Well I sent everything off to the printers last week, so now it's just a bit of a waiting game. I will be sending everyone who donated a digital copy of the album very very soon (like probably tonight). In the meantime, I just finished editing this video about the making of the artwork for Won Over Frequency. It's such an honor to be visually represented by no less than four extremely talented folks: Aaron Nagel, Lorna Carman, Brendan Bell, and Justin Muir.
If your connection will allow, I highly recommend viewing this in HD full screen over at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZAcFk5RrtQ; there's so much tiny detail that can go unnoticed when such a beautiful piece is forced into unforgiving bandwidth!

Well, we did it. The album is done and off to the printers. Haven't quite paid for it all yet, but hopefully more people will chip in and help me get everything straight.
Each of my backers will receive a digital copy of the album very soon! I'm extremely pleased with the results and I can't thank you enough for helping me afford them!

Here's the first single, please share amongst your friends:
Are You Brave by gavincastleton

Brian Cass and Rob Pemberton are wrapping up final mixes for this new album, and I'm making the plans for mass production and world domination. I've attached a video from the studio sessions I did a few weeks ago, as well as a little fraction of the album cover, painted by the incredible Aaron Nagel!

Hope to have a hit song for you to hear very very soon.

Also, the album I mixed and produced last year with Brian Cass for vocalist Blak (singer of One Drop, The Goods, and his project with Joe Beats) is now available for free streaming in its entirety at blakmuzik.net. Seven of the nine tracks were written by myself and Blak, some dating back as far as 2004. It's been a long time coming, and it was a giant effort on everyone's part, so give it a listen.

This past week was rife with progress on this album - after a grueling photoshoot with my very talented sister, I tracked piano, organ, violin, cello, viola, mellotron, acoustic and electric guitar, bass-re-amping, and vocals at two studios on the west coast while Rob and Brian began mixing the first few songs at Sounds Interesting Studios on the east coast. I'm pulling 14 hour days editing and tracking odds and ends, and I couldn't be happier about it, though I do miss my tiny nieces and nephew as well as the sunlight. This week also wrought my biggest equipment purchase since this very laptop - a True Systems P2 analog dual pre-amp! This gorgeous piece of machinery helps me capture vocals, piano, strings, and just about anything else that needs a stereo mic-ing in a clear and hi-grade fashion.Your donations are integral to achieving a better sound, and I thank you profusely!

Also, I want to reiterate that your pledges/donations are still very much needed, and if you can do it through paypal (via gavin@gavincastleton.com), I'll see a bit more of it (Kickstarter takes an 8-10% cut!!). Just be sure to include which reward package you'd like. If you intend to purchase this album it's wise to do it pre-order style, as you will avoid shipping (i.e. I'll pay for it). Help me spread the word!

-Gavin

BTW - it has come to my attention that there may be humans out there that took certain parts of my Fundraiser video seriously - parts that were intended to be comedic. My friends and family are constantly reminding me that my sense of humor may not always translate well to people who don't know me, but I still forget. If you supported me on this fundraiser because you believed that I was actually living in a rundown truck in an alley somewhere selling blood in a big glass bowl outside of a Dollar Tree, then I want to honestly apologize and offer you your pledge back. I'm not, in fact, homeless, and I have eaten cereal and grapes in addition to mexican food, thanks to the force-feeding from my family. Your contributions are the sole reason this album is going to sound great, but I want to be clear: you're not keeping me from physically dying... you're helping me do what I love.
And yes, somebody did call my bluff and purchase my son. This ominous backer has not contacted me, so I have no idea what Lumas' fate will be. I do feel kind of like a crack whore for selling my son in a time of need, but I'm confident that if the album does well enough maybe I could buy him back?

In only two days I reached my funding goal thanks to 117 of you and your incredible generosity! I'm humbled and invigorated by the support you've shown me in such a rough economic climate (many people donated even having just lost their jobs, their houses, their wives).

If you or anyone you know would like to pre-order/contribute more to the project, consider paypal-ing the money to gavin@gavincastleton.com, which is instantaneous and features a far lower "tax" (Kickstarter takes 8-10% of the funds, whereas Paypal would take 2-3%). Just be sure to include which package you would like and your shipping address and any special request! Donations to this Kickstarter campaign are of course welcome also.

We had a killer drum & percussion session with Javier Torres (whose brother Eduardo plays on half of the songs) this past weekend, and now I'm in the bay working with amazing painter Aaron Nagel on the album art.

Thank you so much for the love and support, the end is in sight.
Gavin