So before I tell you about singer/songwriter Stephanie Mabey, a bit of a disclaimer…

Just so you know, I’m a huge believer in crowdfunding projects and sites like Kickstarter, and I’m even down for throwing some money at them myself. But I’ve had some misgivings about promoting artists who are doing Kickstarter campaigns, simply because I am friends with some of these people, and I don’t want to create a conflict of interest or be accused of playing favorites with promising artists who are raising money for their projects–as in, “You promoted so-and-so’s project–why didn’t you support mine?”  I just don’t want to go there.

And yet, this morning, I’m all like, “Well, if I am willing to promote someone’s record on this blog after it was made, how is it any different to promote it before it gets made?” So that made me think of it a little differently.

And then there’s the question: if we don’t do what we can for an artist whose music really ought to be released, perhaps it won’t be–and then where would we be?

The thing is, after hearing a couple of tracks from her upcoming record Waking Up Dreaming, I’m convinced that Stephanie Mabey’s music needs to get out there. She’s very current both in songwriting and in style, and her songs are engaging. The song below, “Zombie Song” (which Stephanie is currently giving away for free), currently has my vote for most entertaining song of the year. It’s inventive, funny, and extremely catchy–not to mention it’s a perfect song for October.

So don’t expect me to make a habit of this, but since I suppose it’s my prerogative to support a record “before the fact” or “after the fact”–I’m inviting my readers to participate in this particular campaign. At this moment, Stephanie needs to raise about $1400 in the next week to complete her record, or she basically has to start over with fundraising. So if you dig the track below, hop on over to her Kickstarter page and at least pre-order the record. If you want to do a little more, she’s offering plenty of cool incentives, as well. If we all do our part, “mabey” we can get it done.

Oh, come on. You knew that pun was coming, didn’t you?

ADDENDUM NOVEMBER 1: Not only has Stephanie surpassed her Kickstarter goal, but she’s released a YouTube vid of The Zombie Song which is getting lots of views. Thought I’d stick it here as well:

I'm With Her (Photo: Lucia De Giovanni)

What do you get when you take an established country/roots singer from Denver and an established folk singer from Fargo, and put ‘em together? When Angie Stevens and Haley E. Rydell tried it, they came up with a new collaboration called I’m With Her.

Both artists have found success on their own–Stevens with her band Angie Stevens & the Beautiful Wreck, and Rydell with Haley E. & the Rydells–but this collaboration seems to combine the best of both artists in an expression that is much different than what either one has produced thus far.  According to Stevens, with whom I had a chance to talk prior to the release of I’m With Her’s self-titled EP, this project provided a chance for them to share some heartfelt music that doesn’t quite fit the vibe of the artists’ respective bands.

Released earlier this month on Stevens’ label Boss Koala Records, the I’m With Her EP contains songs that are simple, reflective, passionate, beautiful…and deep.

Deep.  That’s a good word for it. The girls ventured into deeper waters with this collaboration. If you’re a fan of Stevens, Rydell, or both, chances are you’ll love this collaboration a lot.

Take a listen to the track below, and if you like it, go buy the EP at I’m With Her’s Bandcamp site.

I’m With Her: “But I Do”

I first heard indie-folk band Glowing House play live in a Denver venue, and I was impressed to the point that I asked to review their record. The band is co-fronted by singer/songwriters Jess Parsons and Steve Varney, accompanied by Patrick Kline on percussion. Together, the band features an interesting duality–although the overall sound is definitely folk, Parsons’ voice adds a touch of jazz while Varney leans more toward an alternative sound. Don’t ask me how, but the combination works.

The Annual Demise of Every Aspen was released back in 2009, and listening to them live a few weeks ago, it was apparent that Glowing House has grown beyond the music on their record.  Annual Demise carries an overall downtempo melancholy which you might expect with a title like that, and they’ve expanded their sound a bit since then. Nevertheless, the record has some brilliant moments on it–strong melody lines, solid harmonies, and some haunting string arrangements thrown in.

Thankfully, Glowing House has announced that they’re recording a new record that will hopefully reflect their expanded range. If Annual Demise is any indication, we have a lot to look forward to. This band is definitely on my radar.

Glowing House: “Paper And Pen”

…I haven’t fallen off the face of the earth.

Blog posts here have been scarce recently due to a huge writing assignment I took that has deadlines attached. Between that and the approaching holidays, I haven’t had the time to post here as frequently. But don’t worry–I haven’t gone anywhere. More great stuff is on the way as soon as the holidays are over.

Until then…Merry Christmas.

In case you’re new to this here blog (or to my other blog, The Developing Aritist)…you might be wondering about the occasional “LOCALS ON SHUFFLE” updates that appear in my Twitter feed on the sidebar.

Simply put, I’m a fan of local music.  When I get hold of a recording made by a band or artist from Denver or the surrounding area, I typically like to put it on my ipod.  Most of the time when I get the chance to listen to my ipod, it’s on shuffle–so when a local act comes up on my shuffle, I tweet about it.  And because all my stuff is linked together, those tweets show up on Twitter, on both blogs, and on my Facebook.  So basically, if you’re a local band or artist, and I get some of your music on my ipod, you get some free shout-outs across my local network.  Not bad, huh?

By the way, the same holds true if you’re an indie artist from somewhere besides Denver.  If I put your stuff on my ipod and it comes up on shuffle, I send out a similar Tweet: “INDIES ON MY IPOD”.

Of course, the way to get on this highly-coveted ipod shuffle rotation is to make sure I have your music.  It’s at my discretion–after all, it IS my ipod–but as I said, I’m a fan, so most of what I get eventually shows up on the shuffle. Instructions for music submissions, either by download link or by mail, can be found by clicking here or using the “Submissions” tab above.

So as if I didn’t have enough to keep me busy…I’m doing a bit of a game.

I’m a fan of local music, and I have several local bands and artists on my ipod.  When I’m out walking or doing whatever, I often put my ipod on shuffle, and I love it when a local band comes up.  So I’ve decided to tweet about it when it happens.

So here’s how it works. You’ll notice that I have put a Twitter feed widget on the sidebar of this blog.  You may also notice one or more entries there that begin with “LOCALS ON SHUFFLE:…”  (‘cuz I’m already doing this).  That’s what it will look like.  Every time a local band or artist comes up in shuffle mode, I will tweet a “LOCALS ON SHUFFLE” alert, and it will show up on the sidebar.  (If you follow me on Twitter and Facebook, it will show up there, too–as well as on my other music blog, The Developing Artist.)

So local Denver musicians, if you want some shout-outs in my Twitter feed, send me your music!  I don’t care if I fill up my ipod with local stuff–the more the better.  I’ll even review some of your stuff here, plus I’ll try and do a weekly blog post recap of the Locals that showed up on shuffle that week.  Just click the “Submissions” tab at the top right of this blog page to find out how/where to send your stuff.

BTW…I’ll be doing a similar thing for indie musicians outside the Denver area, because I have some of your stuff, too.  When non-local indie bands come up on shuffle, the tweet will start with “INDIES ON MY IPOD.” (Clever, huh?)

John Common & Blinding Flashes of Light. Photo: Kelly Kievit.

Just wrote about these guys, but I can’t get this song out of my head. Haunting melody, strong lyric.  A song with heart.  Just my opinion.  This song made me a John Common & BFL fan.

“Turnaround”: John Common & Blinding Flashes of Light

Photo: Adam Elmakias

Denver local band The Heyday, a pop-rock band who was recently voted into the Hometown for the Holidays Top 3, is making their entire full length, self-titled album available to the public as a free download for the month of January.

For more info about The Heyday, read my profile of the band on Examiner.com.

The Heyday: Turn Me Around
The Heyday: Come In or Stay Out