Chi McClean

Yeah, so it’s been a few days since I’ve had a chance to really get back onto my laptop and catch up on e-mails and stuff, but I was drinking a Chai this morning at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf here on Sunset in LA and remembering how much fun I had with host Brad Colerick at his weekly Wine & Song series at Firefly Bistro in South Pasadena, CA.

Tom Corbett & host Brad Colerick sound checking their rig before the performance.

Brad writes these amazing songs that really take you along for a ride. I had a fun time losing myself in his lyrics and deliberate playing style. Tom Corbett, Brad’s sometimes sidekick and songwriter/killer picker in his own right, slayed it while backing up Brad and, especially, during his own set.

Brad Colerick during one of his sets with a couple players that just sort of "stopped in" to say hello. Yeah, it's THAT kind of scene. Cool!

The scene was basically a round robin of sorts with the three of us trading 3-4 song sets to keep things fresh with the audience. It worked out great, gave us all a chance to sit in with eachother, have a few laughs, and get the audience participating in the fun. The next time you find yourself in South Pasadena, CA looking for a bite to eat and some entertainment, swing on over to Firely Bistro and look up Brad Colerick’s Wine & Song series. You’ll be glad ya did!

Killer Chinese food, killer sound, killer vibe on North Fairfax in LA: the one and only Genghis Cohen.

Man, what an awesome night last night out here in South Pasadena, CA playing at Brad Colerick’s weekly Wine & Song Series at Firefly Bistro. Great sound, amazing food, very cool people, and great songwriters, too! (Thanks, Brad!)

TONIGHT, Thursday, June 9th, I am headed back into Los Angeles proper to play a showcase set presented by Shout It Out Promotions at the one and only Genghis Cohen. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: I love this place! Amazing Chinese food fused with some cool stuff that makes it taste something really special, and a superb listening room adjacent to the bar with cool, church-style pew seating, moody lighting, and a dangerously good sound man behind the board. It all adds up to a really fun night, so what are ya waiting for? Book your tickets in advance here for just $8.00 ($10.00 at the door), get there early for some dinner and choice seating, and let’s rock from 8:30pm until 9:00pm. Short, sweet, and to the point! The showcase series starts at 7:30pm and it’s a great line-up, so make a night out of it for just a few bucks and let’s have some fun. More details and directions here. See ya soon, Los Angeles!

Man… what a beautiful night last night down here in Santa Monica, CA! I had the privilege of performing for a little over an hour on the coolest roof top wine bar I’ve ever been to (well, I’ve only been to two, but seriously… this place was sick!). Brett Young, pictured below, hosts a weekly show on Tuesdays at Sonoma Wine Garden and it doesn’t disappoint.

Brett Young tearing it down and building it back up at Sonoma Wine Garden in Santa Monica, CA.

Brett and I met up for coffee earlier today to catch up, talk shop, and swap stories before we each head our separate ways to additional gigs tonight. He’s off to Orange County and I’m off to South Pasadena, California to perform at Firefly Bistro as part of the Wine & Song Series hosted by songwriter Brad Colerick. Things kick off at 7:00pm and run until about 9:30pm or so and it’s looking like a pretty killer night of music, wine and food. If you’re planning on coming by, I recommend calling ahead to secure a table, but I’m sure you can get in, sit at the bar, or just wait a few minutes for a seat if you’re patient. For more directions and details, click here. Here’s to a great Wednesday in Southern California! See ya soon…

Chillin' outside at the Sonoma Wine Garden.

So excited to get down to Santa Monica, CA this evening to open up for Brett Young at Sonoma Wine Garden. Brett’s been playing here for a while and has graciously invited me to join him for about an hour before he hits the stage. It’s going to be a fun, intimate performance on one of the craziest roof-top wine bars in town. Not sure how the weather is down in Santa Monica right now, but up in San Luis Obispo where I spent the night is a slice of heaven. I presume that SoCal won’t be too different! In any case, if you’re in town, come on down, order up a glass of wine, and let’s watch the sun go down over the Pacific to some cool, solo acoustic music. Be sure to check out Brett Young online and pick up a copy of his latest record on iTunes. Sonoma Wine Garden is located at 395 Santa Monica Place, Suite #300 (on the 5th Floor) in Santa Monica, California. I go on at 7:30pm sharp with Brett Young following around 8:30pm or so. See ya all soon!

The oh-so-slick interior of REDS Wine Bar in Santa Barbara, CA. Cool, right?!

Ya gotta admit… this place looks pretty cool, right?! Pretty excited to perform a solo acoustic set at REDS Wine Bar here in Santa Barbara, CA tonight, June 2nd, 2011. I’ll be performing from 7:00pm until 9:00pm with local favorite Darin Fiechter (from MAGiSTiR and his new side project, JR&D) following up and closing out the night.

I met the good folks from REDS through a gig at one of my favorite (but, sadly, now closed) venues in Santa Barbara, CA – Live Culture. In addition to running a killer venue, Darin (who happens to be joining me tonight) has been writing and performing great music for years. Now that he’s not tied up running a busy live music venue, he’s got more time to share his talent with local Santa Bar-BARIANS!

So, come on down to REDS this evening, say “hey”, grab a glass of wine, maybe a small plate to munch on, and let’s have some fun hanging out and toasting another epic day here in Santa Barbara, CA. Admission is free and it’s going to be a beautiful evening. REDS Wine Bar is located at 211 Helena Avenue, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. See ya soon!

Opening for Susan Reeves at SOhO in Santa Barbara, CA on 5/31/11.

So, so, SO much fun on Tuesday night performing at SOhO in Santa Barbara, CA as part of the CD Release event for Susan Reeves. Friend, songwriter, singer, and guitarist Susan Reeves just released her first record “Young Heart” which is already receiving rave reviews from the local Santa Barbara press. It was a killer night of entertainment featuring a few local artists and then me (all the way from rainy San Francisco, CA) in support of Susan’s headlining set. Great sound, delicious food (I recommend the chicken taquitos if you ever find yourself in town at SOhO for a show), awesome audience, and just a good vibe. Thanks so much for the support, Santa Barbara!

Be sure to check out Susan’s music soon if you haven’t already and stay tuned for my next performance here in Santa Barbara, CA on Thursday, June 2nd at 7:00pm at Reds located at 211 Helena Avenue. For now, it’s back to my chai latte here at Good Cup on “The Mesa”, a few more e-mails, and getting ready for tonight’s show!

Doesn't this look pretty sweet? Come join me at Landmark Vineyards this Saturday and make this your perch for the performance!

I am so pleased to be returning to Landmark Vineyards this Memorial Day Weekend! On Saturday, May 28th, I’ll be setting up and performing a solo acoustic set outside of their tasting room from 1:00pm until 4:00pm. The weather is looking warm, sunny, and just about perfect to hang out, listen to some music, taste some wine, stretch out on the grass lawn, play some bocce ball and picnic, so make a plan now and come on by! If you haven’t tasted these guys’ wines before, you owe it to yourself to check this place out. I personally am a huge fan of their 2008 Grand Detour Pinot Noir and you can bet I’ll be sampling some of that on Saturday while I play! For more details, click on over to the event listing here or visit the Landmark Vineyards website. The performance is open to all ages, so bring the family and make an afternoon out of it. Otherwise, if I don’t see ya this weekend, have a great holiday!

That would be my handy, dandy, trusted and road-worn tuner. I love ya, buddy! It'll be getting some action later on!

So, lots of fun gigs this week… Had some good times with the dinner crowd at Carlos Santana’s restaurant Maria Maria in Walnut Creek, CA on Friday night, then at their Danville, CA location on Saturday night. It’s a fun gig as the venues are full of good people, lots of great food, and just a cool, musical vibe. Tonight, however, I’m going to be playing a semi last minute acoustic set at one of my favorite venues in San Francisco, Rockit Room. Presented by LoungeFly SF, I’ll be performing from 9:00pm until about 10:00pm followed by Mike Ehlers. There are going to be a few other notable songwriters on the bill, and it should be a great way to chill and wind down from the weekend before (gasp!) you return to work on Monday. Rockit Room is on Clement in San Francisco, CA between 5th and 6th Avenue. It’s a FREE show this evening, but keep in mind that it’s a “21 Only” venue. (My apologies to my younger friends and fans!) If you’re hankering for something fun to do tonight, grab some Thai food or something at one of the many nearby restaurants on Clement, get it to go, and swing on by and say “hey!”

Meadowcroft Wines. Sonoma, CA. Deeeee-lish!

Well, I dare say that a cold, gray, dreary San Francisco morning is a far cry from waking up to 91 degrees, sunny skies, and mom’s cooking in Florida, but then again… this means that I’m back, healthy, getting stronger every day, and that I’m starting up my performance calendar again. To get things going, I’ll be performing this Thursday evening in Sonoma, CA at Meadowcroft Wines in the Cornerstone Sonoma retail complex starting at 7:00pm along with local songwriters Tom Martin and Dan Martin (yes, they’re related). The performance is part of an ongoing, monthly music series that Meadowcroft Wines is hosting in their tasting room alongside delicious wines and food. The concert series is presented by Meadowcroft Wines, Sonoma Valley Music, and MusicNomad.com. The show will be in the round and runs until about 9:30pm; plus, for just a $10.00 admission ticket, all audience members will receive a free glass of wine to get things started. Throw in some stinky cheese, crackers, and sundry crock pot dishes that the house chef has become famous for and we’ve got a pretty solid night on our hands, folks. You can find more details in the event listing here. Note that reservations are strongly suggested, so click on over for more info and to book online or just go ahead and call (707) 934-4090 to lock it in now. Can’t wait to perform back in California again; see you guys soon!

Cool sand, warm water, hot sun... ahhh.

Well, after getting back into the swing of things, perhaps, a little early after my skiing accident back on March 5th this year, I made the decision with my doctors to take a break for a little while and head home for some of mom’s cooking, rest, physical therapy, and down time. So far, I can’t complain! While I miss performing a lot, life at home in Florida isn’t too bad: 88 degrees and sunny on average, lots of good home cooking, plenty of rest, lots of time to do my physical therapy, and nothing to get in the way of some reading, writing a few new tunes, and practicing. No heavy lifting of PA equipment, no late nights (other than being glued to retro Clive Cussler books like Treasure), and no running around in my truck with a knee and back brace on to keep things straight. It’s time to get better… and fast. So, stay tuned for my return in mid May with a few shows to get started, more recording underway, and a fresh spring in my step sans body braces! Be well, everybody, and see ya soon!