I’m the opening event at this year’s SOBCon (Successful and Outstanding Bloggers Conference) in Chicago, IL on May 2, 3, and 4. The title of this year’s event is Biz School for Bloggers.

I’m going to one (and only one!) blogging conference in 2008. Here’s why this is it…

1 - I had a great time last year.

Liz Strauss and Terry Starbucker are the coordinators of SOBCon. My theory is that the promoters of any event attract audiences that are in alignment with their hearts and souls.

So, at SOBCon, the participants are authentic, intelligent, funny, amazing people. (Like Terry and Liz!) It’s small enough that you get a chance to really learn stuff, connect with other people, and actually ask questions. And it’s big enough that you can sit back and just absorb it all, too.

2 - Connecting on the web is one thing…

…meeting people in person is just an entirely different experience.

3 - I enjoy being a nerd.

Many of the people at blogging conferences have two lives. They’ve got their day-to-day natural habitat (offices, cubicles, retail outlets, art studios, etc). And then they have their blogging world - where they get jazzed about things that no one else they know gets jazzed about. I am no exception. At SOBCon, our inner (or not so inner) nerds get to come forth and shine. I love this.

4 - Who doesn’t need a little help in their business?

“Biz School for Bloggers” is a great theme. When I go to songwriting events, there’s always some music manager or agent offering a “bootcamp” about the music business. He drones on about the usual stuff - - which, conveniently, puts him at the top of the artist food chain. Press kits and agents and CD’s and on and on (and yawn and yawn).

Musicians and artists (and life coaches and healers and anyone who’s self-employed) need the perspective that this kind of conference offers. Why? Because it’s exciting. There is no food chain. It’s a whole new model. And it wakes up your brain. (Yes, the very brain that was put to sleep by the music manager at that last songwriting event you attended.)

5 - SOBCon is in downtown Chicago in May…

…and who can resist the experience of an 8 degree Wind Chill Factor in the springtime?

tags: SOBCon08, Liz Strauss, Terry Starbucker, blog, blog conference, christine kane

Well, Northern Virginia anyway.

This Saturday night, I’ll be performing at Jammin Java in Vienna, VA. It’s an early show. 7pm. You can get tickets here.

While I’m aware that this is probably a long way for most of my readers to travel - if you know anyone in the area, please invite them!

And here’s a little bonus — if they print out your email that invites them, and if they bring it to the CD sales table, I will personally give them $10 off of any purchase. (I’ll bet Hannah Montana never offers this kind of deal!)

I performed last weekend - two nights - in Raleigh, NC, and it was remarkable to learn how many people in the audience were there as blog readers. Lots of them had never seen me play before. I don’t know why - but this kind of connection is more fun than NPR interviews and write-ups in major newspapers. (Nneka - you have a fabulous laugh! Your readers need to know that!)

I hope to see some of you there!

Dan Fogelberg died yesterday.

Now I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that death is not an ending. But something about losing one of your heroes can make you wish you could call up that hero and say, “You need to understand how huge this is to me.”

I believe that whether or not we get to be famous in our art, we touch others in ways that none of us will ever know. I know there are millions of people out there with millions of memories of Dan Fogelberg’s music. I know that these people are sad today, even though they didn’t necessarily know him.

And it’s not just because Dan Fogelberg was famous. Or that he wrote and sang so many hit songs.

It’s because art is so personal. It’s about the listener every bit as much as it is about the singer. It’s about the reader every bit as much as it is about the writer. I, for one, cling tightly to my heroes, as if they could ever know how deeply they have altered my life. As if I am somehow special.

I discovered Dan Fogelberg when I was a kid. My older brother became a DJ at a tiny radio station. My older brother was cool. He played guitar and had lots of records I could listen to through the walls of our house. One day, he brought home a stack of records because the station was clearing out their albums to make space for CD’s. Among those albums were three Dan Fogelberg records - long since worn out and scratched by the DJ’s. My brother handed them to me and told me I’d like them.

I took them into my room and put them on my record player. They became kind of a soundtrack to me. None of my friends listened to this kind of stuff. Dan Fogelberg was my secret joy. Later, I’d work his songs into mix tapes for my friends who would inevitably ask, “Who’s that?”

I remember reading the liner notes on one of the albums and realizing that Dan Fogelberg wrote his own songs. (Whoa! You can write your own songs??) I have no idea where I thought songs came from up to that point. Maybe I thought they just appeared out of the ethers or something. But it had never dawned on me that someone could write and sing his own songs. Dan Fogelberg opened that door to me. He will forever be that guy.

So, Dan, wherever you are now - thanks for the chances you took, the words you wrote, the melodies you sang, and the person you were. You touched many souls.

No, he didn’t!

But I’ll be going to Florida…

This week, as a matter of fact.

Here are the shows and the cities. I hope you can make it!

Friday, December 7, 8PM
Tampa, FL
Friday Morning Musicale
809 Horatio Avenue
Presented by WMNF Radio (813-238-8001)

Saturday, December 8 , 8PM
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Labyrinth Cafe
3970 NW 21st Ave
For Info: OzWoman321@aol.com

Sunday, December 9, 6PM
Tarpon Springs, FL
House Concert
Email: Huegelc55@aol.com
UPDATE — THIS SHOW IS NOW SOLD OUT WITH A WAITING LIST.

I’m performing on Friday night - November 9th - in Salt Lake City, UT.

The details of the show are below.

Here’s the thing:

If you know anyone in Salt Lake City -

and if let them know about the show -

and if they come to the show -

and if they walk up to the CD sales table after the show and say -

“My friend reads your blog and told me to come to this show.” -

then they’ll get $5 off anything at the CD table.

(That’s only 5 cents more than buying a CD on iTunes!)

I’ve been surprised and thrilled by how many people at my shows are there because of the internet. MySpace, blog readers, friends of blog readers, my email list, etc.

This is great on so many levels. I mentor young songwriters and artists - and most of them still believe in the American Idol approach to music careers. They still want to be “rescued” by a label or “discovered.” And I tell them that there are so many ways to have a career now. I’m living proof of that. Yes, it’s nice to get great press in major media. This always helps. But more and more musicians are building a career from their websites, blogs, and podcasts, etc. It’s exciting.

And okay, I know that $5 off isn’t all that huge of a thank you nod - but hey, it’s a gallon of gas in 2008!

See you in Salt Lake City!

Performance Details:

Christine Kane
Thayne Stark Memorial Concert Series
Friday, November 9, 7:30pm
Holladay UCC Church (Sponsoring the series)
Holladay, UT (Salt Lake City suburb)
Info: 801.277-2631