…March is the month.

There is so much I’m looking forward to and I feel a fresh energy in the air, almost as if THIS were the actual beginning of my new year.

I can’t pretend that the first couple of months of 2010 weren’t a little brutal.  I had a kinda major shoulder injury, dental nightmares, cars towed and broken into, an iPhone soaked, a laptop ruined, 2 flat tires, and a couple weeks of illness.  Definitely not the hardest time of my life and small potatoes in the long run, but not what I expected when I drunkenly assumed 2010 was going to be pumpkin pie.

But the new month of March promises much goodness.  On the very first day,  I will premier the BRAND NEW music video for my song ‘Ghosts’ from the ‘Never Was’ EP.  We shot it on a rainy Saturday a few weeks back and the director Kevin Thompson showed me the first cut on Tuesday.  I love it.  It’s dark and simple and sweet and very CJD.   Kevin also directed the video for ‘Over My Head‘ and it’s amazing to watch him grow as a filmmaker.  I couldn’t be more comfortable than I am with him and that always makes for a good time.

The rest of the month is devoted to promoting the living hell out of the DOUBLE TROUBLE tour with myself and Aiden James.  Check the poster.  He gets allll the credit for hooking this baby up.  It couldn’t be better!

The tour kicks off in LA at Room 5 on Tuesday March 23.  From there, we hit San Fran and Portland, finishing the short run in Seattle.  I can’t tell you how excited I am to share the stage with this guy.  I’ll be looking for your help to spread the word about this in a week or so!

There is much more on the horizon, with shows in Phoenix, NYC, Cedar Rapids, and my home town of Milwaukee.  Want me to come to your town?  Let’s find a small venue or big living room and make it happen!  While 2010 kicked off to a strange start for me, my one resolution was to give it all to music and THAT is the only thing going according to plan.

As always, I’m wicked thankful for all of your support.  I’ve enjoyed getting to know you on Twitter and Facebook and am endlessly grateful for your part in helping me spread the music.  Ya’ll know I have no agent, no manager, no pr, and no record label… and no money.  What you’ve helped me accomplish is on par with my sweetest dreams.

Be well and don’t be a stranger.  See ya Monday for the premier of the GHOSTS video!

xoxo,

cjd

I approached the day with a bit of anxiety because I really didn’t want to let Jen down.  We set a goal for $6000, the price of ONE prescription… but with the current state of the world, there are so many deserving places to put your money.  Plus, let’s face it, who isn’t broke?

But come Wednesday morning, we were only $1000 from our goal and I was pretty certain we would reach it and maybe even surpass it.

Molly Malone’s is a great venue!  I had expected it to be a bit more of a dive bar, but the set up is great- the bar is isolated from the music room, mimizing noise– and the sound is pretty dope.

Syd started out the night with really great set.  I put Syd first on the bill because I knew that he would get the evening moving in the right direction.  He is charming and in-the-moment and never gives a sub-par show.  I learn something everytime I watch him.  He sang a few songs from his EP ‘Upswing’ and my favorite older song of his ‘Skeleton Key.’

Keeley took the stage next and brought with her Danny Byrne on electric guitar and Natalie Metcalfe.  Keeley is a sweetheart with a big huge voice and a heart to match.  These three have been playing together for a couple of years now and they are TIGHT.  They played songs from her most recent record ‘Three Cities’ as well as a couple of new ones that I can’t wait to have on record.

I took the stage next and chose to sit because my shoulder was acting up again.

Here’s my set:

Count the Shadows

Mistake

Subterranean

Little Bit of Blue

Gimme More

Ghosts

Hard to Breathe

Over my Head

Right on Time

My voice felt really strong that night and I’m proud of the performance.   Check out this video of ‘Subterranean.’

And THIS one of ‘Right on Time.’

All in all, we raised $6700, well beyond our goal.  I’m blown away, Jennifer is blown away.  And we are so grateful for your support.  And I promise, I won’t ask ya’ll for money again…. until I start fundraising for my next record

Thank you ALL so much for spreading the word and for donating your money.  You made a concrete difference in one person’s life and ya’ll should feel good.

I myself am now shifting gears to get ready for some trouble.  DOUBLE TROUBLE!  My tour with Aiden James starts in LA on March 23!  Look out!

xoxo

cjd

TONIGHT Rainbow World Radio is airing an interview I did with host Len Rogers last week.  We had a really fun chat and he is going to play Sad Brit and Never Was (Tangent, I often acccidentaly type ‘Never Was’ as one word.  Like it’s a place:  Neverwas.)   It airs at 8pm eastern at RainbowWorldRadio.com, but if you can’t listen live, you can stream it on the site for a few weeks.

TOMORROW, I’m shooting a video for ‘Ghosts’ with Kevin Thompson, who directed my last video for ‘Over My Head.’  I can’t wait to have a visual element to compliment my favorite song.

Then on WEDNESDAY, we’ve got the Benefit for Jennifer at Molly Malones with sets by yours truly, Keeley Valentino, George Stanford, and Syd.  Fundraising is going really well, especially considering the multitude of deserving places one has to put their money this day and age.  I know that Jennifer is really overwhelmed by the generosity and I’m certain that when all is said and done we will reach our goal.

Finally, I wanna give a shout to Fay Wolf, who totally achieved the holy grail of music placements last night when her beautiful song ‘Yours’ was on Grey’s Anatomy.  And to top it off, she debuted at Hotel Cafe with an absolutely gorgeous set.  Check her out!

Lotsa love and enjoy your weekend!

cjd

It has been really interesting releasing these EPs digitally first.  As of now, I have no plans to manufacture SAD BRITNEY on CD, but I always planned on releasing NEVER WAS online first – as a presale of sorts – and using the proceeds to manufacture the physical copies.  But there were a lot of bumps in the road to manufacturing and NEVER WAS had an exclusively online life for a lot longer than I had anticipated.

What I found is that while the world is inevitably moving in a more digital direction, there is still a healthy population of folks who prefer to listen to their music from a physical object.  I, myself, have discoveed that I fall in the latter group.  I’ve been proud of these four songs since the moment they began to take shape at the studio, but it wasn’t until I held the CD in my hand that I truly felt the weight of the accomplishment.

The CDs are currently available in my online store exclusively, but there are plans to distribute through Amazon in the works.  No CDBaby this time around, because they take a flat $4 fee which doesn’t work so well if the EP only costs $5

When you buy it, take a picture of it and send it to me!  It’s so cool to actually see people holding their signed copies!  See below!

• 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.

Here are the deets:

A Benefit for Jennifer – Music for MS

featuring Christopher Dallman, George Stanford,

Keeley Valentino, and Syd

Wednesday 10 February 2010

Molly Malone’s

575 S Fairfax Avenue

Los Angeles, CA

8pm $10

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!

Here’s the set:

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.

Have a beautiful day, friends!

xo,

cjd

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!

cjd

We were celebrating our 3rd wedding anniversary and almost 8 years total together.  It’s insane to me that at such a young age I have been blessed to find such a great person with whom to spend my life.  But I try to embrace it at every moment.

We drove up the 5 Tuesday evening and stayed the night in Oakland with my friends Taryn and Eddy and their new baby Eden.  I met Eden last month when I was in the bay area, but this was Josh’s first time with the little one.  She is amazing. It’s nuts how suddenly everyone I know has a baby.  Time passes so quickly. Just when you get comfortable with life as it is, the landscape shifts.

Wednesday morning we had breakfast in Oakland with T and E and E and then drove an hour and change north to the  beautiful hills and vines of Napa.  We met up with my Dad, who flew in from Wisconsin, and had lunch at a great Italian place called Uva. We dove right into the wine, sharing a bottle of Mount Veeder cab.  After lunch we napped, then went out to dinner, where we, of course, had another couple bottles of wine.  What a great way to live.  Sleep, wake, wine…sleep, wake, wine.

Thursday was our designated vinevard day.  We drove north on the Silverado trail and I played ‘Never Was’ for my dad for the first time.  He got really emotional and expressed how much he loved it.  As we listened a second time, winding on country roads through neat rows of grapevines, I was reminded again how blessed I am to have the belief and support of those around me.

We stopped first at the Joseph Phelps vineyard.  The 1997 Joseph Phelphs Insignia was the first amazing bottle of wine Josh and I ever had, so it made sense to start there.  Joseph Phelps’ tasting room is a large library-like room with dark wood  furnishings and gigantic oak barrels all along one wall.  Near the ceiling, lining the circumference of the room is a collection of memorable bottles Joseph Phelps drank.

Our tastes were poured by a lovely lady named Geraldine, who managed to be really knowledgable and welcoming and nurturing all at once.  She poured us through a flight of 6 wines and  Josh and I left my dad to chat with her and wandered out on the the patio, which overlooks the vineyard.  Stunning.

We ended up spending more than 2 hours at Joseph Phelps and the wineries are only open for tastings until 5pm.  So we grabbed a quick bite to eat at a restaurant in St. Helena, then headed back south on the Silverado trail, stopping briefly at Grgich Hills, Stag’s Leap, and Darioush, which was closed  (Next time, SM!)

We ended the day just sloshed enough to forgo a dinner out and in its place get a pizza delivered.

Josh and I drove back down to LA yesterday listening to Joseph Arthur, Ryan Adams, and Thom Yorke and I started to get excited about releasing my next EP!  Its all uploaded to iTunes through Tunecore and it will go live on the site in 2 to 4 weeks.

This EP is very different from ‘Never Was’ but it shares some fundamental common ground.  It was recorded in the same studio with Rachel and Barrie producing and we tracked it the same way as ‘Never Was’– getting as close-to-perfect as possible live recordings of me playing and singing the songs, then adding the other instrumental elements around that to ensure that what grew was still very true to the way that I perform live.

It was a total accident, this EP.   It began as a joke, but for me it ultimately transcended that joke to become something really cool and fun and spooky. And very Christopher Dallman.  And I felt like I had no choice but to release it.  So get ready.

Have a beautiful weekend and make sure to say hello

You can see some pictures from my trip HERE if you are interested.

xoxo,

cjd

I remember listening to this album in the fall of ‘99 (wow TEN years ago.) I was living alone in Queens and was new enough to the city that I was still relatively friendless. I was nursing a broken heart and a stifled spirit. I listened to this record over and over and felt it deep in a way I hadn’t felt music before.

I’m so grateful for all of the positive feedback I’ve been getting about ‘Never Was.’ To hear that people can GET so much of what you are trying to convey and also find and be affected by things that you never even intended is an amazing, almost intoxicating feeling.

I uploaded the songs to the online store just before I went to sleep Monday night. I woke up Tuesday morning to a few dozen sales and raves from some die-hard fans that I would be a little disappointed not to please.

Last night, I celebrated by toasting a tiny perrier jouet split with Liz. In Hollywood, we were gifted with a beautiful fall night that felt all crisp and east coasty. It was perfect.

Now that the record is out, it’s a relief of sorts, but it also reminds me of the reality of the situation… which is that this marks the beginning of a whole new kind of WORK. I have to find as many ways as possible to get ‘Never Was’ to new ears. I have no publicist, no record label, no big corporate radio machine to help spread my tunes to potential new fans. So, I have to get grass roots and guerilla. And I need your help. If you like this music, play it for your friends! There is no stronger way to spread music than friend to friend.

Now I must clean my apartment. It’s pretty dirty and I have company coming. Thank you for listening to my music, thanks for buying it, and thanks for letting me know what you think. More to come, so soon!

xoxo,
cjd

‘Never Was’ comes out in less than a week and I feel surprisingly calm and collected.  Of course, I am beyond wicked*fucking*excited, but I am not the bundle of nerves I was when releasing ‘Race the Light’ (gulp) 5 years back.

Back then, the recording process was so new and unnatural to me that I felt very out of touch with what we were making… and when it was done I had no idea what I felt about the record.  I learned so, so much and had a ton of fun but, because of my own nerves and lack of experience, the vibe in the studio wasn’t the loosest.

Recording ‘Never Was’ was nothing but loose fun.  Even though it’s a dark little record, we managed to laugh a lot. We didn’t rush and money didn’t get tight until the very end.  We allowed ourselves to take the time with each song to really feel out what instruments would fill the soundscape without getting in the way of the story.  I’m so proud of the result.  It’s somehow both dark and hopeful and I think it has a powerful arc for a teeny-tiny 13 minute EP.

Never Was

produced by Barrie Maguire and Rachel Alina

1. Little Bit of Blue

2. Ghosts

3. Coming Around

4. Has Been

______________________

I love it so much.

I hope you buy it.

And I hope you tell your friends to buy it.

I poured my heart and my soul and my entire bank account into it   No joke… It’s beans and rice time, peoples.

‘Never Was’ will be available for download on this site starting next Tuesday, October 27th.   I’m releasing it early– a month before CDs are pressed, a month before it goes live on iTunes– as a thank you to my small bunch of lovely and supportive fans.  5 years is a long time between records and I have such gratitude for your patience and support.  The pre-release will also include a free bonus track that will knock your socks off.

And amazingly, my next EP will go live on iTunes the same day as ‘Never Was.’  So you won’t be waiting long for more music!

Sean Akers (thanks for the amazing cover art, Pumpkin!) and I are also in the process of revamping the music section of this site so you’ll be able to stream every song I’ve ever released and check out the lyrics while you listen.

It’s an exciting time, folks, and I’m thrilled you have you  along for the ride.

Until Tuesday!

Much love!

cjd