Mission Man: News

I've finished putting up the lyrics for all of "Intro To My Mind." There are three songs which I won't post the lyrics; "Stay Real," "Mother" and "Is There A God?" The reasons for all three songs are different, and are explained on the "Intro To My Mind" page.

I want to play some more cities in April, so if you're in a city I'm not currently performing in, let me know where you are and if you know of a club I can play at and I'll do my best to get there. The closer to Ohio, the sooner I'll be able to get there, but I want to do a full USA tour within the next 6 months to a year, and hopefully make it to Europe in that timeframe as well.

I have started a stories section now. There is a link to it from the top of the page. As of right now, the only story is about "Wonder What I'd Be" but it is very in depth, and should make you understand the song and my life better.

Other news, I'm down to having only 3 black t-shirts, all large, and no white t-shirts. Hopefully I'll get some more ordered in March, and I'll let you know when I do.

Just some back news, the mini tour was a lot of fun. You can read about it by clicking on the road trips link from the main page.

T-shirts are in! They look fantastic! I've seen the logo hundreds of times now, but it has a new life on the t-shirts. I was going to sell them for $15 at my shows, but they ended up being $1.50 less each to make than I expected, so they'll be $12 (yes a $1.50 drop in cost caused a $3 drop in selling price, which means a lower profit per shirt for me, but it's worth it so you can get them cheaper). Stickers are also in; they came in about a week ago. I'll be giving those away free while supplies last... then I'll order some more so I can give those away too. :)

Another word about t-shirts. I will be randomly giving some away from time to time at shows, and to mailing list members. So if you want a chance at a free one, join the mailing list, or come out and see me perform. I currently have white t-shirts and black t-shirts. The white are available s-XXL, and the black in L and XL (until tomorrow, then I'll have s-XXL in black as well). I may extend to XXXL in the next order if people let me know they need them.

Well, I decided to sign up for a myspace.com account. Go to myspace.com/missionman. I have posted a couple of blogs on there already, so feel free to respond. I should have much more control there, and I think it is the best solution for the guestbook problem. I hope you guys enjoy it.

Also, I haven't recorded anything since I finished recording "Antis Trype." However, I'm beginning to write, and I'll probably be doing some collaborations soon. When I record my next song, I'm going to make it available exclusively to mailing list members for free download. So, if you haven't joined the mailing list yet, please do so to be one of the first to get free new music.

There will be other benefits to being a mailing list member as soon as I come up with ideas. I'm thinking I'll probably do a t-shirt drawing when I get Mission Man shirts made (hopefully in February, probably in March). For now, I still just have the Playing For A Cure t-shirts, which I'll probably giveaway randomly during shows (that is, starting this Friday at Hole In The Wall, if there's a crowd there paying attention, I'll throw some shirts into the crowd while performing).

Well, just a few days after confirming my birthday bash, I've confirmed my first full show in Oxford. I'll be at Hole In The Wall (yes it's reopened, and is next to the alley by the big clock if you are unfamiliar with it) on Friday January 28th. It will be $2 if you are over 21, and $3 if you are under. Since I'm doing some full shows now, this Wednesday (my birthday bash) will likely be my last open mic night. I'm elated that I get to finally give you guys a full show instead of just 2 or 3 songs at a time. Thank you all so much for making Wednesdays wonderful (and every other day too), and I hope to see you on my birthday and at Hole In The Wall on the 28th.

I just confirmed my birthday bash at Stadium. I'll be performing from 9 pm to 10 pm, and then partying with everyone after that. That's Wednesday, January 19th. Also, the artwork isn't done yet for "Antis Trype," so there will be a delay in releasing it.

The big news is that I finished recording "Antis Trype" yesterday. The songs and lyrics are available, but the CD is not ready for release yet, as I'm waiting on the artwork, but I still expect a January 18th release date. I recorded studio versions of Chillin' at the Papa and You Gotta Want It, so you may want to check those out. If you want something deeply personal, try "Wonder What I'd Be."

I can't do open mic this Wednesday. With it being finals week, I have to work. I'll see you there on either Jan. 12th or 19th. The 19th will be a one hour open mic night performance from 9 pm to 10 pm at Stadium. They've said it would be ok with them, but I have to remind them after break.

Last night was the fourth week in a row that I've made the finals at open mic night. Thank you all for getting me there again. If I win next week, I've already decided that I'm going to give the $50 to the American Cancer Society. With Christmas coming up, I'd love to honor my mom's memory with that kind of gift. The setlist is going to be a little different than usual. I'm 90 percent sure it's going to be Never Had a Chance and New Future first, and if I make the finals I'll do "You Gotta Want It" and "Chillin' at the Papa." If you haven't watched it already, there is a video for "You Gotta Want It" on the home page.

I haven't heard yet from Battle of the Bands, so it looks like I'll be doing an hour long open mic night set from 9 pm - 10 pm on my birthday, January 19th. See you next Wednesday.

I finished recording "Enjoy Every Day" yesterday. I've put it up on missionman.net for free download. I'm going to perform it on Wednesday at open mic night. Yes, that means I will officially be performing there this Wednesday at Stadium. Thank you guys for getting me to finals the last 3 weeks in a row. This Wednesday will be the first time I've performed a bass solo live in over 3 years. I'm looking forward to it. Unless I get some serious requests otherwise, my first set will be "Playing a Little Basketball," "Chillin' at the Papa" and "Enjoy Every Day." My finals set will be "Weightlifting Jam" (can't ignore the screams I got for it last week) and "Chillin' at the Papa." If I win I think I get to do a couple more songs. I haven't decided what those will be yet. Maybe "Hopeful Messages" and "Wanna Get Down."

"Enjoy..." puts Antis Trype up to 10 songs and 41 minutes. I expect to record 1-4 more songs before the CD is finished.

I'm going to start using this news page a lot more. Check here for open mic dates, and other special events that I might not put in my concert calendar. It will also be the place to find out when the "Playing For A Cure" compilation CD is available, and for updates on the progress of "Antis Trype," my next CD. What the heck, if you're reading this, I may as well tell you the meaning behind the name. When I was 18, I wrote 50 handwritten pages in a book called "Shadowblade." I let a friend borrow those pages and never saw them again. I may take up writing the book again, when I have the free time (I still have the basic storyline, and some unique concepts in my head). For now, the book has been the inspiration behind the name for "Out of the Shadows" as well as "Antis Trype." Antis Trype is Shadowblade's birth name. After he becomes legendary for his speed with a sword, everyone knows him as Shadowblade. Antis Trype is also short for anti-stereotype, as my music is anti-stereotypical.

Well, I meant this to be a short news post. Check back Monday to see if I'm playing at open mic next week. I expect to be.

The Underground Music Monthly Concert Series has ended. I want to thank all of the bands from both shows, Playing For A Cure, and Women Rock For Breast Cancer.

I put Chillin' at the Papa up on MissionMan.net today. Other than that, there's not much to say at the moment, except that I'm still in the process of booking a tour, though it looks more like it will be just a handful of shows at this point.

I'm putting together an ACS benefit concert for September 27th. It will be the 10 year anniversary of when my mom died from cancer, and I think it's a wonderful way to honor her memory. So far I have Ray's Music Exchange (www.raysmusicexchange.com), Let Me Introduce You To The End (from Chicago, www.letmeend.com), and myself confirmed. I have several other bands who are interested, and if they're in the area will want to be a part of it. Please come to the show at the Madison Theater (www.madisontheateronline.com) at 730 Madison Avenue in Covington, KY. You can buy tickets at their website once they become available. I will post on the website when tickets go on sale.

After a long time of stagnance, I've put in over 100 hours in the last 3 or 4 weeks updating Underground Music Monthly, which is now located at www.missionman.net/UndergroundMusicMonthly/ The newest sections are the venue listings (I now have about 200 listed), college newspapers and music media, the for women section which lists sites that are dedicated solely to female musicians, musical equipment retailers, and conferences and festivals. I hope all of you musicians who are visiting my site check it out.

The CD release party for "A Different Kid" is April 7th. The first 50 people through the door get "Put Down The Pen" for free, and everyone gets free stickers. Also, exclusively at the show, buy "A Different Kid" for $10, and get "Intro To My Mind" and "Out Of The Shadows" for free! Also performing will be Cincinnati rappers Kryptik Killahz, as well as Non Compos Mentis (pop band from Cincinnati) and Ashworth (acoustic rock trio from Indianapolis). All of this takes place at Sudsy Malone's at 2626 Vine St in Clifton, across from Bogart's.