Well, it seems that Carvin is doing just that; her move to the land of The Grand Ole Opry has caused a change in direction for her music career and her life style. "I don't know," she started. "I've always had kind of a twang; lots of people use to say that I seemed "Country." So she took the chance and made the decision to leave the comforts of her friends, family and Jersey music scene for the unknown in Nashville.
Carvin is no stranger to taking chances, as a teenager, Kelly left home on her first journey; travelling across the country. During this first foray into the unknown, her mother sent her a guitar as a gift; little did she know that her daughter would become one with the instrument and make it her passion. "I was determined to go to Nashville. I began to go through Craigslist and I came across an ad for somebody who needed a person to watch their dog. They seemed legit, so I moved in with them, watched the dog, cleaned their house and stayed there for a year until I got myself established and on my feet. Then a mutual friend introduced me to Troy at a songwriters round and we started writing together."
"Troy," is her songwriting partner turned fiance Troy Walls; a West Virginia native who passed through Nashville, briefly resided there as a youth and decided to return at the urging of a family friend. "Well," he started with a chuckle. "The short version is this; I moved around a lot as a kid. One of those moves brought my family to Nashville for a period of time. My dad had a friend who was involved with the music business who said to me, "If you're serious about music, come back here after you turn eighteen. Well, it took me a while but Dennis (Robbins) introduced me to many people and through him I made a lot of connections. I've taken those contacts and my drive and this is where I want to be and it's where I wanted to go."
Walls says that working with Kelly to form the duo and partnership now known as "Kelly and Troy" was one of those things that came about without any effort. "The best way to describe my working with Kelly is; things just happen naturally. It's kind of funny because we are from two different worlds but we just mesh. We meshed from the get go; it's amazing how good we are together."
Carvin echoed her husband to be, "I think that elements of my music were unpolished; I was kind of all over the place with a lot of my material. Meeting Troy gave me direction, caused me to focus a bit more. We have "Our" sound now. I mean, I am a songwriter but it's still me, it's just that the content is a little different."
The Duo is working on a debut CD which they were hoping to have finished in time for a home coming show of sorts on Saturday January 24 at Havana located on Main Street in New Hope, PA as they open for local favorite Sammy Flow. "Yeah, we were hoping this would be finished in time to bring home to this Havana show but we are still several weeks away, so we will be taking pre-orders at the show. We are so looking forward to this show but not the drive," said Carvin laughing. "But I have no doubt it will be worth it. We got this gig kind of by accident. Sammy and I are friends and I called the radio show "Rock On Radio" during Sammy's appearance and he offered to let us open for him. Sammy has a big following, especially in that area and we are actually playing this show full band; I'm getting my band back together for the first time with Troy so this should be fun! If you are coming out expect to have your face melted off (Laughing); no, don't write that, I'm only kidding. Seriously though, those attending will see the Nashville influence but I'm still me."
Other big happenings this week include the climax of the "Light of Day" concerts all across our state. What started as predominantly an Asbury Park, NJ event has spread like wild fire across our great state. Originating in Europe as a series of charity concerts benefitting Parkinson's Disease, it was at first a weekend and now has stretched into a series of week long events, concerts and festivities highlighted by a Saturday January 17 star studded cast concert at the legendary Paramount Theater. Tickets go on sale around Thanksgiving and usually sell out within hours. the reason for the rapid sales can be summed up in two words, "The Boss." None other than Bruce Springsteen himself usually shows for the event and performs in one capacity or another. Tickets have been sold out for more than a month but can be had if one looks hard enough.
That's it for this week! Please continue to support live and original music and until next week....ROCK ON!
THIS WEEKS CALENDAR LISTINGS
Amalfi's Restaurant
146 Lawrenceville-Pennington Rd. Lawrenceville
(609) 912-1599
Sat. 8:30 p.m. "Singer Songwriter Showcase" Hosted by Lisa Bouchelle & Ernie White feat. Jamie Alexis, James Popik, Lauren Marsh, Todd "The Mod" Ellis.
Amarones Windsor Inn
29 Church St. Windsor
(609) 448-7144
Thurs. 6:30 p.m. Scott Cager & Debbie
Fri. 8 p.m. The "NEW" Heartbreak Hotel
Sat. 8 p.m. Kindred Spirit
Wed. 7:30 p.m. DJ John Rossi
Big Shots Bar and Grill/Hebe Music Lounge
835 E Rte. 130 South, Burlington
(609) 267-1200
Fri. 8 p.m. Ancora, Eucalyption, The Valkyrians and Impulsive Kind
Sat. 8 p.m. Tony DeSimone Band, Almshouse, The Big Trip, Our Marvelous Lives
Wed. 7 p.m. Open Mic.
Blend Bar & Bistro
911 Highway 33, Hamilton
(609) 245-8887
Fri. 6 p.m. "Happy Hour Trio" feat. Rich Schneider, Tom Schneider, Tom Paraino
Tues. 8 p.m. Triviajam
The Backstage at Championship Bar
931 Chambers St. Trenton
Fri. 7 p.m. Cut The Act, Timber Town, Levelhead, DEVGRU!, (TBA). All ages, $10
Sat. 5 p.m. Panic, Thrashole, Roargh, Paralysis, The Donner Party, Dick Vomit, Xenophile. All ages, $10
Candlelight Lounge
24 Passaic St. Trenton
(609) 695-9612
Sat. 3 p.m. Orrin Evans Piano Quartet. (No cover-$10 minimum)
Chambers Walk Cafe
2667 Main St. Lawrenceville
(609) 896-5995
Fri./Sat. 6 p.m. Dick Gratton
Chickie's & Pete's
183 US Highway 130 North Bordentown
(609) 298-9182
Tues. 8 p.m. Acoustic Music Night feat. The Dawgs
Dog & Bull Brew House
810 Bristol Pike (Rte. 13) Croydon, PA.
(215) 788-2855
Thurs. 8 p.m. Twin Ghost
Fri. (4 p.m.) Cecil Middleton (9 p.m.) Hambone Relay
Sat. 11 a.m. "Brunch Jam" w/ Bob Lemmo Jazz Trio
Sun. (11 a.m.) "Sunday Brunch" w/ The Evolution Jazz Band (3 p.m.) Mike and Jamie
Mon. 8 p.m. Paul Donovan
Wed. 8 p.m. Mike Estabrook
Fran's Pub
116 S. Main St. New Hope, PA.
(215)862-5539
Mon. 8 p.m. Open Blues Jam
All shows 21+
Havana New Hope
105 S. Main St. New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-9897
Thurs. 10 p.m. "Beat the Clock" DJ Dance party
Fri. 8 p.m. Know Return (Kansas Tribute). Doors at 6 p.m., $15
Sat. 8 p.m. Howie Day. Doors at 6 p.m., $20
Sun. 5 p.m. Ten Foot Tall
Mon. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Ron Sherr and Bridget
All shows 21+
Ivy Tavern
3108 S. Broad Street, Hamilton
(609) 888-1435
Fri. 10 p.m. Kindred Spirit
Sat. 10 p.m. Soul Custody
All shows 21+
John & Peter's
96 S. Main St. New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-5981
Fri. 9 p.m. Paul Gargiulo Band
Sat. 9 p.m. The Bloodshots
Sun. (3 p.m.) Jamie Salvatore (9 p.m.) Sean Faust & Robert Fulton
Mon. 9 p.m. Open Mic. Night w/ Lauren
Tues. 9 p.m. J & P's Staff Party (Invitation Only)
Wed. 9:30 p.m. The Invitational
All shows 21+
JoJo's Tavern
2677 Nottingham Way Hamilton
(609) 586-2678
Wed. 10 p.m. Karaoke
Paint the Roses Tea and Café
37 West Broad Street Hopewell
(609) 466-8200
Sat. 11 a.m. Bryan Hill
Palermo's Of Hamilton
310 Klockner Rd. Hamilton
(609) 838-7979
Thurs. 9 p.m. Karaoke
All shows 21+
Patriot's Crossing
1339 River Rd. Titusville
(609) 737-2780
Fri. 7:30 p.m. Danielle Stewart
Sat. 7:30 p.m. Blues In Disguise
Pete's Steak House
523 Whitehorse Ave. Hamilton
(609) 585-8008
Fri. 9:30 p.m. Driven
Sat. 9:30 p.m. Polish Nannies
Randy Now's Man Cave
134 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown
(609) 424-3766
All shows take place at The Open Arts Stage Theater located at 146 Rte 130 South Bordentown
Fri. 8:30 p.m. 1910 Fruitgum Company / The Doughboys. All ages, Doors at 8 p.m., $17.50
RHO Waterfront
50 Riverview Plaza Trenton
(609) 393-7300
Thurs. 10 p.m. "College Night" w/ DJ Paul Desisto
Fri. (4:30 p.m.) Happy Hour Buffet (8:30 p.m.) The Verdict
Sat. (Closed due to a private event)
Sun. "Holiday Reggae Event" w/ Hot 97's Bobby Konders, Jabba Selecta Bam Bam, Young Rass, DJ Easy and Rude Boy. $10
All Shows 21+
Tavern On The Lake
101 Main St. Hightstown
(609) 426-9345
Fri. 9 p.m. New Road
Sat. 9 p.m. Speed Limit
Wed. 8 p.m. Karaoke Night
The Ivy Inn
248 Nassau St. Princeton
(609) 921-8555
Thurs. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Ron
Fri. 10 p.m. Rainbow Fresh
Tues. 8 p.m. Quizzo w/ Bob E Luv
Wed. 10 p.m. "Theme Night" w/ DJ Rockn Ron
The HOB Tavern
146 Second Street
(609) 291-7020
Sat. 9 p.m. Karaoke
The Millhill Basement
300 South Broad St Trenton
(609) 989-1600
Check web page for upcoming shows.
The Record Collector
358 Farnsworth Ave. Bordentown
(609) 324-0880
Check web site for upcoming shows.
The Sun National Bank Center
81 Hamilton Ave. Trenton
(609) 656-3200
Check web site for upcoming events
Tir Na Nog
1324 Hamilton Ave. Trenton
(609) 392-2554
Fri. (5 p.m.) Eugene O'Neal (9 p.m.) Mike Brill
Sat. 9 p.m. Black Brant
Tues. (7 p.m.) "ROCK ON RADIO Happy Hour" feat. Kevin Toft. Hosted by Danny Coleman (9 p.m.) Oen Mic. w/ Bob Daley
All shows 21+
Trenton Social
449 South Broad Street Trenton
(609) 989-7777
Thurs. 8 p.m. Cinema Thursdays Presents: "The Interview"
Fri. 7 p.m. First Friday Presents: "Young at heArt" a Watercolor Exhibit by Nonagenarian Stephen M. Marusky
Mon. 10 p.m. Service Industry Night w/ DJ-Jay Kountree
Triumph Brewing Company (New Hope, Pa. Location)
400 Union Square New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-8300
Fri. 10 p.m. het Bull Dog (Beatles Tribute). ($5 cover charge)
Sat. 10 p.m. The Paper Jets / Successful Failures. ($5 cover charge)
Sun. 7 p.m. Open Jam Night
Tues. 9 p.m. Acoustic Bengal Gold
All shows 21+
Wildflowers Inn
2572 Pennington Rd. Pennington
Sat. 9 p.m. Live Acoustic Rock
Mon. 9 p.m. Karaoke
