Little Sandwich Music Newsletter - Volume 1

dear fans, friends, and family!
take this comfort at least; it is bloody hot right now. I am sitting at an outdoor café in a park in Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy, and I know that some of you are hating me for that. but just know that it’s really, really hot, if that helps any.

This is a multi-purpose letter, so forgive any ramblings and incoherent leaps of thought. I am writing this James Joyce style, so whatever comes out comes out.

I have been pretty busy this summer, working and writing songs and perfecting songs with my new (Italian) band, Ice Cream on Mondays (yes, it changed). I have been booking my tour through the Midwest and East Coast, and I am about to begin booking shows for the band in 2005. Booking is hard, hard work that requires patience I don’t yet have. As always, the position of manager/booking agent is open. Please see my webpage (www.vanessapeters.net) or email me (info@vanessapeters.net) for information on how to host a house concert if you are interested.

I am also planning my third (solo) album, as yet untitled, but scheduled to be recorded late this fall. Hopefully we will wrap it up in time for a Christmas release, so that you can all give one to your friends and family and I will be able to make my car payments and student loan payments in a timely manner.

So really, I am writing this letter to ask for help (hard for me to do, actually). As an independent musician, it is nearly impossible to create your own album and have it look and sound professional. The costs involved are myriad: studio time, album design, web design, duplication costs, other musicians, promotional packages, etc. I made the last album for $5,000, and this was considered a shoestring budget. I didn’t pay my musicians anything, and my producer only made $1,000 for 8 months worth of work. My designer and webmaster each got $100 and an occasional dinner when I could afford it. $3,000 alone went into the actual production of the CD – the copying, printing, packaging, etc. So I suppose you see my point.

Funny…I am listening to a mix CD and "Help is Just Around the Corner" by Coldplay just came on…

Anyhow. I am hoping that some (all) of you would like to pre-order the CD. This is a pretty common thing in the independent music world; you, as my beloved listener, take a leap of faith and pay in advance and in return you receive perks that no one else gets. I then have the money to pay my musicians and producer a living wage and still make a CD that looks and sounds beautiful (if all goes well).

So how does this work? Well, for the time being, you can send a check to the address below, or click on the link to pay by credit card through PayPal (you don't have to setup an account with them to do this). But if you don’t mind writing a check, that much better, because then I don’t have to pay a fee to a middleman.

Here’s the scale o’participation, rated with the language I speak best (food):

"cappuccino" $13 – a signed copy of the CD, mailed the same day I receive them (way before the CD release party, way before they will be available anywhere else).

"cappuccino and pastry" $30 – 2 signed copies of the CD, a "restless traveler" button, and a sticker for the new album

"cappuccino/pastry/gelato in the afternoon" $50 – 2 signed copies of the CD, the "rt" button, the album sticker, and a "apple green and charcoal gray" t-shirt, available in either of those colors. :)

"cappuccino/pastry/gelato everyday for the rest of my life" $100 – 4 signed copies of the CD, the "rt" button, the album sticker, 2 "agacg" t-shirts, and your name in the liner notes as an EXECUTIVE PRODUCER of the album, plus 2 free tickets to a Vanessa Peters/Ice Cream on Mondays show of your choice.

You can part with your hard-earned dollars by sending a check or money order here:
Vanessa Peters
3000 Wind Flower
McKinney, TX 75070
 
or by clicking here:
https://www.paypal.com/xclick/business=acousticgirl01%40hotmail.com&item_name=Pre-Order+the+New+Album%21&item_number=LSM002&no_note=1&tax=0&currency_code=USD

You have no idea how much your individual support will help. If all of you on this mailing list were to pre-order just at the "cappuccino" level, I would be able to make the album worry-free, able to concentrate on touring/booking/recording/designing/and oh yes, writing songs. So please consider it – I am floundering in a deep well of gratitude for all the encouragement you all have given me thus far.

MILLE grazie.
vanessa