Dear funders,
"Into the Dark Unknown" hit online stores this week! If you've enjoyed the record, consider writing a review, rating or "liking" the album on iTunes, Amazon, or other pages (the main ones are linked below). Reviews can be fun, particularly if you have a personal anecdote about a song, or an interesting experience you've had with the music, that you're willing to share with the world.

Here are great places to comment on the album and share with friends:
iTunes Page: http://bit.ly/iTunesHolcombe
Amazon Page: http://amzn.to/NewHolcombe
Bandcamp Page: http://bit.ly/SignedCD
CDBaby Page: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/holcombewaller

UPCOMING ALBUM RELEASE CONCERTS:
Most of us involved with this project are in San Francisco, Portland and New York, so I hope to see a lot of you at my upcoming album release concerts in these towns! Here are the facts:

PORTLAND ALBUM RELEASE SHOW - at the Alberta Rose Theatre
Sunday, February 20th, 7:30PM
With special guests China Forbes, Storm Large, Matt Sheehy

NEW YORK ALBUM RELEASE SHOW - at Joe's Pub
Thursday, February 24th, 9PM
With special guests Gabriel Kahane, Justin Bond, Penny Arcade, John Kelly

SAN FRANCISCO ALBUM RELEASE SHOW - at Swedish American Hall
Wednesday, March 2nd, 8PM
With special guests Joe Goode, Eric McFadden

This week I'm madly preparing for a video shoot for "Hardliners" which I'm creating with choregrapher Miguel Guitierrez, the production company Two Penguins, production designer Bowen Ames and costume stylist Jayme Hanson. It's going to be great. We're also in the midst of editing a video for "Risk of Change" featuring Penny Arcade and many friends in Portland, so stay tuned for all of this good fun.

XO
HOLCOMBE

Dear project backers,
When I started this project page, I was certain I'd be biting my nails at the final moments wondering if I'd hit the funding goal. With just over 60 minutes left in the campaign, and at just over 280 backers, this has been a real success.

I wanted to send a big THANK YOU for backing this project. And I look forward to fulfilling all of the rewards in early June.

Thank you! Just a few minutes left to rope in any more friends and family! I hope you're all having a wonderful Easter Sunday. The funds have been risen, as it were.
XO
Holcombe

Thank you, everyone! On Friday, we officially reached the funding goal. I truly appreciate all of the generous pledges, and I cannot wait to send you the final album and all of the rewards!

Kickstarter will remain open for CD pre-orders and reward pledges through Sunday April 4 at 2pm, so you can still become a backer. Now that we've funded, additional monies raised will go directly to video efforts around a second song, "Into the Dark Unknown." I'm working with the amazing talents of artist Ross Christy and animation/performing artist Peter Burr (Peter and Christopher Doulgeris are "Hooliganship") to create an animated music video.

Let your friends know that there is still one week left from today to pre-order the ablum and receive it by June, well in advance of its official release in the Fall. Why the delay between the album completion and the release date? The reason: I will be using this "3 month lead" to seek national press reviews/coverage and to book a tour in support of the release. As backers here on Kickstarter, however, you will receive the album and rewards just as soon as they're completed. You, the funders, are also the first customers.

Thank you to everyone for participating - more updates this week as the Healers and I go into our final recording sessions!

Best,
Holcombe

Dear backers, with over 180 of you funding and about $1800 left, my former-Math-major self can not help but ask:

Have you ever brought someone to one of my shows who loved it? Have you ever had my music playing in your home or car and had a friend ask to know more about it? Do you know one person who would really like to pre-order my album and receive an advance copy this Summer - if they only knew they could?

Now might be a great time to write this one person a quick personal note sharing my kickstarter campaign. There is a one-click "email" feature on the project page that's great for such personal messages. Your participation in this campaign is so important to me because you're not just backers - you're also the "first customers" for my new work. It's my goal to produce beautiful things that will exceed your expectations. Might you take a quick moment to write a friend personally and help me find one more album customer and supporter?

I'll be posting many more updates this final week of the campaign. Please do send me your comments!

XO
Holcombe
(ps. I actually was going to major in Math before I switched to Art. Wild.)

Thank you to everyone who has signed on since my last update. I just returned from a week's residency in Alaska, and I'm currently in San Francisco. Hello from the road!

We're approaching the final two weeks of the campaign, and I'll be posting one last Winter Song soon. Over these next couple weeks, I'll be posting more regular updates: in the final days of March, we will be recording some last tracks for the album as well as some overdubs, so I will post photos and video of our sessions. I have a few more "backer-only" updates on the way, as well.

We're about 80% funded: do you know a few friends interested in pre-ordering the album and supporting the project? Now is a great time to use the "share" features on the main project page to email, twitter or facebook a few friends. We're almost there.

Thanks for helping get the word out!

'Til very soon,
Holcombe

A friend suggested that what he really wanted was to support my music by buying a bunch of copies of the physical CD to give to his friends. I thought this was a GREAT idea (how could I not?!), so I've added THE PROSELYTIZER. You'll get 15 finished CDs mailed to you hot off the press - you'll be able to share 'em with your friends pre-release, or just save 'em for the intermittent birthday or next Winter's Holiday Gift frenzy. Jeez, how cool are you, now, planning ahead like that. If you'd like to upgrade to THE PROSELYTIZER (kinda sounds like it shoulda been a Paul Newman film), you can use the "Manage My Pledge" button on the main project page, it's easy.

I've been so excited to see each pledge come in, THANK YOU AGAIN to everyone for supporting this project! I've been laying the groundwork for our final recording sessions, as well as for two videos - for the songs "Risk of Change" and "Into the Dark Unknown (The Marriage Song)." More news soon. -Holcombe

I had a couple shows last night here in Portland to raise awareness of this album fundraising campaign, and our local television station came to cover the event. It's pretty amusing:
Portland Channel 8 Feature
Enjoy! Please spread the word aout my campaign to friends, and if you were at our show last night, thank you for coming! I hope you will pre-order and pledge-fund the album here on Kickstarter.

-H

My dear backers, thank you so much for your support! I see each of your pledges come into my inbox, and I am really looking forward to delivering the rewards and personally thanking each of you, once we hit the goal!

Two great articles came out today about this project. Read my Q&A here with The Oregonian's Ryan White: http://www.bit.ly/OregonianColumn

And, read Dave Allen's blog post about my current project on Pampelmoose: http://www.bit.ly/DaveAllenBlog

More soon.
H
(And if you know of other mentions of my project, please do write me or share links in the comments!)