Hi there lovely backers!

Thank you so much for your patience! It has been a long time coming but I am happy to announce that this Kickstarter project is not only a complete success, it is also COMPLETE! I have in my hands 500 albums, including CD, 12-page booklet, and silver-coated album wallets. I know you're going to love it! I couldn't have done it without you! Thank you again for all your help!

The period between my last post and now was mostly filled with bureaucratic drudgery. I had to to get rights to use two of the songs I covered on the album. There was probably a month of going back and forth with the duplication manufacturer about CD wallet specifications. It took me a little while to get the CD and booklet artwork done -- I guess I'm pretty knitpicky about it. But again it was worth the trouble!

The good news is that I would love to send this to you right now. If you haven't already NOW IS THE TIME to send me your postal address! This means most of you: I only heard back from about 12 people my first shout-out. PLEASE write me, I really really want to send you one! Alternatively, if you know I will see you in person, you don't need to send me your address...

A last shout out to Daniella of Kickstarter who did a little expose on my photo posts here: it's true, I scrape the bottom of the internet to dredge up a lot of my imagery. I'm glad you appreciate it! This post, however, contains only the album cover. The audio is Track 2, a cover of Japanese pop duo Pizzicato Five's "Domino", sung here by Natalie Chami. Enjoy!

Hi lovely backers! It has been a while again since I wrote, and I just want to let you know the current situation: I went to mastering TODAY and the album is now finished!! It is 16 tracks and a total 65 minutes of music. I can't wait to get them to you! BUT FIRST I have just a few days to create my album art before sending the disc off to the duplicators.

Also, due to the (minor) costs of recording and the (major) costs of the mastering engineer, as well as the importance of unique packaging for the music, I've decided to forego the DVD part of this package in leu of a 16-page booklet that outlines the key aspects of the art-piece; that said I will still make the video (as it is an integral part of the art itself) and make them available online for viewing and download around the same time the CDs are sent from duplication.

Unfortunately because of Kickstarter's new limits on media size, I can't put up a finished version of any of the main songs on the album for you guys to check out! Instead I can only fit one of the interlude tracks, a collaboration between me and Matt Nicholson of Outshine Family, based in London. Harpist Derin Kenny provided the tones for this beautiful piece.

More to come! Thanks for making this dream a reality!
patrick

Hi there my lovely backers! I'm sorry it's been a while, I have been incredibly and wonderfully busy for the entire month of January with this project! I can happily say that is has been one of the most intense months of my life! The recording sessions are coming to a close, and now I am slowly turning to mixing down these songs. Here's some stats for you:

A total 53 people have played on this album so far (!)
There are 9 people left still to record.
I am awaiting tracks from 6 people still, from all over the world (including London, Australia, Columbus, and Milwaukee!).
There are 16 tracks on the album.
I am still slated to go to mastering on Feb 9th.
And then work on video starts, which should be finished before the end of February.
As soon as that is finished this will go to press, and copies should be ready for distribution by early March!

Here is a mixdown of a track that has almost all of the new parts, If It's Magic. Francesca Johnson's voice is still very raw, but isn't it an improvement over the old version with me singing? Yes I think so too! Most of the drums were recorded by George Lawler of Mucca Pazza, with North Carolina bassist Adam Klein. The piano track will be replaced by Rob Clearfield later this week too. The entire other half of this song is too big to fit on Kickstarter... so you'll just have to wait for the CD!

Much love, thanks for standing by!
patrick

As you surely now know via emails and deductions from your bank account, the Kickstarter campaign was a resounding success! Again, thank you so very very much for your unparalleled generosity and unwarranted kindness!

There are a couple things I need from you, my dearest backers, so even if you don't read this email through, please read the last two paragraphs here.

It is so exciting to know -- I mean, KNOW -- that this next CD/DVD set will definitely be coming out! It has a long way to go before it will be ready, but I am up for the challenge and I am confident that it will still be available (mostly) on schedule. I have slated no other projects for the next 2 1/2 months as this remains my undivided focus. In some ways, then, this serves as the outcome of a 2 month meditation... an extremely intimate glimpse of my most inner being. How often do you get one of those?! :) Anyway here's a run-down of my basic schedule for this time period:

• The album is currently split into two groups of songs, 8 which I've been calling "upper arcana" and 8 called "lower arcana" for reference, though that's not actually how they work (in reference to tarot, I mean). The uppers are what I've ben posting here and are almost done being composed and entered into Finale (notation software, so other musicians can play my stuff)... This I hope to have completed before Xmas...

• Then after Xmas I will start the arduous task of getting performers in here to do recording. I have currently 53 performers slated to add sound at some level to this recording! (Some of them are part of this project too, helping fund it as well! You guys are too much!) This should be getting done, around the 3rd week of Jan. In this time I will be also be completing the composing for the lower arcana and starting recording of these pieces as well.

• I will probably have a large number of players come back in for a second recording session in the last week of Jan and the first week of Feb. Around this time tracks from performers in Europe, Asia, and Australia will also be sending their tracks back to me. All music should be finished by early Feb.

• At that point my focus will switch to the video, while the album is away in Mastering. I have many ideas for this already sketched out, so I am confident that this process -- a lonely, CPU-intensive time -- will still be done by the end of Feb. Mastering will cost approx 500 dollars of this project money.

• Then, once the CD and DVD are mastered and made, they will move on to duplication! The final product should be in-hand by the middle of March. This process will cost the remainder of the project money... and probably a small amount out of my own pocket still, depending on how fancy I am going with the packaging...

• And upon arrival here, I will instantly ship them on to you, including the stencil art that accompanies the album design! (If you donated $15 or more, that is!) (And if you donated $25 or more, you will also be getting the first album in this package. Wowie!)

•••

WHAT I NEED FROM YOU: please tell me how you would like to be listed in the liner notes of the album, including if you'd like to be left anonymous. I would personally rather you were not anonymous, but of course this is up to you.

ALSO IF YOU DONATED $15 OR MORE: please send me, either through Kickstarter, Facebook, or email, YOUR MAILING ADDRESS. Please send me this even if you think I already know where you live or how to get ahold of you!! I may deliver them to you by hand if it is convenient, but I want to be able to drop them in the mail at very least. The packages will likely be small/medium bubble-lined envelopes, so make sure the address you give me will be able to accommodate this size mail.

I think that's everything I have been thinking about for the last 24 hours! Thank you again for your support, I will continue with aperiodic updates throughout this time too.

Cheers, much much love forever
patrick

Well hello you bloody generous friends! I was pretty dim about the prospects of this Kickstarter project BUT I just found out that my family has been planning a major contribution for a while now and are simply waiting until the last moment to pledge, so as to entice the not-yet-initiated of my friends to chip in. Anyway it seems it will a success! And it is all thanks to you (and my fam... ;)!!!

SO it means that come the end of February you will receive my heart (on CD) and soul (on DVD) in your mailbox! I have been waiting for this for 5 years now, I am so so so happy that you have been able to make this dream a reality!

Anyway I have indeed been writing music almost exclusively for the past week+. Most of the music is in absolute tatters as I give long-dormant pieces a major overhaul. I am ramping up to start the recording process; but before then I still have many details to attend to, not the least of which is to make all the printed music.... oy vey...

This snippet of audio will eventually feature the golden throat of Francesca Johnson singing Jobim's The Waters of March. You may recognize the bassline.... that's about where the similarities end without the lyrics. There is a large section in the middle that is very empty right now, under construction.

My next update will likely be after the deadline! Cheers, thank you again!
patrick