Tag: Daemon Records

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updates

Yesterday I went by the label to pick up the bio they made out of what I sent them. Amy happened to be there, and they were in the middle of a meeting so they told me to go ahead and join the meeting. Amy said a bunch of nice things about the CD (she actually hasn’t heard the final mix, she’s only heard the 8 or so rough mixes I gave them a few weeks ago when this all started). She said she really liked “Sherman,” and was very complimentary about the song, the metaphor, the whole story being told. Coming from her that felt pretty good. She gave me the draft of the contract to have looked over, and mentioned a couple of things that had been added, involving a buyout clause for the label, in case someone else comes along wanting to sign me and/or re-release the CD. She said she doesn’t normally have anything like that because she rarely has the feeling that she has an artist who is likely to get snapped up. True or not it was a nice thing to say.

There’s a store in town, one of the main indie record stores, in Little Five Points, called Wax and Facts. They have a large window display for new releases, about 4’x6′, and usually it’ll either feature a large, weather proof poster, or a painted display. Very prominent. Apparently I’ll be on it, probably in October.

That’s pretty cool.

Anyway, so now I have the contract, and it was made clear it’s just a draft, and that everything is negotiable right now if something makes me uneasy. Amy gave me her cell number and Russell’s number to ask any questions.

This weekend I start putting together press kits to begin planning out the first few jaunts out of town in September.

Meanwhile, it looks like I now have a four-piece band for IPO, which makes me feel infinitely more confident about the show. I was feeling very unsure about covering all the guitar stuff myself, and having it sound full. But now we have a second guitarist. I feel good about this whole setup now.

I heard this quote today, and it has nothing to do with anything, other than making me laugh out loud…
“He couldn’t pour urine out of a boot if it had directions on the bottom.”

How true. I think.

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Well, you certainly can’t say Dallas doesn’t love you now, Mr. President

I met again with Daemon Records on Wednesday. It was to talk about a plan for playing out of state. I made it clear to them from the outset that I have no problem with going out of town, but that there was no way for me to do it with a band in tow. They said that wouldn’t be a problem. None of this will begin until September, which is the release date (the 17th) that they’re shooting for. So I won’t even start making calls until next month, really. Also, having the plan is no guarantee of it working… the main problem being that I am completely unknown out of state (in state to an extent), so I have to get the shows booked first. Daemon is going to include a cover letter so it’s clear I’m one of theirs, which will carry a little weight.

I am a different situation for them than they have done before, it seems, and some things are still up in the air as we start the whole thing moving. They don’t normally do booking, but have been talking about possibly starting because they have a lot of connections through artists they have and others that are associated with them. So it’s possible that may be something they do for me, making follow up calls on the press kits to clubs or possibly more, or not. These are all things that will be worked out once Amy gets back next week from Europe. There’s still no contract on any of this, so neither of us is beholden to each other, but work is beginning anyway.

For those of you who are interested and out of state, this will be a mainly southeastern thing at first. I’ll be taking Fridays off and doing two-city jumps on the weekend, possibly taking off Thursday and doing three cities. The main cities involved:
Athens, GA
Augusta, GA
Asheville, NC
Chapel Hill, NC
Charlotte, NC
Columbia, SC
Chattanooga, TN
Knoxville, TN
Nashville, TN

Also, Louisville, Tuscaloosa and some Florida cities, though I was sort of warned off Florida as not being great for touring. No offense to those of you in Florida. Depending on how things are going I could be heading further out, up to Virginia and out to Austin, TX. Also there are still the possibilities of opening slots for other Daemon Artists, which could put me in New York or Boston on one shot deals. I think.

It was really just sort of a strategy talk, the only definite being those first two weekend jaunts, which I need to try and get scheduled around the CD release.

It’s a strange feeling, this whole process. I am excited and leery all at the same time, and my mood is hard to gauge, even for me. I suppose I am too paranoid or jaded to give in to the thing when nothing is actually happening at the moment. That first weekend out on the road will be very strange. But I am cautiously excited about the prospect. I’ll be on the road alone, with my laptop, a million CDs in the car, and a copy of That Thing You Do! to watch in the hotel when I get frustrated.

I want it to work out. I really do. I can taste it.

Everyone can have their shot to find out just how freaking shy I am in person! woowoo!

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another meeting

I had a meeting with Daemon Records Wednesday after work. It went well. All of the questions I had were answered in the affirmative. There’s no contract on the table at the moment, that waits until Amy gets back from the Europe tour in May. But as far as the label is concerned, unless I say “no” at that point, we’re all set, and they are beginning work right now (since a lot of this involves different scheduling). The release date they’re shooting for is September 17.

Depending on how they think a release is going to do (and the ability of the artist to play out of town), they make their plans accordingly, and will make plans for a more local release or a larger release. The plan for me is a national release.

It’s okay, no one needs to tell me they could be full of crap. I understand that. I’m simplifying details a good bit. I am aware of different people on their roster, know their stories (good and bad), and am making my decisions accordingly. But this is pretty much a done deal, and I feel good about it. It’s not some magical career thing, but it puts me in a position I haven’t been before, and gives me a chance to use it.

Before I went to work Monday I had almost worked myself into being excited, and work managed to completely crush it out of me. Having this meeting in the middle of the week was a good thing, it may have saved me for the rest of my work week.