Monday, November 24, 2008

we just need 300 more pre-orders!

We are so close to reaching our goal!!
We just need 300 more pre-orders (at level one) and we'll be able to pay for the whole record UP FRONT, which would be amazing.....

We are about to start the mixing and the mastering, which is a huge expense (well over $2000 for the two combined) and then we have to print the album ($3000+) so we're not out of the danger zone yet. We've had an amazing response so far... and if we can just get these last few pre-orders, it would be wonderful.

So here's the information again about how to pre-order - if we can get 300 people to order at level one, we'll be SET.

EVERYONE who participates as a sponsor, will also have access to the "rough cuts" of songs as they progress. You will be given a super secret web address that will change from time to time where you can go listen and see how the album is coming along (a few songs have already been posted).



Here are the levels of sponsorship:

Good Witch - $15
A signed, personalized copy of Sweetheart magic-wanded to your door BEFORE the public release of the album...and you can sleep well tonight, knowing you've helped make this album possible. :)

Lightning Bug - $35
Two signed copies of Sweetheart sent lightning-fast to your doorstep, plus you'll get the newly designed Sweetheart button and sticker to fancy up your backpack, bumper, sports coat, cowboy boots - you name it.

St. Anthony - $50
Two signed copies of Sweetheart, buttons and stickers included, PLUS the brand-new VP/ICOM tee (designed for the album's release!) on which you can proudly pin your button or stick that sticker....

The Siren - $100
Four (4!) signed copies of Sweetheart sent to you, hot off the presses, plus the button, the sticker, two (2!) VP/ICOM tees, and best of all, you'll be listed in the liner notes as an artistic contributor to the album. Not everyday you can put that on the ol' resume.

Pegasus - $500+
You can swoop down and save us! You get everything that everyone else gets....the CDs, the accessories, the tees, the liner-note-acclaim...plus a private concert for you and your friends at your home. This offer applies to anyone in the USA or in Europe, and will have to be worked into Vanessa's tour schedule. The show would most likely be acoustic (due to band travel expenses) but if it can be worked out, then an acoustic duo or full-band show could be arranged.


Ready to order?
Simply do one of two things...
Click on the level of sponsorship above and you'll be taken to Paypal, where you can pay in the currency of your choice, using either your bank or your credit card. You can also send a check or money order - just send me an email to info@vanessapeters.com and I'll get you the mailing address!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, DANK U WEL, DANKE SCHÖN!, MILLE GRAZIE. We can't make this record without you, and we sincerely appreciate your support.
With love and gratitude,
Vanessa

http://www.vanessapeters.com
http://www.myspace.com/vanessapeters

*******************

Be our Fan on Facebook!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vanessa-Peters/10869170046

additional info on the album:

"Sweetheart, Keep Your Chin Up" will be my fourth full-length album and third with the fabulous guys from Ice Cream on Mondays. What's it about? Well, it's about floating when you want to sink, and about trying to smile when you want to cry. It's about wicked witches, boys with stolen wings, towers that crash and burn, and praying to saints to find the things we've lost. It's about playing music to closed doors, about war, the sea, coming to terms with the past, and about sirens that fall hopelessly in love with sailors that are just passing through.

We're working again with Salim Nourallah, who produced Little Films and Blackout, and aside from me and the ICOM guys, this record will feature voices and instruments from all over the world – our friend Alex Akela (from the Netherlands) is going to play violin on some tracks, and some of my friends from Italy, Norway, Denmark, Holland, England, and the US will add their vocals for a few songs. It's going to be lovely!

We hope to finish the album by the end of the year and we are shooting for a public release date of March 2009. By pre-ordering, you'll have the album in-hand by the end of January and you will have helped us tremendously. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Monday, November 10, 2008

winding down this very strange year...

it's cold outside, and way too dark for 5 pm.
i never really minded daylight savings time until i moved farther north...and now it's really just too dark, too soon. it's been foggy lately so when i wake up, it's gray and blurry, and it lasts until 1 or 2 pm... and by 5 pm it's dark again. it's enough to make you make a sad record. oh wait...

i've been at home a bit lately, working on the new record, planning tours, planning the artwork, planning all the planning that goes into it all. i try not to read the paper too much - all this talk of the financial crisis makes me worried that people will stop buying music. yes, i know there are a lot more pertinent things to worry about, but people not buying music is equivalent to me losing my job... so i hope things turn around sooner rather than later.

the album is coming along really well. for those of you that pre-ordered, we posted an unmixed version of "st anthony." thanks to all of you who wrote us and told us you liked it. :) we'll post something else again soon. manuel has been hard at work in his underground studio, playing twangy instruments like the dobro and the banjo. i sang a few harmony vocals and now we're just waiting on the cello to come rolling in and we'll pretty much be ready to hand it over to salim and rip for the mixing.

this week we're headed to places we've never been for shows we've never played - in rimini, trani, and teramo. i hope it's a little sunnier (and warmer) on the coast and down south! it's cold here in the valley. but at least it's olive picking time and that means.... olio nuovo! there are few things yummier on this planet than garlic-rubbed bruschetta, drizzled with new olive oil and dusted with sea salt. my mouth is watering...

we're hoping next year to tour everywhere - the usa, europe, and maybe even canada this time. again, i guess a lot of it will depend on gas prices, and on whether or not venues can afford to pay us, and if people can afford to pay cover to come see us. i guess i started this music thing about five years too late. we'll see if we can weather the storm. if not it'll just make for more good sad songs. :)

i'm off to cuddle up next to the fireplace with a book. i feel like i've earned it.
love to you all and to all a good night,
v