Brand New Year, Same Old Problems

So, way back in 2008 (seems a surprisingly long time ago now) I released the Digging for Bones EP, and later on that year started recording a full length album. 2009 turned into a difficult year to keep things going and it wasn't until November that we had another chunk of time in the studio and managed to make some real progress.
I reckon we're about 85% there now, give or take a half percent either way, but the biggest problem still hasn't been addressed.
I refer, of course, to the problem of how to sell the bloody thing when it's finished.
And they do have to be sold. The idea that you can give away your recordings for free and fund them from live shows and merchandise sales is strictly for established bands with massive global fan bases. For the rest of us it just doesn't work like that.
I regularly read Tom McRae's blogs and find myself wondering that if a musician and song-writer of his calibre can't sell enough records then what chance to do the rest of us have?
So, cutting to the crux, i'm trying to decide what to do with the album when it's finished. The most cost-effective option is to release it as a download only. But most of my friends and most of the people who are into my music seem to like the CDs. Unfortunately there aren't enough of them to justify doing a CD run (i'm sitting on, well, let's just say a LOT of boxes of unsold EPs at the moment).
So i'm kind of heading towards the idea of a limited run. 100 CDs, first come, first served. We won't make a penny on a run of that size but at least it'll give the people who really want a hard copy the chance to have one and we shouldn't actually lose money this time.
What do you think?

Oh yeah, and happy new year...

Flood!

Nothing to do with They Might Be Giants sadly, just a bit of an inconvenience in the gig tonight. The City Screen basement bar is flooded out so the gig has been moved to The Junction on Leeman Road. All tickets will be honoured there or you can get a refund from City Screen.
Sorry for any hassle.

Last Gig of the year

So we approach the end of 2009 and soon we'll be entering the some-what awkwardly named twenty-ten. And you know what i want to know? Not so much "what happened to 2009?" But rather "what they hell happened to the last decade?" I mean, really, where the hell did it go? I swear i still remember being 25...

But anyway, we must move on, so, last gig of the year coming up. Supporting Stewart King's new band Satori as they have the last of their album launch gigs and with additional support from Thom Piddock. Just five of your english pounds on the door (£4 if you buy in advance) and a good night of music shall follow.
Hope you've all had a good 2009, i shall write again next year and confirm how my various predictions for this year went...

A brief note on classifications.

It works like this: a category 1 error is a musical error that i make on stage but no-one else (not even Dr Jones) notices; i make a lot of these. A category 2 error is a mistake i make but only Dr Jones notices (I make a few of these - i tend to get away with them because we have so few recorded tracks that people don't know the songs). A category 3 error is one that the audience notice; sadly i make a few of these as well.
Some people hardly seem to make errors at all. I've seen Boo Hewerdine play a few times and been struck by how incredibly precise he is. At one gig he played for an hour and twenty minutes and there was just one brief moment of fret-buzz in the whole set. Most people wouldn't have noticed but i was kind of fixated.
But that whole paragraph above is just filler whilst i nervously broach the idea of a fourth category of error. I propose a category 4 error should exist for the those times when it's such a collosal fuck-up that you have to re-start the song.
The reason that i find myself suggesting this new category is because a meer category 3 doesn't seem nearly enough to describe my screw up on monday. We'd got a last minute support with Eileen Rose and the Holy Wreck and i managed to open up the gig with the wrong chord and an absolute unholy balls-up of our opening song. I swore, Dr Jones laughed, we started again.
Every one else was very good though!
Enjoy the odd photo to take your mind off it...

Late notice! Gig with Eileen Rose @ Fibbers on Monday 9th

Um, the problem with writing a good subject line is that it doesn't leave you a great deal to put in the rest of the blog!
So, Dr Jones and I will be playing a support slot on monday, the headline is Eileen Rose and the Holy Wreck all the way from Nashville (is it or me or does every musician in the states seem to be from Nashville?) with additional support from Dream of Apollo.
Haven't had time to make up a flyer for this one so fire back an e-mail if you're coming and i'll get you on a £5 entry list (£10 on the door)
We'll be on at 8 so don't be late.
Stay well
Drew