Michael Kosterman

February 21, 2012

The passing of 'Whitney Houston inspired me to write this song this morning. It is not only about Whitney, but about every famous singer that has left us before their time, and the controversy about how, in many ways, we are accomplices to their demise because of the fame that we bestow upon them. It touches on the battle with addiction and how some people have no compassion when it comes to what I refer to as an illness. Whatever we think of their persons, there is no denying the amazing and awesome level of their talent. For Whitney, Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, and many other singing stars this song rings true in my mind. I hope to record it soon.

Fallen
words & music by Michael Kosterman

You had it all, still we watched you fall
From the pedestal we all placed you upon
You fought to live up to the image in our eyes
To win the battle with your soul you fought alone

It started as a dream, so innocent and pure
All you wanted was for us to know your name
Down that road called fame, we led you by the hand
When we lost you we had no one else to blame

CHORUS
Now you've fallen, fallen
You climbed as high as anyone could be
Still you've fallen, fallen
We couldn't save you now we've only memories

We all sang your praise, your voice was so divine
No one would ever sing the way you do
When you faltered you stood tall, some stayed by your side
The others I'm ashamed to say I knew.

CHORUS

BRIDGE
Many chase a dream that few will ever find
How easily you made us all believe
You were the brightest star to ever grace our sky
Your light upon us all will never leave

CHORUS

January 28, 2012

It seems like just yesterday that we were celebrating the new year and here we are already nearing the end of January. Deidra and I have been working hard, learning our parts for our upcoming, and first ever show together. The vocal harmony parts are a challenge, but we're making good progress. We've begun recording our next song, titled Back To Feelin' Good. This is a fast paced and fun song that we think will be a great addition to our live shows. Bob Cottingham and I will be producing again and we're recording at Ladybug Studios, Bob's studio in North Delta BC.

Those of you who have been following my career closely know that I have had my share of bad luck when it comes to people in this crazy business. I couldn't get the local music association to support me and almost every person that I've tried to deal with has turned out to be somewhat less than professional. That's okay. You know why? Because it's not about "the business". It's not about awards, or what everyone else is doing. This is a personal relationship between you and me. I make my music for you, the fan that listens, and for no one else. We have some surprises coming in 2012 that are sure to make the hard-core Kostynuts happy. Something we never thought we would get done is going to get done this year. I don't want to jinx it, so I'm not going to say it, but let's just say that it's what every artist hopes to do with one of their songs.

We'll keep you posted as to the bands progress. I can't tell you how excited I am about things and about returning to playing the original songs live again. Finding the right musicians has been tough, and we're still trying to find another guitar player and a drummer to fit in with us. The search continues.

We wish you all our best and thank you for your continued encouragement and support. We appreciate it very much and we look forward to continuing this great friendship through music!

Michael

December 16, 2011

Greetings everyone!

As usual, the previous year was full of ups and downs. The good news is that we are ending the year on a high. It felt fantastic to get Keep On Tryin' finally completed and up on our web sites. The feedback has been really great and I am always amazed at how many people listen to, and enjoy, my songs. It really is the best gift that an artist can receive and I am grateful to every one of you who have listened to my music.

We have some more surprises coming up for 2012. We're pretty sure the world is not going to end, so we're going ahead with our plans. They are big, and I can't wait to let you know what they are, but in the past I have announced some things to soon, and it lead to some disappointment. I want to avoid that this time, so my lips will be sealed for the time being.

For those of you following the music. Keep On Tryin' was written by me, and produced in North Delta British Columbia, Canada at Ladybug Studios by myself and Producer/Engineer Bob Cottingham. Bob is now the permanent bass player in the band. Deidra and I feel really fortunate to have met Bob last year and our relationship has really grown strong over the last few months. Bob and his wife Sandra have become very good friends and are now a big part of this musical journey with us.

Speaking of Deidra. One of the greatest and coolest things to happen this past year was Deidra joining the band. Deidra truly has a gifted voice and is now not only singing the harmonies in the band, she is also singing lead on some songs. For me this has been a huge bonus, because now I get to do more with my best friend.

So, on behalf of Bob, Deidra and myself, we would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

We're looking forward to continuing our relationships with all of you, and we hope to get to know you all better over the next year.

As always, take good care of yourselves. Most importantly.... have fun!!

Michael

OCTOBER 28, 2011

Hello everyone! These are exciting times for me. I can't tell you all how happy I am that Keep On Tryin' has been completed. All we have to do now is mix it down this weekend and we'll have it online next week. Leaving the rock cover band to return to focus on my own music was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Forming the new band has been a great challenge, but having Deidra in the band has also been pretty awesome. Together with bassist Bob Cottingham and keyboardist Yves Laforest I believe we have the beginnings of something very special. We still haven't found our guitar player or our drummer yet, but we know the right people will come along eventually.

Having access to Bob's recording studio has also been a huge bonus for us. Deidra and I are no longer in the position to have to try to raise money to record and give ammo to the haters out there to sabotage our efforts. We can record all of our songs now and we plan to get the next one started as soon as we're finished mixing down Keep On Tryin'. There will also be a song in there written by me and sung by Deidra. There will be a new CD and as soon as the band is complete we will be performing again live here in the Greater Vancouver Region. We do hope that one day we'll get to travel again, but we have to take it one step at a time.

As always, I thank you sincerely for your continued support and kindness. I don't have the most fans, but I am convince that I definitely have the best!

Take care and have fun!

Mike

SEPTEMBER 12, 2011

Hello everyone,

On the ten year anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York I would like to extend a very heartfelt thank you to all of those who have worked so hard since then to ensure that we do not suffer that kind of tragedy again. To the families and friends of those who lost their lives I would like to express my sympathies and my hope that time has allowed you to accept and to live with your immense loss.

I would also like to make an important announcement regarding my music. As most of you know, I had taken a break from my original music and had been performing with the local rock band All About Jack. I thoroughly enjoyed playing in a rock band again, but after a while it became obvious to me that my heart was not in it. In order to be who I am, in order to fulfill my dream, I have to spend my time being the artist that I am.

So, I have resigned from the band and am now back focusing full time on my original songs. We are currently recording and rehearsing and I am very excited to say that my wife Deidra is now a member of the band. She has worked very hard and is now a competent lead vocalist as well as harmony vocalist. I have to admit that sharing this together has really made a positive impact on my life and happiness. I will keep you updated as to our progress. The new songs should be out soon. I know that they are way behind, but we are making good progress now. Also, the band should be ready to perform live by Christmas time.

Thanks to those of you who have been following along. I truly do appreciate your support, and I hope that this blog update finds you all well and safe.

Take care and have fun!
Michael

JULY 21, 2011

NEW SONG ON THE WAY

Hello Everyone!

I hope this blog post finds you all well. My heart goes out to those of you experiencing this extreme weather. It sure has been a crazy year. Here on the west coast of Canada we haven't really had a summer yet. It's been raining most of the time and the plants and trees don't really know what to do. My hope is that summer has just been delayed and not forgotten. The would mean that September could be our best month this year.

On the music front. As most of you know by now, I have been enjoying playing rock and roll cover songs with All About Jack. Our show at the Grand Villa Casino in Burnaby BC, Canada on July 15th and 16th was a blast. A very good crowd that packed the dance floor all night. No video footage but we did get some phone cam pics, so check them out in our album.

I've been working hard to get a new original song out, and the progress is going well, but very slowly. The song is called Keep On Tryin' and I am happy to say that it is sounding the way I want it to. I'm working with Bob Cottingham in his studio in Delta BC now. A great engineer and producer, Bob has worked on countless albums and has a fantastic reputation here in Canada. So far we have the drums, bass and acoustic guitar completed. We're now working on guitar tracks, keyboard tracks, and then a final vocal. I know I'm way behind on getting this song out, but sometimes life just gets in the way, and we want to make sure that we've got it right. Deidra said that it doesn't sound like any of my other material. I don't try to predetermine how a song is going to sound. I simply try to get what's in my head onto the recordings.

Bob and I are in the process of finding the right players to perform the original songs with. I'm looking forward to it very much, and feel very lucky to be working with Bob on this project. We're having an end of summer party here. It's going to be like a small music festival. There will be camping, open fire cooking, live music and games over a two day period. If you know me, you know that I love to party... I think I was born for it. Hey... there's a song in there somewhere!

Take care everyone, and above all.... have fun!

Mike