I’m not even sure this thing still works. WHAT YEAR IS IT. I have some shows to announce, but first I have to say a thing (scroll down if you get bored).
I’ve been very quiet lately, and it’s been nice. Somewhere in the middle of one of the various dumpster fires we’ve been living through these last few years, I started to become uncomfortable with my compulsive behavior around social media use. It started with me deciding to post less, because I was aware of how much I craved likes and replies, and I didn’t like being controlled by some algorithm that was an expert at making me feel that way. But I was still reading, reading EVERYTHING, like it was my job. I followed a lot of reporters and politicians, which I maybe thought was going to help me solve all the world’s problems? Or at least guarantee that when a problem was solved, I would hear about it right away. This only resulted in me hearing every bit of bad news very quickly, multiple times per day, flavored with all of the arguments and bad feelings everyone else in the world was having. On top of all that, some family health issues cropped up that made it feel important to shrink my horizon down, in order to focus on a much smaller bubble of time and space that surrounds me and the people I love. (Everyone is OK now, don’t worry.) So I stopped using the sosh meeds entirely. Sorry I didn’t tell you!
It……
(click here to read more)
Share:
“You mean Some Guys ARE Charting.” No, I do not!
The week of April 6, 2019, Some Guys is #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart, #6 on Independent Albums, #9 on Digital Albums, #19 on Americana/Folk, and #29 on Top Album Sales. This is more than a little surprising to me! I expect I will drop off all the charts completely next week, as is my custom. Also, I’m not sure why my oldest, most nerd-pander-y photo is the one they’re using all over Billboard, but I wish I had gotten that T-shirt one size larger.
The Kickstarter was an amazing success, topping out at just over $150,000. At the time of this writing, I think that most if not all orders have been sent out including digital copies as well as the top tier Super Powered Mystery Boxes. It’s been officially released on all the digital music stores, and physical copies are still available through BackerKit for a limited time. Eventually this will transition to a physical merch store on my site, which I am busy setting up just as soon as I start doing it WHICH IS SOON. The vinyl LP edition is on Amazon as well, and the CD will be ALSO SOON. More links:
iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, Spotify, and right here on this site
I really can’t thank everyone enough for the overwhelming number of positive comments about this album. I’m very proud of it, and…
(click here to read more)
Share:
I’m very excited to make this secret project public today: I have a new album called Some Guys and it is covers of 70s soft rock songs that sound exactly like the originals. This is maybe not what anyone would have guessed was my next thing, especially me. But I really love it.
You can pre-order on Kickstarter RIGHT NOW!
In the 70s, I was sensitive kid who liked soft rock (both of those things are still true). These were some of the first songs that I remember really connecting to. I was always pretty sure that this was not a thing that made me cool, but now that I’m in my late 40s, I feel like it’s safe to come out as a soft rock lover. (Hello, I’m Jonathan, and I like Dan Fogelberg.) Lately, I’ve been listening to this kind of music a lot, rediscovering all my old friends, and I couldn’t shake the idea that it would be a lot of fun to just kind of make them again. I didn’t want to do new versions, I wanted to just rebuild the originals from the ground up. I wanted to live inside these songs for a while. I can tell you it felt very warm and cozy in there.
The album was produced by Solid State producer Christian Cassan, and I have to say, it sounds amazing. Most of the instruments are played by him and me, but we brought a few friends in for the stuff that was too hard. The rules: same keys, same tempos, same arrangements (as…
(click here to read more)
Share:
Do you feel that? There’s a slight chill in the air. Crisp autumn leaves crunch underfoot. That’s right, it’s time for New York Comic Con! Here’s where I’ll be and when and why.
Thursday Oct 5 NYCC Geek Rock Block
3-3:15 PM, NYCC Live Stage, booth #174
Check out live interviews with some of the top names in Geek Rock including Jonathan Coulton, Paul & Storm, and Nerf Herder
NYCC Thursday badge required
Livestream Here
Loot Crate Geek Rock Block Meet & Greet with Jonathan Coulton, Paul & Storm & Nerf Herder
3:30-4:30 PM, Loot Crate booth #536
Loot Crate brings you an hour of geeking out with the biggest names in Geek Rock: Nerf Herder (Buffy the Vampire Slayer theme), Jonathan Coulton aka “JoCo” (Portal) and musical comedy duo Paul & Storm. Come meet everyone, have something signed AND sign up for your chance to win 2 tickets to Nerf Herder in Brooklyn on 10/5 and 2 tickets to JoCo and Paul & Storm in Brooklyn on 10/6. (both 21+) Merch will also be available for sale.
NYCC Thursday badge required
Friday Oct 6 Jonathan Coulton with Paul & Storm and “Friends”
7-9 PM, Bell House, Brooklyn
Join Jonathan Coulton, Paul & Storm and their friends (if they have any, which they don’t) for a night of music, hilarity and general nerdery.
21+
NYCC badge not required
Tickets Here
Acker and Blacker’s Star Wars Party
(click here to read more)
Share:
Because it is a FAQ, here are the credits/liner notes for Solid State:
All words and music by Jonathan Coulton
All vocals by Jonathan Coulton
All instruments and noises by Jonathan Coulton and Christian Cassan except:
Aimee Mann
Background and harmony vocals tracks 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9,13 and 15
Dave Gregory
Slide guitar and guitar solo track 5
Electric guitars and guitar solo track 11
Bennett Paster
Piano tracks 1, 6 and 7
John Widgren
Pedal steel guitar tracks 2, 3, 6, 13 and 14
Roberto Cassan
Accordion track 6
Kenneth H. Rampton
Trumpet and flugelhorn track 11
Ball and Chain horns arrangement by Christian Cassan
Produced, Recorded and Mixed by Christian Cassan at The Secret Garden
Mastered by Dave Cooley at Elysian Masters…
(click here to read more)
Share: