News

I just realized my blog was looking pretty outdated since I hadn’t updated it since the beginning of quarantine. Some people might not have done much in the past month and a half, but I’ve done quite a bit!

On a personal level I’ve been staying physically and mentally healthy lately, though I definitely had a bit of a breakdown at the beginning. I make sure to work out almost every day, eat healthyish, sleep for kind of eight hours, etc. I hope everyone reading this is doing okay too!

The first important piece of news is my new album, Better, coming out next Friday (May 8th)! I wrote most of the songs in February for the February Album Writing Month challenge (FAWM) in the hopes of releasing on this date, and I was lucky enough that I got my studio time in just under the wire during the first week of March. I even have the CDs and stickers that I wanted, as I was able to find manufacturers that were still making them!

I’ve done a bit of a staggered album release. Anyone who pre-ordered the album got the download a week early (which means at this stage it’s an instant download upon ordering). But the date it will go live on streaming sites is still May 8th. The best place to purchase a download or CD is my store, and if you’re interested in pre-saving on Spotify, Deezer, or Apple Music you can do that here. Thank you so much to everyone who has already pre-ordered and pre-saved. It means a lot to me to see that, especially at a time like this.

You can currently listen to the first two tracks of my album, “Better” and “Make It Right,” on YouTube. I will also paste them at the bottom of the blog for your convenience.

The second most important piece of news is my first virtual album tour! Let’s hope it’s not the first of many, but if that’s what I have to do, then I will do it. But for the time being, it’s a way to switch things up to keep myself interested and having fun through the many live streams I’m doing. And hopefully it will keep things interesting for those who decide to come along for the ride, too!

You can see my basic plan at the flyer I’ve added here, but the most comprehensive and up-to-date list will be at my live shows page. I continue to find and add amazing virtual open mics and festivals regularly (I love how well the music community has come together to create all of this).

Some notable parts of the tour:

• My traditional day-after-release Facebook Live listening party, Saturday, May 9, 1 pm EDT: Come join me for a virtual party. Bring your own snacks and beverages, I will bring mine, and I’ll be listening live to the full album, giving commentary, and telling stories behind the song.
• My first YouTube and Instagram Live streams, Saturday & Sunday (respectively), May 16-17, 1 pm EDT: I never really do live sets on Instagram or YouTube, so I thought I would give it a go. In both sets I’ll be performing songs from the album, and then I will be playing some of my favorite originals and covers, different for each set. Requests (for my own songs and covers I’ve done before) will also be accepted.
• Special Salty Dog Cruise & punk rock themed set for Punk Rock Saves Lives, Tuesday May 19, 4 pm EDT: I’m thrilled to be doing a set to represent the music and events that have played an outsize role in my musical history. The second Flogging Molly (Salty Dog) Cruise in 2016 was the first time I really put myself out there, and I ended up *singing with my favorite singer*!! That was largely thanks to Rob Rushing, who was running a charity called Love Hope Strength at the time. (Punk Rock Saves Lives, which has a broader mission, is his new organization.)
• Geographically themed tour dates: I’m doing three streams for the three places I would have played most significantly if real shows were allowed: New Jersey (Wed May 13, 4-6 pm EDT), the UK (Wed May 20, 4-6 EDT / 9-11 pm BST), and Germany (Wed May 27, 3-5 EDT, 9-11 pm CDT). In addition to album songs, these will involve requests from people from that place, covers of place-related songs and artists from that place, and maybe some of my songs that have been inspired by those artists.

I have already been doing a weekly Facebook Live stream (Wednesdays from ~4-6 pm EDT) since the beginning of the quarantine, and the response to those has been amazing! I will continue to do those after the “tour” is over. I’m so grateful to everyone who’s chosen to spend time listening to my songs and covers instead of watching Netflix or competing shows. Doing those every week keeps me sane, and it’s so nice to hear that it’s giving other people something to look forward to as well.

Okay, think I’ve rambled on enough here. As promised earlier, here are the first two tracks from Better:

TL;DR: Free calming/positive vibes live stream performance at my Facebook page today (Wednesday 3/18) at 4 pm ET with more to come!

So, the world is pretty much on lockdown and there is practically no such thing as live music in real life anymore.

It is going to be a hardship for me as I do rely on performing income to pay for about 50% of my monthly necessities and, with terrible timing, I’ve just finished recording a new album funded by credit card. However, I’m not among the very worst affected because I do currently have a part-time job I do from home that can cover some of my expenses, and I have some emergency savings to cover the rest… as long as this doesn’t last too long.

To be honest, more than financially, I rely on live music and performing for my emotional well-being, which is not a small thing. I don’t expect everyone to understand that, but I know a lot of my friends and followers do.

To at least help with the latter, I’ve decided to start doing a Facebook Live show approximately once a week, maybe even more depending on the response I’m getting, how many new originals and covers I’m able to add to my repertoire (I should have plenty of time for that!), and my mood. I expect that these live streams will keep me sane, and if I can help keep up the spirits of a few other people (or even just one!), even better.

I’ll try to announce them in advance and eventually establish a schedule and maybe even some cool themes and collaborations (please hit me up if you’re interested, fellow musicians!), but for now my priority is just doing them and staying active.

If you are not in danger financially at the moment and want to help me pay my bills, I will be accepting tips to my PayPal while performing. Album pre-order also to be announced soon. If you’d rather use your limited disposable income towards health charities or people who are in graver financial danger right now, that is fine too. Everyone is welcome to watch my streams for free.

The first stream will be today, Wednesday 3/18 at 4 pm ET (1 pm PT, 8 pm UK) and will just be a general calming/positive vibes theme – covers and originals as usual. I might sneak in some brand new songs too, we’ll see!

Stay safe everyone, and try to stay positive. The sooner we all (every single person) actually agree to do our part, the sooner we can go back to normal and get back everything we are missing so bad right now.

This is the third and final part of my 2019 year in review. I’m nothing if not thorough. In case you missed them, you can go back and read about who I’ve been most thankful for this year and my 19 favorite releases of 2019.

In no particular order, here are some things I’ve accomplished this year or been proud of:

• Favorite achievement of the year: playing the Nick Alexander Stage at Frank Turner’s Lost Evenings! Honestly couldn’t have asked for a better audience either.
• Released a new album, Millennials Are Going Gray.
• Played 80 performances at 37 different venues/locations (20 of which were new to me).
• Got my first paid gigs in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.
• Posted 43 videos on my YouTube channel and performed 8 live stream shows from my Facebook page.
• Gained 381 new followers or subscribers across various social media and streaming sites.
• Made a lot more money from performances, merch, streaming, and royalties than I did in 2018, and my average income per gig went up significantly.
• Personally sent out nearly 200 booking inquiries, 55 press or radio, and a handful of miscellaneous (e.g. contests or workshop applications).
• Wrote my first blog promoting other musicians (in this case, female singer-songwriters), which has been viewed over 1500 times!

SONG PERFORMANCE STATISTICS (reported set lists, excludes DIY shows)

• I played my original songs a total of 796 performances, 29 different songs. The top 10 (with YouTube links):
  1. Empty – 54 times
  2. We Were Pioneers / Guitar Crucifixion (tied) – 46 times
  3. Gatekeeper / Scuffed Up Boots (tied) – 43 times
  4. Millennials Are Going Gray – 40 times
  5. I Want It, What I Wanted – 39 times
  6. I Don’t Want to Play Sudoku Anymore / Sharing a Stage (tied) – 35 times
  7. I Don’t Have All Day (I Just Have All My Life) – 31 times

• Top 10 artists covered:
  1. Frank Turner – 19 songs, 424 performances
  2. The Bouncing Souls – 4 songs, 104 performances
  3. The Beatles – 4 songs, 94 performances
  4. Beans on Toast – 2 songs, 42 performances
  5. Skinny Lister – 4 songs, 34 performances
  6. Tom Petty – 3 songs, 34 performances
  7. Flogging Molly – 2 songs, 34 performances
  8. Bruce Springsteen – 1 song, 30 performances
  9. Chris T-T – 2 songs, 28 performances
  10. Straylight Run – 1 song, 28 performances

• Top 10 cover songs performed (with YouTube cover links):
  1. I Still Believe by Frank Turner / Across the Universe by the Beatles / If I Ever Leave This World Alive by Flogging Molly (tie) – 31 performances
  2. Hey Jude by the Beatles / Thunder Road by Bruce Springsteen / Good & Gone by Frank Turner / Kids and Heroes by the Bouncing Souls (tie) – 30 performances
  3. What Can I Say by Skinny Lister / Photosynthesis by Frank Turner / The Opening Act of Spring by Frank Turner (tie) – 29 performances

GOALS FOR 2020

• Finish writing, record in studio, and release another new 7-song album by May. Send at least 75 press and radio inquiries.
• Send at least 200 booking inquiries, and perform live at least 100 times.
• Busk and go to an open mic at least once a week (at least once a month in NYC).
• Write every day, using lyrical and musical challenges to improve over time, and try to finish at least 100 songs in total. (They don’t have to be very long, or great!)
• Cover a wider variety of artists I admire, and share them.
• Upload my music to libraries for potential licensing (independent films and commercials, etc.)