NEW WEBSITE IS UP!

HEY EVERYONE, JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT MY NEW WEBSITE IS UP AND I'LL BE BLOGGING FROM THERE NOW.

WWW.CASEYHURTMUSIC.COM

NEW WEBSITE ALMOST UP...

Hey Everyone,

Just wanted to let you know that I'll be switching over to my new website, www.caseyhurtmusic.com in the next few weeks. You can read all about my blogs and shows and updates on there.

Love ya,

Casey Hurt

Wow Hall Show 11.10.09

Last week I had the privilege of opening for Tyrone Wells and Rootdown at the Wow Hall. It was an amazing show and I thought for those of you who missed it you might want to check out some videos. Let me know what you think.

Stick Around from Casey Hurt on Vimeo.

Wow hall - 11.10.09 - Babylon from Casey Hurt on Vimeo.

WOW HALL 11.10.09 - Amazing Grace from Casey Hurt on Vimeo.

New Album Review from Holland - What?

Here is the google translated version of this review. If you wanted to read it in it's full glory you can go to www.rootstime.be

For a successful mix of Americana folk music with soul and you can contact the American singer-songwriter Casey Hurt. The influence of famous composers from the past three decades are clearly present in the fresh and contemporary work that Casey Hurt brings his latest CD "Letters From A Friend".

Casey Hurt for music is still a secondary activity in addition to his daily activities as a bartender in a local pub. He is also a popular pastor in the local church. But he is very happy to be professionally active as a musician and his songs played over at bring. In 2006 he took the first tentative steps with his debut album "The Glory", an ep-tje that limited attention in the music press could count but had started to the full CD.

He devotes much attention to the contents of the texts for his songs, which brought together ten copies we see in this album. A Brett Dennen, Tracy Chapman and Damien Rice operate in the same genre as Casey Hurt and have already proved that you do as a musician can develop into a successful career.

The songs start from an acoustic approach but are richly supplemented where necessary with additional instrumentation and even the angelic harmony vocals by Valeri Lopez contribute to a professional sounding contemporary pop song, witness for example the numbers of "Get Back To Ya" and "Stick Around" .

The more subdued and intimate ballads sound convincing. One of the best songs is "Do not Walk Away" which reflect genuine emotions. The back and forth between optimism and pessimism, 'feel good' and 'feel bad', ups and downs is a bit of red thread throughout the ten tracks on "Letters From A Friend". Other highlights on this CD the piano ballad "Come to Me" and the full emotion, but happily sung love song "I Will Love You To The Grave".

Through his songs he wants a forum on the words of the people who usually are not discussed in society. Therein lies its religious mission as pastor, but rest assured: this is no disturbing presence in the songs on "Letters From A Friend". For a lighter subject as his addiction to Facebook (a current theme) is reflected in the song "Seven Seas".

His wife Lauren - who is professional photographer - took care of the pretty pictures that were used to record a cover of this album more than deserves wider listening audience.

(valsam)

New Album Review in the Corvallis Gazette Times

Letters from a friend
Soulful singer, pastor, bartender manages to embrace it all on new CD

By Nancy Raskauskas
The Entertainer

CORVALLIS — Corvallis singer/songwriter Casey Hurt is a man of contradictions and it suits him just fine. As far as he’s concerned, the harder he is to label the better. A few that might come to mind:

Pastor

Bartender

Musician

Tattoo lover

Husband

For Hurt, it all boils down to one thing: Honesty.

“I’ve always wanted to hold myself in tension,” he said. His new CD “Letters from a Friend” artfully harmonizes the many seemingly disparate facets of his life, with conscious songs that muse on “trying to learn to treat everyone as human.”

“There is an intimacy in anything that you would sing or write to a friend,” Hurt said. “I kind of view all my songs in the album as letters,” he said. “My music tries to give a voice to people that don’t always have voice.”

The title song was inspired by Hurt’s experience working at a pharmacy, where one day he watched a co-worker belittle a heroine user, who came in to buy clean needles.

The song is sung from the perspective of the addict.

“You know I love you, but I’m just working on myself/it’s not as easy when you don’t have somebody else -. Everybody has got some sort of vice/it’s just that this one’s got me.”

“We all have our vices, so that song is really about struggle,” Hurt said.

In another song, “Seven Seas,” Hurt reflects on the vices in his own life, which include an obsession shared by many — Facebook.

“There’s a fight that’s inside of you/A fight that you can’t win/You treat distractions like lovers and truth like a distant friend.”

Hurt calls his music “nakedly honest Americana soul.”

Many of the songs on “Letters to a Friend” go whole-heartedly to the dark side with brooding reflections on serious themes. Others are beguiling simple ditties with irresistibly catchy lyrics, such as “Stick Around” and “Get Back to You,” a duet with harmonies by the talented Valeri Lopez.

“I’m going to take that train/I’m going to take it soon/I’m going to find myself a way to get back to ya.”

Other collaborators on the CD include Brian Harvey of Pine Language and members of bands Norman and F.O.L.K.L.O.R.E.

Hurt has put out a couple of EPs, but this is his first full-length album.

“I’m just trying to step out and play the music that really says something to me, he said.

Hurt spent many of his formative years in Corvallis, attending Adams and Mountain View elementary schools, Santiam Christian and Crescent Valley High School, between the ages of 5 and 16 years old.

His family now lives in Hawaii, where he finished out high school before moving heading back to the mainland.

These days he works behind the bar of the Downward Dog. His wife, Lauren Hurt, is a photographer.

In addition, he is the pastor for a nondenominational Corvallis church called Doxology that meets Sundays at Avery Park. Formerly it held worship in local high schools and in the now-closed Platinum nightclub.

“We figured if we held it in a bar almost anyone could show -. and be transparent and honest about who they are,” Hurt said.

Hurt sees encouraging other artists and musicians as one of his primary roles in the church.

He often collaborates with other local musicians. He’s also a drummer for the Vicious Kisses.

Just so there is no confusion, it should be stated that Hurt is not a fan of Christian rock.

“I don’t understand why Christianity needs a subculture,” he said. “Anyone who makes music is displaying God whether they believe in it or not — you can say that about the most obscure or profane artist.”

CHECK IT OUT

WHO: Casey Hurt

WHAT: “Nakedly honest Americana soul”

UPCOMING SHOWS:

• 10 a.m. Sept. 5, Corvallis Artisan’s Market.

• 8 p.m. Sept. 5, Cloud 9, Corvallis. Admission: $5. With: Vicious Kisses, F.O.L.K.L.O.R.E., Norman and Pine Language.

NEW CDS: “Letters from a Friend” can be purchased online at CD Baby, ITunes and Digg Station or at an upcoming show.

INFO: www.myspace.com/caseyhurt

Crazy Couple Of Months

Wow, I don't know what happened... it seems like the last two months have just flown by. Between finishing the album, flying to LA, a release show in Oregon and preforming my brother in laws wedding I haven't had much time to think. It's all been really great stuff though, the album "letters from a friend" is officially out now so if you haven't picked it up yet you should.
We were able to sell almost 300 copies in the first weekend! I can't wait for you all to hear it. You can check out clips of it @ digstation.com



Now it's time for a couple days of rest. I'll be back in the studio soon working on a new album for my good friends Pine Language If you have not checked them out yet you really should. We'll i love you guys, I think I'm going to go catch up on some sleep.

Casey

New Live Album

Hello Again,

On my last trip down to LA I had an amazing opportunity to play a show at The Mint with The Brian Buckley Band, Three Blind Mice and Olivia Henry. The Show was a lot of fun and we all were lucky enough to get a live recording of it. I thought all of you might like to hear it so I'm releasing my set for free on my reverb nation account. Just click on the link below to get the free downloads.

I'm also Excited to announce the My Album "Letters from a friend" will be available for purchase on July 1st. I can't wait for you all to hear it.


Love you guys a lot,