News and Notes... (blog will happen when it can)
6/9/08 Wow - It's been many months
since I've written here. I'll try to do better! Things have been good since I
released Unfinished
Houses back in September. The CD Release Party mentioned below was a
great success and a very happy day, with 150-200 local folks attending and 100
more listening online. Allen Noftall, a wonderful friend and soundman from
Colorado, helped us tremendously by managing house sound while Jim did the
webcast... I made it pretty complicated with 20 local musicians involved in
various songs. Allen pointed 2 speakers out the windows of the Wheat Palace, and
those who couldn't fit inside listened around a campfire in the back. The food,
cooked by my friend Seth, wearing a chef's hat, was spectacular, and all enjoyed
kegs of homebrew and Midnight Sun Brewery beer... Oh man - it was a great night,
I'm telling you! A big reason to celebrate. Even now, 9 months later, I still
have a warm glow.
Back in October I did a 3 week tour in the Northwest, including opening for
Heidi Muller for the Seattle Folklore Society. I played in Bellingham, Seattle,
Eugene, and a few places in the Bay Area in California. It was fun, and a good
learning experience on planning and executing an out-of-Alaska music tour. I
learned I loved house concerts, and that I needed to think much farther out into
the future to avoid the stress of last-minute booking... I think I was in the
black by $128 after my plane ticket, rental car and gas. So I declared it a
success!
Then I booked myself a 2 month tour on the East Coast from mid-January through
mid-March. Booking that long a tour was a lot more work. Holy Moly! I was
actually still booking it while I was on it. Another lesson learned; I don't
want to book tours while I'm on them, if possible. :-) I felt great about the
whole experience. It was neat to see how my involvement with Whole
Wheat Radio since 2002 led to such wonderful connections around the
country... Wheat Heads put on concerts, came to concerts, brought friends to
concerts - it was heartwarming and I'm so grateful....
I based myself out of my folks' house in the Philadelphia area, and accepted
their generous loan of a little Toyota Corolla, and hit the road to Boston, NJ,
Delaware, Washington DC, S. Carolina, Tennessee and Alabama, as well as central
and western Pennsylvania. The concerts were fulfilling and fun. I felt like I
really connected to my audiences, especially in house concerts. Audiences were
appreciative and supportive, buying lots of CDs - Yay and thank you! I gotta say
- it feels so good to have a product I can sell with honest pride. I can stand
there at my shows and say "I recommend this CD" and really mean it. So
far, I've earned back almost $12,000 of the $16,000 I spent producing this
recording. I'm thrilled! I think I'll break even within a year of its release...
So I'm not making the kind of living other jobs make, but for a folk musician,
I'm mighty proud of myself.
Since returning to Alaska in March, I've admittedly lost some momentum on
tour-booking. There are great reasons to procrastinate, though! Besides catching
up on practical home-matters, and spending time with Jim, I've also been going
for long walks with the cutest puppy on earth, Beta, watching winter melt slowly
into spring, feeling the light return, and basking vicariously in Beta's
headlong joy in the outdoors. I started to get into a groove of writing and
practicing in my little 12'x12' cabin, then got sidetracked with some life
events...
So now, I'm realizing I need to kick some Esther-ass and get back into booking.
I'll play (with Pam Emerson on harmony) at the lovely Seldovia
Solstice Festival June 20-21. Then I'm planning a short Northwest tour in
late July based from Portland, OR, hoping to attend the Folk Alliance Regional
West conference in Phoenix, AZ in late October, and have started working on a
remote Alaskan co-bill tour with the amazing Danny
Schmidt in the second half of September. I'll keep you updated either here
or via e-newsletter. If you have ideas for venues or house concerts in the areas
I mentioned, feel free to email me! Okay, gotta go get my ass working on booking
- or wait - maybe I should walk the dog first, or practice some songs, or wash
the dishes...
Happy summer!
9/12/07
Well life is very intense in a good way right now. I'm all a-flurry getting
ready for the big party this Saturday, rehearsing with other musicians,
coordinating food and drinks, etc., and even got a group emailing out a few days
ago. The CDs arrived last week and they look and sound great to me. I've been
working on this website revision and will add to it as time allows. I got 4
songs from the new CD up on
my MySpace page. I
still haven't even started booking gigs for my West Coast tour beginning
mid-October. That'll happen after the CD Release Celebration. Lots to do. Lots
to do. Stay tuned!
8/21/07
CD Release scheduled for 9/15! The official CD Release Celebration Concert for
Unfinished Houses is scheduled for Saturday, September 15th. It will be
combined with the Grand Opening for the new location of Whole Wheat Radio on 20
acres on Birch Creek Blvd. The big log building has been dubbed "The Wheat
Palace", which in the 80's functioned as the Talkeetna Olde Tyme Saloon. It's a
funky, wonderful place; the entire ceiling is still painted with Terry Barber's
1980's folk-art murals depicting Heaven, Hell and Alaska. The property underwent
a huge year-long renovation effort and expenditure from Jim Kloss. (okay, I
helped too, but since I started back into my music, Jim took over completely.
Thank you Jim - thank you - for not giving up on the dream when I stepped aside
to pursue my own growth and goals.) You'll be amazed to see what he has done with
the place. I'm certain there is much magic to be conjured in that space... I'm
very grateful to be able to have this event there and to celebrate the
completion of this project together with Jim, WheatHeads around the world, and
local Talkeetnans. It just fits. And I'm personally swingin' for good beer and
yummy food, and there's no cover. Just please please if you like the music, buy
a CD, or two, or three! If you're listening online, you'll be able to order
signed CDs via Paypal. AND I just got a credit card swiper from CDBaby, so you
can even use plastic at the party. Heh heh...
7/11/07
New CD on the way! And it will be called Unfinished Houses. It is already
recorded and mastered, so this is really truly happening, not just a theory
anymore. I recorded it between mid-April to July 1st at the most wonderful
little studio in the world - 10th Planet Studio in Fairbanks, with Pat
Fitzgerald and Robin Dale Ford at the studio helm, two great
songwriter/musicians that I appreciate immensely in every way. Right now I'm
getting together my CD package and all the business-y stuff and then with a big
hoopla and hoohah I will toss it out to ears around the earth. I hope you like
it... I must admit I'm kinda grinning happily at the results. I have to sell a
thousand copies at full price just to break even (gulp), but even if I don't,
I'm glad I did what I did.... very glad and excited, and unstuck... More later,
including a re-built website when I can get to it. But first I've got to write
my liner notes! Hoopdeedoo!