Today we’d like to introduce you to Kayla Bear Taylor.
Hi Kayla Bear, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I manage, book and represent my life partner, Chris DeVore AKA: The Karate Cowboy (Guitar Wizard Extraordinaire). He is an exhilarating music act that we have showcased all around Texas as well as New York and Las Vegas.
It has been my dream to work with him full time since 2017 or so and it wasn’t until the pandemic hit that I was able to pursue this dream. During a typical day I’m making calls, sending emails, and booking his act. In addition, I attend every show and am the lighting tech, sound engineer and stage manager—I wear a lot of hats!
A little about Chris;
Chris has been performing music around the USA for over 25 years. He got his first paying gig at a place called Hole in the Wall in Austin, TX when he was 15 years old. The staff totally freaked out when Chris showed up and they saw he was a kid—but they let him play anyway and slid him some cash afterwards.
Since first picking up the violin at the age of eight years old, music has been the greatest joy in his life.
For Chris, “music is about goosebumps and the kind of excitement you get on Christmas Eve. Music feels like flying or like a rollercoaster—it takes you on a ride and you’re torn between grabbing a hold something familiar and letting go. [He] wants to remind people of a time when magic was real: when the world was such an exciting place and we believed that amazing things could happen at any moment.”
Together, with his incredible talent and my tenacity, we’re making those magic moments happen all over Texas and the US. It is so much fun working together and sharing this act with so many people!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’ve faced many challenges but have grown and learned so much! For starters, I was working full time in the service industry, going to school to finish my degree and didn’t even know how to make the transition to the music industry. The reality was, I had very little time to make this career change in the beginning. I started by learning the ins and out of social media. I made accounts for my (future) business and started regularly posting content.
I then had to learn how to get comfortable with contacting people via email and phone—something I had never done in a professional setting. Chris was a big help with this, after all, he had already been doing it for over ten years! Something else that helped me was that I made the connection that reaching out to strangers for business & booking is just like when I was waiting tables. I was very good at waiting tables and making connections with my guests. I am professional, polite and direct—and able to move on easier when the person isn’t interested. I try to be personable–whether I’m selling a special dish for the evening or the exciting act I represent.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
The Karate Cowboy is a highly entertaining ‘one man trio’ musical show that features exceptional guitar work, smooth vocals and timeless popular hits done in a fresh and unique way.
One of the things that set us apart from others is that everyone is amazed that the sound of trio is coming from a one man act!
This act specializes in taking people on a journey with songs in the style of Django Reinhardt, Bob Wills and Willie Nelson. All while seamlessly mixing in world music and jazz influences that are representative of the diversity that makes live music great!
This is more than a guy playing guitar on stage, it’s an exciting show. The Karate Cowboy is witty, it’s fun and tells a unique story of a man traversing time and continents with music as his guide.
What are your plans for the future?
Our biggest goal for the future is branching out further and to bigger stages. We’re thinking headliner cruise ships and potentially Las Vegas stages.
To get there, we’re working on building up the act. We’re adding props, developing The Karate Cowboy’s outfit and figuring out how to make the show even more exciting. I’ve been honing my sewing skills and have been making adjustments to pieces that he already wears. It’s definitely a process. It’s fun as well as challenging but we are hopeful that we can get to this next level.
Contact Info:
- Email: Wnbbooking@gmail.com
- Website: https://thekaratecowboy.wixsite.com/music
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/chrisdevoremusic?igshid=1vftnjg1zub7h
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChrisDeVoreMusic/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/user/easygoinperson
Image Credits:
Mark Del Castillo Photography Seven Pillars Photogrphy
