Category: support your locals

100 WIP, Getting Published, Photos, Playlists, support your locals

#ItsHappening

fivesixer

Yes yes y’all! Let’s update you on the last couple of days, since so much has happened between the last time I looked at this blog and now. Follow along!

    • The results of the photo shoot are in! I’ve got a back cover headshot, a back page photo, and of the 67 pics maybe five to ten I actually like (though not the fault of the photographer…after all, he did his best with what he had to work with).
    • The front/back covers are live! 100 front and back cover
    • And here’s a sneak preview of the dedication page, clipped from the editing proof… kickass job by my crews!

dedication

So I had a late night and tried to sleep in a little this morning. Well past my usual wake-up time, as I’m slowly coming to, the Aesop Rock ringtone goes off and it’s the amazingly talented and lovely Sarah Fader on her way for some donuts, checking in. I keep saying things like “Shit’s getting real” yet each day shit keeps getting more real. And we’re going over the list of things I still need to work on, which is crazy because it’s the last hurdle I need to get myself over. Things like Press Release info, newspaper and radio contacts, email addresses from interested readers, finishing off the website and changing the hosting. Life comes at you fast, yo. I told Sarah I had to run some errands and do some packing for a short trip home starting tomorrow, we did a lot of YaaaYYYY!-ing, and I got up to take care of my bizness. And this is what I came home to…

BOOM goes the dynamite!

It’s hard keeping up with the social media posts…the Facebook and Instagram and Twitter love. Cuz like I said, I still have a ton of work to do…and we’re not even in the promotional stage yet where I’m gonna be doing interviews and signings and all that that entails. Plus, I’m taking a weekend off (but not really) to see my mom and hang out at a family friend’s kid’s grad party…which I’m looking forward to, because it’s time off but it’s also some networking opportunities. Gonna bust out the memo book and the nice pen to jot down some email addresses. Gimme yours now and save me some trouble! That way I can send them to my balls-out team of indie warrior women at Eliezer Tristan Publishing and you can be updated as to where I’ll be and how you can get the book. Buy it off the site, get it from Amazon, stuff it on your Kindle, or see me in person and say hey…get you a signed copy! It’ll be nice to see some of you again! It’s been way too long.

Let’s go out on a strong note and see what kind of playlist iTunes wants to generate for me today as I get out of here to bang out work and get ready for some family time…

  • Reggie & the Full Effect, “Mood 4 Luv”
  • Jawbox, “Savory”
  • Atoms For Peace, “Dropped”
  • Jimmy Eat World, “Futures”
  • Joe Tex, “I Believe I’m Gonna Make It”
  • The New Amsterdams, “Without A Sound (Eleanor)”
  • LL Cool J, “I Can’t Live Without My Radio”
  • Wilco, “Company In My Back”
  • Deftones, “Feiticeira”
  • Radiohead, “True Love Waits”

That’s all I got for you today, kids…keep watch on your email, this blog, and my Facebook and Twitter for now til I fix up the website. You are my inspiration, my key, and my love. Peace y’all.

Homies, Playlists, support your locals

Let’s talk about people other than me.

fivesixer

What’s good, people? It occurred to me earlier today that I still have a lot to do both here and at norbaikin.com and I haven’t even filled out a bio or “About Me” section thingey here. And that’s mainly cuz I hate talking about myself, which is something I’ll need to get over with the quickness…basically you could legit say I need to get over myself.

Anyway, I want you to meet the wonderful Sarah Fader. Aside from the amazing work she does with Stigma Fighters, there’s the intriguing matter of Eliezer Publishing.

And I can’t say enough about Sarah, to be honest. She’s a wonderful woman, stronger than she knows, and she don’t just have a lot on her plate…she’s basically got a fancy china cabinet full of all sortsa great shit goin’ on. She’s a fighter and a dedicated mom; she’s savvy and smart and she’s always like one or two steps ahead of me in my journey, making things happen. I wanna long-distance high-5 her and hug her and hug her and hug her, because I do not know how to thank people. Saying “thank you” isn’t strong enough and it doesn’t convey the depth of my gratitude.

So hey y’all…give her a click and a shout and say what’s up to my homie from across the country. Support the causes, because they affect you and me and you and your friends more than you might be aware of in your day-to-days. I’m open like a screen door that won’t shut in a brutal windstorm when it comes to talking about Mental Health…and the more we all start and continue conversations about it, not only can we normalize and understand depression, but we can also shatter the stigmas surrounding lots of different types of MH topics. But yo…it’s gotta start somewhere, and Sarah’s made available an incredible avenue for that with her books and fancy special adult stickers for grown-up kids like me who need a special award some days for getting certain shit done without totally breaking down or losing it. (Ed. Note: Homeboy’s getting better about losing his shit because he has less reasons now to lose shit over. Thank you.)

Alright…let’s top this off with a short playlist of what I’m going through while I wait and anticipate the professional photo shoot I’ve got lined up tomorrow. Let’s hope the weather cooperates, as it’s planned to take place outside.

  • Beck, “Novacane”
  • Radiohead, “You”
  • Dollywatchers, “Lucy Leave”
  • Thursday, “Where The Circle Ends”
  • Metallica, “Escape”
  • Eyedea & Abilities, “Sky Diver”
  • Franz Ferdinand, “Take Me Out”
  • Atmosphere, “Party Over Here”
  • Boysetsfire, “Parasite Candy”
  • Death Cab For Cutie, “Soul Meets Body”

Let’s celebrate art of all kinds and those who create it…art comes in many forms, serious and topical to abstract and wandering in a mental desert. One thing I’ve learned from supporting local artists in Buffalo over time back in the day is please…don’t ask for free shit. These are your friends and neighbors, making a few bucks off their hard work/practice/suffering for their art. Most likely they put a lot of their own money into their projects, whether it’s buying their own instruments and self-financing a cd, or buying the laptop they type this very same shit on that you’re reading right now, or paintbrushes, or woodworking materials (which are not cheap). Support your friends. They’re not busting their asses to give their hard work, labor, and experiences away. And chances are, they’re making pennies on the dollar versus what you pay…so you get cool, quality material your homies dropped and maybe they’re grabbing a slice of pizza instead of wallowing in ramen noodles again. That full belly of goodness may lead to more incredible material…you never know.

Alright kids…let’s recap: Check out Sarah, and support your friends. I’d add in something like LOVE ME!! but if you’ve made it this far chances are you already do. And if that’s the case, you better know I love you back! Peace, stay tuned, and wow I really need to expand my base…not that y’all aren’t wonderful enough already, but stipulations in my head suggest I need not only you but your friends, relatives, neighbors, and that one dude at the office everyone avoids (probably because he reads my poems in a locked closet and comes to work early just to *wink wink* watch the ladies walk in). Share the fuck outta me…I really don’t mind. <3

And that’s all I got for today folks. Peace, sharing, and eventual relief. I love you ’til you no longer love me, and I’m determined to not let that happen. Ever.