PR, Anyone?

When I released my first album, A Thin Line, 5 1/2 years ago I had no idea what I was doing, and as a result I didn't do much to promote it. The bare minimum, in my opinion, but that's because I didn't know any better. Luckily, this time I have a slightly better idea of what I'm doing. Slightly. And so one of the new steps that I've been looking into taking this time around is working with a professional PR company.

But the problem is that everything takes longer and costs more than you think it will. This is the mantra that I have come to understand and live by when it comes to recording and event planning. And in this case, it continues to hold true. Months and months ago when the mixing of the new album, Over the Edge, first started, I contacted a company that I've encountered before and had a productive conversation. We talked about the services they offer, how it relates to what I do, and I was sent a breakdown of different campaigns that they structure and run. Awesome.

And then do to one thing or another, the mixing stretched on longer than was planned, and so the release of the CD was pushed back. Finally last Friday, I had a conversation with the head of the same PR company. We talked about a number of the same things and what my plans are for the CD, and then when I mentioned how long ago it had been since I first got information from her colleague, I got the response that every independent musician wants to hear: "Our prices have gone up dramatically since then." Oh really? Great.

It seems that even though the CD is literally days away from being completed and in my hand, everything still takes longer and costs more than I think it will. But rest assured that I remain undeterred.

Why Over The Edge?

I contemplated two other album titles before I settled on Over the Edge for this new record. Both titles were also names of songs on the album, but they didn't quite get across the right message. Over the Edge is aggressive. The other two were too passive. Over the Edge is about taking charge and moving forward. The other two gave more of the impression of being subject to someone or something else.

But Over the Edge is more than just the initial message of the album - it's very much where my life is and has been for the past almost 3 years trying to get this project done. Trying to juggle time, schedules, money, and resources for so many months pushed me to the breaking point on a few occasions. I was walking a thin line (pun intended), but I never went over the edge. A less dedicated and capable person probably would've given up and tried to move on a couple years ago. Taking the path less traveled isn't easy.

And now, the idea is to go over the edge. To amass all my resources and put them all behind this project that I've worked so long and so hard on. To go big or go home, if you will. I'll go big, take the leap, and go over the edge. Only time will tell at this point if I'll be able to fly, or at least break my fall somehow.

That's what Over the Edge is all about. Shirking off your past, relentlessly climbing to the precipice that you've been eying for years, and then jumping off. And there is no parachute.

(And P.S. this above picture is not the album cover.)

PostSecret Live

I tried to explain the appeal of PostSecret to a friend yesterday before I drove to Albany for the live event, but I came up short. It's difficult for me to explain, I do believe there is an certain ineffable quality to the project. Everyone has secrets, and as Frank Warren points out: some secrets we keep, some secrets keep us. By revealing these secrets - to someone we know or anonymously to a guy who lives in Germantown, MD - we allow ourselves to let those secrets go, or take control of them if need be. And by sharing those secrets, we realize that the parts of ourselves that we consider to be the most personal - thoughts, struggles, experiences - may be personal, but in reality are far less unique than we may think. PostSecret allows for the breakdown of invisible walls that secrets can create, and helps people feel connected with others, however anonymously.

If you're at all interested in PostSecret, I encourage you to get to a live event. Frank Warren talks very openly and honestly about the history of the project, as well as some of the struggles and secrets that he's dealt with throughout his life. He also shares some select secrets he's received over the years and the impact that they've had on him, on others, and on the direction of the project. But the best past of the event is the last segment.

In the last few minutes of the presentation, Frank opens up the microphone to anyone who wants to come up and share a secret. This is when the anonymous secrets on the website and in the books lose their anonymity and truly step into reality. I heard people tell secrets about feeling bad for not getting the understanding of a parent, losing a loved one who doesn't want to commit, believing your not good enough, not wanting to use the bathroom around a boyfriend, losing a loved one to sickness, depression, suicide, and about getting help.

At the end of the night Frank asked everyone who could relate to a secret they had heard to raise their hand. There were more hands in the air than could be counted. Powerful stuff.