Some Guys Is Charting
“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 I feel so lucky that my job is such that I got to turn what is kind of a dumb idea on paper into a real thing that seems to be bringing people so much joy. Thank you, and please keep telling everyone how great it is!
New Album: Some Guys
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 best we could manage). We hired real strings and real horns. We engineered and mixed in a way that we felt was faithful, but not slavish, to the original recordings, so the effect is this thrilling combination of old and new. I hope you like it as much as I do.
The release date is yet to be determined, but probably late March. Right now I’m running a Kickstarter to cover the cost of printing CDs and some really beautiful vinyl, designed by Gail Marowitz and Ed Sherman, who also created the grammy-nominated design for Solid State:
I mean: yum. More details are on the Kickstarter page, including a complete track list, and a pretty great video that explains the project and lets you hear a snippet of each song. As ever, I am grateful to all of you for supporting me in a way that lets me do things like this. I have the greatest job in the world. Thank you.
Stay soft everybody!
NY Comic Con Schedule
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
10-??? PM, Bell House, Brooklyn
CANCELLED!!!!!
Saturday Oct 7
Telling Stories with Pat Rothfuss, Jonathan Coulton, Paul & Storm, Maureen Johnson, Jean Grae & Travis McElroy
2:45-3:45 PM, Room 1A06 at Javits Center
Bestselling authors Patrick Rothfuss and Maureen Johnson; singer-songwriters Jonathan Coulton and Jean Grae; comedy/music duo Paul and Storm; and podcaster Travis McElroy discuss their strategies for storytelling, creating characters, and moving from good idea to finished thing.
NYCC Saturday badge required
Sunday Oct 8
Solid State with Jonathan Coulton – hosted by Image Comics
3-3:50 PM, Image Comics booth #1444
Celebrate the recent album release of Solid State by Jonathan Coulton and its companion graphic novel by Jonathan Coulton and Matt Fraction from Image Comics by meeting JoCo himself. Exclusive hardcover graphic novels and vinyl will be available for sale. Don’t miss your chance to meet the man behind the music and the graphic novel – and to have them both signed!
NYCC Sunday badge required
We Got This with Mark and Hal, LIVE!
6-8 PM, Hudson Mercantile (500 W 36th St at 10th Ave)
We Got This with Mark and Hal is returning to NYCC for the third consecutive year, recording a live episode of their popular Maximum Fun podcast in which they settle the topics you never knew you cared so much about, like whether ketchup belongs on hot dogs, what the best classic board game is, Star Wars vs Star Trek, and the best Batman of all time! Mark Gagliardi and Hal Lublin (Drunk History, Venture Bros, Welcome to Night Vale, The Thrilling Adventure Hour) will be joined by special guest, Jonathan Coulton, as they tackle another of the most important debates of all time: the best game show of all time!
All Ages.
New York Comic Con badge not required.
Tickets Here
Solid State Liner Notes
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
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