Some things were just meant to be. That thing for Kevin Carlberg is to be around to play music and to be Rockin’ For Kids. As the lead singer for Pseudopod, a rock band that’s toured with the likes of Sheryl Crow and Train, Kevin is now the founding spokesperson for this children’s organization. It all started last November when they set out on a new tour that started in Colorado Springs. Colorado’s altitude increased the symptoms of a brain tumor, which was discovered when the band drove Kevin to the emergency room instead of their gig at the Starlight.
The group quickly returned Kevin to Los Angeles where doctors at UCLA Medical Center removed the tumor, and Kevin is back in the saddle again, touring to promote the release of their self-titled debut on Interscope.
The deal with the major label came after years of constant touring and word-of-mouth marketing where fans would trade live tapes and set lists online, and where they can do it “officially” and will full support on the band’s web site, www.pseudopod.net. From there, RollingStone.com, who ran a national battle of the bands type contest, and they were chosen as The Best College Band. That was the break they needed, since along with the title, “we received a large sum of money to make our second album, Rest Assured, which we recorded and put out ourselves. And this became the demo our manager used to get us signed to Interscope,” explains Kevin.
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The supporting tour for their major label debut will be bringing them back to Colorado. Working with a major label and only living a few blocks from the studio had its advantages, “so we were away from all the distractions,” Kevin says. “I think we also really concentrated on the songwriting aspects this time, and streamlining the arrangements.” Those arrangements flow from catchy pop tracks to songs that will make you want to kick off your shoes and pretend it’s summertime again – all with a heavy dose of ironic optimism.
During Pseudopod’s tour in Colorado, the group will be visiting Denver’s Children’s Hospital, and will continue to visit other children’s hospitals across the country as they make their way from one town to another.
So some things were just meant to be, and you can be with these guys and their positive vibe of heartfelt, jangly pop and rock when they actually make it to the Startlight this time on Thursday night, and at Quixote’s on Friday.
