(insert name here)

the semi-regular musings of a semi-regular dude who's trying his best to make anything-but-regular music.

8.28.2006

1 shopping day left...


tomorrow's the last day to order my cd and receive a copy of my unreleased lp, good morning sunshine, for free.

in case you haven't been reading for the past month, i'm trying to earn my way onto a compilation that will be distributed to 5000 people over the next few months, and i believe that 50 cds will be the magic number. so far, i've sold 45 cds. in order to count towards cdbaby's promotion, the disc has to ship by the 31st of august, so i have just about 24 hours left to sell 5 more cds. i started off gangbusters, but now i'm not even getting 5 hits a day.

so, spend $5 and help me out. not only will you get heater, my debut ep, but i'll send you a cd for free, AND you'll have my undying gratitude, AND AND, who knows, maybe one day you'll be able to claim that you helped me keep things running before i got big and famous...

(for those who have already ordered a cd, i'm waiting until all orders are in to start making & shipping cds. i'm hoping to have them mailed out by mid september and i might even give you a choice on a couple of different cover options. who said beck fans get to have all the fun?)

8.22.2006

new logo

for those of you who might've ventured over to my myspace probably noticed a new logo that i'm using. for the rest of you, here it is:



what do you think?

august cd promotion update:
havent' sold any cd's in a few days, getting worried that i might not hit my goal of 50 cds sold this month. please help me meet my goal by clicking on this little linkity link right...here. remember, everyone that orders a cd before august 28th gets a copy of my (soon to be released) album, good morning sunshine, for free!

(ps - my little brother actually made the logo above. he doesn't have a website or anything, but i've got to make sure and give credit where it's due.)

8.17.2006

cd promotion update

35 down, 15 to go...

11 shopping days left!

8.15.2006

a-hole alert

i hope this guy's balls get caught in a pepper grinder.

really, who does shit like that? throw an animal into a frying pan while it's ALIVE?

there's a special spot in hell for people like that. right next to pedophiles and whoever invented the designated hitter.

stalking the symphony

yours truly is one of the featured artists this week on the stalking the muse page!!!

head on over to their site to check out my songs and my essay about the creative process behind my (soon to be smash) single, we r a symphony.

if you're unfamiliar with stalking the muse, you should definitely check it out. it's sort've like a co-op for nashville based artists to talk about their creative process and to help everybody get in front of everybody else.

drop me a line and let me know what you think of my essay, and send the stalking the muse guys a friend request.

(ps - the farmer's almanac says that this week would be a great week to come see a rock n roll show. i can help you with that. be at the basement on thursday at 9p. bring $5.)

8.14.2006

with respect and reverence

i'll address the subject line in a second. first an update on august's cd promotion and sales. as of this morning, i've sold 37 cds. that's AWESOME!! i've got sell 13 more in the next 14 days to hit my goal, so (not to beat a dead horse), please get your orders in soon and please tell all your friends and coworkers about the promotion. (remember...i'm giving away free cds to everyone who orders and some other as of yet undetermined item to those who order multiple copies!!)

now, on to the subject at hand. as most of you know, i enjoy rock climbing. there are many things i like about it, but one benefit in particular is the "quiet" that i get when i climb. i've tried lots of sports, but climbing's the first one where things get quiet in my mind. when i'm climbing well, it's almost like there are two of me on a route - one that talks with my belayer and other climbing partners and one who focuses on breathing, on footwork, on focus. i don't mean to get all zen on you, but it's very meditative. i love it. you're pushing yourself to your physical and mental edge, but (if you climb with the right mental approach and mindset) it's somehow very relaxing and fun. very fun. in a world where you're always around noise (both mental and actual), an afternoon of mental stillness is prize to behold.

well, i turned b.w.e. onto climbing with my enthusiasm and, while she's not like me - going to the gym 2-3 times a week and reading every climbing publication available - she wants to get into it a little bit. with that in mind, we bought her a pair of climbing shoes and headed out on sunday to foster falls for her maiden sport climbing voyage. my goals were simple: get her up a couple of routes, complete my first lead climb, complete a route that kicked my ass last time (not me in the picture. i still have a lump on my shin to prove it and it's been 2 months) and, more importantly, have fun and get everyone home in one piece. 5 goals. 4 completed.

i fell. the details would bore most of you, but i was attempting to lead a route (still not me in the picture) that i'd previously climbed. i was just starting the route, lost my footing and fell to the ground from about 6 feet up; not far, but enough to hurt. here's where the subject line comes in: that's how i tell myself to climb,. with respect and reverence for the rock. it sounds hokey, i know, but it's how i approach the sport and the rock. well, when i started to climb gravity boots (the route that i fell from), i approached the rock with a cocky and flippant attitude. no respect. no thought. no attention to the placement of my feet. when i turned to look for another foothold **WHAM SMACK BOOM** i was on the ground. i had failed to pay attention and paid for it with a left foot that's almost too sore to walk on this morning. luckily, i didn't break it or even sprain it. in fact, i climbed for another 8 hours with a constant throbbing reminder to be smart and mindful.

lesson learned. for the next two weeks (or until this thing quits hurting) every time i stand up or jog or whatever i'll be reminded that next time i'll approach the climb with an open mind and clear head. i'll also remember why they say that footwork is the most important aspect of climbing...

(we DID take a few pictures. they'll go on the laptop tonite and hopefully up here tomorrow or wednesday. i'm sure b.w.e. got a great picture of my ass in a climbing harness.)

8.09.2006

news flash

i now have a mohawk. a real live mohawk.

film at 11.

oh, and i also have decided that the music i play will now be called acoustronic rock n roll.

no, i haven't been drinking.

(oh, 50 cds in 28 days update: 28 cds sold, 21 shopping days left. there are 30ish cds in stock, so place your orders now! don't forget: you get a free copy of my unreleased lp good morning sunshine with every order, but you've gotta follow the rules i set up. don't worry, they're easy. hit the link.)

8.08.2006

not much news to report...

50 cds in 28 days update:

no new sales over the last couple of days, but they only count it as sold when it ships, and they haven't shipped any cds since they ran out this weekend.

my best guestimate is that i currently sit at about 30 cds sold, which puts me 20 short of my goal.

that's not a bad place to be on the 8th of the month, but i'm a bit of a pessimist, so i'm gonna ask everybody again to tell a friend or pick up a cd for themselves. the promo offer (click the 50 cds in 28 days link above) still stands: get me a picture of you with my cd (be creative with it like jag) and i'll give you a free copy of my unreleased lp, good morning sunshine.

there's a convenient little link on my sidebar now that takes you right to the cd...

8.07.2006

quick hits:

-thanks to everyone that came out on saturday. i'm glad you liked the new songs! make sure to come out again.

-i'm going to be working hard on new loops and new arrangements this week and next in preparation for the big show with perrin lamb & the jubilee year at the basement on august 17th. sorry if the show's have gotten a bit boring the past month or two; it takes a lot of time to make new arrangements, and that's one thing i haven't had enough of. i'm going to elbow out some room to get some serious work done over the next two weeks, so please keep coming to the shows.

-50 cds in 28 days update: as of this morning i've sold 27 cds in 6 days!! if you've tried ordering a cd and been told they're out of stock, please leave your email address with them so you'll be notified when more are in stock. i thought i'd sent enough for a week, and i was pleasantly surprised to learn i was wrong. more will be in stock mid week. what's that? you don't know how to find my cd? well it's right here, silly! thanks to everyone who's placed an order. don't forget to send me a picture of you and your cd once it's arrived so i can send you your bonus cd!!!

-i'm working on some new artwork that i'll have up shortly for your review and input. for the people, right?

-rock n roll weekends make for sleepy desk job mondays...

8.04.2006

sleep deprivation

i don't think i've been sleeping well the past 2 weeks. i definitely haven't been sleeping much. between concerts, trips to tunica, helping friends move, training for a fall climbing trip, writing new songs, and house chores, i've barely had time to even notice how tired i am. i have noticed that my dreams have been weird though. i don't remember them, i just remember waking up and saying to myself, "now THAT was f-ed up." i wonder if there's a correlation between the two...anyway.

speaking of new songs, i've got about 4 in the works and 1 that's pretty much finished. it's ready to drive around the block, to use a car metaphor. so i'm gonna try it out in front of people saturday nite during my show at christopher pizza co. if, like me, you got stiffed on tom waits tickets, come hang out with me. i'm no tom waits, but i'm working on it.

(50 cds in 28 days update: 6 sold, 44 to go. 27 shopping days left. for those of you that have tried to order the cd and been told it's out of stock, please try again later today. they should have new inventory this morning and your order should go through. thanks for everyone that's told a friend, bought, or tried to buy a cd.)

8.03.2006

did you vote?

i did. the line was really short and, aside from getting some static from a blue hair when i asked if they offered a spanish version of the ballot or a translator (i was just curious), it was mostly pain free. this is the first time i've ever voted in a primary; it feels kinda neat, like i'm doing a better job as a citizen to be involved this early.

here's your political action statement of the day:

GO VOTE!

and here's my question:

how much english do you have to speak in order to gain citizenship? can you be a citizen and still not read enough english to vote? i'm not trying to start an argument, i really don't know.

(august cd sales update: as of this morning, i've sold 1 cd. one down, 49 to go, 28 shopping days left. PLEASE HELP ME!!!)

8.02.2006

with a little help from my friends (and fans)...

i need your help. and the help of your friends. and possibly your friends' friends. here's what's going on:

cdbaby, the company through whom i sell my cd is having a contest. in a nutshell, they're going to produce a cd later this year that goes out to their customers that will contain 1 song from each of their top 100 sellers during the month of august. this cd will go to 5000 people (that's a shitload)!!!!!!!!!!!
i need you guys to help me be in the top 100. that sounds nuts for a little guy like me, but here's the thing: last year it only took about 50 sales to make the top 100. i can do that. but i need your help...

i know that many of you have my cd. thanks very much for buying it. please consider buying another copy (they're only $5) and giving it to a friend. if you don't have it, please go to my cdbaby page and pick up a copy. digital sales don't count, only shipped cd's, so please don't use itunes or rhapsody (at least not until september 2nd).

i'm not above bribing people in the name of marketing, so here's what i'm going to do: if you buy a copy of heater between now and thursday, august 31 and email me or "comment" me with a picture of you holding the cd once you've received it, i'll mail you my a copy of my as of yet unreleased 10 song lp, good morning sunshine. i'll even make up artwork for it. if you order more than 2 copies, i'll also think of some other, bigger way to show my appreciation.

thanks for listening to my music, coming to my shows and to helping me reach more people by helping me get on that cd!

8.01.2006

he started it...

short and fat says he doesn't. i'm gonna tell you that i do, and i could care less if you know.

that's right, boys and girls, i go commando. with a very, very high degree of frequency. to put it another way, you can bet that if you see me wearing blue jeans, you can bet that i didn't bother with boxer shorts. c'mon, if you're wearing jeans that fit like they're supposed to, you don't have a whole lot of room to spare, so why mess with another layer of fabric?

i don't bring this up to gross anyone out but to pose a question:

how many of you guys roll commando? be honest. we're all friends here...


(edit: and when i say "guys," i mean everyone. i know that some of you ladies do it, too.)