Hello! Thought it was about time to give you all an update on my album project… So much has been going on with teaching and public speaking and planning shows and life in general that I lost track of time and realized that the last update I gave was back in late August!
Well, here it is: the album is currently in the hands of Noiseland, the Minnesota-based company which will very shortly be printing the CD’s. The mixing and mastering is all done, the album artwork has been approved, and the tracks have been uploaded to iTunes. Now we’re in the final stages of waiting… It’s like Christmas, but it’s taking forever to get here! The release date is on November 1st, so in actuality it’s only a couple weeks away.
I just wanted to point out that your generous donations paid for $1,250 of this album project… That is over two-thirds of the total cost! For that I am extremely humbled and grateful. It turns out even if you’re doing an album on the cheap, it’s never really that inexpensive… But luckily I had you in my corner – the early adopters of “All the Roads that Lead Us Home” – and because of this generosity, you will be some of the very first people to hold this album in your hands!
Now that the album is on its way, I’ve been busy planning CD release shows in Duluth! The first CD Release show will take place on Tuesday, November 3rd at Bulldog Pizza from 7 p.m. to 11pm. This family-owned pizza parlor has been my Tuesday night residency for a full year now – during which I got a great deal of experience with my Memory Man looping pedal. Fellow musicians John Seguin, Ann Kathryn, and Jen West will be joining me that night. The show is free, and takes place during Bulldog’s delicious and cheap happy hour specials! This is intended to be a family-friendly affair – in fact, children receive free root beer floats with their meals!
The next CD release show will be on Thursday, November 5th at the Red Herring Lounge. This is a 21+ venue, so those of you who are “of age” should come down for what promises to be a fun night! The old-timey duo Four Mile Portage will be opening the show at 8pm followed by yours truly at 9pm. The end of the night will be a raucous party with Brass Messengers performing at 10pm, who are venturing up North from their usual territory of Minneapolis. Tickets are $7 in advance and $10 at the door.
The last CD release show is a couple weeks later, on Saturday, November 21st at Beaners Central in West Duluth. Beaners is one of my favorite coffee shops in Duluth, in part because the owner Jason has always been such a supportive friend and a dedicated promoter of local music. I’ll be sharing the stage at this all-ages show with Aimee Tischer and Dan Dresser; the show starts at 7pm and there’s a $5 cover at the door.
Life has been so busy lately that I thought I might start feeling overwhelmed right about now… But truth is, I have been going through this little section of life with lots of support (think: family, friends, and an awesome business coach), intentional periods of relaxation, and the motivation that only comes from pursuing something that you truly care about deep-down. Plus this year I have read lots of inspiring books to keep me grounded in what matters and focused on my true objectives. Books like The Motivation Manifesto, The Power of Less, For the Love, The Body Keeps the Score, Money: A Love Story, The Circle Maker, and Hands Free Mama (OK, so I like to read… a lot) have helped me to remember some important truths like:
- Habits create destiny – our life is made of little choices that we have the power to make on a daily basis
- It’s important to disconnect from technology sometimes (I just started a no-email-or-social-media-after-work rule)
- We can’t be everything to everyone, so choose what you care about and do that as well as you can!
Anyway, I just wanted to say THANK you for all your support in this journey. I am so, so excited to release this album into the world. Hope to see you at a CD Release show in Duluth! I would love to plan a tour sometime in the next year to visit some of the awesome folks I have met through music online… I will certainly keep you posted when that comes to pass. Until then, those of you who live outside of Northern Minnesota can pre-order the album here (name your price)! Have a wonderful week, everyone!