Multi-instrumentalist John Vesely, the heart and soul of Secondhand Serenade, loves playing in Utah.
The last time he was here was just before Thanksgiving 2008.
"Every time we come out there we have a good time," he said during a telephone call from Los Angeles. "People in Utah have seen me so many times that I think I'm going to give them a few surprises."
The surprises include alternate versions of some songs and a couple of new songs.
"I want to play some songs that they have never heard live," he said. "And I'm also planning to play straight piano versions of new songs."
The new songs, Vesely said, will be featured on Secondhand Serenade's new CD, which will be released early next year.
"I'm nearly done recording it," he said. "I did a bunch of song writing and demo recordings on the road. And we scheduled two months to finish recording it.
"We have until Aug. 6," he said. "That isn't much time, but things have been going smoothly."
In the meantime, Secondhand Serenade released a deluxe version of the 2008 CD "A Twist in My Story."
"I was excited that the initial CD did well," Vesely said. "And me, my manager and record label thought it would be a good idea to release a deluxe edition with a DVD and extra songs.
"I wanted to give fans something special for making the album a success."
The deluxe edition features a radio version of "Your Call," acoustic versions of "Fall for You" and "Like a Knife," a new song, "Last Time," and a remake of Coldplay's "Fix You." The DVD includes behind-the-scenes footage and videos.
"We didn't really plan on doing a deluxe edition until we saw how well the original release did," Vesely said.
Vesely also just got back from gigs in London.
"They were really fun," he said. "And successful. And I'm really looking forward to coming back to Utah."
If you go
What: Secondhand Serenade
Where: Thanksgiving Point Electric Park
When: July 25, 7 p.m.
How much: $17-$27
Phone: 888-672-6040
Web: www.thanksgivingpoint.com
e-mail: scott@desnews.com