The album comes out this Tuesday, January 24. It will be available at Bull Moose and Coffee by Design stores, or online at bullmoose.com.

We’re hosting a free release show at One Longfellow Square this Sunday, January 22 at 12:00 noon. Many of the generous and talented folks on the album will be performing. Kids are encouraged!

Help spread the word by sharing this photo on Facebook!

Press

We’ve been getting some nice reviews as well. Check out what The Portland Phoenix, The Portland Press Herald and Dispatch Magazine have had to say. 207 gave the release party a plug this week, and last Sunday I was on WCYY’s Spinout with Mark Curdo to talk about it for a bit.

I’m amazed at how far we’ve come since Jill had this idea more than a year ago! Thank you all!

I thought I’d let you all know that we’re going with the title To the Moon, To the Stars.

This summer a childhood friend died unexpectedly in an accident at his home. During the memorial service, one of his sisters said that he would always tell his daughter “I love you to the moon, I love you to the stars.” It wasn’t the first time I’d heard the phrase, but it really stuck with me after that.

Using it for the title seemed like a good way to honor him and his relationship with his family. At the same time, it’s hopeful and a feeling we can all relate to.

In the mean time, Christian Hayes (of Sidecar Radio) and Anna Lombard (formerly of Gypsy Tailwind) have both posted their songs on Soundcloud. Both were recorded by Jim Begley at The Studio who is also doing the mastering for the album.

Christian Hayes – Fiona
Anna Lombard – Song for Haisel

Thanks to both for a couple of really beautiful songs.

Update: Scott Girouard also posted his song a few days ago! Also recorded by Jim Begley!

Scott Girouard – Love Is True

Here’s a link to the article about the CD!

Thanks Dylan!

Ben Folds – Gracie – This is one of my favorites. There’s about a 50% chance I’ll tear up every time I hear it. It’s just ridiculously sweet and honest.

Wilco – My Darling – I first heard a demo of this song shortly before my daughter was born (2009). The demo is much better than the album version, which just isn’t as simple. This is a pretty in between version. Still like the demo best.

Semisonic – Made to Last – Though not what the official FAQ says, in Jake Slichter’s book So You Wanna Be A Rock & Roll Star, as I remember it Dan Wilson’s baby was born sick or prematurely and this song was written in reaction to that. This is a nice cover.

Ben Folds – Still Fighting It – This one is about his son. It doesn’t hit me the same way as Gracie, but I still love it.

There are a few of my favorites. What others can you recommend?

Here are the people who have responded to my email at some point and have been willing to contribute:

• Andrew Ellis (The Lomax)
• Anna Lombard (Gypsy Tailwind)
• Christian Hayes (Sidecar Radio)
• Elli Gray
• Greg Klien (Dark Hollow Bottling Company)
• Joe Brien (The Troubles)
• Kenya Hall
• Kevin Kennie (Headstart)
• Walt Craven (6gig, Lost on Liftoff)

VERY big thanks to all of the people above. Everyone I’ve contacted has been really supportive so far and each response gets me more excited to hear what people are coming up with.

Ideally, I’d like to have 12-15 songs, so still at least a few short. Please, if you know of anyone who may be interested in contributing, send me an email or have them get in touch with me.

Right now, I’m asking for songs to be submitted by September 1st. The plan is to have the album available by mid November / early December.

Thanks for any help or suggestions you can offer, I really appreciate it.

Aside from that, I’ve had a few people get back to me about donating songs to the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital project. What a great and supportive bunch of people we have in this city. I love it!

Looking forward to lining up some more musicians this week and continuing work on the wiki! Enjoy the sun while it lasts!

The Maine Music Wiki (mainemusicwiki.com) is an attempt to document the entire Maine music community, past and present. Obviously, this isn’t a task that I could handle on my own without quitting my day job, so I’ve set the site up as a wiki – meaning anyone can edit and add to it.

Have you ever tried to find information on Google about an old local band you loved? Even if they had a site at one point, it’s probably gone now. Maybe you’ll get lucky and find a Facebook or MySpace page.

How awesome would it be to look up a band you love, click on the guitar player’s name and see every band they’ve ever been a part of? Or see a collection of gig posters for that band? Maybe your band is looking for a drummer – look one up. I want people to be able to get lost in this site.

Like I said, I can’t do this alone. The only way it’s going to succeed is if people fill in gaps, submit content, and help bring the whole thing to life.

Demos. One-off bands. Posters. Band members. Producers. Rehearsal studios. Venues. I want it all. Most of what will be on this site would never come close to meeting Wikipedia’s Notability Guildeline and, personally, I don’t want all this stuff to just disappear. And there’s no reason it has to.

MAINEMUSICWIKI.COM

Onward and upward!