Getting Things Done Right, Not Just Done

Newsflash, folks: it's not easy to make an album. Things that ought to take weeks can end up taking months, and what began as a Spring release is now starting to look like a Winter '09 release if the snags continue. I say this but I am filled with peace about it because the goal is not to race it to you, it's to get it done right. The packaging has been really important to us on this one, and it just has taken a long time to complete. We sent the album to the printers this week and just got our proofs back. There are some issues that need to be sorted out with the proofs, and because we are leaving for a long trip to Europe tomorrow, these changes can't be made until we get back. That means more time until the album comes out. (insert sigh here)

We are fully aware we are still living in a time when people still would like a physical CD, and we would feel best having the smallest environmental impact possible with the release. With that in mind we decided to go with Oasis, whose six-panel green wallets are an earth-friendly option. From their website:

Oasis Environmental Practices
• All Oasis board and paper packaging is printed on 100% Green Forestry Practices certified stock. Green Forestry Practices certified means we don't promote forest monoculture, clear-cutting of virgin, old-growth timber, nor contribute to other destructive forestry practices.

• Over 99% of the inks we use to create Oasis projects are eco-friendly, vegetable-based inks.

• All the scrap polycarbonate, board, paper, and other industrial waste that can be effectively reused is captured in our plant for recycling.

• All of our manufacturing is domestic and nearly all of it is done under our own auspices, leading to one of the lower carbon footprints in the industry. In other words, Oasis helps reduce excessive strain on the environment by efficiently manufacturing and printing in our own facility, rather than farming out your work all over the country and even all over the globe, a standard practice for the brokers who predominate in the independent disc replication industry.

We feel this is a company who is working hard to have the smallest environmental impact, and we appreciate that. We are also looking at getting our t-shirts printed in a similar vein by another low impact company, which I will expound upon in a later post.

That being said, we are working on a really great album pre-order pack for you that will more than make up for the delay. Hang in there with us.

Au Revoir, Pee Wee!

We've got some exciting ideas for how to get this new album into your hands, my friends. I'm hoping these dreams can be coded into reality. In the meantime, we are in the final stretches of album design (zzzzzzzzzz - I know that's what you're thinking right now). Everything has to be done by this coming Monday to send to the printers because next week we are leaving our warm Los Angeles digs to explore Europe!

David and I are going to be celebrating our 10 year anniversary of being a band (oh yeah, and being married) by finally going on our long-delayed honeymoon. We'll be going to London, England for 4 days, then driving to Oxford, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Bath, Avebury, Glastonbury, and Stonehenge. Then we will take the chunnel train to Paris and spend a week basking in the glory that is the City of Lights. We have yet to determine whether or not we will be blogging or twittering from the road, but you can rest assured, we will share some of the journey with you. Unfortunately we will not be gigging while we are in Europe, as the logistics of getting the album out just didn't line up with this trip, but you can rest assured that we'd sure like to in the future. If anyone has any great suggestions for restaurants, music clubs, theatre, galleries, etc for these locations, we'd love to hear about them!

The Obamas and The Jonas Brothers (A Weird Day)

So, some of you might know that David and I have day jobs at a movie studio. Working there is often filled with surprises, and yesterday was no exception. Yesterday we were tipped off that Michelle Obama and her daughters were going to be on the lot, and sure enough, I saw them not once but twice, walking around with the Jonas Brothers, as they were both appearing on a talk show.

Michelle was an absolutely stunning (and tall!) woman and just had a radiating glow about her. My friend with me was freaking out, calling her the "New Jackie O." Another guard said, "She's exactly what we need in the White House, someone who will bring grace and elegance back to the culture." It was really exciting. Her beautiful daughters seemed to be in absolute awe of the (bizarrely clothed and coiffed) Jonas brothers, who performed on a big set on the backlot that was added specifically for the occassion. There were about 1,000 screaming, banshee-wailing, keening pre-teens there with signs and banners and posters, just LOSING THEIR MINDS at the brothers as they performed. As for me and my co-workers? We were geeking out at our possible new First Lady.

I called my cousin's children last night and told them I saw the Jonas Brothers, and I got the grilling from the 9 year old, asking what songs they sang (I had no idea). "Well, what did they sound like?" "They sounded like a ballad and an uptempo." "But...but what were some of the words?" "Uh...something about love and fun and girls? Yeep!" I felt like I'd let her down. I was also told by the 3 year old that she is going to marry all three of the brothers and that apparently the age difference won't matter. It was so adorable and also enlightening, as I realized I generally had no clue what they were talking about. I'm going to have to do a little homework before going home for Christmas!

Just So You Know...

This is not our final website design. We started messing with stuff this weekend when we weren't working on designing the CD case and got sort of caught up in adding some buttons here. You will see there are some links along the bottom to all the places to find us at the fun sites. Won't you please join us there? You will also see BUTTONS THAT LEAD TO NOWHERE...ooooOOOOOOoooo....

No, this is not the Winchester Mystery Website, we just haven't gotten to those parts yet. This is a long process, folks!

The CD art is coming along (I keep saying that, don't I? But it's really true!). We hope to have it to the printers by the end of next week. In terms of how long until that means you can have a copy in your hands? I'll have to get back to you on that.