Country Mike Blog

CD Release Party?

Mike Sudhalter  |  October 3, 2008

Does a CD Release Party mean that you get one at the door with the ticket you purchase? Sometimes, I guess.

I'd recently attended concerts for the Randy Rogers Band and Eli Young Band at which I paid for my concert ticket. Then, you received the band's new album at the door (Rogers even gave fans a cup and a koozy).

But I went to Kyle Park's CD Release Party for his "Anywhere In Texas" sophomore album. I should have know something was up when I only paid $5 to get into the show. The guy at the door told me an album came with that price. It kind of made sense, given the fact that the 23-year-old Park isn't as well-known as the Rogers or Young outfits and maybe selling a concert/album for $5 would build his fan base.

Wrong. $5 for admission, and $15 apiece if you wanted either of Park's albums.

He might have lost money in the short run had he given fans a CD and show for $5, but the relatively small crowd that showed up wouldn't have forgotten it, and they would have passed the good word on to their friends.

The show was still pretty good, but I'd have to say that it was a little more rock n roll than I expected. Park let his guitar player sing some cover songs, including Merle Haggard's "Ramblin' Fever", and that was really cool.

The tunes from his debut - the rollickingly upbeat "I'll Do It Everytime", a cover of a 1950's Johnny Horton song - and "Somebody's Trying To Steal My Heart" got the crowd dancing, but something was missing. "Louisiana Boy" - easily Park's best song - was inexplicably left out of the set.

Oh, I guess it's that whole "CD Release Party" thing, and with "Louisiana Boy" not being on the new album, it didn't get played. After hearing that song, I was convinced that Park was from Louisiana, but it turns out he's a Texan from Leander.

Good show, just wish they had bundled the CD into the whole CD release party thing.