August Music News

August Music News

Robots, Wizards, and Zen Gardens!

Hey, Friend!

Happy August! Before we get to the meat of this newsletter, here’s a few fun facts for you about the month we currently inhabit…

In the early Roman calendar, August was actually the sixth month of the year, and was named after Augustus Caesar. The month was originally 30 days in length, but an extra day was added so that it would equal the number of days in July, which was named after Julius Caesar. Egomaniacs, those emperors. Who’da thought?
August 3rd is National Watermelon day, be sure to hit the grocery store early to avoid the rush of melon maniacs.
On August 21st, 1911, the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre Gallery and not recovered for two years.

Feel smarter yet? No? Well, let’s see what we can accomplish with the rest of this newsletter…

I’m thrilled that just this morning, the second single by Hello Headrush (my multi-media science-fiction electro-rock hyphen-fest) was released! It’s called “Count Down To…”, and out of all the songs I’ve written so far for Hello Headrush, this one comes closest to hitting my targeted “Apocalypse Dance Party” feel. Mixing and mastering duties fell once again to Eric Bert Audio, and the final product absolutely SLAPS. Check it out on Spotify, Apple Music, or Amazon Music. If it’s not yet on your favorite digital platform, it probably will be soon!

The next big Ingenuity Cleveland event is on the horizon, and this one is the biggest of the big: IngenuityFest! Much like the fundraising Bal for which I created a bunch of “dream beds”, the theme this year is Dreamscapes – which I’ve adapted into dream-like soundscapes for my highlight project! Building on the idea of a tranquil Zen garden and the Japanese traditions of Shinto-Buddhist syncretism, I’m developing an entire footprint of modern-meets-ancient interactive artwork. The centerpiece is a human-scale Zen rock garden (just like the one you probably had on your desk at some point), erected over a light-up floor. As you rake through the sand, software created by my brother Dave will translate the areas of light intensity into notes from a Japanese pentatonic scale. The result? An ever-changing soundscape that reacts to real time interactions! To help fund this ambitious project (which already has a working demo and is about to start in earnest), I’ve been fortunate enough to secure up to $5000 in donation matching from the Cuyahoga Arts & Culture Foundation via a community-focused crowdfunding platform called IOBY. The project is about 75% funded and is in its last days – if you’re interested in the project, want more information, and may be able to donate, please check out the page for more information! All donations are matched dollar-for-dollar in real time!

It’s been a few months since I last took the Wizard World stage, but I’m so very excited to announce that at the end of this month I’ll be headed to Chicago for one of the biggest pop-culture geekfests on the planet! You’ll be able to catch me on stage (performance schedule should be coming soon!) and in Artist Alley for the whole 4-day con. This will be my first opportunity to appear at the Chicago event, and I’m looking forward to reveling in the finest pageantry and nerditry the Midwest has to offer!

Here’s a rundown of the shows I’ve got scheduled for the remainder of August:

As always, there’s a chance I might end up picking up a few more shows over the coming weeks, so be sure to like my various social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) and keep an eye on the Tour Dates page to make sure you don’t miss anything.

Once again, thank you for taking this journey with me. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Cheers,
Michael