Biography

Casey Kalmenson
Bio

“Blue Girl” is the debut CD of Los Angeles native Casey Kalmenson. Casey has proven that she is an extremely talented performer in music and theatre. And it’s no wonder. Casey’s grandfather Ben Kalmenson was president of Warner Brothers Pictures NY, in the day. Her mother, Holly Smith, an accomplished dancer, entertainer and actress, was one of the famous Golddiggers with Dean Martin and was on The Jim Nabors Show on CBS for several years. In his early years, her father, Howard Kalmenson, ran successful nightclubs in the west which were a regular stop off for some of the legends of music including Elvis, Johnny Cash and Chuck Berry, all leading him into a very successful career in the radio broadcast business. Casey’s three older siblings are each successful in music, film and radio. You can truly say that Casey Kalmenson has (this) business in her blood. Along with being a full time student at USC and studying for her BA in Theatre, Casey has been busy with summer sessions at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, The Circle In The Square Theater in NYC, spending time in the recording studios in LA, as well as having a lead and a key role in a couple of independent student films at USC.

Encapsulating today’s modern pop sound, producer Csaba Petocz has captured a relaxed, feminine and vulnerable Casey. Csaba, aided by veteran music executive and Nashville Rock Hall of Fame member Preston Sullivan, searched for the three perfect songs that would represent Casey’s vocals and her wide range of musical tastes.

Casey says, “Joni Mitchell moves me. Whom doesn’t Joni Mitchell move? I love her phrasing, her lyrics…Bob Marley because I love Reggae. I spent a lot of my youth in Hawaii. I’m big into jazz. I love Sara Vaughan, Stan Getz. Dave Mathews is amazing. Cat Stevens, James Taylor, Bob Dylan…I wanted songs that spoke to me and trusted Csaba and Preston to find those songs.”

The title track, “Blue Girl,” is an easy-breezy up-tempo number juxtaposed with lyrics of a slowly moving, almost lethargic blue girl whose friend prods her into life: -“sometimes getting out of bed takes and act of God himself…you appear like an angel, you untangle my two feet.” The infectious melody stays in your head long after the song’s over. The romantic ballad, “Do What You Do” is delivered with Casey’s sultry, tantalizing vocals in such lines as “you know the way to get to me” and “too much will never be enough” complimented by a sparse piano. The mid-tempo “Be Here To Stay” recounts a sudden, unexpected revelation of a love gone: “I drive away all the hurt, but I’m stuck in reverse…I thought you’d be here to stay.”

Csaba’s light-handed and spot on production showcases Casey’s vocal range, as well as the multi-talented A-players he chose for the project: Jeff Babko, keyboards; George Doering, guitars; Travis Carlton, bass; Tos Panos, drums; and Andy Duncan, guitars/programming. Michelle Lewis provided background vocals. The tracking engineer was Nathaniel Kunkell.

Csaba and Preston chose the famed Capitol Records Studio B, known for the home of the “Rat Pack” (perhaps a subliminal homage to Dean Martin) to cut Casey’s EP. “It was Casey’s first time in the studio. She’s an LA gal with a strong love and respect for musical history. We wanted to take her into a place that had some history and magic,” Preston says. “It worked.”

Csaba, a Grammy-award winning producer and engineer, has worked on 37 #1 hit songs and 32 platinum albums with an array of artists including Larry Carlton, Ben Folds, Stevie Nicks, Etta James, and Aaron Neville. “I enjoyed working with Casey. She brought a lot to the table with her theatre background. We tempered that by allowing her to let go - have a bit more freedom - in the studio. I don’t know that there is much she couldn’t do. She really is a beautiful girl, both inside and out.”

The “Blue Girl” EP is available at all major online distributors. Downloads and ring tones are also available at www.caseykalmenson.com and www.myspace.com/caseykalmenson. The songs were released worldwide to radio exclusively on Airplay Direct at www.airplaydirect.com/CaseyKalmenson.

For more information, please contact:
preston@globaleyesentertainment.com