Long time, no bloggy. Many apologies, of course. I have been super-duper busy, trying to give everything I’ve got to music in 2010. We are off with a bang. So much in the works:
I’m shooting music videos for GHOSTS and GIMME MORE in the next couple of months
I’ve booked a sexy little west coast tour with superstar Aiden James. We are playing together in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle at the end of March.
I’m mere minutes away from getting CD copies of my EP ‘NEVER WAS.’ I will be selling them at shows and will hopefully have set up the online order system by tonight.
I’ve nearly completed my next EP release – still untitled – with producer George Stanford. You’ve heard ‘Anthem’ and ‘Subterranean,’ but we have 2 more songs to round out the EP and I will release it before the summer. I’m excited to include ANTHEM on that EP because I don’t think it got its due when I hastily released it on its own last August. I think it’s a powerful song for today’s social climate and I’m excited for more to hear it.
I’ve booked performances at Pride Festivals in Milwaukee, WI and Phoenix, AZ with more to come!
But the big news of the day is a benefit concert that I have organized on February 10th in Los Angeles. Over the last few months, I have gotten to know a great girl named Jennifer Kaplan. I don’t want to lay it on real thick because the simple facts are powerful enough and they alone moved me to action.
The facts are these: Jennifer has multiple sclerosis. A while back, she lost her job and then her health insurance. We are trying to raise $6000 to cover the cost of 1 year of a medicine that slows the deterioration of the brain. Can you help?
I put together a great night of music in Los Angeles, featuring musicians who are not only among the most talented I know, but also have the biggest hearts. I handpicked each of them and I am deeply proud to share the stage with Syd, Keeley Valentino, and George Stanford.
I don’t expect to raise close to $6000 at the concert alone. $6000 is a lot for one person, but $1 from 6000 people sounds like something we can achieve! If you do not live in Los Angeles and still want to contribute, please do so HERE! Want to help but don’t have the money!? Spread the word! Post this on your Facebook wall, Tweet it to your followers and ask them to retweet. Together, we can make this happen!
cut and paste this link for Facebook, Twitter, etc… http://www.chrisdallman.com/jennifer
Want to check out the music of the other performers? Click on the pictures below to go to their sites!
Such a great show last night! The crowd was really intimate, but there was a lot of love and laughter that managed to fill the room. Thank you so much to those who came out and spent their Wednesday night with me.
Here’s the set:
Count the Shadows
Subterranean
Mistake
Gimme More
Radar
Toxic
Baby One More Time
Little Bit of Blue
Ghosts
Coming Around
Has Been
encore: Over My Head
This is the first time I played a set of songs in the same order as they appear on the record. I usually devise a different set for each show to make each its own experience… so this was an experiment. It was cool and fun, but by the 4th Britney song, I could hardly hold it together because I was laughing so much with the crowd. I think it was one Britney song too many. Or maybe it was the whiskey. Either was it was fun.
Josh snuck a little video footage on his tiny camera and if anything turns out halfway decent I will post it in the next few days.
In the meantime, if you haven’t checked out our doofy video for ‘Gimme More,’ now is the time!
I have no money for promotion and must make the most of the resources that I have at my disposal. So, Liz and Josh and I went out on the town and tried to tell a story with a whole slew of pictures. The arc of our night was nicely documented and I think the clip turned out pretty well considering the fact that we have no idea what we’re doing While it’s clearly an evening of debauchery, the energy of the clip is positive and fun and doesn’t have any of the darkness Britney’s video has.
Next up is a proper video for ‘Ghosts’ off of ‘Never Was.’ More on that in a few weeks.
It is the day after Thanksgiving and I have so much for which to be thankful.
A year ago, my life was in such a different spot. I had fallen so out of touch with my own creative spirit, that I had decided to quit the music altogether and go legit. What had once felt like chasing a dream suddenly felt like chasing a ghost and it was taking its toll on my self esteem. Out of the blue, a well-paying job was offered to me about 40 miles west of Los Angeles and I thought ‘Why not?’ It felt like the natural progression. So I said yes to the big-boy job and Josh and I moved, lugging all our stuff and our 3 cats out toward the new place of employ.
But just a month or so into training for the new job and living that brand new life, a series of events happened that caused me to think that perhaps I was making a mistake. The first was running into strangers within days of each other that knew my music and took the time to really beautifully express it to me. Once it happened at a restaurant here in Los Angeles, which isn’t really all that odd as I’ve lived here in LA for 5 1/2 years…. But the second one was in the lobby of a hotel in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan – a town in which I have never lived. Both experiences reminded me the magic of creating something and letting it go. And how thrilling it is when a connection is made.
The second event was Sean Akers moving to LA. I’ve known Sean for a few years. When I would play in Philly on tour, he would host me at his place and was always the kind of friend/fan who was willing to help out in any way he could. When he moved to Los Angeles, he brought with him an energy of endless possibility and immediately started pushing me to record again. He has designed my website and all of my record covers. He introduced me to George Stanford, who is producing my next EP of CJD tunes (out early 2010) I can’t thank him enough for his help and his friendship.
The third thing that happened was getting back in touch with Rachel Alina. Rachel was the assistant engineer on ‘Race the Light’ 5 years ago when she was just fresh out of Berklee college of music. She was a huge light on that project and we had tons of fun together but lost touch when I left NYC 5 years ago. When she moved out to Los Angeles, we reconnected and I knew that I had someone that would make me feel safe enough in the studio to really open up and let out the love. She brought me to Barrie (sidenote- an entire Barrie Maguire appreciation blog is coming soon,) she brought me to Redstar Studios, she helped me with songwriting choices and fundraising ideas. She is family.
Both Rachel and Sean helped birth the idea for ‘Sad Britney’ as a project that could raise my profile a bit, guide people to my own music, AND turn out to be a really fucking cool little record.
Somehow, this blog has turned into an Oscar acceptance speech and I’m like INCHES away from Sally Field territory. But, I need to thank each and every person who contributed financially to this music. If it was $1 or $500, it helped so much and I am so grateful, especially in this economic time when there is so much less to give! When the physical CD of ‘Never Was’ is finally manufactured next month, make sure to check the liner notes for a personal thank you
Thank you to all my Tweeps– to those who found me through the ZQC or just on your own- I’ve enjoyed getting to know you and owe so much of this tiny spike of success to your retweets and support!
Finally, a big thanks to all the Before The Door boys- Neal, Zach, Corey. Thanks for having my back and for believing in me! You guys are the best.
On the day it was released, ‘Sad Britney’ made it to #6 on the iTunes Singer/Songwriter chart. Mine was the only release in the top ten that didn’t have a record label, management, or any sort of real publicity. Truly amazing. I’m excited to see where we all head together in the new year! I have high hopes and am planning to have fun no matter what happens!
Much love to all and happy day after Thanksgiving!
While it’s clearly an evening of debauchery, the energy of the clip is positive and fun and doesn’t have any of the darkness Britney’s video has.