Karl Valentine profile picture

Karl Valentine

About Me

Karl Valentine is a singer/songwriter who was born in New York and raised in Philadelphia during the height of the folk scene on the East Coast. Studying with folks like Chris Smither and Danny O'Keefe, Karl has played a long list of clubs from coast to coast--among them the Tin Angel in Philadelphia, the O.K. Hotel in Seattle, the Sioux City Folk Festival in Iowa, The Pacific Northwest Folklife Festival and Sweetwater in Mill Valley, CA. Most recently, Karl developed a close relationship with the late Chris Whitley, who has inspired and motivated Karl to seek the Big Sky Country.....

Residing in Washington, DC, Karl has completed four albums, three of which are available online through CD Baby, Amazon.com and iTunes. His key influences have been Jackson Browne, Stephen Stills, James Taylor, Chris Whitley, Tom Waits, Suzanne Vega and Cat Stevens. Karl tours across the U.S., but mainly in the Pacific Northwest and the East Coast northern seaboard. He plays a 1957 00-18 Martin and an Olson SJ when playing solo, and a Tom Anderson Strat when touring with his friends.....

His lyrics are very narrative, with tales of love and loss, political outrage, sociological and philosophical reflections, forged in the crucible of late 20th century rock, spiced with equal measures of blues, jazz and folk. Karl has teamed up with Joel Tipke, a guitar prodigy from Spokane now a successful singer songwriter based in Seattle, Washington. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll break a few lamps, you'll be happy if you're in love, and you won't need to ask why.....

Songs posted on this website are free for downloading, but rights to distribute all works remain with the artist. Those who enjoy the free downloads are encouraged to purchase CDs and additional downloads on CD Baby and Amazon.com. Thanks for visiting this site!

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 15/08/2006
Band Website: www.karlvalentine.com
Band Members: Karl Valentine and sometimes partner Joel Tipke
Influences: Chris Whitley, Jackson Browne, Suzanne Vega, James Taylor, Shawn Colvin, Freebo, David Bromberg, Patty Larkin, Blue Nile, The Roots, Phil Roy, Pinback, Crazy Horse, Kathleen Edwards, David Lindley, Lee Sklar, Russ Kunkell, Taj Mahal, Matt Pond PA, Tanita Tikarum, Tom Rush, Eric Bazilian, Lowell George, David Crosby, Neil Young, Damien Rice, Tim Buckley, David Wilcox, Chris Smither, Danny O'Keefe, Joni Mitchell, Ricki Lee Jones, Bob Dylan, Richie Havens, Rob Hyman, Wendy Waldman, Gamble & Huff, Steely Dan, Jerry Jeff Walker, Dave Loggins, Bruce Springsteen pre '75, Danny Whitten, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Spirit, Dave Mason, Paul Butterfield, Duane Allman, Innocence Mission, Television, Death Cab for Cutie, Van Hunt, Bob Mould, Paul Westerberg, The Chieftans, John Kuzma, Eric Von Schmidt, Radiohead, Chris Cornell & Soundgarden, The Blue Yonder Band, CSNY, Karla Bonoff, Bonnie Raitt, Rolling Stones w/Brian Jones, The Byrds, The Band, Nick Drake, Jefferson Airplane, Robert Johnson, Bessie Smith, J.S. Bach
Sounds Like: Tom Petty meets Suzanne Vega
Record Label: Pigeon Point Records
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

Chris Smither

I met Chris Smither in the waning days of the 70s folk movement. His three albums (one of which was initially canned upon completion--with Lowell George and Eric Kaz backing--but later released by Chr...
Posted by on Wed, 27 Aug 2008 19:03:00 GMT

Escalator of Life

I got the news two weeks ago that Robert Hazard, a central figure in Philly rock back from the 80s, had died after an unsuccessful operation to treat his pancreatic cancer. He was just about to t...
Posted by on Sun, 24 Aug 2008 13:34:00 GMT

The Magic of Friendship & Music

I seem to be constantly amazed by the gift of friendships. Two Saturdays ago I attended the 70th birthday party of a close family friend. I was visiting my folks in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and the timi...
Posted by on Wed, 28 Feb 2007 22:39:00 GMT

Low Spark of High Heeled Boys

I was just listening to Stevie Winwood's Low Spark of High Heeled Boys on my iPod. God bless those Brits....from Radiohead to Stevie Winwood......they know how to articluate what's lost on us American...
Posted by on Sun, 17 Sep 2006 19:53:00 GMT