Mission Man: News

I'm currently redesigning MissionMan.net from scratch. I hope to make it as dynamic and interactive as possible, giving you fresh information as quickly as possible.

I want to give a special thank you to the Toledo City Paper for the article they ran on me this week. If you want to read it, go here. Thanks again TCP!

This video is from Friday's show at Mickey Finn's Pub in Toledo. It's my first time performing "Do What You Love" during a full show, and only the third time I've performed it ever.

I'm getting really excited about going on tour!  It will start in about 9 weeks, and I decided to pick up my car from Florida, so I'll be filling in as many shows between now and April as possible.  I will be doing a combination of open mics and full shows, with the goal to be performing every night.  I AM QUTTING MY JOB, SO I NEED TO SELL MUSIC in order to eat, get to my next shows, etc.  Honestly, I'll be cutting down on expenses so much by being homeless (not paying rent), that I only need to make about $200 per week, but that requires your help.  You can find my music on iTunes or CDBaby.com. If you download "The Best of Mission Man" from CDBaby, I keep 91 percent, so that is definitely the best way to support me financially.  I really appreciate all of you for helping my dreams come true. 

Do what you love!

- Mission Man

The Best of Mission Man is now available on iTunes! It includes 5 new songs, from the album I'm currently working on, "31 Hours Til What?" in addition to 16 songs from previous albums, including "Chillin' at the Papa," "Playin' a Little Basketball," "Prime Time Players," and more.

I am excited to say that I have relaunched Underground Music Monthly! It is now located at UndergroundMusicMonthly.com I gave it an asp face lift to improve the organization and consistency, and am working on adding new information all of the time now. If you are a musician, you should definitely check out the site.

I sold my first CD tonight towards Playing For a Cure 2008. God it feels so great! The first sale, the first score in a game, the first radio play, is usually very difficult. Tonight, I made that first sale. I performed at the open mic at the Tonic Room, and just before I left, a guy named Mike bought "Intro To My Mind" for $5. I was trying to sell my CDs for $7 each, or $10 for both, but I took $5 because I'd rather raise $5 for cancer research than nothing. Thank you Mike, if you ever read this, for buying that first CD. I really appreciate it.

It definitely started a little momentum, as on the train ride home, I sold another CD. I sat down, and had a box of CDs in my hands. The woman across from me asked "are you selling CDs?" I said yes, and we had a two minute conversation before she bought a CD from me. She also said "if you're not good, I'll see you again, and I'll tell you." Random. I love it. That's $10 I raised tonight towards cancer research. A great start. I'm so happy right now.
Love,
Gary

Normally, Playing For a Cure would be coming up right now. I have been putting on the benefit concert every September from 2004 until 2007. This year, with moving to Chicago, the logistics became unfavorable for a successful event, so I've been thinking of what to do this year instead. At first, I thought I'd build up my Chicago following and have the event in April instead. Friday, while watching the Stand Up to Cancer benefit, I decided to take an online approach. For the rest of the month of September, and all of October, all of my sales will be donated to cancer research. 1/2 will go to the American Cancer Society. The other half will go to Stand Up 2 Cancer. I won't reimburse myself for marketing expenses, and I'll even eat the cost on the CDs themselves. 100 percent of my gross sales will be evenly split between the ACS and SU2C. I hope you take advantage of this, as I would love to raise some money for both organizations and help eradicate cancer off the face of the planet. You can buy the CDs at CDBaby.com. Simply search for Mission Man, or you can download my mp3s there. Since I get 91 percent of the sale when you download my mp3s from CDBaby, this will allow me to generate the most money for cancer research. All of my iTunes sales will be donated as well, but I only get 63 cents on the dollar for those sales, so this is the least effective way to donate money to cancer research while getting my music at the same time.

I just moved here last night. I love my new city, my new apartment, and my life. I had a fantastic time at the Tonic Room open mic tonight and I will be back next Monday, and every Monday thereafter for a while. One of the biggest reasons I made the move to Chicago is the music scene here. I can constantly perform, and that will help in so many ways.

I posted this on my music page a while back, but I thought I would post it here as well. I am officially moving to Chicago on July 6th. I've been thinking about doing it for years. Every time I've gone there, the city has called to me. I love being there, and I'm really excited about moving there. I don't have a job yet, so obviously that's not the motivation for going. I simply found a great roommate/living situation, and I can't pass up the opportunity. I believe I'll grow as a person, as part of me is scared out of my mind to go. A bigger part of me is more scared to stay in Oxford, a wonderful, beautiful town that I finally recently became proud to call home, with no opportunities, for music or a job. It's an easy place to stay because it's safe, in so many aspects, but I need to take this step, and I'm glad that I am.

When I first made the decision, I was so anxious about moving that I was easily frustrated by every day annoyances, such as rude customers, bad traffic, bills, etc. I did lose sight temporarily of the fact that I still have a life here. A life that I love, and will miss in some ways. I am going from something great to something even better. I'm going there to experience new things, grow, and perform as much as possible. Of course, I'll have to get a job (because I'm not currently making any money from music), but that's a part of life I've had no problem with since I was 15. I am celebrating the move by giving you a big sale on my music. I believe this will be the biggest sale I'll ever have. From now until my first week in Chicago, you can download any of the following albums "Intro To My Mind" "Out Of The Shadows" "A Different Kid" or "Indiependent" for just $1, or get the Complete Mission Man Collection for just $5 from CDBaby.com.

I don't know when I decided to start pursuing being happy over being successful, but that is officially my philosophy. I've seen successful people be miserable, and people with less money and status than I have be immensely happy. Why worry about the intermediate step of success when it doesn't necessarily mean I'll be happy? I won't lose sight of that when I move. Until I move, I will be happy. After I move, I will remain the same, even if I can only find a job working retail, or *gasp* transferring to the Papa John's 6 miles from my apartment in Chicago. :)

I have signed up for VIRB. I love the way they are designed, and I love the fact that they don't have ads everywhere. Check out Virb.com/missionman and let me know if there's anything else up there you'd like to see. There are 15 songs on my music player there as well, and a very well organized discography, photos, and my latest video.

I had ChicagoMusicPromotions.com professionally video tape my show in Chicago on March 19th, and I'm happy to announce that the first video from that show is up. It's for Chillin' at the Papa. The video and sound quality are outstanding! More video to come soon!

I want to thank the Illinois Entertainer for giving Chicago a preview of my music before I head up to the Elbo Room on Wednesday. It's certainly not a glowing recommendation, but I truly appreciate the honest opinion offered by Trevor Fisher. I'm obviously not perfect, as a person, or a musician, and I can always improve. You can find the preview by clicking here. Thanks again Trevor, and the Illinois Entertainer. Hopefully I'll see a few of you in Chicago.

I'm really excited about playing the Elbo Room in Chicago on Wednesday, March 19th. Every time I go to Chicago, I think about moving there, and I'm strongly considering moving there in the fall as it is. It's a decision primarily based in the fact that I love the city, and that I think it's a great choice for furthering my musical career. I love my hometown of Oxford, OH but I think it's time to be moving on. If you're in the windy city, I hope you can make it out to the show. Details are on my calendar page. Oh, and you can still download "Indiependent" for $1 in promotion of this show, and you can download the "Complete Mission Man Collection" (121 mp3s) for just $5. Both at CDBaby.com!

In addition to performing for free at Balcony in Oxford on my birthday, from 9-9:45 pm, I have decided to give you the best deal I'll ever offer on my music. You can download any full length Mission Man album for just $1 from CDBaby.com. Go to CDBaby and search for "Mission Man." Every album I have there will be just $1 through my birthday, on January 19th. The Complete Collection (which is 7+ albums of music, 121 mp3s) will be just $5. Thank you to everyone for making my life so much fun, and for listening to my music.

I turn 29 on January 19th, 2008, and in celebration of the final year of my 20s (and the fact that I get an extra day, February 29th, because of the leap year), I will be having an amazing sale for one day only! You will be able to download any of my albums from CDBaby for just $1! Yes, an entire album for $1! It's my birthday present to you. The Complete Mission Man Collection will be the only exception. Since it's 7 albums in one (plus 3 songs from "Indiependent" and a few live recordings), it will be $5. Click here to download all of "Indiependent" (14 mp3s) for just $1 on January 19th!, Click here on 1-19-08 to download the entire album "Intro To My Mind" (13 mp3s) for just $1, or Click here to download The Complete Mission Man Collection (121 mp3s) for just $5!
I hope you are having a wonderful holiday season, and that you're looking forward to 2008 as much as I am!
With love,
Mission Man

Someone asked me for lyrics to my songs, and I told him lyrics were listed for many of the songs on missionman.net, but I guess you had to look too hard, so I spent a couple of hours tonight organizing my songs alphabetically by song title, and I included links to their lyrics pages whenever available. Just click on the "Song database with lyrics" link on the navigation above. I did not include the 33 songs from "Delve Deeper" or the songs from "Transitions" but I still have 75 songs listed, 23 of which have lyrics posted, and 3 have stories behind them as well. Whenever I get the opportunity, I will add lyrics to my website, and add stories. I'll probably add links to each song as well, including which album they're on, what year they were released, their iTunes link, and how often I perform them live. This is just another way I'm trying to bring you the most convenient experience possible, while taking you way inside the music. Thanks for reading!

I've also dropped the price of Intro To My Mind to just $4 for the entire album on CDBaby and "Indiependent" is just $5 on CDBaby when you digitally download it.  I really want to get my music out there to as many people as possible, so I can have a huge touring year in 2008, so steal my music and give it to as many people as possible!  Seriously, if you give my music to all of your friends, and you all come out to see me perform, I'll be elated! 

I just confirmed my birthday party show tonight. It will be on my birthday, January 19th, 2008, at the Balcony in Oxford, from 9-10 pm. It will probably be a free show, as it's just for fun. Come join me on my birthday!

In an ongoing effort to make missionman.net better all of the time, I have now added a java based music player to my website. It took a bit of effort, and about 2 hours to figure it all out, but it's up now, and I love it. You can launch it in a separate window if you want to listen to the songs while you browse, or you can hang out on the main page, and still find a bunch of information very quickly. Thanks for listening! I've also added a youTube video jukebox, so you can easily watch all of my live video performances from the same player. It's like having a little TV, with your mouse being the remote control! Thanks for watching!

I have been doing a lot of work to my website and myspace pages the past couple of days. I've made it easier to find my music on myspace, both for free download, and to buy from iTunes and CDBaby.com. I've always changed the layout of my index page here on missionman.net so that you don't have to scroll down as far to find what you're looking for. I also have some new pictures up, courtesy of R.C. Reeves photography in Columbus, from the Skully's show.

Columbus, OH has been blessing me very much lately. First, I had the wonderful opportunity to be on Dave and Jimmy's morning show, (http://www.daveandjimmy.com), and last night, I had the opportunity to open for Gil Mantera's Party Dream (http://www.partydream.com/) at Skully's Pub (http://www.skullys.org). The crowd was huge, and I must have played for 70-100 people! I definitely had some great love from the crowd, too. Specifically, I want to thank Jeff, Sarah, Emily, Heather, and the guy (I didn't get his name) who saw me at Scarlet and Grey Cafe back in the day for the positive reinforcement. I definitely want to thank the couple who heard me on the morning zoo, and bought a CD! I sold 3 last night, which is wonderful! I need to thank Nate for making it out to the show. I remember having many conversations in the parking lot of my apartment building with that guy. He's moved to Columbus, and it was great to see a familiar face in the crowd. Finally, I need to thank Skully's, Gil Mantera, and Angelo for giving me this wonderful opportunity, and Sean for running sound so well.

Thank you to everyone who came out and had a great time with me! Thank you Brainbow http://www.myspace.com/brainbowband for keeping the crowd going. I'm glad the fans come out early and stayed throughout for this one. As a musician, I REALLY appreciate that.

With love and appreciation,
Me

Yes, it's only October, but I want to hit the road for at least 2 months, and I need to do some serious planning for the tour. My basic plan right now is to hit up a few local/regional shows, and some open mics in the area to build up my local following. I also need to save some money. I want to have $2,000 at least when I start my tour in July. That means I have to cut down on shows between now and then. In order to do a show between now and then, I need to make sure I can cover the costs of gas, food, missing work, etc. Generally, I need 2-3 months in advance to book a show, and we're heading into the winter season. Thankfully, I've started recording again, and that means I'll be focusing on the new album, "31" for the next several months.

In the spring, I do plan on taking a week to hit Chicago, Indianapolis, Dayton (OH), Toledo, and possibly Columbus, Athens (OH) and/or Cincy as a warm up. I want 4-5 full shows and 2-3 open mics in that 9 day period in March.

In July, I plan on starting the tour in my hometown of Oxford, OH, probably heading to Indy, St. Louis, and Chicago first, then making my way east through Toledo, Cleveland, upstate New York, Vermont, then back to NYC (probably 3-4 open mics to supplement a full show), onto Connecticut, Philly, Pittsburgh, Akron, Kent, Columbus, Dayton, Cincy, and going from there. I need as much help as I can get in order to book a successful show. If any bands are interested, email me, or contact me at myspace.com/missionman. I want to do this right, so I need some real coordination with the bands I'll be working with. My strongest followings will likely be in Oxford, Dayton, Columbus, Toledo, and Chicago come tour time. If I can cover my expenses, I can find ways to extend the tour 6 months, but it needs to start strong, and keep building momentum.

I feel like summer is the perfect time to do this since weekday shows are better attended, as people aren't in school, and tend to have a more relaxed work environment.

If you want me to come to your city, definitely tell me as well. I'd be glad to hook you up with some demos, flyers, etc to help spread the word about my shows. I'll need some big time help to make this tour a success.

I love you all, and I'm excited about 2008's potential!

There's much more on this on Playing For a Cure's page

I want to give a special thanks to the Oxford Press for running a wonderful article on Playing For a Cure. I really appreciate Lauren and the rest of the staff at the Press for covering the event. Thank you so much! Playing For a Cure is now just 12 days away, and I'm extremely excited! This show will be truly special. Thank you to every wonderful person who has helped me promote this show! Thank you to Justin Wagner, Ryan Troescher, Jason Gentile, the Balcony, the Miami Student, the Amusement, Jackie P, and so many more! I have so much energy ready for this show, and I can't wait to debut "Young Guy With Hopes" along with having a good crowd to see what kind of response "Ugly Child" gets. Of course I'll be performing Chillin at the Papa, Playin' a Little Basketball, and the other "hits" as well. See you a week from Saturday, I hope. If you're out of town, I'm hoping for a big tour in the summer, and I want to play Chicago, Dayton, Columbus, Athens, Toledo, and more between now and March. With much love!,
Gary

I'm really excited about booking Playing For a Cure again. It's taking place at the Balcony in Oxford, OH on Saturday, September 29th, from 6 pm - 10 pm. I'll be playing last probably around 8:45 pm, and there will be some acoustic local acts, and a local band. All proceeds will go to cancer research. It will likely be a split between the American Cancer Society and the Susan G Komen foundation this year. Both do a lot for the fight against cancer. If you can help get involved, email me. Anything any of you can do to help promote the event is greatly appreciated, and I thank you in advance for your help.