has it really been a year?

wow...here i am thinking i am talking to you all the time, but apparently it's all in my mind.  it's not that i have nothing to say...i have a million things to tell you and ask you and i'm never sure where to dive in.  how about here.  the new Auralei EP is finished...the music is finished and polished and mastered to a lovely sparkle.  the official release date is 14 february, but if you are clever enough to be reading this little ditty, you will have discovered you can find it already on our bandcamp page....for a discounted price until the end of January.  the artwork that is currently there was meant as a temporary sketch, and will soon be replaced by a lovely design conjured up by our deeply talented friend AM Radio - if you've never visited Second Life, meeting him is reason enough to venture into the unknown...

of course, the "temporary" artwork for Auralei, which was whipped up by our very own everyday hero Keith Crusher, is a gem itself...we're quite tempted to do CD runs of both versions of the artwork just for kicks, but may have to wait till the tooth fairy drops by to double our budget (if you happen to bump into her, tell her she can find us here)...in any case, we'll put both versions to good use...

which reminds me...i'm curious - what kind of goodies do you like to scoop up from your favorite artists?  do you like vinyl?  a spiffy one-of-a-kind art print you can frame and put on your wall?  a lovely pillow you can fluff up for your boudoir?  i was thinking - the image of Auralei comes from a piece of fabric my grandmother gave me which was given to her when she was young.  the fabric has panels with different lovely ladies printed on each one, and i was thinking of using one or two of the Auralei panels to create handmade pillows...i might have to be coaxed into parting with them, but i've always wanted to do something with this beautiful fabric rather than it being tucked away in a hope chest for eternity... there are all sorts of little treasures i'd like to conjure up and offer...but i also like to know what you like.  hmmm?

also, if you are listening to our music and get a creative bee in your bonnet, don't be shy...let us know what you've been inspired to cook up, and we'll put it on our fan page...photos, videos, drawings, cookies...as an old friend liked to say - the world's the limit, the sky is your oyster...

well...the land of nod is calling...i spent the afternoon with keith at Muir beach, doing another round of shooting for the 'Ella' video, which is being expertly crafted by singer/songwriter/artist extraordinaire Nicky Cairney...a little promo clip of this hand-drawn animated treat can be found here, there and everywhere...anyway, it's funny how a day by the sea is both energizing and sleep-inducing...not sure if it's all those negative ions, or the multiple rounds of falling into the sand (no i've no stunt double)...i haven't fallen that many times in one afternoon on purpose since i played Luisa in the Fantasticks in high school.

so much more to say...so many goodies on the grill...but for now...

here is Keith's Auralei design (we'll save AM's until birthday time):

nite nite...