Sorry I disappeared for a few days. I was going to post something by popular demand. A command performance, as it were. But I just plain crashed on Sunday. One part illness, several parts fatigue. I slept through half the day! (If not for DST, I might’ve slept for only a third. Bah dum-bump.) Jamie figured I crashed because I finally could.
Why is that, you ask? Volume 2 is complete. Mixed, mastered, burned, pressed, and packaged. Distribution is in work. The folks at the Mark Time awards have already gotten their batch. A whisper in a gently shadowed corner told us the artwork has already blown them away. And we’ve just sent copies out to CD Baby. We’ll see what everybody else says.
Finally. Whew. We’ve been banging on this thing for nearly two years despite toil and trouble. No cauldrons bubble, though. I kicked those over and told them to keep the racket down.
A quick heads-up to one and all…we’re using a different CD case for this release. Instead of the standard CD jewel box, we’ve opted instead for a Super Jewel Box CD case courtesy of the folks at Jewelboxing. We’ll break the horrific news to them shortly. But anyway, each case has a latch that holds it shut. Press it in and the latch opens. It’s a little confusing at first. I’m still getting used to it and it was my idea to try it out! On the bright side, these cases are pleasing to the eye and well built. It’s sturdy enough to survive more than a few car trips. If you use a baseball bat on it, you’re on your own.
We’re also giving copies to cast and crew whenever we can. For most, if not all, this is their first opportunity to see the artwork and hear the final mixes of each story. We’ve already gotten a few responses, which have so far boiled down to “Wow!” or “How do you open this, again?”
On Saturday, Sam Mowry and Cindy McGean treated us to a really nice wine bar (that I won’t tell you much about because I want to keep it a secret as long as possible) to celebrate. We all took turns locking and unlocking the case as well as fondling the cover insert.
On Monday, Jamie and I went to Grendel’s Coffeehouse in downtown Portland for one of David Loftus‘ readings that month. It also gave us a good excuse opportunity to show off the new Volume 2 CD and some promo cards for it. David has been waiting patiently for this disk ever since he first came in for “Sleepless Days,” so it was a real pleasure to give him the finished product. I got an unexpected charge when a few people started asking for promo cards. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have used all 50 cards as coasters for my cup of chai. But seriously, folks….
And of course Tuesday saw the first half of our debut on “The Sonic Society.” A trickle of compliments and sales has started up.
I’m hoping for a deluge. But that comes later.