I know it's been a while, but I've been very busy traveling and promoting the new record (amongst several other things). The songs sound GREAT and the album will kick rear end. For those of us just joining my blogs, or for those of us with Alzheimer's . . . the new EP is entitled "Come to Life" and will contain five new tracks. I will be posting one or more of those songs very shortly, and will feature the whole album on myspace and purevolume before the as-yet-undisclosed record release date. I spent a week in Orlando moving my girlfriend from her old apartment into her new, clean, nice condo. I also performed a show at the Studio Cafe the Saturday I was there, and was greeted by an awesome group of people. We all had a great time, and I can't wait to play Orlando again :) I came home with just enough time to change clothes, and left for Noth Carolina with my family. We drove around most of the state checking out colleges, cities, and all sorts of things. While we were in Asheville, we happened upon an older gentleman who had amassed a sizeable collection of vintage guitars that he was selling. My family and I spent over an hour talking with this man, and learned a ton about the quality, care, attention to detail, and just overall presence of pre-70s gibsons and vintage Martins. So much so that I am in the process of obtaining some of these great-sounding instruments to use for recording and live purposes. I've already purchased a '78 Ibanez 12 string that I will be using as a travel guitar, but I hope to find a quality 12-string to use as one of my main touring instruments. From my research I've come to find that pre-Fender Guilds (70s to the early 90s) are the pinnacle of 12-string sound. Now if I can only find one . . . On a different note, I have a show coming up August 16th at The Talent Farm in Pembroke Pines. Come check it out!!!

I'll be performing a show on July 15th in South Florida, and I'd love to see you there! The venue is called "The Talent Farm," and I'll be opening for a few bands, one of which will be The Apathy Eulogy!!! Make sure to come out! And when you do, tell the bouncer at the door that you're there to see me :)

Here's the flyer for the show -- post it everywhere!!!!!




Thank you so much!! See you July 15th!!

I've spent two days this past week doing photoshoots for the upcoming record, and I must say: looking good is hard to do. Not only am I awesome at making awkward faces at the specific moment the camera flashes, but I also am the president elect of sweating through my shirts. Although, in my defense, the shoot was outside, which means it was pushing 90 degrees with very little wind during the day -- and I happened to be wearing jeans and multiple layers of shirts and such. We were able to get some amazing shots over those two days, though (BIG shout out to Khaled Hassan and Brittany Lynch -- you guys ROCK!), so I am incredibly happy with how everything turned out.
The album artwork is in its final stages, so I should be sending my new record off to pressing within the week. Once that takes place, it's time to start working with several other facets of the music industry that indie artists use to boost their appeal and notoriety . . .

In other news: I will be heading off to lunch today with a friend of mine who I worked for last summer; we will be catching up on the past and talking about the future, so it should be fun.

I have a gig coming up July 15th at The Talen Farm in Pembroke Pines, FL -- make sure to come out and bring your friends!!!!!!


Later Alligator,
Robbie

Deadlines have been set. Moves have been made. I am ready to roll. By the end of next week, my CD should be on it's way to pressing: the very last process before it is done. Sweet glory is mine. It feels good to know that we are so close to completion (by "we" I mean me and you [the reader]). I have been working with an amazing booking agent these past few days who has really re-instilled a sense of purpose and direction and drive to this upcoming project. I have a feeling that she'll be reading this blog within days of me posting it, so I just want to let her know that I really appreciate everything. I think I'm going to keep her around for a while ; )

I have made it a point to practice and play for as long as possible in my band room (read: garage) these past few days. I've been fooling around with a few different instruments that I really want to become adept at, and I've also been honing my guitar, vocal, and harmonica skillz. It has been said that most small-business owners end up spending less than 10% of their time doing the one thing that made them start up the business to begin with -- and I must say, I now know exactly what that statement means. Writing and performing is the reason why I decided to be the small business owner that I am today; I love creating music, and I love playing my music for others. But recently, 'things' have been taking me away from my passion. I haven't had a booked performance in over a month -- by choice, because I needed to focus my attention toward the release of the record. But because of this fact, though, I am itchin' to start playing live again. Thanks to my new agent, and the fact that my new EP will be finished soon, I will be able to start playing again. Yay!

Keep checking the site, peeps; I will be posting some new Florida shows shortly!

Take care, and God speed.
Robbie