Hibernating for the Winter

Hello Kelly!
It's been so long without an update! We are sorry!
The reason it's been so long is that Christmas is coming and I'm hopelessly obsessed. Wearing my Santa hat, giving out candy canes, I'm outta control.
But I SHOULD be sharing all of that love with YOU instead of keeping it all to myself!

Okay, so there is a lot to announce!
First of all ...

ARE YOU A GRAPHIC DESIGNER?
We want YOU to design a HELLO KELLY T-shirt. E-mail us at mail@hellokellyonline.com if you want to take a crack at it. (Serious inquiries only, please!) We'll hook you up with our logo if you'd like to use it, or you can try to WOW us with something completely different. We're always looking for a variety of designs: masculine, feminine, uni-sex, super-simple, ultra-intense. It's cheaper for us to print shirts with only 1 or 2 colours, so keep that in mind!
After checking out all the submissions, we'll pick 2 winners and use their designs for shirts to sell at our table.
The winner gets a HELLO KELLY prize-pack, which includes all 3 of our CDs, 2 posters and one of the shirts YOU designed. Also, we'll put a banner for your design company on our MySpace so that you can generate more business. Not to mention that your design will be on display at our table show after show! The deadline for this contest is January 15th!

Secondly:
Our music video is FINALLY finished! We're releasing our video for "SIMPLE LOVE SONG" it on January 9th! You'll find a high-quality version on our website (that's the one we're proud of) and a compressed version on YouTube. We're REALLY proud of it! We'll be releasing a little promo video in a day or two to give you a little taste. Also, we're hoping to release a DVD in a little while which will include the video, the promo and some "behind the scenes" materials.
The video was directed by Jon Steckley for Gillies Lake Productions.

Thirdly:
We're booking lots of tours in 2009!
We want this coming year to be the busiest year we've ever had!
In March, we're going to be super-saturating Ontario. Everywhere from Chatham to Ottawa, from St. Catharines to Timmins and everywhere in between. We're obviously already started booking the tour, but if you're a promoter wanting to bring us in, this is a good time to do it! We'll be touring with To Tell, a great band from London.
in April and May, we'll be touring through to Western Canada and a LOT of the USA. Same thing, if you'd like to book us - get in touch.
We'll be posting a bunch of the dates online soon!

Last but not leastly:
Until our touring starts up again at the end of February, we're locking ourselves up in a shed and working on our show. When we come out, we're gonna have some new tunes and a new show to blast into your faces! We're looking forward to rocking with you guys again soon - but until then, keep listening and keep us in your prayers!

Thanks so much for everything!

-the HK crue

The Paper Bag Princess

THIS IS HUGE!!

Hey everybody!

Every now and then, out of curiosity, I type "HELLO KELLY" into YouTube to see what kinds of things come up. Sometimes I get videos of people singing our songs, or even high school video projects to our songs ... but then today I plugged in our song title "Paper Bag Princess" ... and I found something truly precious!

As you may or may not know, our song "Paper Bag Princess" was inspired by a Canadian children's book called "The Paper Bag Princess" by Robert Munsch. Here in Canada, it's a pretty popular book.

WELL ... apparently they made a cartoon based on the book.
It's silly and stupid and a waste of time, but if you're interested in seeing a ridiculous, over-inflated, depressingly badly produced cartoon based on the book on which our song was inspired ... we have it here, for you, in it's entirety!!

OPTION 1: Ignore this and go on with your life.
OPTION 2: ENJOY!

PART 1:

PART 2:

Halloween and such!

Hello, Kelly,

So James played his last show a while back and yes, it’s been hard filling his shoes. To show you just how hard it has been to fill his shoes, I’ve found a photo of an exceptionally large shoe to show you.


Yes, it’s been tough but our friend Pierre from Cambridge, ON has been kind enough to fill in and he’s been great! Here’s a photo of him dressed up as Michael Cera’s character from JUNO at our Halloween show.


Speaking of Halloween costumes, I should let you know that I dressed up as Jack Black from School of Rock, but it definitely wasn’t the best costume of the night. Josh, who is playing guitar for a while, dressed up as Jim from The Office.


Ryan, the guy playing drums since Josh is on guitar, dressed up in a children’s Superman costume.


And Mat, stealing the show like always, dressed up as The Joker.


Yes, I’m aware that our band line-up situation is confusing as all heck right now. Sometimes I have trouble keeping track! Don’t worry, we’re working it all out and we’ll be the solid Hello Kelly you know and (hopefully) love again very soon.

Okay, on to more official band business!
We’ve released a new single to Christian radio! It’s already getting adds all over the place, but we need you to help! If there’s a Christian radio station in your area, be sure you call them up (or e-mail them) and ask if they’re playing the new Hello Kelly single, FALL OVER ME. If they are, be sure you call (or e-mail) and request it, okay?
I’m also gonna post a sweet list of sweet stations playing our sweet song on our sweet website, so you’ll know where to look online for their numbers to stalk them into playing us.
Seriously, this is part of being in a band that we can’t do alone, so we would really appreciate it from the bottom of our hearts if you could help us out!

We’ve also booked a bunch of Christmas shows. I’m sitting down today to update our MySpace and website with all of the information. PLEASE go and check those dates out because we really want to see you guys this year for Christmas. Christmas is personally my favourite time of year, so it really means a lot to me when I see old friends and fans coming out to support us.
If you live close to Orangeville, especially, this show is a tradition we’ve had going for 3 years, so we’d love it if you came to check it out!

In my next blog entry, I’ll update you a bit on the music video! I saw some raw footage and it looks sweeeeet!

Have a great Saturday!

francy

The Video Shoot!

Hey!
So I never imagined that shooting a video would be so exhausting! I should have figured it out though ... I mean, having to give the camera your absolute most energetic performance EVER and do it forty times within 12 hours ... I should have expected to be exhausted.
But it was a LOT of fun. Josh's sister came by with delicious sandwich stuff, which was much appreciated - and I can't wait to see how it turns out.
THEN, the next day we shot the "storyline" part in the streets of Kitchener. If you've seen the promo banner for the video, you will have noticed gigantic puzzle pieces. Yes, those ARE in our video.
I've still got them in our trailer too - I'm trying to figure out what to do with them now that the video is done.

Anyway, the notion of having a video is pretty exciting to me. You know, you see all the music videos on TV and online and now thinking that Hello Kelly will have one ... it's a pretty cool feeling.
It's also cool to see some of our peers coming out with videos too. Did you SEE the After the Anthems video? That thing looked pro. And - I don't know if I'm allowed to tell - but Silverlane is working on a video. They showed me an early cut ... and it's like .... REALLY cool. I couldn't even believe what I was looking at. Super impressive.

Anyway, our video is for my favourite song from the new record, "Simple Love Song". We're hoping to be able to show you guys by the end of the month - but I make no promises!!

Tonght we're playing CHANGE CONFERENCE in Toronto and, even though it's gonna be an amazing show, it's a little bittersweet because it's going to our bass player's last show with us. He's married now and looking forward to that life - thinking about the kinds of things that married men think about and such. It's going to be tough to see him go because he's been by my side since the VERY beginning. Not gonna lie, I'm probably gonna get PRETTY depressed. Sigh.
But after a week of being mad at everything, I'll figure something out and make an announcement about who's going to be filling James' big, hyper-energetic shoes. I'll keep you posted about THAT ...

But if you can, definitely come out to Queensway Cathedral tonight and cheer him on. It's only 5 bucks! Come on!

Thanks for reading!

francy

Back from tour - From Josh!

Hey everyone!

Josh from HK here. Wow, it feels good to be home. Not going to lie, I spent the day today watching Toronto Maple Leaf hockey games that I had taped on the PVR from when I was gone. The funny part, they're only pre-season games. YES! Im that into hockey!. This thursday is going to be awesome though. James (our beloved bass player) is coming over to watch the season opener, and then the Office! Francy may even make an appearance. Let me just say this, there will be more junk food than we know what to do with. Its how I roll. Its probably why Im so in shape.......not. haha

But anyways, I just got sent some super sweet shirts from a friends clothing company, called SCARLIET. My buddy Jordan from Stellar Kart is big time involved in the company, so please support!
(www.myspace.com/scarlietclothing)

Please head over to their site and check them out! they are rad!

We're back at home!

Hey everybody!!

The tour is over!

I'm back at home, watching Season 2 of The Office that my sister bought while I was away. THAT is why I love her. The ONLY reason. Okay, I'm just kidding about that.
It's been a TV filled evening. I also watched new episodes of: Terminator (pretty good), How I Met Your Mother (not their best episode), Chuck (brilliant!!) and Heroes. I've seen episodes of Heroes here and there but haven't followed the entire series, so watching that show took up all of my cranial capacity, but I think I've got it figured out. I would get into it, but I feel like it would be too much of a commitment. Is that why I don't have a girlfriend? Heh heh.

An election debate robbed us of the new episode of The Office last week. Shame. But I suppose election stuff is important, no? Anyway, the premiere for The Office this year was VERY funny. I love where they're taking everything, so I'm looking forward to the next episode. The only other show I'm really excited about is Chuck - as I mentioned before. I saw all of last season and the writing is actually really, REALLY good. Same creator as The O.C. I believe. I don't wanna talk about it.

Anyway, as if you care about my television opinions!!

The tour was fun! We learned a lot about the other bands: The Great Transparency, Manic Drive and Eleventyseven. I'm gonna confess that before this tour I thought that Eleventyseven wasn't the best band in the world. And while they're still not - in my humble opinion - the best band in the world, I've developed a GREAT deal of respect and love for those guys. You wouldn't have heard me say this before the tour, but I literally can't wait to tour with them again. Such a pleasure.
As you may have heard, the tour was a bust in some ways - but we salvaged it and had a great time! We met a lot of our tour goals, made some friends, and had a great time. To give you a bit of a peek into the life of Hello Kelly on tour, I've prepared 4 "Top 5" lists. Here they are:

TOP 5 MEALS ON TOUR:
1. Random junk food donated by promoters, fans, friends on the road.
2. Taco Bell: cup of water, triple layer nachos and cheesy double beef burrito: $1.80
3. Peanut butter sandwiches
4. Wendy's: cup of water, side salad with oriental dressing, small chili: $3.00
5. Red Robin: Royal Red Robin burger combo. (We splurged.)

TOP 5 FORMS OF ENTERTAINMENT:
1. Watching old seasons of The Office in the van through the stereo system
2. Catching up on current shows on CBS.com and NBC.com
3. Ryan's iPod (He has lots of Disney music!)
4. Writing my short novel on my laptop
5. Late night games of "Would You Rather?"

TOP 5 THINGS THAT CAME IN REALLY HANDY:
1. Febreze (Keeps the van fresh)
2. WD-40 (Keeps our trailer working)
3. Axe Bodyspray (Keeps us fresh)
4. Nailclippers (You never think of those little guys ...)
5. Nina, our GPS

TOP 5 HIGHLIGHTS:
1. The people in Missouri who got us 3 shows, tons of meals, place to stay - basically saved our butts on this tour!
2. The road hockey tournaments
3. Getting to know the guys from the other bands so well - especially Matt from Eleventyseven
4. Making the most out of bust shows and having a great time playing music and making friends
5. Red Robin. Soooooo good.

So there you have it! We hope that you now feel like you understand the touring life a little better! Check out our newest video blog, okay? We hope you've enjoyed the journal updates, new photos and video blogs. We've been working hard at keeping that stuff updated!! Stay tuned - we're going to be leaking some pretty exciting news very soon!

Keep it straight, you're doing great!!

francy

Toy Story / The Dark Knight

You know how some people have too much time on their hands?

Sometimes that's a good thing, because THIS is hilarious:

3 Nights in Missouri

Hello, Kelly!

The rest of the guys took off in the van to head to Wal-Mart, and I stayed behind here so I could write a journal for you to read! Yay! (I'm also staying behind so I can catch up on How I Met Your Mother, one of the TV shows I follow. Muh hah hah!)

Tonight we started a 4 night run in Moberly, Missouri. We played a rock show tonight, tomorrow we're gonna be Josh's back-up band as he leads worship at this church event, and then Thursday is an off day (Oh, thank God!) and then Friday we play another rock show. So it's gonna be fun to kinda saturate this little town with our rock this week!

Tonight was a lot of fun. It's a Tuesday - usually a bad day for a rock show - but TONS of kids came out tonight! And what's better? They made us feel really welcome by screaming their crazy little faces off. I appreciated that.
I had a bit of a struggle with my guitar rig tonight. Halfway through the show it started cutting in and out, making annoying buzzing sounds and just being quite unpleasant. I had to play the rest of the show like that - it was a drag! But, nobody seemed to be too upset about it.
After the show, I fiddled around with my pedal board and found the culprit. I'm gonna replace that little cable and hopefully my troubles will be gone.

So ... I just wanted to send a shout out to everybody who has helped us out so far on this tour. It's been so wonderful! Seriously, people are giving us money out of nowhere for gas and to eat and helping us repair our van and trailer and everything. This kind of stuff is SUCH a blessing. So, in my own little humble way, THANK YOU!

I was also happy to hear that several different people told me they've been watching our video blogs. I was starting to wonder if anybody ever watches them - but apparently you are. So, that's encouraging.

.... I wonder if anybody read this journal? :) Haha.

Thanks again for stopping by!
Stay classy, San Fransisco!

francy

Materialism!

Anybody who knows me, hopefully knows that I’m not the kinda guy who obsesses over having the newest kind of phone or laptop or car or whatever. I like to think I’m pretty simple.

BUT – I’ve been hit with one materialistic wave. And I am not ashamed. If I ever have a house of my own, I won’t be happy unless I have this:

We Blew a Tire!

Hello, Kelly!
So I’m going to be honest with you guys:
The tour took a bit of a turn for the worse ... but we’re troopers, so don’t worry about us. Here’s the story ... or at least as much of it as I’m allowed to tell.
First, a show or two got cancelled. And then details like hotels and meals starting falling through. We’ve been sleeping on floors and eating pizza to play shows for years so we try not to get too “rock star” with stuff like that. It’s really unfortunate, but ultimately the people behind pulling the tour together ended up pulling out of the whole thing and high-tailing it outta here. So we, Hello Kelly, were trying to be good boys throughout the whole thing. We do our best to be easy to work with, ya know?
Oh, and then we blew a tire on the trailer. Here are some photos:



And here’s how we dealt with it:

Then later that day, we saw this guy – which made things better:

Okay – so here’s the update for you guys:
The tour is still moving forward – as best it can. Some shows have been cancelled – We’ve updated the SHOWS section, so check that out. But, to keep us busy, we’ve added a couple shows – one in LaCrosse, Wisconsin and a couple in Moberly, Missouri. Following those shows, we’ll still be playing the Louisville, KY show plus the Goshen, IN show. So, if you’re in the area – you can still come out to see us!
It can be discouraging when stuff like this happens. It’s easy to start wondering things like: “Is this really worth it?” “Why are we putting ourselves through this?” “Isn’t there some other sucker band that could be doing this instead?” But once I stopped crying like a little girl and get a grip, I realized that it really is an honour to be out here. I really do believe that when life is easy and good, then something’s wrong.
When that tire blew, I looked up into the bright blue sky and said “thanks”. I think bad stuff happening means that you’re on the right track. Then again, maybe I’m just a glutton for punishment.
I know 2 things for sure though: First, we KILLED it last night in Battle Creek, MI! Second, listening to Michael Buble can ease the most intense of my worries. Geez, this guy can sing .... Mmmmmmmm ...
Aaaaalright, well, enough out of me. I’ll be back with more updates before too long. Thanks for reading!
-francy

Jammin' in the Van

Hello, Kelly,
So we’ve been doing a lot of driving over the past couple days, but that’s okay because it’s part of touring! Driving for extended periods of time is one of the best parts of any road trip, and here’s why – THE MUSIC. Yeah, we’ve been having fun with all the different tunes on our different iPods.
Here’s a bit of a playlist of bands that pounded through our stereo yesterday. (I hope you’re impressed with our diversity!)

Aqua
Creed
N*Sync
Eagle Eyed Cherry
Haste the Day
Esoteric
36crazyfists

Here’s a video I put together of James, Ryan and I jamming out to “Heart Love Messenger” by Aqua. At the end of the video, there’s a “Chester” sighting. He’s our roadie, but he doesn’t come out into the public too often. When he does though, it truly is a sight to behold! Check out the video:



I’ve been enjoying listening to all this music and hanging out with the boys because it was one of my tour goals before we started. I think I already blogged about this. Before leaving on tour, we sat down and had a meeting about what goals we wanted to set for ourselves for this tour. We set some personal goals, some band goals, some business goals and some relational goals.
Some of our business goals were to walk out of every venue with 2 new contacts that could lead to another show, or to sell a certain $$ amount per person at the show. Some of the relational goals were to get to know the other bands really well, or to confide in members of our own band that we don’t usually confide in.
It’s easy to get into the van and do nothing but sleep because you’re so relaxed and bored ... so I made one of my goals to never sleep in the van unless I absolutely can’t keep my eyes open. I want to spend this time with the guys either being stupid, making jokes, or having deep conversations or working on some of the things I’m writing. We spend SO much time in this van and sleeping it all away is such a waste.
So, I’m happy to report that a lot of our goals are being accomplished! And, those goals being accomplished is adding up to a bigger goal being accomplished ... basically to have a successful tour where everybody stays happy for extended periods of time. It’s SO refreshing!
The shows COULD use more people though, so ... check the website and come see us rock out!

Miss you!
-francy

Another Update from Francy

Hello, Kelly!
Wanna know what feels weird? Being on tour and not feeling completely burnt out! Don’t get me wrong – it’s not like I wish we DID feel burnt out. It’s just a huge pleasure to be on a tour that’s so organized, professional and easy-going.
I think another part of it is that, before leaving, we had a little meeting and outlined some band goals for this tour and so far everything’s going really well. The goals were stuff like to have as few little band fights as possible, to get to know the other bands more, to spend more quality time with the people at shows and other stuff like that. We play our third show today, but it already feels like we’ve been out for a week.
I guess time really does fly when you’re having fun!
Okay, so here’s the update!
Last night, I took some time to really watch The Great Transparency’s set. They’re a pop-rock band from Ohio … a lot like us, I guess – but mix in a little more Run Kid Run, maybe? Anyway, their set was great! They did a cover of “(I Just) Died in Your Arms” by Cutting Crew. This is a song that I’ve wanted to cover for a LONG time! But after getting over my initial surge of jealous rage, I came around to thinking their version was really great. I loved it. Definitely check them out online.
The bad news is that their lead singer Jeremiah is sick and says he can feel his voice dying. We don’t get a day off for about a week – so it’s gonna be tough on all the vocalists. If you’re the praying type, you should definitely put in a good word for Jeremiah with the big guy upstairs. And then you should leave a sweet comment on their MySpace!
There’s something I need to explain to you guys right now. A while ago, we posted here that we were looking for a lead guitarist. Well, as soon as we start posting live photos and videos, you’re gonna notice something fishy going on. Here’s what happened: Our drummer Josh is actually a GREAT guitarist, so he dusted of all of his guitar stuff and he’s playing lead for this tour. On drums, we’ve got a good friend of ours – Ryan Donais – filling in. He’s incredible, and we sound great! If you’re in the USA, you should definitely try to make it out to a tour date. If you live in Ontario, you’ll have to come to our show in Toronto in October.
So Ryan, Josh, James and Mat all brought their hockey sticks and street hockey balls! The idea was to challenge the other bands to a street hockey tournament, but lately the guys have been practicing by playing against each other. (You know, they have to sharpen their skills before dominating everybody else on the tour.) We’ve got some videos posted now that shows you all of our street hockey fun, so you should definitely check that out!
There will be more updates to come! Until then, keep it straight – you’re doin’ great!!

-francy

The First Update of the Tour

Hello Kelly,
We're finally out on the road again, and it feels fantastic! Last night Josh was a gentleman and offered to sleep on the hotel room floor so that I could have a bed, (there are six of us in this room) so I'm feeling particularily chipper, thanks for a good night's rest. James, Ryan and I woke up early to get free breakfast. Raisin Bran, bagel and a banada = Breakfast of Champions!

We're all really excited to be out here. Yesterday, we woke up at 5:00am in Canada and drove all the way down to Maryland in the USA. The lady at the border wasn't the most pleasant we've ever experienced, but Josh turned on the charm and managed to make her budge. I expected to be there for hours but we were in and out in minutes. Oh, Josh - what a smooth operator ...

By the way - I just watched the Season 3 recap for "How I Met Your Mother" in preparation for Season 4, which starts on Monday - and I can feel the excitement swelling up inside of me. It doesn't equal my excitement for The Office, but that should go without saying. Will Jim propose to Pam after all??? Dun dun dun!!

The other bands on this tour are Eleventy Seven, Manic Drive and The Great Transparency. Yesterday's show was pretty rushed and a little stressful, so I didn't really get a chance to spend time with Manic Drive. (They're running sound and lights on this tour - VERY hard workers!) We DID get to meet the other two bands though, and it was really great. Eleventy Seven's style of music isn't what I normally listen to, but when I saw them perform last night, I think I finally caught the vision for what they're earning and developed respect for those guys. Their new record is really shimmery and poppy, but I was happy to see them still retain that hyper-punk feel for the live show.
They're also REALLY great guys - so that was refreshing. It's encouraging when you show up for the first show and everybody's friendly. Phew.

The crummy part about last night was that the electricity wasn't very reliable. The power cut out for The Great Transparency at the end of the show, and for us right at the beginning. It was a little discouraging to start a show like that, cause - and anyone who's in a band can probably relate - once you lose a crowd, it's SUPER tough to get them back. But, I'm VERY happy to report that even after that little disaster, we put out an extra dose of energy and, by the end of our set, everybody was really into it. Sure, it was a bit of a stressful show with all the power issues, but I was proud of us for pulling it together!

Then the power cut 4 times for Eleventy Seven. Sigh. But they dealt with it like champs. (You really need to come out to a show to see these guys - if for nothing more than to just witness the experience. I can't really describe it with words.)

Sorry about this journal entry coming across as a little spastic. Everybody's yelling at me to shut the computer and get going. Sooooo ... I suppose I should do that.

Talk to you soon!

francy

Medieval Times!

So last night, to celebrate my sister's and two brothers' birthdays, a bunch of us went to Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament.

I'd gone one time when I was in Grade 6. But seeing the whole thing again last night was pretty funny. Things I drove home thinking about:
1. Even though I'm allergic to them, horses are pretty smart to know all those moves. I think I'm gonna have a new appreciation for big epic war movies with hundreds of horses on screen at once. (As if I don't already have a huge appreciation for epic war movies. Lord of the Rings? Yessssss!)
2. Those guys playing the knights have to be crazy. What if your partner misses his cue, and raises his shield instead of lowering it, and gets a spiked ball of iron to the face? They must have expensive insurance.
3. Those knights probably think they're pretty awesome, eh? I saw them after the show, leaning against the open bar, drinking beers. And then the Blue Knight started hitting on this poor unsuspecting lady. He was probably thinking: "Hey baby, I'm a knight in a royal tournament!" And she was probably thinking: "Ummmm, gross! You're a desperate little man pretending to be a knight in a royal tournament!"

All in all, seeing animals do tricks and men pretend to kill each other on the field of battle was worth all the sniffling and sneezing I endured from my allergies to horses.
My sister told me that I should find a pretty girl and take her on a first date to Medieval Times. I told her I'm gonna do it someday ... but I'll make sure I have allergy medicine next time. :)

Thanks for reading! We're playing in Michigan today with Superchick!

francy

A Bittersweet Day

Hello, Kelly!

So today was my sister's birthday! But instead of being around in the morning to wish her a happy 20th, I was at work. Sigh. (That's right. Us Hello Kelly boys have DAY jobs!) But I quit early, spent some time rehearsing our set with some of the other guys and then I made it back in Orangeville in time to catch dinner with my sister and family! It was a really nice time, and our waitress at Montana's was really pleasant and, let's be honest, she might have been really pretty too. :)

Okay okay okay, seriously though. My sister's birthday is September 11th- but that day is known for something else now. Ever since that crazy intense day 7 years ago, every time I talk about my sister's birthday, I also get this uneasy feeling in my gut. Kinda like that feeling I get when I think about how big kids used to smash my Lego structures - except WAAAAAAAY worse.

As a Canadian, I guess I have a bit of a unique perspective on 9/11 compared to Americans, but those stupid terrorist attacks DID affect everybody on the planet in a pretty substantial way, didn't they? I don't have any kind of dramatic story from that day of heroic triumph or tragic loss - I'm just a dude with a guitar who was nestled safely in Canada away from harm.
But, from my perspective as a Canadian, I guess I just want to extend a hand of unity and a word of prayer to any Americans who might be reading this blog. If you're mourning a loved one, praying for somebody in the war, or just trying to make sense of all the fighting and hatred in this world, I (and Hello Kelly) pray that you would find healing, comfort and peace from God this season.

I guess the point is that if everybody on earth was just nice to each other for a change, then things would be a lot better. I know the old dudes in suits who run the countries probably aren't gonna get that right for a long time ... so maybe it's up to us to just be decent people and love each other. Kinda seems like it shouldn't be that hard, you know?

So I dunno ... let's do that, yeah?

Just a sidenote - the Canadian Gospel Music Association will be announcing the nominees for the 2008 Covenant Awards next Tuesday! We're REALLY hoping to be nominated for one or two things - so don't forget to check back for news on that!

Thanks a lot for reading!

francy

This past weekend! (update from Josh)

Hey everyone!

Well, Im in a little bit of pain today to be honest. Last week I woke up in the morning and my shoulder kinda hurt. I just figured I slept on it funny or something. As the week went on, I started finding hard to even turn the steering wheel when I'd drive. So I just sucked it up. Well, Saturday night rolled around, and here we are having to rock it for Danny's (our guitar player) last show. I did my best and gave it all I had anyways. Andddddd......it hurt....alot! Not to mention having to play drums in church the next morning (that was even more painful!). Anyways, Im in pain, and sucking it up to keep bringing the rock (and in Sunday morning's case... the worship).

Thanks to everyone who came out Saturday night in Welland. We were bummed TFK couldnt be there, but we all know how these things work sometimes. Sometimes things happen out of everyone's control. But anyways, thanks to everyone who came and packed the place out, and didnt leave when they found out TFK wasnt going to be there! It was one of our favourite shows ever, and big thanks to Nicole the promoter for all her hard work!

Last night I went against all things practical and went to see Starfield in concert with a couple friends. It was an awesome night! I really enjoyed Starfield, and the hearts they have for what they're doing. I got introduced the band after from the promoter, and it turns out the Starfield guys consider themselves Hello Kelly "fans"! I laughed figuring they were joking.. but they certainly werent! They are awesome guys, and be sure to check them out online if you can! We're hoping to set up a tour with Starfield in the new year, which will be tons of fun!

Anyways, thats all for now from me! Looking forward to seeing all you CRAZY and awesome Americans on the Eleventyseven tour next week!

Hi! I'm Chester the Roadie!

Hello there everybody,

My name is Chester, and I've been helping Hello Kelly out here and there by being a roadie. When Hello Kelly asked me to start posting journals on their website, I was so excited! I'm hoping to write very often about my experiences as Hello Kelly's roadie.

Last Spring I was on their Rock, Hop and Roll tour, helping load gear and change strings. That kinda thing. Heath McNease, the hip hop guy on that tour, even let me play bass with him for a couple shows. That was a lot of fun.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to coming out on the Rage Against Abuse tour in 3 weeks. If you come to shows, you'll have to keep your eyes peeled for me. Come say hi, introduce yourself and we can take a photo together.
I have a big white beard, and usually wear my yellow toque. You can't miss me!

I'll post more journals from the road as often as I can. I hope you're ready to get the inside scoop on Hello Kelly!!

Talk to you soon,

Chester the Roadie!

The Hello Kelly Mobile Mob

Hello, Kelly!

We're launching our first ever mobile community: The Hello Kelly Mobile Mob at Mozes.com.
Here's how it works. Just text "hellokelly" to MOZES (66937), and then you'll be asked to join our "mob". Once you join, you can receive mobile updates from us when we're in the studio, on the road, or just hanging out. AND you can even text us to let us know your favourite song, your favourite colour or your favourite Dennis Quaid movie.

Also, when you join our "mob", you'll have access to free stuff like ringtones, wallpapers and downloads! Now I can't wait til Christmas so we can start sending Christmas presents right to your phone!

You can also join by using this handy little widget:



Don't forget to send us messages, okay?

Go check out our profile at Click here!!

Thanks for listening!

-francy

Hey everybody ...

Just a quick note for late in the night on this Sunday.
I was doing some songwriting with my acoustic and laptop - I came up with some stuff I'm really excited about - but then I randomly came across this YouTube video. Maybe it's just because it's so late and I'm so tired, but I decided that I absolutely had to share it with everybody I possibly could!

I wonder if somebody in Hello Kelly land is going to yell at me for putting something like this on the website? Well, here goes nothing!



Random, right? I love it.

-francy

Hillsong in Toronto this weekend!

Hey everyone!

Well here I sit in my favourite coffee shop ever, Coffee Culture. We have one here in my little town, Port Perry, and I spend ALOT of time here just working on various things on my laptop. Its great! Actually at the moment, Im putting together the band's order of new guitars for Gibson Guitars. They've been so kind to hook us up with an endorsement, and we're so excited to be working with them! www.gibson.com - check em out!

Anyways, this weekend, one of my favourite bands, Hillsong United, is going to be in Toronto. Im hoping to head down and check out the Saturday night event. They've been probably the most influential group as far as Worship music is concerned, and they're just awesome. I remember I went and saw them when I was like 16, and was so pumped to be there, and that I got to meet them after. Its kinda weird when I look back, because recently at GMA week in Nashville I got in an elevator, and behold, a few of the Hillsong guys were in the same elevator. We had a good chat, and they were super cool. Its funny to see how things change and all of a sudden people you used to look up at on a stage become your peers in a way! Its so cool, but at the same time Im thankful everyday to do what I do!

ANYWAYS... the tickets for the saturday night event are not sold out yet (but they will be most likely)- they filled the Molson Ampitheatre last year!. Click on the image below and visit the site and grab a ticket to go! I promise you wont regret it. These guys are so genuinely, and I trust you will be as fired up after this as I was when I was a teen.

-Josh

George Lucas ...

Hey everybody!

So this has been a fun summer so far, right? What? You don't like the rain? Pffft. I'm not talking about the rain. I'm talking about the MOVIES. I saw Iron Man twice, Wall-E three times, and The Dark Knight 4 times. I know! It's been a good summer.
But am I the only who thought Indiana Jones was a joke? Maybe? I think George Lucas let his imagination go a little crazy on that one.

But you guys don't read this blog for movie reviews, you read it to find out what the heck Hello Kelly is up to! Deal.
Last weekend, we played a show WAAAY up in Northern Ontario in a town called Petawawa. The show was a lot of fun, and after playing, we hung out with Manafest (this rapper guy who totally dresses gangsta, but is actually a super down to earth guy named Chris ..... but don't tell anybody that!) and then this dude and his mom invited us over for dinner after the show. The chicken and meatballs were spectacular. Danny swan in their pool, and James and Josh had a little Halo 3 tourney. (I'm super sucky at Halo. Sigh.)

Three things I'm excited about: #1 We're shooting a music video very soon! I'm not gonna tell what video it's for, but it's our first video so I can't wait! #2 My awesome mom surprised me by buying me a little Toyota Tercel, so now I have a method of transportation that doesn't guzzle the gas quite as much as Heidi (that's our van's name)!! And #3 I'm writing a book. Weird, right? Writing fiction is something I've been into for a while and I'm just about finished the first draft of my something I'm actually proud of... It's a book about a rock band ... Surprised?
But I should watch my pride though. I bet George Lucas was proud of the latest Indiana Jones script too. :)

The new Family Force 5 record came out today, so you should go check that out! It's called "Dance or Die". I'm not a very good dancer, so I feel like my fate isn't looking too promising. Eek ...

Alright, if I don't quit now I'll just keep typing and typing and typing. Plus, it's WING NIGHT at my favourite restaurant. Mmmmmm.

So, goodnight!

francy

Hey from Josh!

Hey everyone! whatttttts up!

Well, here I sit on my favourite couch at home, about to watch some more LOST on this cloudy/rainy day. What better way to spend it. Although, I must confess, I feel pretty lazy today. I have a few things to do soon, but for now, its just me, LOST, and this blog ---- and maybe a trip to Quiznos because its amazing.

Anyways, on to business here. I have some super cool news, which some of you probably know about already. I've been endorsed by Truth Custom Drums, and have been rocking a sweet new custom kit from them. They make kits for bands like Paramore, Underoath, The Starting Line, The Jonas Brothers, Norma Jean, Kutless, etc. Its such a blessing to be working with them. Head over to www.truthdrums.com and check out the artist section. I have a profile on there, so check it out!


As some of you may know, the band Hillsong United from Australia is coming to Toronto this month! For those of you who aren't fimiliar with them, they're a worship band from Australia who has changed the course of worship history in my opinion. Their church is well over 20,000 people, and are some of the best song writers I've heard when it comes to worship music. They were here last year with Starfield, and sold out the Molson Ampetheatre. Fall Out Boy didnt even do that! They're doing a whole weekend conference in Toronto with some great seminars, as well as worship with Hillsong United. And just announced, the Saturday night (August 30th) will be open to the public to buy tickets without having weekend registration. Visit www.uniteproductions.com or click the link below.

Please check out this awesome event!

Thats all from me for now!!


http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y99/josh0094/HUC-Toronto2008.jpg

LEAD GUITARIST WANTED

Hello, Kelly!

Our lead guitarist Daniel Mutter was just accepted into a very awesome university, and we're happy that he's about to move forward with his dreams!
But now we've gotta find someone else to provide face-melting solos!

Is that you?

We're opening up auditions to the public!
Hello Kelly is a serious, pop-rock band that tours for a good part of the year. We need a guitarist URGENTLY! We leave on tour on September 18th, 2008 - so let's get this ball rolling!

Please contact us if:
-you are 18 or older
-you are from central/southern Ontario (or willing to move here)
-you have a passport
-you own quality gear (guitars, tube-powered amp, effects)
-you have a driver's license and access to a vehicle
-you don't mind spending lots of time away from home, in a van with 4 other dirty, sweaty dudes
-you're good at playing the guitar : )
-you don't mind watching a LOT of The Office, WWE and hockey games
-you have experience playing in other bands
-you are willing to change/update your image to match Hello Kelly's
-you are comfortable putting on a crazy, intense live show (stupid faces, jumping around, some goofy choreography)
MOST IMPORTANTLY:
-you believe in and are excited about being a part of our mission to empower, encourage and challenge "Kelly"


Please do NOT contact us if:
-you have a criminal record that would prevent you from crossing the border
-you don't like our music
-you don't know how to play the guitar
-you do a lot of cussing, drinking, drugging, or other things that a Christian band doesn't want to be known for


Things to consider:
-This IS an audition for full-on membership of the band, but please don't expect to be a part of official photo shots or interviews until we're positive that you're the 5th member we're looking for.
-Are you married? Do you have a mortgage? Make sure you consider the potential tension that being on the road could create for these situations.
-Hello Kelly is a Christian band. We play in a lot of churches, and we all believe that Jesus is our Saviour. We're looking for a lead guitarist who seriously, fervently and actively believes those same things and adheres to the Biblical calling to live above reproach.
-We're not famous, rich rockstars. We have all made sacrifices to serve as a part of this ministry, and if you're looking for a glamourous, well-paying gig, then you're looking in the wrong place.
-Hello Kelly is built on the vision of Francy, our singer and songwriter. If you're uncomfortable being in a band with a clearly-defined "leader", then this isn't the band for you.
-We're a very "do-it-yourself" kind of band. If you also have skills outside of music that could be of use to a touring band, let us know! (Examples could be: graphic design, web design, mechanic.)

If you are interested, please contact us at mail@hellokellyonline.com. Please attach a photo of yourself, a description of the gear you use, and any other information you think we'd like to know.
Do NOT send us MySpace messages for this, as those will be ignored.

Don't hesitate! We've opened this up to the public because we want to find options that we didn't know we had. You never know until you try!!

Looking forward to hearing from you!

-Hello Kelly

An Update from Josh

Hey everyone! just a little quick update from us here.. Thank you all for your continued support, prayer, and high fives. We all
appreciate it so so much!

1. 10 Good Reasons: We're still rocking the single on radio, 10 Good
Reasons! Thank you to all of you who have taken the time to call and request
it! We've gotten a ton of positive feedback about the song, and its meant so
much to us! Please continue to email/call your local stations to help spread
the Hello Kelly LOVE!

3. Touring: We're going to be heading out on tour with ELEVENTYSEVEN this
September, hitting venues around the East Coast and Mid West! Keep checking
back for more information on that!.

3. I've been rocking a brand new drum
kit lately courtesy of Truth Custom drums. They make drums for bands like
Underoath, The Jonas Brothers, Paramore, Kutless, to name a few. Head over
to www.truthdrums.com and check out my profile there!
I also just released an EP with my worship project called Nineofive. If you're into David Crowder Band, Leeland, or Starfield,
you'd dig this stuff. Check it out on iTunes or at www.myspace.com/nineofiveonline !

Thanks everyone! We love you all!
-Josh

Last Weekend ...

Hey guys!
Last weekend has a lot of stories attached to it, but now, nearly eight days away, I'm trying very, very hard to remember all of them.

Let's see ... I would tell you about the time Josh's expert braking skills prevented us from slamming into a deer on the highway, or how Danny and I spent the drive home from London brainstorming the most unthinkably violent ways to kill a cat if one forced us to kill a cat, just to keep ourselves awake (how morbid of us, eh), but all of those things happened so long ago now! I can barely remember!!

There are a couple things that DO still stand out in my brain.
The festival had a great line-up of bands, but everybody in Hello Kelly agrees that the highlight of the whole weekend was Flatfoot 56. Doesn't Flatfoot 56 sound like the kind of bandname you heard all the time back in 1999 when skater punk music was all the rage? Apparently the guys in the band are pretty young though, so maybe they ARE new. Ironically though, they DO fit in perfectly with that skater punk fringe style - but with an adorable twist. They dress like Scotsmen and sing super raunchy, off-the-way bar-chanting type tunes. At one point, they made the crowd separate into two groups and charge at each other like one of the battle scenes from Braveheart. But first he said: "May God have mercy on your souls!" into the microphone.
I was in awe.

I found it so funny that so many bands these days are using in-ears with metronomes playing right into their brains, and pre-recorded tracks pumping through the front-of-house speakers - it's pretty complicated, and everybody swears it makes the show better and more tight and entertaining. Yes, even Hello Kelly does it. But there's a certain amount of respect to be had for a band like Flatfoot 56 - they roll their road-worn road cases up on stages, plug their guitars into their amps, mutter a couple words into the microphone as a sound check and just blast into their set.
Meanwhile Hello Kelly took nearly 20 minutes to sound check.

Sigh. Two different styles, I suppose.
In-ears ARE pretty nice though, I must say. When they work, I hear my voice so super loud. I love it.

So sidenote - has anybody seen Wall-E yet? 4.5 stars?? Come on! I literally can't wait!

One other thing I remember about last weekend was how well everybody got along in the band - and I really needed that. About 15 days ago, I found out that one of my high school friends, Mike, had passed away in his sleep one night. That kind of stuff is super random and unexpected, you know? I hadn't talked to him in a long time, so I guess you could say I wasn't completely devastated - but it definitely reminded me how fragile life is. It was also really saddening because this dude was one of the most gentle, sensitive guys I'd ever met. Sigh. Sometimes life sucks pretty bad.
Anyway, I had never lost anybody close to me so I wasn't sure I was going to deal with that on the weekend - especially playing shows and being around the guys - sometimes that stuff can be stressful. But everybody got along so well, and I was in such high spirits all weekend. Amazing.

Sometimes it's easy to complain that being on the road keeps you broke and lonely and other depressing adjectives, but this weekend I was reminded of what a GOOD touring experience is. So thanks James, Josh, Mat and Danny. I know you guys had no idea what I was dealing with that weekend, but that almost makes it better. Here's to many more trips like that!!

We've just added more shows - so we're looking forward to running into a lot of you this summer at concerts! We've also got new shirts - so bring your money!!

Thanks again for all the support everybody! See you soon,

francy

A New Review

So, on Friday we played at RefuelFest in a tiny town called Delhi.
Now, before I continue, you should know that a lot of festivals in Ontario are about as successful as I imagine pepperoni pizza-flavoured ice cream would be ... but that wasn't the case with RefuelFest! It was an honour to open for Britt Nicole, fellow Canadian band Newworldson, and of course, Casting Crowns.
Here's the inside scoop: The guys in Newworldson are so charming that I even swooned a little, Britt Nicole put on one of the best female fronted shows I've seen in a long time, and even though a terrible rain storm struck as soon as they hit the stage, Casting Crowns let their lifesong sing for a whole 90 minutes.
We had a great time hanging out with everybody who came to the festival! Thanks a lot.

I just recieved an e-mail with a link to our new review on ChristianityToday.com. It's a WONDERFUL review, and when I'd finished reading it, I was overcome with gratitude for everyone who has given us a little shove to where we are now.
So, click here to read it!!

If you're the type of person who prays, we would really appreciate your prayers as we push into the summer and continue promoting this new CD. Some specific things you could pray about are: finances for the band, that radio and sales continue to go well, that new opportunities continue to open up in the USA and even in mainstream radio. And finally, please continue to pray for "Kelly", which represents anybody who listens.

On behalf of myself, Mat, Josh and James ... THANK you ALL for your support and prayers - whether you've been listening for 4 days or 4 years. We REALLY appreciate all of you and we're looking forward to touring more and more in the future so we can meet every single one of you guys!

Keep it straight - you're doing great!

francy and the HK crue

THUNDER!! THUNDER!!

THUNDER!!

I'm at Josh's house 'cause we're practicing all weekend, and his house is closest to the place we practice. Danny (he's playing guitar with us again) and I were both snoozing upstairs in one room and suddenly we both woke up at the same time. Why? A gigantic thunder explosion struck the earth right outside the window. We both shot up like the freakin' monster of Frankenstein. I'm a really heavy sleeper, too. It was like God was bored and wanted to remind his people that if he wasn't so loving and merciful ... he could vapourize us in the blink of an eye.
Geez.
What a terrifying thought to wake up to. : )

So like I said, we're practicing this weekend. Remember Ben from the Hello Kelly TV episodes and the Rock Hop and Roll tour? It was sweet having him on the road, but I guess The God of Terrifying Thunder Explosions had different plans for his path and ours. We're still great friends, and he's planning on starting up a new band - so I'll be sure to fill you guys in on that so you can support him. Stepping in to fill his shoes is our good buddy Danny Mutter! He played with us for all of 2007, and it's really great to have him back. The other good news is that James is playing with us again too! It REALLY feels like one big happy family.

So are you ready for a story? I've been spending my time in Orangeville these days, putting in some hours at my old job to keep the bills paid. One afternoon I was at my dad's place and I had just gotten out of the shower. So picture me: hair's all wet, holding a cup of tea, wearing sweat pants and some old work shirt. Looking like the furthest thing from a rock musician. The doorbell rings. I open it. Two tiny little girls are standing there with a scrap piece of paper and a pen.
I guess they saw the van in the driveway. Tres strange.
They asked me for an autograph. I gave it to them, feeling the most awkward I have in a long time. Somehow it's WAY different when you're at a show. I wanted to tell them: "There's a high probablility that I was doing the siding on your house like ... yesterday. I am NOT that cool."

But here's the twist. Two days later, we were playing at Pitch and Praise and this Canadian piano-pop artist was doing worship. Amanda Falk was her name. My friends, did she ever have a pretty face and an even prettier voice. I was legitimately star-struck. I tried talking to her a couple times but I was about as smooth as a bag of nails. I ended up just buying her CD and getting an autograph. I felt like those two little girls from two days before. So it goes.

Another thing! Do any of you guys know the band Casting Crowns? Well, your parents might. They're the old guys who sing: "If we are the body, why aren't his haaaaaaands movin??" Well, we're opening for them in two weeks! YES! Haha. We're actually really excited about it. But here's the thing. There hasn't been a TON of promo so not a lot of people know about it!
So, Click here for all the details! If you live anywhere close to there, PLEASE come! Tell your parents! (They'll love Casting Crowns - muah hah hah!) Jump in a van with your friends. Tell your youth group. It's a great summer event to spend outside and come see Hello Kelly! DO IT!!

Okay okay okay, last order of business!
Josh McCabe, our drummer, just released an EP with his side project Nineofive. If you're into worship-rock stuff like Starfield and Hillsong United, you'll LOVE his stuff. Click here to check it out!

Thanks so much for all the support! We're playing quite a bit this summer in Ontario so check out the "SHOWS" section and come see us!

-francy and the HK crue

NEW RECORD is in STORES!

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!

Due to popular demand, the new shipment of our new record "Hello Kelly" has arrived in Christian bookstores across Canada today!
It's the 7-day anniversary Special Edition, featuring the exact same artwork and packaging as when it was originally released ......... 7 days ago.

So if you're in Canada - go to your local Christian bookstore and pick one up! If you're in the USA, the CDs have been in stores for a week already - but you should still go buy one. (Since we're still a bit of a new band in the USA, you may have to order the CD from the store.)

But you could always cut out the middle man and buy it from www.7spinstore.com ... They'll let you download all the songs AND send the CD to your house.

Pretty much .... PLEASE go buy the new record. It's really good. We promise!

Thanks for your patience!
The new website will be launching soon!

-the HK crue

Inconsistently Yours!

Oh, the inconsistent life of a touring musician!

Two nights ago, we played for an audience of 700 - which is a pretty awesome crowd for us. Yesterday? Let's see .... 12?
Sigh.

It's not only the attendance numbers that are always changing though. You can put out a CD or a single - but no matter how much people LOVE it, you're ALWAYS holding your breath when you release the next one. I wonder if gigantic stars like Elvis ever worried about that: "Sure, I'm on top of the world now, but if this next single totally tanks, do I have to get a gig impersonating myself at birthday parties?" I smell a sitcom coming on!

The other night I met this high school teacher girl who was my age, and I found myself a little bit jealous of her steady, reliable job. When I told her that, she reminded me that my inconsistent lifestyle is much more rock 'n roll than hers. I couldn't argue with her about that. That is, after all, what it's all about!

So I've decided to embrace it. Sure, the populus could decide at any moment that Hello Kelly is no longer awesome, but I think that ever-present threat is a wonderful little source of motivation. Amen.

Oh, the inconsistent life of a touring musician. I wonder if it's possible to get used to that inconsistency. Like, you wake up knowing that you have no control over the day that's about the hit you like a meteor ... and you're okay with it.
Wait ... I think everybody on the planet does that anyway. Well, at least we're all in this together!

Inconsistently yours,

-francy

THE DELAY!!

Hello Kelly,

Our new record was supposed to be available in stores across Canada and USA today ... but has been delayed!! Dun dun dun ...
Unfortunately, it was totally out of our hands - but we're doing everything we can from the road to make it right. Don't worry, we've got something up our sleeves to make it up to you! We'll keep you posted!

So you might be reading this on our MySpace or you might be reading this on our new website - hellokellyonline.com! We're excited to finally have a new online home. Be sure to come back because we'll be adding a lot of new sections over the next little while! All the guys in the band are going to be doing journals here, so check back often!

Last week we had some time off, and I pretty much spent half of that time playing Super Smash Bros. Brawl on my Wii ... which was very, very satisfying and relaxing. I spent the other half having a lot of conversations with guys in the band. Let's be honest, being on the road is tough and very draining and by the time we got home for time off, everybody was tired and a little frustrated. But we're so thankful of all the people who support us with encouragement and prayer. We're back on the road now and feeling close as brothers - what a blessing! We would REALLY appreciate your continued prayers!

On Friday and Saturday we played in St. Catharines, ON and London, ON respectively - and we had a LOT of fun! It's always so awesome to play in Ontario after being in the States - you guys are always so loud and you rock out so hard! Immediately after the London show, we jumped in the van and drove 12 hours to Chattanooga, TN. That was a serious drive! Since then we've played a handful of shows. It's been great to be back with Heath McNease and Attaboy - we missed these guys!

Right now we're in a high school and Attaboy is about to play at an assembly! We did 3 of these yesterday and now it's their turn. It's always weird doing these cause the kids are being forced to watch you and thinking: "Who the heck do these guys think they are?" But then we're usually able to convince a good portion of them that we're the real deal. Whether or not we ARE the real deal isn't really the point. :) We do assemblies this afternoon again ... and then we both tag-team some more tomorrow.

It's been an exhausting and very humbling way to spend our CD-release day ... but I think there might be a lesson in it somewhere. The minute our heads get big and we think: "We're the bomb.com" ... I think the whole idea of the band will be deflated, eh? Anyway ... I should pay attention to this assembly. Either that, or go find somewhere to take a nap. I haven't decided yet. :)

-francy

The Tour Begins ....

Hello Kelly!
We're in Lincoln, Nebraska, setting up for the 5th show of the tour and I've managed to sneak away to write a little journal entry.
It's only a matter of time before I'm discovered and forced to set up again ... let's see how far we get this journal though, deal?

Let's see...
We crossed the border on Tuesday and met up with Heath McNease in Valparaiso, Indiana -- that's where our label, 7Spin Music, in based out of. We grabbed some food and slept on the floor of the apartment of Sevenglory, another band on 7Spin. The Red Umbrella guys were also hanging around a bit.
Seriously ... that place could be a reality show.
The next morning we get the phone call from Attaboy saying they've blown a tire. "Well, we all slept in, so you're still a step ahead," we told them.

Attaboy is a 4-piece band ... Amos sings and play piano, Chris plays bass and is also the sound guy for the tour, Jeff plays guitar and Micah plays bass. They've got a friend and a wife on tour with them ... Daniel and Molly ... respectively. :)

So, fast forward to the next night. Green Bay, Wisconsin. Josh and Chris went tanning and we played better than the first night. The crowd was also pretty intense, which made us feel pretty good about ourselves. Ben (our new guitarist) and Pierre (filling in for James) played REALLY well, and the whole set felt really good. It's always a little weird breaking in new guys -- and anyone who's known Hello Kelly for a while knows that we've had our share of new guys. Rest assured - this line-up feels REALLY solid. Everybody fits in great, the chemistry off the stage is amazing and the energy on stage might be the most intense we've ever had ....... and I like to think that says a lot. Heh heh.

The next day saw us in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. While unloading the trailer, a dude stopped me on the street. I wasn't 100% positive whether he was just homely or actually homeLESS, but he opened our interesting little dialogue with: "So LaCrosse is a pretty cool place, but I think a television series would really bring some life to this place. Just think of all the television series based in New York City! Marvel should develop the She-Hulk to take place in LaCrosse ... I could picture her jumping from building to building, couldn't you? But, obviously, she'd have to be really muscular and sexy."

Half of me couldn't believe what I was hearing, and the other half was fascinated by how excited he was about it. I mean, he had a point didn't he? If I was to watch a TV show based in LaCrosse, I don't see any reason why it shouldn't be a show about a hulking female green montrosity with raging sex appeal. Am I wrong? Oh goodness.
The show in LaCrosse was great, though. The sound system was HUGE so I'm pretty sure we were at least very loud. The venue was called Crossfire ... if you live in that area, you definitely need to check it out. They're doing some VERY cool things.
We went out to Perkins that night with some people from the city.

I had a glass of water.

That, my friends, is the life of a rock band.

Yesterday we were in Willmar, Minnesota, playing at the local YFC youth drop-in center. This one was pretty interesting, to be honest. The place was full of the kind of people you don't USUALLY see at Hello Kelly shows: lots of chains, spikes and eye-liner ... let's put it that way. We started our first song - I thought we sounded pretty good - but they all immediately left the room. Everybody left!
Turns out a fight broke out outside and everybody was rushing out to watch the fight! Then everybody came back inside and - much to our surprise - they REALLY got into our show. Some bands would call it a weird night cause there weren't a ton of people - but I think it was an important show to play so early in the tour. I was reminded that God has a purpose for everybody - no matter what they look like, how much they've screwed up, or how much people might hate them. It also reminded me that that's the whole mission of the band. Go figure, eh?
I even talked to this one girl about her book: "The Zombie Survival Guide". Apparently the best weapon to use against zombies is the sword cause it's quiet, it doesn't jam and you don't have to reload it. I gave her an EP and wrote "Use this against the zombies" on it. It seemed to make sense at the time.

We loaded out, started driving at midnight and got to a hotel at 2am. We got up 7am and I drove for another 4 hours to the venue we're at now. Rock and roll, baby. Sound check is happening very soon, so I should go do that.
I hope you're all excited about WrestleMania on Sunday. I know we are!!

We'll write again soon!

francy

HELLO KELLY UPDATE

Hello, Kelly!

Let it snow! Let it snow!
I have no idea where YOU live, but it looks like the ice planet Hoth where I live. I just got back from seeing Vantage Point and, thrilling as it was, I think the drive to and fro was more of an adventure than the movie.

For those of you who missed it, I totally just made a Star Wars reference. The force is strong with me.

Onto business!
Hello Kelly has been in hiding for the last little while and a LOT has happened. I'll try to blast through all the news as quickly as possible.

The new record is called "Hello Kelly" and it's releasing on April 15th in both Canada and the United States. The new record features 4 re-recorded tracks from previous releases and 8 brand new songs. As far as the sound goes, we've definitely taken some steps forward - this record has some of our heaviest songs yet as well as some of our softest songs ever. But don't worry - there is also PLENTY of the same energetic pop-rock you've come to expect. And for those who listen to the lyrics, I really think these songs ware gonna make you smile!

We'll be making some announcements about CD Release Shows in Ontario in the near future. Yesssssssss.

We seriously need you guys to tell your friends about the new record! Buy one! You'll find them at Christian music retailers everywhere, on iTunes and on our new website ......

Speaking of new websites!
The brand new www.HELLOKELLYONLINE.com is launching on April 15th too! Video blogs, tour journals from all the band members, mobile phone updates, tour dates ... and even some games, too. We're pretty excited about having an online "home" again. Come visit!

Phew ... okay ... *deep breath* ... AND ...

On March 26th we start the "Rock, Hop and Roll Tour" with Attaboy and Heath McNease.
The tour dates will be up on our website when it launches, but until then you can find them on :

www.myspace.com/hellokelly.

We REALLY want to catch up with you in your city. Seriously - we want to hear your stories and make some friends, so come out and introduce yourselves. Also bring a lot of money for shirts and the new CD. Just sayin.

This is getting super long, but there's lots to tell!
We're very excited to welcome our new guitarist Ben to the line-up. We've been jamming together for a while now, and we're really excited about having him out on the road. (He's a great guitarist and has a very cool taste in movies too!)
In December, our bass player James got married! He's been taking a break from rocking to spend time with his new wife, Sarah - but don't worry! He's coming back on the road in June! He (and his wife) are really looking forward to jumping back into the sweaty van and eating fast food with the rest of us! (Seriously, they are!)
Our good friend Sean will be filling James' shoes until then, and he's really good. (He's a little shy though, so make sure you make him feel welcome! And .... call him Pierre. That's what we call him.)

Seriously Kelly, thank you so much for reading this update!
I know I'm long-winded, so thanks for sitting through it.

Buy the record! Visit the website! Come see us on tour! Tell your friends!

Thanks a lot for all of your support! We're looking forward to seeing you out on the road!

-francy and the HK crue!!

NEW YEAR = NEW RECORD

Hello Kelly!

Christmas is behind us, and a New Year is ahead of us! I feel like 2007 went by really fast ... but it's leaving 2008 in it's wake ... and something tells me 2008 is going to be the year when a lot of things that have been waiting to happen ... FINALLY HAPPEN!

I'm assigning all of your New Year's Resolutions! Your resolution is to keep your eyes on the Hello Kelly Myspace and Facebook pages for announcements.
Announcements for the launch of our new website, and announcements for the release of our NEW FULL-LENGTH RECORD.
Your other resolution is to buy that new record when it comes out, but that should go without saying ..... right? : )

If you aren't into New Year's Resolutions, you still have to buy the CD. Consider it a wedding gift for James!

On December 29th, our bass player James got married. That's a big deal! The wedding was SUPER sweet ... and then ... against our better judgement, we played a show at the reception. James family really got into it though ... and it was a lot of fun!

In the same way that Sarah (James' wife) is joining James' family ... she's also kinda joining the Hello Kelly family too. It's great having her around! But don't worry - we won't let her play tambourine or anything weird like that.
Mostly because we're a bunch of jerks. :)

So - just because there aren't show dates up on MySpace - don't be dismayed!

We're still working on the new Hello Kelly record - and believe me ... it sounds REALLY good. Lots of different directions and sounds ... but it's still the same Hello Kelly. I'm hoping to have a bit of a sneak peak in the player in the next couple weeks!!

We'll be in a city near you before you know it - until then, mark your calendars for April 2008. That's when Hello Kelly kicks you in the face with new music!

With love for all of you,
- The HK Crue!