Sophia's 2010 in Review

DNFMOMD on TOUR!
photo by Kelly Davidson

The Prisoner- top
still from our recreation- bottom

I’m breaking this up into groups - starting with my reason for justifying how I live my life, Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling. 2010 was an amazing year for us. We released our first 6-song EP - The New Number 2 - we had great response, including write-ups in the Boston Globe, Phoenix, the Weekly Dig, Ryan’s Smashing Life and beyond. I was audio-interviewed by two British publications on the influence of The Prisoner on our music: Sci-Fi Pulse and Sci-Fi London. In July I went on my first ever tour, which was an amazing experience and one I’d like to have a lot more often! In 2010 DNFMOMD played 27 shows in 8 states - we did extensive tour blogging - check it out. We’re nearly finished (after a year of pre-production, and 5 months of shooting across 11 days) with an epic (and I don’t toss that word around lightly) music video for our song "Arrival" which is a recreation of the opening sequence to The Prisoner (starring me as Number 6). It will be officially released in March (see our behind-the-scenes footage). We also began shooting a video for our Leonard Cohen cover, First We Take Manhattan with Glenn DiBenedetto of Killer Suit Media - a teaser is here. We have one more day of shooting planned for this video and we hope it will be released in the next month or two. On December 28th we began recording our second EP - 7 songs (6 more song-episodes and a cover song) with the estimable Mike Quinn at The Moontower (which recently relocated to inside of Q Division.) We hope to begin releasing those songs in March. 2011 is shaping up to be an even more exciting year for DNFMOMD than any previous.

Dramamine (top) photo by Kelly Davidson

2010 was also the year that The Motion Sick said goodbye. The Motion Sick has been a huge part of my life for the last 4ish years. I was on both of their album covers and in their music video, went on short tours with them and helped out whenever and wherever I could. In October, myself along with Leesa Coyne, Veronica Dale and Kelly Davidson (women that are close to the members of The Motion Sick) threw a roast of sorts for them where we dressed up as them and played their songs - we were called Dramamine - you can watch videos and read more about it here.

Last Summer, Michael and I started thinking about a new project to be the outlet for his songs. He came up with the name The Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library, decided it would be a band of all girls, and we started auditioning ladies. The band quickly swelled to 9 people, we started practicing in July and had our first show in September - it’s been a whirlwind! For me, I have enjoyed being able to step back and “just be the drummer” in a project, I’ve loved getting to know my new bandmates, and I’ve been very happy to work more intimately with Mike’s songs. Mike and I became friends because we admired each other's songwriting and I’m glad to finally contribute in a more direct way. In October, I went into Moontower/Q Division to record drums for our debut full-length record. Since that time Mike (and I, but mostly Mike) have been tracking the rest of the album at home. It’s nearly done, we start mixing January 2. Our CD release is February 26th at The Middle East Downstairs- you can pre-buy the record and a ticket to the show for mad cheap - here’s the link to that info.

me with Bury Me Standing
photo by Rachel Blumenthal

In other random music events, I was delighted to be asked to sing a System of a Down song with a group called Bury Me Standing in October - it was a awesome arrangement of marimba, horns, strings, back-up singers - and also resulted in one of my favorite photos of the year. VIDEO/BLOG link.

I also sang a Jonathan Richman duet with Ad Frank that I think came out quite lovely. (LINK) - In case you might have missed it, Mike and I were also extras in Ad Frank and The Fast Easy Women music video for the song, Winterthru.

I also participated in Boston Band Crush’s One Night Band (last year we helped organize). My band, 10 Hours of Chaos, was all about BRAAIIINS - yes we were Zombie themed - check out the song I sang, “oh no, you’re a zombie now”

I saw 137 local to Boston bands in 2010, that’s 29 more bands than I saw in 2009. Also, many of the bands on that list I saw more than once! I love Boston music and I love supporting it as much as I can. Coming soon will be a full list with links to youtube videos we took at the shows!

In March I went down to Austin for my first SXSW experience. It was awesome, and Mike and I are headed down again this year. Last year we went to learn more about music licensing for Launch Over (which I plan to get really off the ground in the coming months) and we’ll be doing that again this year and I also hope to play in some format too. We also submitted our music video for “Arrival” to the film portion and we’ll be overjoyed if it’s accepted.

In one of our oddest moments, just in case you missed it  - the story of Skippy the Mummified Squirrel.

All in all, 2010 was a pretty awesome year. The last six months was all about creating new music and videos and 2011 will be a very heavy release year for all of our projects. We hope you’re with us for the ride!

Finally, here are the makings of something else we're hoping to launch in 2011:

coming soon.....

Best Year-End Lists!

The following are all of the year-end lists that Mike or Sophia or any of our projects were mentioned:

hacked together Phoenix cover with Local Music feature

The Boston Phoenix - Boston Rock's 2010 in Review (by Michael Marotta) - April, "the edgy rock of Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling proves more than just a flyer maker's nightmare." and in the paper we were listed amongst the '10 Standout Local Releases' for the year.

hacked together front of the Dig with Mike's quote.

The Weekly Dig - Michael recounts one of his favorite shows of the year, One Night Band:
"I actually flew home and back from the Neutral Uke Hotel tour for one day to participate in Boston Band Crush’s One Night Band, and it was totally worth it! I loved the thematic approach this year. My band, The Positronic Rays, did a space-rock opera, while Thunderchunk and 10 Hours of Chaos took on Jaws and zombies, respectively."

Desert Race Boston listed Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling's CD release as one of their Best Shows of 2010: "And then DNFMOMD came on. I didn’t really know what to expect. They HAD THE OUTFITS FROM THE SHOW, a blonde chick goin’ nuts on drums and this guy who looks like he’s from a silent movie playin bass. Then I found out they were married, then I found out they are awesome and have all these crazy projects and I was like damn these guys are so cool! One of my favorite finds this year."

Boston Band Crush opened their blog to local music people to submit their top-whatever lists and we were mentioned in a few of them:

Best of 2010: Mark Desrosiers' most lust-worthy gear "Michael Epstein (Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling) - If you've listened to DNFMOMD before seeing them live, you might be a little confused; how do they sound so full, and yet there's only two of them? The secret is in Mike's split-signal bass rig. The signal from the bass is split, with one "clean" channel going to a normal bass amp, the other signal being stepped up an octave, layered with creamy and crunch distortion, and blasted out of a hi-gain Mesa Boogie amp. Who needs rhythm guitar players?!"

Best of 2010: Clay N. Ferno's Top Five Outsider Sci-fi Weirdo Cult Themed Acts - DNFMOMD was number 3.

Best of 2010: Adam Ritchie's Top Ten Tweets - "9. Michael J. Epstein (@michaeljepstein): Great news about Skippy T. Squirrel, The Mummified Squirrel of Somerville! http://nblo.gs/6MKUj"

Best of 2010: Jessica Sun Lee's Top Ten Reasons To Live In Boston "6) Richard Bouchard's hats, Ad Frank's white pants, Michael J. Epstein's mustache, and Mick Murray's camera in your face are all things you can rely on."

Best of 2010: Hilary Hughes' Top Dreamboats "Though Michael J. Epstein’s mustache is a figurehead of the Boston music scene in itself, Chris’s (Christoph Krey) mustache and long, luscious locks drive the girls cuh-RAZAY"

I submitted my favorite hats of the year, "Best of 2010: Sophia Cacciola's Top Hats" and Michael submitted his favorite youtube videos that we took at shows, "Best of 2010: Michael J. Epstein's Favorite Boston Rock Videos"

Also on Boston Band Crush- the 2nd annual Golden Unicorn awards - we won in several categories!
Most Uncooperative Prisoner: Sophia Cacciola
Most Persistent Thing in Your Facebook Feed: Kickstarter campaigns
Second Most Persistent Thing in Your Facebook Feed: Michael J. Epstein
Most Potentially Quiet Bill: Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library, The Hush Now, Silent Century

Finally, Neutral Uke Hotel was mentioned as a their Top Show of 2010 on Chicago Tunes, "1. Neutral Uke Hotel @ Empty Bottle on August 19 (review) When is a cover band the absolute best act a person could hope to see all year? When that band is playing one of the greatest albums of all-time straight through on ukuleles!! I had signed up to check out this show for Warm Ones, and when I found out that there was going to be an opener playing In the Aeroplane Over the Sea in its entirety, I thought my head was going to explode! The actual show was even better than I could have imagined! There’s something about being in a room, singing along to music that is deeply personal to everyone in attendance that makes the experience transcend the usual concert-going status quo."

Why bands should NOT participate in (most) online voting competitions: Boston Emissions vs. KISS

So, your band is in the running to open for the Davy Jones Massacre or play the side stage at Superdooperpaloopa. You just need to get the most votes and this coveted experience will be yours! I say you shouldn't do it! Why?

You are being used. Virtually all of these online voting schemes are essentially marketing scams to get a lot of cheap publicity for a brand or a band or a show. Let's say, for example (and this is a very real example), KISS is going on tour.  Rather than paying for publicity for their Boston show, what if they could get hundreds of bands (music lovers / fans of KISS) to contact all of their friends and family (music lovers / fans of KISS) to tell them that KISS is coming to town?  All of their local marketing budget, which used to be a lot of money, is now reduced to tolerating a band playing a 20-minute set long before anyone arrives at the venue for KISS.  Sure, it looks good for your band to open for KISS; sure, it's a dream come true; sure, it's lots of fun.  What about the 500 bands that lost the competition?  They basically just put in hours of free advertising for KISS.  I wouldn't have known that KISS was playing in town if it weren't for that contest.  Big bands are using small bands to sell tickets.  Festivals are using small bands to sell tickets.  Brands are using small bands to both establish name recognition and to associate themselves with "cool" music.

What do bands get out of it?  Not a damn thing.  You annoy all your friends, family, and fans for a slim shot at something that isn't really worth very much anyway.  In music, no contest should exist where merit and talent are non-primary factors.  That's the plain truth.

I've done it many times, asking people to vote for my bands in online contests, so I am not criticizing anyone who has, but I now believe that I was mistaken in doing so, and I am suggesting that you all shouldn't do it anymore.  I am suggesting that fans, friends, and family also should not encourage online voting by participating.  You should ignore calls to vote or even respond with an active declaration of non-participation.  I'm sure I will get a lot of bands that chime in and say they won some great honor by fighting for online votes and "good for you," I say, but think of all the losing bands and think of how much your resources have been taken advantage of to promote a giant corporate entity.  If you are shilling for a product or a big band, you should get paid.

Now, very importantly, THE BIG EXCEPTION to my suggestion.  If the vote is being run as part of something that you want to help promote, then there is no reason to feel used.  The Boston Emissions Favorite New Local Song Poll is a perfect example.  I love and support Boston Emissions.  It has a mission aligned with local music, focusing on helping promote local bands, so the least we can do is pay it back a little by asking people to vote in the poll, in turn familiarizing them with the show.  Boston Emissions, for example, deserves support and promotion provided by the bands it serves.  KISS, for example, does not.  For every scenario, you will need to make the call as to whether it fits the Boston Emissions model or the KISS model.

A song just like The Motion Sick's "30 Lives" - sort of...

I find this song pretty amusing. Quite similar to our song "30 Lives" (below)

Strange Vids Featuring TMS: Point-of-view Jet Skiing to "30 Lives" (Golden Bloom cover!)

Sure, we've have a bunch of Youtube videos that we've found that randomly contain "30 Lives" by The Motion Sick, but we invite you to join us in this historic moment in which the Golden Bloom version of "30 Lives" is used in a strange video! Golden Bloom is, of course, one of our favorite bands ever, so go listen to them!

DNFMOMD: Quiet Desperation hits Cable!

still of Mike in a Quiet D episode.

It's a fairy tale story of the local youtube reality-sitcom that makes it to TV! The brain-child of Rob Potylo, Quiet Desperation will debut on MyTV (Channel 18 in Boston) at 11PM on 12/24 and re-air at the same time on 12/25. There are write-ups in the  Boston Herald  and the Boston Globe about it today and there will be a piece about it on NPR's Morning Edition 12/24 at 6:50AM & 8:50AM.  Quiet Desperation showcases and champions local comics and musicians. Rob's message is that (as a community) we lose too much talent to NYC and LA and there needs to be opportunity locally for creatives to stay here; and that we allow Hollywood to define Boston and one-dimensionalize our fine city (think of any of the crop of recent Boston-based movies).

Mike and I have appeared in Quiet D episodes as individuals and as Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling - we're really excited to see how the show shifts format from 7-10 minute youtube pieces to 25 minute TV. We wish Rob & Co. great success with this venture!

Hilarious Ad for the show:

The Motion Sick's "30 Lives" music video in HD!

30 Lives HD (be sure to click the option to set it to 720p


30 Lives (Up-Up-Down-Dance Mix) HD (be sure to click the option to set it to 720p


I honestly am not sure why I didn't post these much sooner, but I think it had something to do with fear of view counts. The more versions of the video we have posted, the more the view counts look smaller because they are spread thinner. Our current situation before HD was:

Official Band Upload (32,551 views)
Official Band Dance Mix Upload (24,805 views)
Blank TV upload - (9,894 views) - this is the one that comes up first in searches sadly because they have some financial deal with Youtube
Various people have posted rips of the shortened version of the song/video from DDR. This one has the most views. There are about 10 others with 2-6,000 views. (7,623 views)

There are also numerous other variations with a significant number of views and other clips that include 30 Lives that have 10-20,000 views.

So, it made me nervous to add more to the mix, but I got over it!

The Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library Receives Passim Iguana Music Fund Grant!

I am beyond excited to announce that The Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library has received a very generous and very helpful grant from the Passim Iguana Music Fund.  The grant allows us the financial freedom to complete our debut album without artistic compromise.  We are delighted to have this opportunity and it is a really great honor to receive this recognition and support for this project.  Passim, and specifically Club Passim, are also extremely special to me, as that is where MJEML drummer (and MJE wife) Sophia Cacciola and I met.

We are very proud to join the ranks of previous winners (2009): Dinty Child, Mike Rivard, Sam Kassirer, Alastair Moock, Margaret Glaspy, Ruth Mendelson, Alec Spiegelman, Jamie Manning, Jacqueline Francis, David Wax, Matthew Belyea, and Kaitlin Berreckman and this year's winners:
Rose Polenzani, Margaret Glaspy, Nikola Radan, Dave Godowsky, Amanda Kowalski, Dami Noah, Maria Sangiolo, Kristin Andreassen, Kimber Ludiker, Austin Nevins, Zachariah Hickman, Naseem Khuri (yay Kingsley Flood),  Randall Williams, Hanneke Cassel, Mark Erelli, and Andy Cambria.


More on the fund in their own words:
Iguana Music Fund Mission

The Iguana Music Fund, a program of the nonprofit performance arts organization Passim, fosters a vibrant and exciting music community in New England through seed grants to aspiring local artists for significant career-building or who are providing community service through music.

The Iguana Music Fund will award small grants of between $500 and $2,000 to individual artists with an affiliation to New England either by residence or tour history for specific career building projects.

Areas of support may include (but are not limited to): recording or manufacturing assistance, publicity & marketing support, instrument repair or replacement, additional equipment & instruments, special projects and other specific activities promoting artistic and/or professional growth.




This award comes at an absolutely perfect time in our band's existence.  We were scrambling for ideas about how to fund the final stages of our debut full-length (CD Release Show 2/26).  I am really against Kickstarter-style campaigns for what are effectively pre-sales (see my essay on this topic).  As such, we did initiate pre-sales of the CD bundled with tickets to our release show, plus a special, limited-edition treat (coverage on Exploit! Boston).  That process is helping us frontload our money stream, but, even if we sell enough CDs/tickets to cover our costs, there is always the question of what next.  How could we keep this project afloat and accomplish our artistic goals?  This Iguana award will allow us not only to complete this project, but to be well poised for continuing the artistic endeavors that we had planned for next, but expected to have to put off until we had raised enough capital from CD sales.  This year will be a very exciting year for the Memorial Library, in great part due to the assistance provided by this grant.

A recap of my 39 best tweets of 2010!

Admittedly, this was inspired by The Lights Out's Adam Ritchie including one of my tweets on his Boston Band Crush Top 10 Tweets of 2010.

I am not a super-duper Twitter user, but I have been ramping up my tweeting a bit.  Please feel free to follow me ( http://twitter.com/michaeljepstein ) and/or read my favorite of my tweets in 2010. Here are my 39 favorites in no particular order... (except that #1 is my favorite).  Also, keep an eye out for more of our 2010 recap posts coming soon!




1. Am I the only one that really wishes that "dancing with the stars" meant the same thing as "sleeping with the fishes?"

2. "The lesson I have learned is to never slaughter a chicken in front of a monkey." - Li Chun

3. Sorry everyone, I just can't live this lie any longer, I am going to go get some coffee. I might get a muffin too. I hope you'll forgive me.

4. Making scientific breakthrough proving time distortion occurs at speeds as low as 30 MPH if & only if on a bus with uncomfortable seats.

5. I am waiting for the TV show that uses zombies as a metaphor for people who obsessively watch TV shows about zombies.

6. I'm so sick of Gmail's terrible spam filtering. Solution filter: if message doesn't contain word "doodleberry," it will never be marked spam

7. Special @UPS to English Phrasebook: "3 attempts" = "2 attempts" & "package is out today for delivery" = "we returned that to the sender."

8. @WFNX hope you were paid well for that appalling ad trying to subversively get us to forgive @BP_America because they have local franchises

9. Thank God miners made it; was worried we might have to re-evaluate insane practices. Carry on as usual just like wonderful deep-sea drilling

10. Okay, I get it, the miners are getting out, now can we get back to some real news before we lose Kim Kardashian's trail??!?!?!?

11. Entire day spent building set (many other days spent gathering props) for shot that lasts 41 frames. Dedication to your craft or stupidity?

12. Michael J. Epstein's Seven Rules of Social Networking and Media in preparation for Rock Shop 8 Panel 10/6 at Mid Eas... http://nblo.gs/8LtaD

13. Who's got two thumbs and is about to visit the world's largest horseshoe crab? This guy. Also, the rest of @NeutralUkeHotel.

14. Should I be concerned that right before I started copying some Iron Maiden onto my phone, I checked and noticed it had 6.66 GB free?

15. I really wish the MBTA would stop relying on my eyes, my ears, and my information. It's a lot of pressure.

16. Now @NeutralUkeHotel eating processed rice crackers from Vietnam that "may contain pits, twigs, stems, or other naturally occurring objects"

17. If the Celtics win the World Cup, or whatever it is, is it appropriate to go overturn stonehenge? I am not familiar with celebratory customs

18. Pardon my lack of technical knowledge; on Foursquare, is there a way for my fist to become mayor of Foursquare creator's face? I'd like that

19. Great dilemma: start band with only females or start a band with only people named Michael Epstein? Perhaps both. Not the same band though.

20. Stories w/ hammy good vs. evil themes that rip off Asian cinema/mythology, but don't involve lightsabers are shitty #ThingsLearnedFromLost

21. "This show is further proof that professional sports are the enemy of rock music and probably of all art." - Ad Frank - 5/13/2010

22. Breaking News: Arizona altering bio curriculum to exclude marsupials not native to N.Amer. & killer bees, which came illegally from Africa

23. Was going to order this, but menu says it "favours production of breast milk and eye problems" http://twitpic.com/1gf9qf

24. Today's subway ride observation: this year's "Women of Tea Party" calendar is not going to sell very well. "Men" calendar won't sell at all.

25. Got e-mail from @SXSW w/greeting "Hi [name,fallback=there]." I like that. I wish it referenced a line number or database call though. #SXSW

26. I've done my best to ignore this for months now, but wearing a t-shirt does not preclude one from also wearing a short skirt or vice versa.

27. I've always been dangerously curious about TSA monkey-inspection policies. Curious no longer! http://bit.ly/MonkeyInspection

28. I love that part where David Bowie sings that "she had an aura of prunes"

29. Dreamt I presented to Acoustical Society about sparse spectrum of a Joy Division song matching otoacoustic emissions, but I had no real data

30. Do you realize how bad our education system is here in the U.S.?? Almost 50% of people educated here are below average!

31. Allergy nurse offered to write a note to my wife telling her that I am really not allowed to clean. Apparently, they often have to do this.

32. My kingdom* for a Firewire 800 cable. (*Please note: I am not actually a king.)

33. Any artificial harmonics for sale? They all got used up in the late '80s/early '90s. I've got a solo before the modulation that needs a few.

34. I am fairly sure that my favorite headline of all time is "Man with nothing to declare had 55 tortoises in his pants."

35. Android should refer to "male" based on etymology. Anthroid, both? Females, Gynoid? Androgynoid, ambiguous humanoids? Yes, this bothers me.

36. Just had the realization that "politics" comes from the Latin for many blood-sucking arachnids. How did I never notice that before?

37. Election's over, let's forget party affiliations and unite now against the common enemy: Creed is getting back together.

38. I can't decide who to punch in the face first...the guy in Owl City or his vocoder.

39. "Hey Kirby initiative and alright." is proof that Google Voice voicemail transcription is, uh, not that great.

SOLD OUT!!! The Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library Super-Discounted CD Release Ticket + CD (with limited-edition bonus materials) - ends 2/1

Please also join our mailing list.

Hear some music.

We have reached our goal and pre-sales are now sold out. In fact, the whole show is now sold out. We expect that there might be a few tickets that become available as we finish distributing reserved tickets. E-mail me to get on the wait list to purchase one of those tickets.

Updated notes for all those asking: 
1. pre-sale for people who can't make our CD release show is now over at: http://blog.michaeljepstein.com/2011/01/michael-j-epstein-memorial-library-cd.html.
2. E-mail me if you want to pre-buy, but don't have Paypal or a credit card.  


(PURCHASE LINK REMOVED - SHOW IS SOLD OUT!!!)


Short version: click buy now below to get a deeply discounted $15 CD release ticket / CD combo ($25 value).  This will really help us cover final costs for our CD prep and duplication.

Long version: The Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library will be opening its doors and locally (that is, in the Boston area) releasing a debut full-length CD (10 action-packed songs including one top-secret cover - recording session hint video here!) on 2/26 at The Middle East Downstairs.  (National release date still pending.)  This is going to be a killer show (Facebook Event) with McAlister Drive, Endway, and Ryan Schmidt.  I'll post a lot more about these guys as the date approaches, but for now, I just want to tell you about a really special, limited-time offer that we are making.

We are so excited about this recording that we are offering a ludicrous discount if you buy a ticket/CD combo in advance.  For $15 (with no additional fees), you will receive a ticket and a voucher in the mail allowing you to attend the CD release show and receive one copy of our CD.  The show tickets alone are $12 (plus fees if you buy online) in advance or $15 at the door.


So, if you are one of the first 150 people to buy before Feb. 1st, you will receive the ticket (a $12/$15 value) plus a CD (a $10 value) for $15!  But wait, that's not all, you also get a free snuggie.  (Just kidding, but I've been working so hard to write this whole message as an infomercial that I couldn't resist hopping over the edge of the cliff.)  But seriously, you will also receive a special limited edition gift made by the band for only those who pre-buy this package.  That's not enough?  You will also also also get access to a digital copy of the album before anyone else gets to hear it!  Best of all, you'll be helping us cover the final costs of finishing this recording and duplicating it.

Strange Vids Featuring TMS: Little Girls Twirl Umbrellas to "Grace Kelly"

Not much to say. Little kids. Twirling umbrellas. "Grace Kelly."

My younger sister wrote a hilarious book about her wedding (featuring juicy gossip about me)

"John saw Natalie Portman naked. Or maybe it was Lindsay Lohan. Or both."

...and those are possibly the best first 3 sentences in the history of writing. I'm just kidding about the gossip part mentioned in the title, but I am included in the book, mostly preceded by adjectives like: annoying, rude, smelly, irritating, etc. Still, avenging long-held grudges stemming from when I poured a can of Coke over her head (well, she claims I did, but I did no such thing) is not the point here.  What is the point? Find out for yourself!  You can read the first 3 chapters, which include the marriage proposal at a shoot for the Sex and the City movie and the subsequent first congrats by Li'l Kim, here.

Sure, a lot of people try to write books, so before I give you full run down on my sister's book, I will mention that this is quite a serious venture.  The prose is really well done and the book has already been shopped to several publishers, making it to the final editorial-board review stage at a few.  I believe the primary hurdle for this book is that, in the current financial climate, publishers are opting to primarily go with books by celebrities instead of concentrating on well-written prose and compelling contents.  Celebrities have a sort of built-in audience and it reduces the marketing work that publishers need to do (at least to some degree) to make a book successful.  So, to counteract that, you can actually really help get this book published by demonstrating that there is a real interest in it.  Please "like" the page for it on Facebook and go read the first 3 chapters and leave a comment on the publishing community page for it.

To put this into further context, my family is no stranger to the writing/publishing world.  My father has written a number of books including books about the history of political folk music, comedy teams, Jewish comedians, conversion to Judaism, and more. My mother also wrote a book: Visiting the Sick: The Mitzvah of Bikur Cholim.  The way I figure it, when my sister's book gets published, the way is paved for me to complete my never-ending novel, Norbert Crump and the Space-Time Continuum.  So, if you want to read that, you had better help now!  (I promise it's a little better than my prior publications: Invasion of the Burrowers and I'm Getting Sweaty in Here!!!, but possibly not as good as The Puce Letter.)

Now, a word from my sister Rachel Eddey:
I wrote a book called Running of the Bride. It’s pretty good. And I want to publish it. But, as any writer knows, it’s über-difficult to catch an editor’s attention unless you have a) a platform – meaning a group of people who already know about and support your work or b) a sex tape. In lieu of losing 10 pounds to prepare for the latter, I’m hoping to build traction by strong-arming innocent people (that means you, son) into reading the first three chapters. If you like them, join the revolution. And if you don’t…well, let’s not get into impossibilities.

Below is how the book jacket might read if I had a book jacket. Which I don’t. Because I don’t have a book. Since I don’t have a platform. As I don’t…oh, never mind.  What’s in it for you? That’s easy. You can ride my coattails all the way to fame and fortune. Should that not pan out, you’re SOL. But hey, it’s worth a chance.

xx
Rachel

--

Sarah Jessica Parker was the first to react. She gave a deep-throated sigh before turning her head and smiling. The only sounds were the rustle of couture-clad actors and the sweep of video cameras as the crew prepared to film a Sex and the City movie scene. Nobody spoke. It was then that I realized what had happened: my boyfriend, John, had proposed. And I hadn’t yet answered.

Running of the Bride is a humorous memoir about the astounding events surrounding my recent wedding—from getting engaged on the SATC set to winning a pair of diamond earrings, a honeymoon, and two gowns to appearing on two reality shows. Told from the perspective of a twenty-something New Yorker who has only four months to plan her dream wedding, ROTB provides a fresh look into the framework of relationships.

Using wedding planning as a lens, ROTB more deeply explores how trying, life-changing events—having a child, accepting a new job—can lead rational people to act irrationally. My battles and triumphs provide readers with a rehearsal for reality while taking them places they haven’t been, all the while exploring the arc of relationships—romantic, platonic, and familial—during a demanding lifestage.

Neutral Uke Hotel / The Motion Sick / Golden Bloom session on Daytrotter!!!

Illustration by Johnnie Cluney

I posted a while back about our visit to Daytrotter. Now, I am absolutely delighted to say that our session has been posted! For anyone that doesn't know about Daytrotter, it is an amazing site that houses unique recording sessions captured at the site's studio, Horseshack in Rock Island, IL (Wikipedia article). The sessions are done direct to 2-track tape with no overdubs, edits, etc. So, you get some real insight into how bands play and interact when you hear these things. I've been a long-time fan/session downloader and I am amazingly proud to have had the opportunity to be part of it.  I like a lot of the more obscure sessions, so check out stuff you've never heard of, but some name notables and awesome indies that have visited the Daytrotter folks include: Aimee Mann, Ani DiFranco, Avett Brothers, Bob Mould,  Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, Colin Hay, Deer Tick, Frightened Rabbit, Fucked Up, Ian McCulloch (Echo and the Bunnymen), Langhorne Slim, Mates of State, The Meat Puppets, Metric, Okkervil River, The Rentals, Rock Plaza Central, and Tori Amos.

In addition to recording a bunch of songs, the folks at Daytrotter have an artist draw you.  I love the style of the drawings and was looking forward to seeing how I would come out on paper.  I was not disappointed one bit!  The reviews of the session that have popped up have been very positive thus far as well!

It was really exciting to get a chance to do a mix of songs with Shawn Fogel and Josh Cohen.  They performed 2 Golden Bloom songs and then I joined them to perform 2 Neutral Uke Hotel songs and 2 The Motion Sick songs.

On the site, you can download the session in 128 kbps MP3 format or buy the uncompressed version!  Check it out: http://www.daytrotter.com/dt/neutral-uke-hotel-golden-bloom-the-motion-sick-concert/20031370-51544.html

As a taste, here's an embed of "Holland, 1945"

The Positronic Rays! (rock the Rosebud and hit the studio!)

All right true believers, the rumors are true, The Positronic Rays did spring back to life last weekend to rock once more!  It worked out that 3/5ths of the band was playing at the same show at The Rosebud last Friday, so the remaining 2/5ths joined up to rock the rock.  The show was a ton of fun.  The entire cast of The Slutcracker showed up early in our set and were dancing and being crazy while we played.  It amused me, even if they did hijack the night a bit by yelling "sluts, sluts, sluts" during every quiet moment.

Here's some video of our set followed by a look at the other sets:



Highly Personal Trash (featuring Sophie Innerfield and Benny Grotto of The Positronic Rays)


Blizzard of 78 (featuring Nate Leavitt of The Positronic Rays)


Muy Cansado (no one from The Positronic Rays, but they are awesome anyway!)

Saturday, The Rays hit Mad Oak, courtesy of our drummer Benny Grotto (who won the Best Producer honor and Best Metal Band -for his band Motherboar- at The Boston Music Awards this Sunday!), Joe Saliba, and Adam Hand to record the Spaceman Max Trilogy!  We had a blast joking around and rocking out for the day.  We'll pick up and finish the rest some time in early 2011, but you can expect the story of Spaceman Max to be out there in the wild soon enough!

Some photos from our day at Mad Oak (thanks to Adam!)

DNFMOMD: The merch boy is dead, long live the merch boy!

photo taken by the talented and beautiful Kelly Davidson  

Mike "Agent" Bishop, our longtime merch-guy, tour manager, our boy-Friday is leaving our little fold to concentrate on his new position as an official Outback Juggalo Hunter. We thank him for his service to DNFMOMD and wish him much luck and success at his new venture!

But....I fully plan to park badly at his lot, continue to not take him to White Castle, and to play Morrissey at full volume if I find him napping.

DNFMOMD: Dec 2nd Middle East Downstairs Recap!

'Round October I had decided that DNFMOMD would take a break from shows until 2011 - after all, we're working fairly constantly on 2 music videos (here and here) and will be recording another EP at the end of December and the other band that both Michael and I are in, The Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library, is scrambling to finish tracking its debut CD by the end of December as well. Shows seemed like the easiest ball to drop for a few months while we finish this all up! That was, until Rob Potylo came knocking and offered for us to open up his CD release at The Middle East Downstairs on Dec. 2. Rob has a lot to celebrate - in addition to his new CD; his Boston-arts based sitcom, Quiet Desperation (which Mike and I have appeared in briefly) is making the big jump from Youtube to cable this month! The show is premiering on Christmas Eve - read about it at http://quietd.com.

On to the show - so many of my favorite creative people were in attendance it was awesome to get a minute to catch up with everyone!

Mehran MC'd the entire event and his admonishments to drink and join the A-yay had me in stitches right before we started to play.

I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to play on the downstairs stage once again. In our second song - Mike DESTROYED his bass and broke 2 bass strings! Practically unheard of! Luckily, Seager of Mellow Bravo was kind enough to loan us his bass to finish our set without further mishap!
Here is video of the string-incident:

Photo of my reaction to Mike's broken strings captured by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

We even played a new song (titled, if you can believe it, Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling) which you can watch here:

It will also be on our upcoming EP (to be released early 2011).

Mellow Bravo took the stage next and totally slayed. Video evidence:


Then it was just Rob and his electric-guitar for his set which teetered between deep introspectiveness and downright comedic (including lines about working at Shaws and selling his song to Batman 3). Mike has been singing She-Ra to me ever since. We got 8 videos of Rob - all in a handy playlist here:


Then Planetoid, showed our puny human eardrums who was boss - they played a sizzlingly tight set into the wee hours.

Michael J. Epstein is a Giant Dork: A Selection of Embarrassing Artifacts from Mike's Past - Part 5: The Puce Letter (a parody of The Scarlet Letter)

This one is more strange than embarrassing perhaps.  I wrote this in 11th grade I believe.  My mother and sister (this is actually a scan from when she published the story in her zine: The World Would Be A Much Better Place If Everyone Wore Tight Pants) used to read it to each other and laugh.  I don't really understand most of the references as I barely remember the book, but maybe it's funny.  Probably, though, it isn't.  Let me know if it makes any sense at all...

Read it at: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/8205555/the_puce_letter_a_satire_of_the_scarlet.html

Microfunding is the Future of Labels! (...but Kickstarter is [at least mostly] the wrong model for bands)

I am delighted to say that this article has been picked up by Music Think Tank: http://www.musicthinktank.com/blog/microfunding-is-the-future-of-labels-but-kickstarter-is-the.html


Kickstarter/Microfunding
By now we've all at least heard about Kickstarter.  Many of us have helped to fund projects.  I've supported  5 or 6 myself.  The best I can discern is that Kickstarter projects follow one of thee models.  The explanations are a bit long, but I hope to tie this back into music and into why I believe the Kickstarter models are mostly not the correct models for funding recordings, but are great models for other types of projects.  Additionally, if I ran Kickstarter, I'd disallow projects that did not meet a stricter set of guidelines because I believe that many projects that are on the site actually damage the Kickstarter brand and the entire concept of microfunding.  I end this post with a proposal for a new fan-investment label model that I believe is viable, won't burn out fan interest in investment, and inherently creates a dedicated "street-team" to help bands promote their work.

Let's start with my taxonomic breakdown of Kickstarter models:

Model 1 - Donation / Support These projects are designed to produce art, ideas, operations, movements, or objects that supporters want the world to have.  These notions (I've decided to use the term "notion" to describe everything in this category) are not really owned by any of the supporters and the supporters' only reward is that they get to know in their warm, fuzzy hearts, that they helped make an otherwise impossible notion come into being.  Supporters may receive a token of contribution - a thank you inscribed on the notion, an attribution of contribution associated with the notion, etc.  However, the primary reward is not an object that is owned by supporters or an attribution to supporters, but rather just the existence of the notion.  One campaign that I supported in this category is the New Hampshire Mystery Journalism Project.  I found the backstory fascinating enough that I wanted to contribute money just to find out what the damn thing is.  The notion in this case is empirical information providing clues that will help solve the mystery.  Sure, at my contribution level, I do get a token (a signed copy of the eventual article), which I will enjoy, but I didn't support this to receive a signed article, I supported this because I wanted to help the world solve this mystery.  There was a set cost to advancing the notion and less money than that would not allow the notion to exist.

Model 2 Gauging interest in, and allowing for, the production of goods The purpose of model 2 is to help provide upfront money to allow the design, manufacturing, and distribution of a physical good.  The key, in my mind, to what makes this a viable model is that, although you are essentially pre-buying, your pre-purchase enables the entire process.  If this project is not supported, the objects will not exist.  I view this as money to provide the means to produce innovative goods.  These goods are essentially sold via the campaign at a fair market price.  That is, no portion of the money is a "donation" or contribution beyond the value of the goods offered.  An excellent example of this (that I supported) is the Lockpicks by Open Locksport project.  Schuyler Towne, a recreational lock-picking expert, wanted to manufacture an innovative set of picks.  This would require lots of time to design, money to prototype, time to test, etc.  Schuyler wanted to start a company selling picks, but didn't have the capital with which to make it happen.  So, he put up a Kickstarter campaign to see if his idea was even viable.  Would people buy picks?  He got over $87k of orders, far, far exceeding his $6k goal, an amount deemed necessary to cover the overhead of producing the picks.  Why did these contributions continue after the goal was met?  Essentially, supporters were pre-ordering the unique, innovative objects that he was selling.  Supporters helped prove that he had a viable business idea and that there was sufficient interest in his goods.  Unlike model 1, supporters are contributing because they want to own a specific object.  However, like model 1, the funding goal is the minimum dollar value at which the project becomes possible.

Model 3 - The pure pre-order
In model 2, the objects produced could not exist without Kickstarter funding. I.e., Schuyler would not have made his lockpicks without that funding.  The overhead was simply too high to afford.  Perhaps he would have found a way to make it happen, but a failed funding would indicate that the interest wasn't strong enough to merit investment.  In this model, the production of an object is either already in process or completed.  That object is destined to exist regardless of whether the project is funded.  The project goal is essentially arbitrary.  It has no bearing on whether or not the project will be completed.  Sure, with funding, maybe the scope can be expanded - e.g., an album can be mastered by a more expensive studio.  However, the band that doesn't get funded for their album is not going to call it quits.  They are not using Kickstarter to gauge interest in their project, they are using it to pre-sell an object.  Sure, while they are pre-selling, they also offer some packages that essentially constitute aspects of model 1 (i.e., donations).  Give us an additional $10 above the normal cost of our CD and we'll come to your house and slow dance with you, etc.  Model 3, in my opinion, does not belong on Kickstarter.  The funding goal is arbitrary and meaningless.  The project will happen whether or not the goal is met.  Why set a hard goal value?  Why allow Kickstarter to take a percentage of the $ and why risk getting nothing when you fall short of the goal?  Instead, projects using this model should just pre-sell packages.  I've contributed to many of these projects because I want to support my friends' artistic efforts, even if I believe they are misguided in technical approach.

Worse than just misguided, I believe that Kickstarter will wear out its welcome by allowing Model 3 projects to exist.  Supporters need to feel like they are contributing to the genesis of a notion or object that absolutely WOULD NOT exist without their contribution.  That is what will draw supporters to the site.  A fancy transaction system for pre-buying will not.  Most people have come to view and understand Kickstarter as the latter and not the former.  I've seen numerous people with Kickstarter burnout.  People are going to stop paying attention to projects.  The use of model 3 poisons the prior models, both of which I consider extremely interesting and valuable.

Should bands then use models 1 and 2?  
I'd argue that it depends on the specific project.  If bands are looking to create or obtain something that doesn't result in a specific sellable product, then perhaps model 1 would work.  If bands seek to produce a unique and innovative piece of merchandise that requires specialized manufacturing, then perhaps model 2 is appropriate.  If the band is in the middle of recording an album and looking for an injection of capital to help move things forward or help afford additional studio time, a high cost professional, or cover some or all of manufacturing costs, then I'd argue that they should set up a Paypal account and ask fans, friends, and family to either donate money to the cause or pre-purchase their upcoming release.  Why?  No specific amount of money is necessary for the completion of the project.  The band will make do with whatever their fans, friends, and families can help them with.  Funding directly through Paypal (or even taking checks) will also reduce the overhead significantly.  Finally, if any advantage exists for setting up these projects through Kickstarter (i.e., supporters are familiar with, or excited about Kickstarter projects), this form of enthusiasm will be gone in the near future as the "market" of Kickstarter-style projects becomes even more saturated than it is.  I've already seen several bands fail to meet their goals.  Some have sheepishly backed off using that model and asked for pre-purchases and donations as I suggest here.  Others just ended up spending more of their own money to get the job done.

What does the future look like?

Both the entire business end of the music industry and the artistic pool have been asking this question for years, hoping for a simple replacement for record labels.  Labels served as risk aggregators.  They made modest investments in relatively large numbers of artists with the hopes that a small percentage would lead to big payoffs to offset the losses on the majority of investments.  In recent years, label rosters have shrunk to only really include sure bets.  The major labels only invest money in artists already making money.  We need new risk aggregators.  What if microfunding didn't serve as a donation or a pre-order?  What if, instead, it served as an investment?  Would you buy "stock" in your favorite band?  There are very concrete ways that artists could sell futures in their work.

How does it work?

I am not aware of any labels or collectives operating under this concept, but I would also be surprised if they don't exist.  I've been contemplating the formation of a label operating under this very concept for some time under the Launch Over umbrella.  Here is the template of one possible operational scheme:

BandX wants to make a new album.  In the modern climate, BandX will raise the capital to fund the financial cycle of this album by contributing their own money to the project, asking for donations, or pre-selling a product.  Perhaps the band could hire the producer they want to work with, pay for recording, pay for mastering, pay for art design and photography, hire a publicist for a press campaign, hire a radio promoter, make and distribute a music video, and cover other operational costs for $20,000 (this budget could be scaled to any particular project).  If the band plans to include 10 songs on this album, they could sell non-controlling ownership, songwriting rights, mechanical rights, etc. equivalent to 49% interest in each song.  In order to raise $20,000, this 49%.  This would mean that for every $40.81 cents invested, a supporter could own 1% of a song.  This would mean that they'd receive 1% of revenue from album/mp3 sales, 1% of the writer's share of back-end songwriter/performer royalties (BMI, ASCAP, SoundExchange, etc.).

Thus, if a song earned $4081, supporters would make back their investment.  If a song ended up being successful and it earned $100,000, the supporter would earn $1000, 24 times the original investment!  BandX gives up money, but no rights or control.  BandX can sell and distribute their music however they want.  BandX can take whatever licensing opportunities they want and reject those that do not fit their artistic mission.  BandX also now has an investor who is financially motivated to help promote the music, to help pass it along to their friends.

The exact numbers could be adjusted of course.  The terms could be time-limited, scope-limited, etc.  In addition to the financial  motivation, fans and friends now feel emotionally invested in the success of the artist.  They have the pride of ownership.  This, to me, is a real fan-funded model.  It's not begging for money, it's not trying to shift the financial timeline to frontload, it's creating an actual, traditional business structure.  Fans will not primarily expect to make money by investing, but if BandX wins, its fans/investors also win.

I'm very interested in hearing your thoughts on this idea.  Great?  Terrible?  What are the upsides and downsides?  Will bands go for it?  Will fans go for it?