kelsey Rottiers

I am more like a Bear than I thought.

It would seem that at this point in my life, there is a call for a bit of hibernation. We did a lot in 2012.

Wrote enough songs for a full album
Successfully raised the support for the EP via kickstarter.com
Traveled to Nashville for rehearsals with volunteer band members
Went back to Nashville to record Bear Hope in just 2 weeks time.
Added 2 band members- Sarah Main and Garrett Stier (who learned my entire repertoire in about 3 weeks before our tour)
Went on a summer Tour
Came out with Bear Hope, with T-shirts, and Comic Books
Went on a Bear Hope Tour
Received 6 very complimentary reviews of Bear Hope
Received Nominations in 3 categories for The Jammies, sponsored by WYCE
Signed on with Little Duck Music
Gigged around Michigan

Each one of these steps takes months of planning and hard work. I’m not tooting my own horn here. I have lots of friends who have graciously helped me plan, promote, pitch, edit, record, perform… everything on that list was thanks to the amazing support I have in my music and local business communities.

I’m just saying after a year like 2012, my body literally needs a hibernation. I’m not just going to be Sleeping Tiger this winter! Some friends of mine and I have started a small songwriter circle. I’m hoping to REALLY hone my guitar skills by meeting up with a friend for some serious study. I’m going to be doing some co-writing with some friends for the next Album (yes, there’s already another one in planning stages). The band and I are building an ultimate catalog of songs, complete with our favorite cover songs!

The Events calendar, however, is, well, sparse. This is actually a good thing, and possibly the work of divine direction. If you’ve read some of my previous posts, you know I’ve been suffering from some health issues lately. Nothing life threatening, but possibly made worse by stress (imagine that!). I have Ulcerative Colitis. This dramatically affects what I can and cannot eat, so traveling a lot is tough. This winter I am do a very thorough Elimination diet to determine which foods make my symptoms worse. I have been on this diet for almost a month now, and it has REALLY helped identify some foods that may have been giving me major issues, and I’m only half way done! To read more about my Elimination diet click here.

While the general act of songwriting is typically more therapeutic, everything else that goes with it is not… at least not for me. We’ve got a lot of ideas, working their way to the surface. Just know we’re still around, we’re just taking it easy while we plan our next project!

Stay warm.

Kelsey