critical astronaut farmer
marika
Greetings from beautiful Roanoke, Virginia! Well, here we are, almost
a month into Spring! So, why do I have the heat on? It must have
something to do with the fact that I've been freezing my tookas off
for the last few months, with the exception of several recent days.
But, I'm not complaining (except to the power company). There's been
enough warm weather to get the trees and flowers blooming and to get
the pool open (too cold to swim yet, though). The freezing weather
we're expecting in the next few days should help weed out the weak,
leaving the strong, beautiful bounty that Mother Nature has in store
for us for the rest of Spring and Summer. Yay!
In this newsletter, you will see several links to other web sites. If
you use web-based e-mail, I suggest you visit them by right-clicking
on the link and opening it in another window. If you use a mail
program like Outlook or use AOL, just click on the link. When you're
done visiting the link, you can just close that window to return to
the newsletter. Leave it to a Mac addict to try to make it easy for
ya!
What's been happening since I last wrote in February? The highlight
for me was when Sonny Campbell and I joined fellow WOODY, Al Coffey on
stage at Coda, a cool little place in the Grandin Court area of
Roanoke. We had a great time and managed to keep several of the
patrons interested enough to stay until the end.
Late in February, some Tennessee friends of mine were burned out of
their home and lost everything (including their cars), as well as
coming close to losing the most important thing - their lives. Plebian
and Red were fortunate to escape with relatively minor burns and
injuries in this harrowing adventure. After being blown out of the
house, Plebian managed to break into a rear door and rescue the
then-trapped Red within seconds of tragedy.
A few days later, I was able to go to Johnson City with a load of
clothes and office supplies and other stuff to help them get started
again. Many people have contributed in many ways to this great pair of
supporters to the musical community in East Tennessee. I'll be headed
to Knoxville on April 21 to participate in another benefit to help
these folks rebuild their lives. Contact me if you have any extra cash
or musical gear lying around getting lonely - I'll see that it gets
into the right hands.
Which brings me to what's coming up in the near future.
I'd be slacking if I didn't tell you about a few things coming up
real soon:
April 13 - the 20th Anniversary of 3rd St. Coffee House, featuring
openers, 3 Old Men With Guitars and Trifolkal, and the headliner David
LaMotte. Be there or be DUH - even if it is Friday the 13th! Reception
at 6 PM in the coffee house, and the concert begins at 7, upstairs in
the sanctuary. NO COVER CHARGE, but donations gratefully accepted. See
the details about 3rd St. below.
Every Tuesday night - Al Coffey hosts a new open mic at Chip & Jo's
in Salem at 315 8th Street (540)387-9585. If Al and Bill Hudson are
off on their expected leg of the Feel Good Tour to hurricane-ravaged
Mississippi and New Orleans, I'll be hosting on April 10. I'll expect
to see you there, supporting the musicians who give so much and
enjoying some FREE LIVE MUSIC. NO COVER CHARGE, but donations
gratefully accepted.
July 18 - Roanoke's music community is proud to welcome the founder
of Just plain Folks, Brian Austin Whitney, to our fair city as part of
the JPF summer road trip. I've been trying to get Brian here for 7
years now. Stay tuned for more details as they develop!
http://justplainfolks.org/home.html
Soon after the Knoxville trip, I'll be headed to Luray, Virginia for
Pops Walker's Shenandoah River Songfest. I'm honored to be invited for
the second year, and I'm looking forward to seeing some of last year's
artists, along with one of my favorite Virginia performing
songwriters, Devon Sproule. Visit her at
http://www.devonsproule.com
And check out
http://www.popswalker.com
Schedules for Roanoke's Festival In The Park are tentative at
present, but look for me, along with WOODY, to be in there somewhere.
June brings the Nashville Songwriters Festival and my 4th trip there
for this great event. As usual, I'll be volunteering again as well as
performing in a number of yet-to-be-scheduled venues. It's another
reminder that it really is all about the songs. E-mail Popcorn at
popcornsongs{@}aol.com if you're interested in attending. And visit
the web site at
http://www.songwritersfestival.com
I'll be spending some time in Chattanooga around that time, playing
at some places my brother, Bob is lining up for me. Thanks, Bob!
I'll also be at Next Door (next door to the Acoustic Coffeehouse)
with WOODY on June 22, when all the details are worked out. I'll be
back solo at the Acoustic Coffeehouse on July 27, sharing the stage
with Richmond's Meade Skelton. The Acoustic Coffee House is at 415 W.
Walnut St. Johnson City, Tennessee 37604 (423-434-9872). The links:
http://www.acoustic-coffeehouse.com
http://www.meadeskelton.com/
The following night, I'll be at the annual Doug Graham Memorial
Shindig and Loved Ones Reunion in Jonesborough, TN. I'm pleased to be
invited again!
August 6-10 will find me in Shepherdstown, WV for my 6th trip to the
Mountain Stage Newsong Festival. I've been there every year so far and
don't plan on breaking the string. Check it out at
http://www.newsongfestival.com/
I'll be back solo at 3rd Street Coffee House on August 17 and again,
with WOODY on October 5. See below for some stuff about 3rd St. NO
COVER CHARGE, but donations gratefully accepted.
Visit the 3rd Street Coffee House web site for calendar info and
directions:
http://community.roanoke.com/main.wsi?group_id=25
FREE DOWNLOAD OF THE MONTH
I've started this new department in order to offer a special service
to those people who would like to have MP3 copies of "Naughty And
Nice" tunes on their computer and/or iPod.
By request, I've made this month's free download Al Coffey's great
song, "Two Woman Blues". Al, along with Sonny Campbell and me, plays
in a trio we call WOODY. You can listen to some of WOODY'S tunes at
the link below. I hope you'll take advantage of the free download by
clicking on the following link and selecting the download:
http://www.billpaynemusic.net/music-group-7.html
SALES DEPARTMENT
Thanks to everyone who has bought and/or listened to "Naughty And
Nice". The countdown to the break-even point stands at 86 to go. You
know what to do. Digital distribution has passed 4,000 now - another
milestone (mostly listens, of course - they net me anywhere from .01
to .09 each, depending on the source). There are links below that will
take you to digital music sites, many of which offer free sample
tracks. I hope you'll check them out and feel compelled to support
independent music by making a purchase of a single track or whole
album. Thanks!
I'm fortunate to be included on a compilation CD
released by Catawba Records, titled "Blue Ridge
Music Today - The Whole Caboodle". This is a
fantastic collection of 21 songs by Catawba Records
artists and those who have recorded at Catawba
Sound Studio. There are tunes by Steve Virts,
Donna Pearson, Samuel Thomas Mann, Al Coffey,
Heather Berry & Virginia Carolina, the Bluegrass
Brothers, Locust Mountain Boys, and a bunch of
other artists, including WOODY! Check it out at the
CD Baby site, and buy it there if you like, or order a
copy from the Store page at my site:
http://billpaynemusic/products
http://www.cdbaby.com/catawbarecs
"Naughty And Nice" is also available by purchase or
download at my site and at the following internet
locations:
http://billpaynemusic.net/products.html
http://cdbaby.com/billpayne
http://www.mp3tunes.com/BillPayne
Wal-Mart:
http://musicdownloads.walmart.com/catalog/servlet/AlbumServlet;jsessionid=Dj
6j7dIJaDuPOySYgcJt96jV32ggaKGGQeQCthxS9wMGR2qdq1ef!-989341252?id=121581
MyStrands: http://www.mystrands.com/album/499975
interia: http://www.melo.pl/album/aid/55497
aol music:
http://music.aol.com/artist/bill-payne/112956/album/naughty-and-nice/747910
rhapsody: http://www.realmusicservice.com/aid-70804-bill-payne.htm
audio galaxy:
http://www.audiogalaxy.com/list/artistInfo.php?&r=25280735
yahoo shopping:
http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:Naughty%20and%20Nice:1922119549;_ylt=AgCuHidePTI
P6VElZRK.wnhUvQcF;_ylu=X3oDMTBzZTVhM3RqBF9zAzk1OTUxMTEzBGx0AzQEc2VjA2FydHByb
2Q
artist direct:
http://store.artistdirect.com/nad/music/artist/listenwatch/0,,477679,00.html
mp3.com http://www.mp3.com/bill-payne/artists/92559/songs.html
Tower Records
At any of my gigs. The new reduced gig price is only
$8 and, of course, I'll be happy to sign them for you.
By mail: you can send $10 (includes postage) to the
address below and specify how you'd like me to
personally sign it for you. I'll send it out the same day,
if possible.
Bill Payne
3637 Grandview Ave.
Roanoke, Va. 24012
Other contact information available at
http://www.billpaynemusic.net/contact.html
Bill is a member of Just Plain Folks Songwriter and
Musician Network Organization
http://www.jpfolks.org
and the Southwest Virginia Songwriters Association
http://www.svsa.info
and the American Society of Composers, Authors and
Publishers (ASCAP)
http://www.ascap.com
Thanks again for reading! Your interest and support are gratifying
and appreciated. Please contact me with comments and suggestions.
Yours in tune,
Bill