Update
Duncan is the MAN. He fixed my amp...it actually sounds better than when I first got it!
Kim started her new job. On the plus side, it is feasible that she may do quite well at this - to the point that I could focus my entire day's work activities on writing and recording. Even if she just does okay, so much of the financial burden will be off my shoulders...I won't have the kind of extra money I had in the mid 2000's, but all I really wanted money for was a cusion so I could spend more time writing songs. I've never quite lived up to the potential of when TKT had stuff being placed on TV and with publishers, so the thought that I could REALLY focus excites me.
The design business is going well. The clients I have are REALLY into what I'm doing for them - so much so, that it emulates the feeling I get when I play a good show - same kind of artistic satisfaction. The lame part is that I do not know how to market my business, so I have far fewer clients than I could handle (even if I were writing full-time, I could still handle a larger client base than I have now).
NYE party was pretty awesome.
(There is supposed to be an LJ cut here titled 'TKT Stuff'. I don't think it is working.)
2008 was a rough year for us. It did have it's moments (#8 song in Brazil , very large attendance at our warehouse shows), and we sold a lot of CDs and downloads without releasing a new album or doing a ton of shows, but for the most part it had more than the usual amount of distress.
We had nothing but issues with the release of 'Popularity Contest' in Asia. I'm supposed to fly to Seattle in February to meet with our label contact to discuss our stategy for a release this year, but I'm not holding my breath on his ability to do anything.
Misha having to leave TKT for medical and geographical reasons was a huge setback. I'm not saying that the band has suffered artistically - we were a viable band before, we'll be a viable band after - but mentally it was a huge distraction, and took away the ability to do a mass of Summer shows (as we tend to do each year).
Even with our attendance outdoing the club-scene, we continued to get passed up for Park shows and Sammies stuff. I need to REALLY clarify that I DO NOT CARE about the Sammies recognition, I care about the tangibles that it makes avaiable to the bands it picks.
Kimberly and I had a VERY tough time of it this last year, and it made its way into TKT. So much of the stress of us each losing a family member (her aunt, my mom) and the uncertainty and eventual downturn in our employment did not help in our ability to work together on the new batch of songs. This resulted in Bractune, Sierra, and myself doing the majority of rehersals without the presence of Kimberlina. Typically, Kim will make herself absent if she feels she is in the way of us getting some kind of tricky part down. "The Send Off" was a song that once she had her vocals nailed, and made her arrangement suggestions, she made herself vacant so we could focus on some intricate breaks and things without her just standing around - that kind of thing was normal. For the last 6 months, though, she has only been at rehersal when we had a show to practice for, or because we HAD to have her sing stuff she wrote so we could finish some new recordings.
In some ways, the break from a traditional schedule has helped; Sierra and Bractune are truly a rhythm-section now. As evidenced from the last couple of shows, they are more than tight, they tend to musically breathe together which gives us far more credibility as a live band.
To end on a positive, 2009 is filled with promise. The lack of pressure to really just get an album finished has helped to make the new batch of songs more interesting. Kimberlina and I are once again writing together EVERYDAY, and the break we took allowed me to construct a new studio for the band. Here's to a fantastic new year filled with awesome songs!
.
Kim started her new job. On the plus side, it is feasible that she may do quite well at this - to the point that I could focus my entire day's work activities on writing and recording. Even if she just does okay, so much of the financial burden will be off my shoulders...I won't have the kind of extra money I had in the mid 2000's, but all I really wanted money for was a cusion so I could spend more time writing songs. I've never quite lived up to the potential of when TKT had stuff being placed on TV and with publishers, so the thought that I could REALLY focus excites me.
The design business is going well. The clients I have are REALLY into what I'm doing for them - so much so, that it emulates the feeling I get when I play a good show - same kind of artistic satisfaction. The lame part is that I do not know how to market my business, so I have far fewer clients than I could handle (even if I were writing full-time, I could still handle a larger client base than I have now).
NYE party was pretty awesome.
(There is supposed to be an LJ cut here titled 'TKT Stuff'. I don't think it is working.)
2008 was a rough year for us. It did have it's moments (#8 song in Brazil , very large attendance at our warehouse shows), and we sold a lot of CDs and downloads without releasing a new album or doing a ton of shows, but for the most part it had more than the usual amount of distress.
We had nothing but issues with the release of 'Popularity Contest' in Asia. I'm supposed to fly to Seattle in February to meet with our label contact to discuss our stategy for a release this year, but I'm not holding my breath on his ability to do anything.
Misha having to leave TKT for medical and geographical reasons was a huge setback. I'm not saying that the band has suffered artistically - we were a viable band before, we'll be a viable band after - but mentally it was a huge distraction, and took away the ability to do a mass of Summer shows (as we tend to do each year).
Even with our attendance outdoing the club-scene, we continued to get passed up for Park shows and Sammies stuff. I need to REALLY clarify that I DO NOT CARE about the Sammies recognition, I care about the tangibles that it makes avaiable to the bands it picks.
Kimberly and I had a VERY tough time of it this last year, and it made its way into TKT. So much of the stress of us each losing a family member (her aunt, my mom) and the uncertainty and eventual downturn in our employment did not help in our ability to work together on the new batch of songs. This resulted in Bractune, Sierra, and myself doing the majority of rehersals without the presence of Kimberlina. Typically, Kim will make herself absent if she feels she is in the way of us getting some kind of tricky part down. "The Send Off" was a song that once she had her vocals nailed, and made her arrangement suggestions, she made herself vacant so we could focus on some intricate breaks and things without her just standing around - that kind of thing was normal. For the last 6 months, though, she has only been at rehersal when we had a show to practice for, or because we HAD to have her sing stuff she wrote so we could finish some new recordings.
In some ways, the break from a traditional schedule has helped; Sierra and Bractune are truly a rhythm-section now. As evidenced from the last couple of shows, they are more than tight, they tend to musically breathe together which gives us far more credibility as a live band.
To end on a positive, 2009 is filled with promise. The lack of pressure to really just get an album finished has helped to make the new batch of songs more interesting. Kimberlina and I are once again writing together EVERYDAY, and the break we took allowed me to construct a new studio for the band. Here's to a fantastic new year filled with awesome songs!
.