-friendly experience.

Our goal this year is $3000 so we need help! Donations and information are located at the following: www.catklaw.com/charity

Brother Bob said it best...ONE LOVE!

nK

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End to the Messiah

End to the Messiah

Grab your attention? I hope so.

Tonight marks the finish line for the second Catwalk novel, "Catwalk:Messiah" at a rough draft of 55,925 words. This is the precursor to last year's "Catwalk:Lineage" which is about to get severely edited as a result of ten months of new learning. Messiah is the name of the first book, and the first villain, a religious radical who unleashes a technological army on the city in an attempt to meet his demands.

To read the prologue, hit the Samples page. Very soon, the chatbook will be available with the prologue and chapter one to help generate some interest.

Special thanks to the many influences and supporting cast who helped me finish this milestone. Plenty more to come!

One Love,

nK

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What's the right adjective here....blessed? honored? excited? I don't think there is one, so I'll defer to my usual - revved up. (Thanks to Jim Steinman and Meatloaf)

Today was a very interesting day. While dodging the contagious chaos running amok at work, I managed to track down and discover a great number of very cool resources. Some were literally dropped in my lap (thanks Sybir and Lin). Others took a little phenaga....fennnaga....(sigh) others took a little effort.

Courtesy of author J.T. Bock, we learned of a search engine where you send a penny to your charity of choice with every search. It's titled GoodSearch. check it out here.

Courtesy of the radiant Lin, we learned of several places to virtually volunteer your time! Check out DoSomething.org for info.

We also solidified Adopt-a-Highway efforts for both my day job and our own company, CatKlaw. I can't wait.

Off to write. One Love!

nK

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Honored and Beaten Up

Honored and Beaten Up

This weekend was awesome. It was an educational mix of good and bad, with plenty of lessons filed inside my spinning skull. First of all, Mike and I stayed after rehearsal on Thursday night to record vocals for Division's upcoming demo. I haven't recorded anything with Division in a few years (despite doing some of my solo stuff). It was fun to see how different things are when you're trying to do it all yourself, rather than have a dedicated engineer. The demo is being mixed now (poor Mike!) and we'll have a few songs on hand in Chicago next weekend at Midwest Metal Anthem.

Friday night, Division performed for a sold-out crowd at Jaxx Nightclub (opening for Kamelot). Before we played, Jaxx owner and long-time friend, Jay Nedry, announced the band's induction into the club's Hall of Fame. It was really breathtaking, having been on that stage dozens of times and watching the club stand firm and prosper for the last thirteen years.

Sore from the festivities, I wound up knocking about twenty things off of my "take care of the house" list on Saturday. It also meant contacting a potential staging partner for October's Caring for Kids Charity Event for the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Much more on that in the near future, so keep your eyes peeled.

Saturday night, Sybir and I had the night to ourselves and elected to write and research instead of go out. Too bad neither of us is writing an erotica novel at the moment...that research is always so much fun. haha.

Sunday was mostly a recovery day, other than the website updates, the networking, chores and another rehearsal. It's back to the work week tomorrow morning, so it's time to get the next piece written to Catwalk:Messiah.

Be good out there. One Love!

nK

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HorrorFind Weekend in Baltimore

HorrorFind Weekend in Baltimore

This afternoon and evening, Sybir, Pup and I trekked up to Hunt Valley, MD to check in on the semi-annual HorrorFind Weekend. This was not the first time Sybir and I have been to that location, having attended a few sci-fi conventions in the past to help sell some of our old works. Thi was, however, Pup's first time at a horror con.

For the adults wondering why anyone would take a toddler to a horror convention, save it. He was prepped with a few week's guidance that skulls and brains and fake blood were all just rubber and latex. They weren't any scarier than the punching dummy at Karate class. How did he do? The only time he even looked twice at a "scary" person was when he questioned the Toxic Avenger for wearing a tutu.

I got a chance to meet a number of people and drop some Division CD's in the hands of folks who I think we'll partner with in the future. As for the talent there, Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters, Congo, The Crow, Oz) was absolutely drawn to Pup and embraced him like they'd know one another forever. The local crew filming Women's Studies was very kind. The guys behind the upcoming film, Hatchet, were very engaging, and there were several other actors and actresses who were very sweet to Pup as well.

There was a ton of stuff there to help promote the film I've been raving about, Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon.

In the near future, the results will be engaging a lot of these folks either with Division or through Horrorview.com so keep your eyes peeled on results!

After that, we hung with my buds Andrew and MB and attended an art exhibition opening down at the Ottobar in Baltimore. The artist is a talented young lady named Erin. If you get a chance to hit Ottobar this week, head upstairs for a sneak peek.

One Love!

nK

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The Writing Mindset

The Writing Mindset

The last few nights have been very productive from a writing standpoint. I completed a few more chapters on Catwalk:Messiah, including a fight scene that lasted two pretty long chapters by itself. Fortunately, I get into Cat's head pretty easily, so I managed to find the writing mindset again. The problem has been that this story is essentially four different things - a comic book type novel, a romance, an action movie and on some levels, a comedy.

Of course there will be edits and rewrites, but for right now, the core product is really coming along well. Cat gets to take on quite a number of nasties this time around, while still trying to keep himself human between the ears.

Fortunately, work has lightened up some, though I've added a few more community projects through the Outreach Committee. Of course, we're still doing our Caring for Kids Event on October 20th to benefit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

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A non-marketing post

A non-marketing post

I have nothing to sell you.

Alright, well, that's a load of chit since I'm a performer and therefore I'm always selling myself out to anyone who will listen, but for this post, I'm putting that on hold. Yes, there are shows coming up. Yes, there is a contest going on. Yes, we're busier than ever with both bands, but tonight isn't about that.

Most of you know I'm the father of a positively amazing toddler. Tonight, we decided we would try to expand his knowledge by watching The Safe Side's video titled "Stranger Safety". This film was put together by John Walsh (America's Most Wanted) and Julie Clark (Little Einsteins). It's intended to teach children of dangerous situations and how to react to them. The film includes safety tips, scenarios and a host called the Safe Side Super Chick.

My son enjoyed it so much, we watched it twice.

What was astounding was not that he found it entertaining. He found it important. At a toddler's age, to differentiate between a Transformer or Lightning McQueen or Dora the Explorer to something that means a great deal outside of simple entertainment on a screen, I found that positively breathtaking.

I give all the credit to his mom. ;)

Stay safe out there. Plenty more to discuss soon...

One Love!

nK

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Dead Girls, New Songs, Aliens, Movies and a Nod to History

Dead Girls, New Songs, Aliens, Movies and a Nod to History

That sound like enough stuff to handle at once, well, you know how The Cat likes to roll by now, I hope.

First up: Dead Girls. The "Die to Be in a Division Song" contest is rolling along nicely with several very very convincing entries, including a few drownings and a damn convincing corpse. Details are here:


Entries now in for the "Dying To Be In A Division Song?" Contest! Click for Details!



After that, let's go to New Songs. The Band is recording demo tracks now for two of our brand new songs, and we'll play 'em for the crowd at Midwest Metal Anthem in Lansing, IL in August. Don't miss out. First new Division chit in THREE YEARS!

Aliens? Well, that's a guilty pleasure. As a writer, I love drawing resource material by playing my characters in RPG's. This week, City of Heroes launched Issue 10 (read: expansion pack) where the aliens come back and assault the city. Very cool stuff.

Movies? Too funny not to share. My pup and I watched the 1959 debacle, "The Giant Gila Monster" yesterday, invoking fits of laughter from us both. Look for a review at Horrorview.com!

Finally, a nod to history. It goes without saying that I respect Bruce Lee, not only as the baddest MF ever to walk the earth, but as a very inspiring philosopher. Sybir and Pup have both recently returned to the Dojo, and with that, I felt a need to open their eyes to the work of the Dragon. Last weekend, "Fists of Fury" was the feature film. This weekend, Jim Kelly, John Saxon and Master Bruce himself will be on display when we sit down to enjoy "Enter the Dragon".

Take care out there. See you all soon!

One Love,
nK

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Killer Weekend, and More Dying to be in a Division Song updates!

Killer Weekend, and More Dying to be in a Division Song updates!

So, this past weekend, we played two shows. One in which everything went horribly wrong, and the other where everything went so amazingly well, it was hard to believe. Special thanks to everyone who came out to Rocks in Richmond on Saturday night and Jaxx in Springfield on Saturday night.

There's plenty of talk about it over on the Division official site.

While we were in Richmond, some of the Divisionettes got together and took pics for the "Dying to be in a Division song" contest we're running.


Division Announces the "Dying To Be In A Division Song?" Contest! Click for Details!



They'll be posted to the gallery soon. Since then, work has been a whirlwind, but I got to the gym today and Sybir walked me through an arm workout developed by the late, legendary Bruce Lee. I'm already feeling it so it's time for some bourbon and the hot tub!

One Love!

nK

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Giant Robots, Wire Work and Killing Chicks

Giant Robots, Wire Work and Killing Chicks

What a weekend!

I caught Transformers on Friday, that was everything it was cracked up to be. I'm sure I'll be back to see it again before it leaves theaters. The rest of the weekend was spent suspending disbelief while watching movies heavy on action and light on plot. That haul included Elektra, Ultraviolet and Bulletproof Monk. The kid and I even watched Kung Pow: Enter the Fist, which was a riot.

Did you realize the same guy who wrote Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, and Bat Thumb also wrote Patch Adams? Steve Oedekirk is more talented that most people will give him credit for. He's also a whack job.

Once again, I have to announce Division's contest to kill women to be in one of our tunes.


Division Announces the "Dying To Be In A Division Song?" Contest! Click for Details!



Check it out, at your own peril! haha

Alright, a week of hell at work coming up, followed by a busy Division weekend.

One Love!

nK

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End of Quarter - Division and JWP get Busy!

End of Quarter - Division and JWP get Busy!


Not like that kind of "get busy", get yer head outta the gutter!

With my day job in a sales organization, it's end of the quarter which means a huge exhale and maybe a chance to lay low for a bit. We'll see.


JWP is jammin downtown at Asylum tomorrow night at the After Party for the DC Roller Girls. Hit the site for details.


As for Division, well, we're live twice in July, and like I mentioned, our contest launched this week, as well as our virtual street teams. gonna be a blast!


Much gratitude to everyone who's responded so quickly, and thanks to DJ Angel on The Cape Radio for helpin us out in the virtual world!

one love!


nK

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