Little Sandwich Music Newsletter - Volume II

hello dear ones,

I am sitting here in the Franklin Library. It's a comfy, cosy little library, and I can't even waste time gazing out the window, because the view is completely blocked by a thicket of flaming red and orange leaves. It sort of feels like I'm trapped inside a burning forest - but not so scary.

Anyhow, I thought it was time for a quick update as to the new album...how things are coming along, and how you can pre-order a copy for your very own stocking (not to mention the stockings of countless others as well!).

As most of you know by now, my Italian band, Ice Cream on Mondays, and I recorded an album in the final weeks of my stay in Italy this summer. We recorded 14 songs; 4 from Sparkler (that are pretty different with this band), and 10 new songs, 6 of which are full-on with the band and 4 of which are more acoustic. The recording side of the album is complete, but the mastering is still being finished in Italy, plus there is still the small matter of the album design. But we are on track, I hope and pray, for the album to be ready by Christmas. At the latest, it will be ready in January, so that it will be available at all of the ICOM shows we are lining up for January (when the band comes to Texas!). The track listing for the album can be found at the bottom of this entry, and you can listen to some of these tracks (unmastered) at:
http://www.vanessapeters.net/icecream/sounds.htm

If you are still thinking about pre-ordering (and I hope you are), here is the scale o' participation, plus information from the last newsletter, in which I detail exactly how much it costs to make an album:

"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.

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 there is a recap of pre-ordering and what not...Thank you for reading this far, for coming to shows, and for all of your support. It means more than you know.
GRAZIE!!
vanessa

questions? comments? email me at: info@vanessapeters.net and i'll respond straightaway...

Volume I Newsletter:
http://vanessapeters.blogspot.com/2004/07/little-sandwich-music-newsletter.html

THIN THREAD (this may not be the final order of the tracks)
1. you're losing me
2. burning cross
3. gone
4. borrowed time
5. a few nights' confusion
6. apple green and charcoal gray
7. so long to get here
8. hooked
9. it's been a long time
10. the maybe love song
11. canceled
12. after i'm gone
13. thin thread
14. so what

You can listen to some of these tracks at: http://www.vanessapeters.net/icecream/sounds.htm