Hallelujah!

The US Tour was a huge success and I have been reading scripts sent to me from producers who caught my show in smalltown USA. You just never know who's in the audience. Did a great interview on Fox News Charlotte and you can check it out here.

Reading a book called Crush It and I highly recommend it if you have the gusto to follow your dreams. Keep your eyes peeled for the new blog and an updated kahlilashanti.com website, the changes to www.basictrainingnyc.com are already in place.

Getting tired of having the same conversations with fellow actors about 'Kahlil how did you do it' so this new blog will answer all of that and more from a creative and business perspective. Working with one of the freshest business minds in the live gig industry to bring the thunder to the internet.

Thanks for following and best believe my absence from the blog means I got something cooking so feel free to join the Facebook Fan Page for immediate updates as well: http://tinyurl.com/yc22bk4
More soon!

www.kahlilashanti.com

Business...it's Business TIME!

I'm thoroughly enjoying the business side of this journey. Several opportunities have presented themselves since opening in NYC and several 'talkers' have fallen silent due to their inability to deliver. As they say in the military: their mouth wrote a check their ass couldn't cash. In those situations it's good to be the Basic Training bank.

I've taken up a cause with a colleague to better educate performers on how to protect themselves from the sharks in the water and increase their earnings potential through a little homework and common sense. Leverage seems to be the only thing that matters and with people asking me to sign contracts they don't expect me to read I've learned to call the bluff. For the past two years I've been slowly building a side business: consulting for a very successful talent agency who sends me on the road with their high visibility artists who need help tightening their business game but don't speak that language. And to think I learned it all from Tops In Blue.

Got a chance to hang out at Simon Cowell's 50th birthday in London a few days ago and I enjoyed sharing stories with a few entrepreneurs. One thing is for sure, lots of room at the top. Hope to see you there. My next stops on this journey involve me hitting the stage again so here's the nitty gritty:

Oct 16,17
Hampton, Virginia
American Theatre

Oct 19,20
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Manship Theatre

Oct 21-25
Charlotte, NC
Blumenthal Performing Arts Center

The meetings in Los Angeles were a huge success and there is good news on the way.

Did two private shows in Phoenix AZ at the Western Arts Alliance Conference for a total of about 14 people. Can't get much more private than that - BUT you never know who's in the audience. (I say stuff like that to keep me encouraged). Just thinking out loud - what use is a blog if you only get to read the good stuff eh? Such is the life of a make-it-happen-er. Tim Fox, Emily Threlfall and the team at CAMI were on top of things so I'm confident that it will lead to bigger and better things. Tony Lepore flew in and nailed the cues. True professionals.

We found an awesome and huge house for a bargain and other than the new fridge that leaks water we're slowly moving in and getting used to the new neighborhood. I've always wanted a fireplace and now we have one. Too bad I have to travel so much but it makes being at home that much sweeter. Countless people told me I'd never find anything like this for so cheap. I truly believe my expectations are reflected in my results. Like mom used to say: "If all you talk about is the negative then that's exactly what you'll find."

Glad to have a house and thankful to have a healthy family and a gig, that's for sure.



Having kids is a great way to remind you that time is flying. Zion is growing so fast I find myself wondering where the time went. Truly a constant wake-up call to not waste time on people or things that aren't worth it. We only get one go-round and I plan to make mine count. I want to leave my wife and son with more than a paycheck to paycheck existence. It shall be done. Gotta do better.

Los Angeles

We found a house! It's gorgeous and big and just what we hoped for. I believe expectations are reflected in results. Regardless of what people told us 'we wouldn't find' we stuck to our guns and decided for ourselves. Not really a lesson learned but a theory enforced. Nobody knows me better than me. And my wife.

In Los Angeles for three days of marathon meetings with managers and tv execs. Makin it do what it do! Gotta go - next meeing starts now!

USA Today

Lots of people have been asking about US dates and they have definitely come a lot slower than I'd like. But timing is everything and I have a plan to get some more US dates confirmed for 2010. Let's see if I still got the touch!

For the Fall of 2009 we have some sweet gigs so please come and say hello:

Sept 3
Phoenix, AZ
Herberger Theater Center
http://www.herbergertheater.org/node

Oct 16,17
Hampton, Virginia
American Theatre
http://www.hamptonarts.net/american_theatre/artist_info.php?products_id=3013

Oct 19,20
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Manship Theatre
http://www.manshiptheatre.org/site.php?pageID=3&eID=4169&backpage=pageID7eq737an7calstart7eq71254376861

Oct 21-25
Charlotte, NC
Blumenthal Performing Arts Center
http://www.blumenthalcenter.org/default.asp?blumenthal=59&objId=1125

Don't forget to become a fan of Basic Training by clicking here: http://tinyurl.com/nhonqc.

The end of Oz.

It has been way too long. Finished the tour of Australia on Aug 3rd and spent a week in New Zealand to try and relax. It's good to be back in Vancouver and the apartment hunt has begun. A place to call home has always been an issue for me, never really had a city to call home until now and it's no fun playing the game of viewing prospective places. It's kind of like dating but worse because when you date somebody you can usually tell by the sound of their voice if they're your type or not. A chic with a deep voice might have some trouble gettin to first base if you know what I mean. But with apartments people make them sound amazing in the ad and then you show up to find a sh** hole with shared laundry. But we keep swingin and I know we'll find a place soon. Maybe it will have a jacuzzi!

The rest of the cities in Australia were lovely, let me try to break it down for ya:

Wollongong - Our FAVORITE place. Such a wonderful experience. Great audiences and stunning scenery.
Darwin - Wish we could've had more time to see the outskirts.
Cairns - Gorgeous
Brisbane - Spent time with Ingrid and Harry which was such a treat. Great people.
Lismore - Yeah! Stayed at Suzanne's Hideaway. Highly recommended. Gorgeous scenery out in the mountains.
Newcastle - Reminded me of Harlem.
Sydney - Not all it's cracked up to be. The workshops with the at-risk kids made it all worth it.
Parramatta - Great food, great time.
Bathurst - The venue manager is a one man theater machine. Go Steve! (I think that's his name)
Warragul - Hit pretty hard by the fires. I don't remember the shows.
Bendigo - No comment.
Horsham - No comment. (email me and I'll tell you what I really think)
Geelong - What a beautiful theater. It's a pretty interesting seaside place.
Albury - One of the best stops on the tour. The Hothouse Theater company is way ahead of their time in so many ways. They really do a first class job from A-Z. Honoured to work with them.

Simon and Anne-Louise gave us a great send off from Sydney and we are so thankful to them for all their help.

Holy crap where does the time go? Zion is on solids and the show is getting better by the minute! We head to Lismore tomorrow. Darwin was an interesting experience. Spent some lovely time in Cairns and now we're staying in Brisbane with some very dear friends of ours. They've treated us well and it's a nice break from staying in hotels. Gotta get to bed. This show really takes it out of me. More from Sydney - three weeks in one place!

Week one!

the shows here are going over the moon! Ticket sales are excellent and the Merrigong Theater Company (I worked with them to produce and plan the tour) have been top notch with the marketing and support. Lydia and Zion are loving it - the weather is superb. Australian winter. Go figure. :)

The press day in Sydney was a bit surreal. Being chauffeured around from interview to interview, radio, newspaper, this way Mr Ashanti. And a sushi lunch to top it off.

104.9 Triple M in Sydney had me record their station identification using my impression of Arnold Schwarzedude.

Two shows left in Wollongong and then we head to Darwin!

Thanks to Amanda Buckworth for the awesome publicity work and I'll do my best to keep you updated.

This is all impossible without the fans so I salute you!

Wollongong Here We Are!

The flight was great, Zion slept over half the time and take-off and landing had zero effect on him. Go figure.

We landed in Sydney to a warm welcome by Simon (Artistic Director) and Anne-Louise (Artistic Associate) from the Merrigong Theatre Company. Seems like yesterday we were sitting in Edinburgh 2007 discussing this tour and now it's all here. Daniel Potter (cool last name eh?) is handling the lights and sound and so far is doing a superb job.

The press interviews and the promotion is truly first class here and people are very surprised to hear that this tour was on the books before the show opened in New York. They love hearing about people making things happen against the odds especially when they see so many names in the program. One step at a time.

Our accommodation is really classy and the family is settling in nicely. Jetlag really got us for the first few days but we've emerged unscathed thus far.

Opening Night is June 3 but there is a show on June 2 to work things out. Looking forward to getting on stage again. This is such a beautiful city (Wollongong). Right on the water and although it's been a bit rainy it's nothing compared to the rain in Vancouver. If this is winter in Australia bring it on!

Wollongong Here We Come!

Our anniversary was a blast. We found this amazing breakfast place called The Wooden Shoe (The Dutch) on Cambie Street in Vancouver. Nothing like a good stick to your ribs breakfast to start you off. Relaxing day, enjoying the little things that over half the people in the world do not have access to. Gotta stay thankful for the little things.

Tonight we take Zion on his first plane trip. We're both a little nervous about the little guy handling take-off and landing but the amount of advice we have from other parents has been both comforting and amusing. Everything from Jack Daniels to Tylenol to breast feeding has been thrown our way to keep his ears from popping. Jack Daniels. For a baby?

Got a fifteen hour flight ahead of us so we're loaded up with DVD's and a good book. My wife is reading the Pursuit of Happyness, I'm reading The Pixar Touch and for the third time I'll be reading the Four Hour Work Week.

When we arrive in Australia we definitely hit the ground running, a few days off to decompress are going to be very welcome. On trips like this I actually have to get in the mindset before I leave. In other words mentally I left for Australia yesterday. Getting in the mental space or the zone to do the show isn't an easy task so it definitely takes some build-up. Especially when it's fourteen cities. This will be the longest run of Basic Training ever done and I'm really impressed with the marketing efforts that Tina Walsberger and her team have put together. It never fails to amaze me when people spend the minimum on marketing and wonder why the ticket sales suck. Simon Hinton and his gang in Australia have obviously done their homework and it's great to be working with them. Even if the show doesn't sell a single ticket it means infinitely more to me that they put it all on the line and in a professional manner. Effort trumps statistics any time, any day. The economy can only be an excuse for so long and my life has taught me that what you give is what you get. It makes my skin crawl to travel the world and see what's really going on and to realize how much it differs from what the 'news' tells us.

After the Australia tour I'll be working on some exciting television gigs. That's a flaky world so best believe I will make something happen.

Had some great conversations with a well known director about a new one man show I'm hoping to perform in Edinburgh in 2010...more to come on that later. Leavin...on a jet plane...

Here's to peanuts and pretzels!

Currency

Postings have been less frequent - family in town to visit Zion and then the news that our landlords were selling the apartment we lived in for two years. Which isn't a problem except for the fact that they decided to tell us right before we leave for Australia. In addition to packing for a 2 month fourteen city tour we also had to put all of our belongings in storage. We could not have done it without our friends and we are so thankful for their help and love. They're the kind of currency that lasts a lifetime.

Now we're staying at a hotel near the Vancouver airport for two days. This allows us to decompress and figure out if we forgot
anything before we leave. Packing for a baby boy is quite the adventure but he keeps things interesting.

Today is our three year wedding anniversary so I better get off this laptop. More postings, more often - stay tuned! We leave for Australia tomorrow.

Drama League Award

I have been nominated for a 2009 Broadway Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance! Other nominees include James Gandolfini, Susan Sarandon, Rupert Everett and Geoffrey Rush. All of them have called me to say they're shaking in their boots at the thought of competing against me. They know what time it is. (kidding - they emailed me)

The Drama League Awards Ceremony is on May 15 and I would really like to go, what could be better than free food in a fancy hotel? Which fork do you eat with first? I can already hear my mother telling me to stop saying 'um' and 'take my hands out of my pockets'.

I just found out about the nomination this morning and my wife took me out for a nice breakfast to celebrate then we spent the day at the beach. My tan is looking kind of fly.

TV Land

This is a video I shot for the Australian tour dates. It's fun to let people see what happens behind the scenes.



Australia is fast approaching and Zion is growing at light speed. The family is happy and healthy and the month of April has been spent filling out work permit papers, passport applications and all the fixins that come with traveling. We'll be packing up before we leave for Australia, just found out the landlord is selling our apartment. One more thing on the 'to-do' list.

My friends The Pajama Men are kicking butt all over the world, one of the hottest comedy acts on the road right now. Please go see them if you get a chance. They're a comedy/improv duo produced by Second City Chicago. We're working on a few hilarious projects together so stay tuned for more!

The Tops In Blue Documentary is another project I'm producing and directing. www.tibdocumentary.com.
Working with a very talented friend named Juan Femath www.femathmedia.com. This was our idea, a way of trying to give back to the Tops In Blue program for all it's done for us.

I'll be sure to keep the news coming a bit more frequently now that things are picking up. News on the UK Tour will be posted here soon. See you on the road.

Get Your Twitter On

The in-laws have come and gone and they are truly missed. Not quite sure how they did it before airplanes but I'm glad travel is so easy.

It's pretty amazing to watch Zion grow and realize how fast time is flying, reminds me to make the most of every day. The Australian tour dates are fast approaching and working from home has proved to be quite a challenge. Editing movie and television pitches between diapers and every day life kind of stuff.

Getting pretty pissed off about the 'economic downturn'. There are some people who are really hurting out there and it would be nice to see more solutions and less 'forecasts'. I don't know how I feel about certain media outlets (not all of them) shoving fear down our throats - maybe it's my fault for watching so much. Information digestion can be a horrible thing if it's fear cocktails every single day.

It feels good to be making things happen by refusing to settle for the used rubber mediocrity that so many folks find satisfying. In my opinion if it scares you then you're probably headed in the right direction.

Which brings us to the upcoming Australia Tour. 14 cities in one of the most gorgeous countries on earth. And my wife and son are coming with me! Just doesn't get any better than that. After that is a UK/Ireland Tour and then it's the holidays.

Feel free to follow me on Twitter if you are not already. Never a dull moment!

Z-Blumenthal

Performing in Charlotte is a blast. Basic Training has not played in the US as much as it has played in the rest of the world so I am always surprised by how much people like to get involved and really enjoy the show. Hopefully this will lead to the show coming to more cities in the US. NY and LA are important but they ain't America. It's such a huge country and every state and city has it's own flavor. Charlotte is no different. My stage manager extraordinaire Tony Lepore and I went to Flemings after the show last night (there's one in L.A. and I highly recommend it) and not only was the food amazing the atmosphere was great. The night before that Tom Gabbard, the big chief at the Blumenthal and one of the most respected and kind people I've ever met and his lovely wife Vicky took us all out to dinner at a place called Zink. I almost forgot my manners and started licking the plate. Rick Hayden (TIB 1994) and his wife Dana came up from Charleston SC to see the show for the first time and they joined us for dinner as well. So great to have some TIB family around.
Speaking of family it's really hard being away from my wife and baby boy. I hear a lot about guys who think that 'bringing home the bacon is for men and women do the rearing' but having a job isn't something to brag about. Being gainfully employed although a struggle in these times is no different than what moms have done for hundreds of years wipin our nasty butts. It takes a real man to change diapers and take over a few middle of the night bottle feeds so your wife can get some extra winks. Maybe my perspective is different because of my childhood but I want Zion to know that he is loved by both of us not just by HSBC Bank. Lydia is such a great mom and having her parents around is such a blessing but I intend to be there as much as humanly possible. It's a team thang!
Just a few more shows here in Charlotte and then its off to Australia and my wife and son are coming along! If you want the definition of bizarre try getting passport photos for your three week old child. The lady actually asked us if we could sit him on a stool and hold him up. As if my arm in the passport picture won't look suspicious. And then once we got the pics done the lady at the passport office was like well...I'll let you off with a warning this time. His cheeks are a little shiny.

I feel another show coming on.

And congratulations to Tops In Blue 2008, the newest members of the TIB family. They just finished their grueling 11 month tour and now have their rings. Welcome to the family, it starts now.

Nawth Caro-lina

Now boarding the flight to Charlotte North Carolina. Never been there but definitely looking forward to it. Anybody recommend some seafood restaurants? Six shows, stick and move. Time to pay some more dues.

Zion is growing so fast. He no longer looks like a newborn. Four weeks old yesterday and he's 11 pounds 14 ounces. He definitely has his dad's appetite.

More to come, I sincerely can't wait to receive my tiny package of pretzels.

WOW! Baby boy!

Unbelievable. On Feb 8 2009 our son Zion was born and it has been a whirlwind ever since. I'm on graveyard baby duty, just finished performing two shows today to finish up the run of Basic Training at the Vancouver East Cultural Center. It's all about trading hours so we can tag team the diaper duties. Why do people make a newborn baby in your life and lack of sleep sound like such a death sentence? It's really not that bad-if you want lack of sleep try touring with Tops In Blue, it gives a whole new meaning to the word 'tired'. I have had much less sleep many times before. It's all about the attitude.

I am so proud of Lydia I could burst. It was a water birth and she used no epidural or anything just some gas and air. She was in labour for about eight hours and gave birth at 11:32am. Thanks so much for your prayers because we definitely felt favored. Our room was lovely and the nurses who attended to us as well as Cora and Joan from the South Community Birth Program were amazing. So professional but also very caring. Our doula Jean was spot on as well. We spent the night in the hospital and the food reminded me of eating leftovers at a military chow hall. Oh well...all part of the experience.

The performances in Vancouver were very challenging but it was well worth it and for a short run not bad at all. Great audiences, great theater, great staff. Didn't get a chance to do my usual handshaking after the show with the audience but I'm sure they understood. It's not every day you get to go home and cuddle your newborn son.

Next stop Charlotte, NC at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center. The Vancouver dates sold out one month in advance which makes me wonder why people wait until the last minute to buy tickets. For tickets to the North Carolina shows go to www.blumenthalcenter.org.

Again thank you for your well wishes and I hope to see you in the audience somewhere on the road!

Babybabybaby?

Today is my wife's due date but we are still waiting for the little one to make an appearance. Had a false alarm on the 28th and it was pretty intense - but as our doula puts it we are well prepared. Or as prepared as anyone can be for parenthood. If this little tike doesn't show up soon I think I may start having labor pains. We have family flying in a few weeks after the due date so we get some breathing room and some time to enjoy the horrid smells that come out of our child. Ah yes. Fatherhood.

All is well on the show front, Vancouver shows Feb 10-14 are completely sold out and the Charlotte North Carolina dates go on sale on Feb 6th. The Charlotte shows will be at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center from March 10-15.

Reading this book called the Four Hour Work Week. Damn good book! I'm also reading a book about Pixar - very inspirational.

Check out the new downloads for iPod and iPhone at www.kahlilashanti.com and click on Media!

Vancouver and more.

SOLD OUT! Two words I like to hear. I'm excited about doing the shows at The Cultch (Vancouver East Cultural Center) and it sounds like the public is too. 99% of my touring thus far (Scotland, Canada, Australia, UAE) has been a result of me making it happen with no help so I'm really excited about Tim Fox and Columbia Artist Management coming on board to make some things happen for the U.S. and beyond.

Our baby is due in a few weeks so our place is full of little tiny baby clothes, blankets, bottles, and other things. It really sunk in when I put the cot together. Now it's just sitting in our room and for some reason the whole thing seems more real now. We're gonna have a baby! My wife is in great health and she still looks fresh and young.

There will be some downloads for iPod/iPhone on the website soon so keep checking back for updates. Hope to see you on the road.