We are sorely, sorely remiss for not prominently mentioning this date before now, but we’ll make up for it: if you can make it, come to Nashville on Tuesday September 12th! Sandra has put together a wonderful show for the release of her new album, Gravity|Love, which I’ve had for a month and quite dearly love. If you don’t have it, part of the $10 cover charge that night includes a copy of the CD. [Me, I'll find someone upon whom I will bestow this bit of musical goodness.] And if Sandra alone isn’t reason enough to show—and if it isn’t, you need your head examined!—the wonderful Kate York and fellow Square Peg Matthew Perryman Jones will open. This promises to be a wonderful, wonderful show … heck, it’s almost two weeks away and I’m already giddy with excitement.

If you are coming out, let us know! I’d like to meet up with all of you that come on out … I’ll be there taking photos and recording it and doing all that fun stuff.

Radiant Magazine has a two-part interview with our Sandra.

Sandra McCracken may be better known to some audiences as Derek Webb’s better half, but McCracken has been making her own way for quite a while.

I don’t think of her as Mrs. Derek Webb; I think of Derek as Mr. Sandra McCracken.

The interview delves into some of Sandra’s background, so it’s a good read if you’ve wondered about this sort of thing before.

Howdy everyone:

I’m glad to see that people already are beginning to expect Square Peg shows to make their way onto IndieRiver. I think that’s a good thing. Also, I’m aware that some people are finding that getting hooked up with bootlegs is a little bit of a challenge. I understand that there’s a learning curve to this and that it can be frustrating, but I and others are willing to do as much Q&A as we can to help people get started.

What I’m not willing to do is to get into the business of for-profit bootleg trading. Richard, Neil, and I make our recordings available to you for free, and the Pegs are all very much fine with that. But when money gets involved, we are in direct competition with the Square Pegs for your discretionary income. I absolutely refuse to do that. If I find that people are selling bootlegs for profit I will do the following:

1. Take IndieRiver offline immediately.
2. Report the buyer and seller to the Square Pegs.
3. Report the buyer and seller to the FBI if necessary.

I’m sure that this seems harsh, but let me be very clear: I believe in bootleg trading in support of artists, not in competition with them. When money changes hands, we get into competition with them, and that’s where this stops.

Now, I don’t think that anyone is trying to do this now, and I think that folks are just looking for a way to relieve their technical frustration by paying someone else to do it. I understand. I just won’t be a party to it, because that violates the promises that I made to the Pegs before I started doing this.

Thanks for your time.

We’ve established a notification mailing list for new concert bootlegs that have been added to IndieRiver.net. This list is designed to be low-volume and only for info about new bootlegs (and, even more rarely, notes from me on administrivia). You’re not signed up for this when you register to download shows at IndieRiver, but I did invite all existing users on Friday night when I created the list.

Speaking of bootlegs, there’s a recording of last Tuesday’s Square Pegs in the Round show that we told you about earlier. It’s a good one. [And no, I'm not biased for having recorded it myself.]

Katy sent this along, and it’s way funnier than anything I’d write, so I’ll just quote this verbatim.

YOU WON’T BELIEVE THIS. Another (important) thing to vote for- and incentive to do so, other than feeling good and furthering our careers by a leap and bound.

I’m asking a lot of you, friends, but never before have you been able to singlehandedly boost what we’re doing like this- this is for the diehard supporters. Vote early and often. Like Florida, said my brother.

WHAT’S HAPPENING THAT YOU’RE SO EXCITED ABOUT, KATY?

Read: “You’re wearing out my inbox- this better be good.”

Our song “All Of My Friends” is in the finals for American Songwriter’s “The Craft of Music” compilation to be released in the Nov/Dec edition, on the heels of a great review with them, and in the company of great songwriter! The CD will make it into the hands of something like 20,000 music lovers- and that’s good. Additionally, there’s a really nice prize package, including free CD manufacturing, additional coverage- it would be very helpful.

YOUR PART

Vote at http://www.americansongwriter.com from today through August 25– the voting ad is on the right side. You do have to sign in with your email so that they know who’s voting, and answer a couple of questions (like, are you a songwriter?) and then you can vote TEN TIMES A DAY. (Who comes up with this stuff?) You only have to go through the rigamarole once.

WANT A PRIZE?

I’m sitting with my friend Beth at our favorite coffeeshop, and she said “You should give them something the next time your email them.” If you do in fact vote for us ten times a day for the next eight days, and tell me so, I will take you at it and send you a copy of All Of My Friends for $2- the cost of shipping. And a sticker. And a smile.

The “want a prize?” quote is from Buddy Miller, who asked me & Julie Miller that once when I was sitting with them as they finished lunch- “you girls want a prize?” Apparently a prize is dessert, if you finish your meal. I really think Buddy is Santa Claus in cowboy boots.

So, that’s it. I’m gonna give you good people a rest now.

Blessings, and thanks for your hard work and all your love. You’re too good to us.

Love,
Katy & Kenny

Ps. And of course, the voting continues at http://www.americanahighway.com

Buddy Miller as Santa Claus in cowboy boots. I will never, ever look at Buddy the same way again.

So get on over there and vote, people!

Infuze has reviewed The Morning.

Osenga has expertly produced for various artists like Chris Mason, Andrew Peterson, Eric Peters and others, yet he also saves some great work for his own. He also pulled in the talents of longtime friend and fellow former Normal, Cason Cooley, on production as well. The result is an album that is great from beginning to end.

Holdouts, we’re going to hammer you over the head with reviews until you buy the album.

After a 5-month long hiatus, Jeremy Casella has been blogging again with news about a new record in the works. Regarding the project Jeremy says,

I’ve spent the last week or so working away on the first batch of songs we’ll record in the coming days. I’m thrilled to be getting back into the studio and to be finally feeling in touch with my creativity again. It’s been a long dry spell for my song writing…months and months of wrestling with lyrics and melodies, song fragments and musical approaches trying to zero in on the sound I’ve been hearing in my head for the last couple years.

So on the 21st I’ll get started tracking. There’s a lot of tension in the lyrics and not a lot of answers really…so I’m looking for beauty in the music. I look for redemption in everything these days. I think we’ll find it but I’m not sure…this is new territory for me (because I’m mostly producing it myself at this point) and I’m excited but a little intimidated…but mostly I’m excited.

Honestly, I’m just hoping that these songs are great and that people resonate with them and that the sound I keep hearing will be fully realized all throughout the album because I think it could be really beautiful and compelling. I sure hope so.

You can keep tabs on Jeremy through his blog, which is located here. For everything else Casella-related, visit his web site jeremycasella.com.

Perhaps you regularly spy the consolidated tour calendar we have set up for the Square Pegs, whether by looking at it here on the main page of SPA.net or using Upcoming’s options for getting it to you via syndication and iCal. But I want to take a moment to point you to three shows this month where a gaggle of Pegs will gather together to make cool music at Radio Café in Nashville. Now, we don’t all live in Nashville, and we’re not expecting Chris to drive in from Iowa, but if you’re in the area … check it out!

And before anyone asks: yes, I plan on attending all three shows, camera and recording gear in two. I’ll spread the bootleggy goodness, naturally.

If you’ve got the time, head on over to AmericanaHighway.com [warning: annoying auto-playing audio on the site in multiple locations on the page, so you'll need to kill your speakers if you're at work] and peruse their list of nominees for their Hemi Awards. You’ll spot our own Katy Bowser! I imagine that you’ll know what to do from there.

Update: 10 Aug:

You (and your 20 closest friends) are legally allowed to vote once every 24 hours until September 15- in the poll on the website and by emailing jack@americanahighway.com.

If elected, Katy promises to never wear leather pants, sing the good stuff, and never get plastic surgery.