Our brand new record, Putting the Days to Bed, has officially been released! All throughout the land church bells are pealing and caped riders are galloping to spread the joyous news, and lo, I am emailing you, in case you were in the shower when the church bells were pealing and caped riders were galloping. This is an exciting time for us, as you can imagine, and I’m pleased to report that many radio stations are adding the record, many of the internet bloggers are blogging furiously, tee-shirts are being manufactured by enslaved gnomes in the sweatshop we built in a hollowed-out tree, and an army of green-visored money-men are counting the dump truck loads of cash. People are laughing out loud! They are rolling on the floor laughing!
I’m pleased to report that our record is available in every single reasonably-sized place with a decent record store, and that every radio station in the entire country is playing our record, with the exception of those radio stations that play a different format or that play sucky music. Here in Seattle, for instance, our recent in-store appearances at the Ballard Sonic Boom and West Seattle Easy Street Records were an unqualified success. So too are we in rotation on KEXP and KNDD in our home town. Although these record stores and radio stations are ostensible competitors, they are supporting the Long Winters in the spirit of friendship and cooperation. Ah, is not Seattle the greatest and friendliest of all cities? (Please do not reply to this email).
So without further ado, let me tell you of our upcoming promotional appearances and tour dates, that you may come and rock out with us when we roll through your town. Please read this email carefully as it contains very detailed instructions for a secret surprise appearance.
ALASKA: First off, I’m going to Alaska. In fact, I’m making an appearance in Anchorage on Friday, July 28th, at 6PM at Metro Music on Benson Blvd. It might seem an unlikely place to promote the new Long Winters record on the week of its release, but I was visiting Anchorage on unrelated business and the entertainment moguls at Barsuk Records saw it as an opportunity to finally crack the close-knit Alaskan music market. I’ll also be appearing on the radio there, playing on both KRUA 88.1 (11:00 AM) and KNBA 90.3 (5:30 PM) that same day. Check your local listings.
GEORGIA: The following week will find me in Atlanta, GA., appearing in-studio to play a few songs on WRAS at 10:00 AM, Friday August 4th. I’ll be in Athens the next day, playing a set at the Go Bar around 3:30 for Team Clermont’s summer party. If you are a Georgia resident, and you are interested in attending the Athens performance at the Go Bar on the afternoon of August 5th, well it would be delightful to see you. The show will not be advertised, as it’s a party, but our mailing list subscribers are special people and you’re welcome to attend.
NEW YORK CITY!: Leaving the great state of Georgia, I journey to New York City, where I reunite with my fellow Long Winters for a surprise and otherwise unannounced promotional appearance in Manhattan on Tuesday, August 8th. This is primarily a show for music journalists and music industry swells, but I would like to invite our mailing list subscribers to come to the show as well. There will be limited space for civilians at this show, so it’s first-come, first-served. We’ll be playing songs from our new record and shmoozing, and we may even indulge in some exaggerated, ironic “schmoozing” in order to feel better about ourselves. If you’re 21 and older and live in the greater New York/New Jersey area, and would like to come to a secret show at around 8 PM on August 8th, please email us at secretshow@barsuk.com and the bureaucrats at Barsuk records will fill you in on the secret details of how to attend. The next day, still in New York, I’m playing, by myself, at Other Music, a super-hip music store downtown. Show up early to see if my hayseed, West-coast sarcasm is any match for the diamond-tipped disdain practiced by real New York Indie Music Store staff and customers. There is every possibility of a surprise guest-appearance by one or more New York-based indie-rockers! This is a free show and open to the public, but I would dress appropriately, like, maybe in some raw denim or something.
AND THEN LATER: Now, there are more secret shows to announce coming up soon, perhaps in Seattle, perhaps LA, but we don’t want to let the cat out of the bag too soon. There’s a reason we put that cat in the bag.