Okay we are in full lock-down shipping mode. Thank god the NBA playoffs have so beautifully coincided with my mail-order phase. 

I’ve shipped: 

JV RARITIES – PERSONALIZED CD-R

DAGGER BEACH CD

LIBRARY CARD T-SHIRT

JV RECORD BOOKSHELF T-SHIRT

The BEST DEAL!!! T-SHIRT + DAGGER BEACH on CD reward will ship this week. All of the 8 Second Songs are done, some are posted below. 

If I messed up your order in ANY WAY just write me and I’ll fix it!! Maybe you don’t like my Baroque signature all over your beautiful record? I am here to provided a 5 star customer experience. Actually, fuck 5 stars. SEVEN STARS.

If you haven’t received your survey, it’s okay, I’m spreading them out as I get a lot of tweaks and questions about orders (which is fine) when I do. ALL SURVEYS WILL BE SENT BY END OF THIS WEEK. I’ll keep updating when I send out stuff so you can keep tabs on it. A few of you have not filled out the surveys on the above merchandise. Please do it when you can. Check your spam folder if you don’t see it or just email me direct. (jv@tinytelephone.com)

I’m waiting for Dagger Beach vinyl to arrive any day now. I’ll ship that out right away. Diamond Dogs vinyl got delayed. More on that soon. The vinyl cases are presently getting personalized by Joe Williams. 

My goal is to get the download link up by next monday, I am conveniently re-doing the Tiny Telephone website this week, so that’s the hold up. 

In non-Kickstarter news, I’m going to see the Giants play the Diamondbacks tonight with a bunch of engineers from the studio. SF is seeing record high temps. Yes we are all doomed but yes I’ll take the hot weather if there is no other choice. 

Below: Your stuff, Harden getting whipped by the Thunder (that was tough to watch), my home recording studio, where I made all of your 8 Second Songs.

I did a series of 8 Second Songs (that ended up being a lot longer) for Kickstarter supporters. They were nice enough to let me post them up. I LOVE these. They were freeing (as they were really for others, not for me) and difficult to make. They were inefficiently recorded on my Ampex MM1200 2" tape deck.
I’m Not Jimmy.mp3
860-663-1508 (for Nat Lyon)
Chris Elko
Sam Vaughan

I’m looking for folks to host JV living room shows on west coast from June 14-30. Me + Gibson J45 + you + your friends. Let’s do it!!!

I can’t remember being happier. I owe that to you. If I could hop on a plane, rent a car at the airport, drive to your home and plant a big kiss on your cheek, I would. (Yes, I know in actuality that would be very disturbing.) I devote my next two months to you, my supporters. I’ll keep you posted on shipping and reward details. I did just request today that QRP put a fancy sticker on the front of your Dagger Beach LP sealed (and re-usable) poly bags. I have a quick question for you: If you got a t-shirt, what size are you? I want to get a rough guide of sizing before I place the order tomorrow morning. I’ll send out a survey and get all kinds of shipping details and specifics about your order. In that survey, I’ll get addresses and any kind of reward combinations I’ll need to get you. I’m targeting early May for shipping. I’ll keep you posted!!

Hello everyone! Rolling Stone just posted a premiere of a song from my new record Dagger Beach. It’s also here.

My Kickstarter is in its last 48 hours. Dagger Beach comes on June 11, if you pre-order here, I’ll ship your records a month ahead of the release date.

We have two pretty special new rewards:

DAGGER BEACH TEST PRESSING – 200g test vinyl from QRP, signed and personalized. Test pressings are the best reference and the highest fidelity. This reward includes a one-off 8"X12" print from one of my Leica photos from last EU tour. This is the only reward level that offeres the 8×12 photo. Limited to 8.
1/2" master tape from DAGGER BEACH – 30 seconds of 1/2" ATR tape on a reel and nice Ampex box from a deleted middle verse and chorus of "Gaslight." You will be the only person that will hear this section of the song. YOU WILL OWN THIS and can do whatever you want with it. Comes with an mp3 reference as well. Limited to 2.

If we cross 75k, I’ll write a KILLER song for ONLY THE BACKERS. (WE ARE GETTING CLOSE) You can play it, post it, lip dub it, make a 7" out of it, sell it, YOU OWN IT (collectively). It’ll be recorded at Tiny Telephone using the musicians you know and love. It will be a bad ass production, not a demo. It will be weird and wonderful.

STRETCH GOAL REACHED…We crossed 65K, so all packages of $100+ will receive a UNIQUE 4X6 photograph printed at Photoworks. Thanks so much for doing this. 

NEW REWARDS: ALL THE CDS, GREEN GROW THE RUSHES 180G VINYL

REWARDS CLOSE TO SELLING OUT: Diamond Dogs vinyl, House Shows (1 left), Private Listening Party (5 left), Extra In Music Video (1 left), Taqueria Tour (1 left). 

Thanks for all your help and support. It means the world to me!!!!
JV

Below: Dagger Beach test pressings, 1/2" master tape

Wow, I didn’t expect running a Kickstarter to be quite so entertaining. We’re in the home stretch now. I just got my triple-gatefold copy of the new Atoms For Peace record in the mail yesterday, I hope you guys are half as excited to get your rewards. It’s like Christmas over here.

I have an announcement…

If we cross 75k, I’ll write a KILLER song for ONLY THE BACKERS. You can share it, post it, lip dub it, make a 7″ out of it, sell it, YOU OWN IT (collectively). It’ll be recorded at Tiny Telephone using the musicians you know and love. It will be a bad ass production, not a demo. It will be weird and wonderful.

We have some new rewards this week!

ALL THE CDs – $145. Limited to 4. You get everything I’ve released on CD, from Mass Suicide to Dagger Beach, plus burned copies of the rarities, Green Grow the Rushes, Diamond Dogs, MGM Endings, and the Pixel Revolt live to 2-track. That’s 12 records. Plus a unique 4X6 photo signed and notarized!

DISTRESSED WOOD FLASH DRIVE of EVERYTHING – $100. Limited to 8. Laser-engraved with issue number and my name. USB. 8GB of 1s and 0s. You will get everything I have, including some instrumentals and a live show or two, in the highest resolution I can fit on the drive. Plus a unique 4X6 photo signed and notarized!

We’re sourcing out vinyl cases right now, looking at archival boxes that we’ll heavily modify and alter to fit our library theme. It’s possible that all cases will be slightly different (in the best way).

Diamond Digs vinyl is in production, the cover will most likely be a chipboard jacket with a beautiful screen print on both sides. There will be a simple insert as well with credits and download codes. More details as they come in.

Thanks so much everyone!!! Spring is coming and this summer is going to be EPIC.

Below: Slovenia, October, 2012. One of the many unique photos I’ll be sending out with any $100+ bundle

 

We have crossed the 60k mark!! Thanks for that, you wonderful creatures. We’ll do a high-res (as possible) live-stream of the listening party for all backers. For our next stretch goal…
If we cross 65K, all packages of $100+ will receive a UNIQUE 4X6 photograph.

Taken by me on my Leica M6 and printed at San Francisco’s own Photoworks on Kodak matte paper. I’ll sign and write some location info or other explication on the back. These are one-off prints, they are actually the only print I have of each photo. It’s a 1 of 1 kind of scenario. LET’S DO IT.

Stereogum is premiering a song from the Diamond Dogs cover record today. Here it is.

If you haven’t picked up Diamond Dogs yet, it’s getting closer and closer to selling out (we’re under 150 left).

Other things on the brink of selling out:

HOUSE SHOWS (1 left in SF and 1 in US available), the “T-SHIRT of your choice + BOTH NEW RECORDS on Vinyl” bundle (12 left), and the “DAGGER BEACH and DIAMOND DOGS on vinyl” bundle (25 left).

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New rewards just posted:

I WRITE YOU AN 8 SECOND SONG WITH YOUR NAME IN IT – $75 (limited to 8, unless they are easier than I think they’ll be!)
I can also do this for someone you love (or a theme or idea you love). This is going to be a 24-track analog extravaganza, not some busted-ass demo. There will be background vocals. I can also precede the song with “You’ve reached [YOUR NAME HERE]” and I believe you would have an amazing outgoing VM message.

DIAMOND DOGS TEST PRESSING – $50 (limited to 7) A 200g QRP test pressing of my Bowie cover record. The extra good news: I’ll ship it to you at least a month before the full artwork versions are ready. Test pressings sound VERY GOOD.

Remember, I love you. I was seriously fantasizing about bailing from the music game this time last year. No more. With any luck, I’ll be able to pull off a remix record of Dagger Beach that will be a free download this summer.

Below: My Bowie cover of “Big Brother” titled “A Better Whirlpool.” Also, my twitter doppleganger, @not_john_vanderslice, fixed my poster for the Diamond Dogs show I did last year.

Hello! I hope everyone has something nice planned for the weekend. I’m working tomorrow, but I’ll be hiking Armstrong Redwoods in West Sonoma on Sunday.
Some short announcements…

If we reach 60k, we’ll live-stream the Dagger Beach listening party happening on May 2 at Tiny Telephone. We’ll make it as high-res as possible.

After that, I’ll have another stretch goal that will most likely involve exclusive content for backers only™. More on that soon. Speaking of content, I’ll be premiering a track from Dagger Beach sometime next week!

The vinyl is printed!! It sounds stupendous. The artwork is in production at Bellwether. Joe Williams did a wonderful job on the gatefold vinyl and digi-pak. They’ll both a have a nice insert that includes lyrics and extended album credits. Diamond Dogs lacquer will be shipped to QRP on Tuesday.

We’ll definitely be able to ship before the album is in stores (somewhere the God Of Delivery was just shaken from a long nap).

I added a VINYL CASE only reward.

Billboard and Flavorwire interviewed me about the campaign and Brooklyn Vegan posted something nice.

Thanks for everything, this is has been one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life. What if I just run Kickstarter after Kickstarter because I’m so addicted to watching that wonderful counter? (That sounds awful… okay I won’t do that.)

XOJV

Below: Dagger Beach Test Pressing, Miette and Clover approve of same

Hello!

I wanted to send a quick note to all my backers and tell you how incredibly AWESOME you are!!! I’ve been staying with my mom in Pittsboro, NC since the launch. Watching my unflappable mom get incredibly excited and personally invested in the campaign was magic for me.

My mom (wisely) forced me into piano lessons when I was 6, bought me Led Zeppelin records at 12, and defended my honor against the jerk-ass principle of Churchill High School (even though I was clearly a restive ne’er do well barreling down the wrong road).

So thanks for making me look good!!

Please share this campaign with anyone you think would be interested. We are doing this one on one, without a label or publicist. It feels SO different for me.
We are fast nailing down dates for the video shoot and the listening party. They’ll be some interesting (and weirdly interesting) new rewards introduced in the next week or so.

If we get to 60k, we’ll do a live stream from the control room of Tiny Telephone to give you a feel for the listening party. I think I’m going to buy some really good alcohol for that. (The listening party I mean, although I might also be drunk for the live streaming.) We’ll be playing Dagger Beach and Diamond Dogs directly from the 1/2″ tape.

Joe Williams and I are working on a new VINYL CASE for the collector who owns the back catalog. It will include DAGGER BEACH and DIAMOND DOGS on vinyl. We’re also brainstorming on super special items to throw into every package. I’ve decided against including tufts of Clover’s impossibly soft and cloud-like fur.

I’ve decided to print DIAMOND DOGS at 200g instead of 180g. There will be no other versions of the vinyl. It sounds too good to compromise. That shit is hella expensive but I clearly have the MOST AMAZING BACKERS IN THE WORLD. (You make me want to tour, you know I won’t be able to say no to that right?)
Remember you can always combine rewards or be as creative as you like. I’ve already set aside the entire month of April for organizing your goods.

I’ll send out a survey closer to delivery dates, then you can give me very detailed info about what you’d like me to write/sign, or any other additions and changes to your order. If you’ve customized your order or combined rewards, don’t be shy reminding me that! I might be a little overwhelmed by then:)
I’m going to do my best to make sure everything works well and that everyone is thrilled with their goods. I know I’m very happy right now. This experience has energized and INSPIRED me to make more music!!

Much love to you,
JV

Ps Here’s my mom!

My Kickstarter is ALIVE! My new album, Dagger Beach, comes out in early Summer on my own label, Tiny Telephone. I need your support to help with the enormous costs of self-releasing this record. This Kickstarter is both a fund raiser and a pre-order for the new record.

I am a little fearful of doing this on my own. The cost alone of printing vinyl is around 12k. Speaking of…

The Dagger Beach vinyl issue is a 200g pressing from QRP, the best vinyl plant in the country. It sounds HELLA GOOD. I’m really proud of this record, it’s dirtier and weirder than anything I’ve done since Cellar Door.

I’ve also made a full-length cover of Bowie’s amazing Diamond Dogs. A *very* limited run of 200g vinyl records will be available through Kickstarter as well. We’ve got two new t-shirts (including an updated version of the famous Library Card), digital downloads and tons more stuff.

Other rewards you may be interested in: LIMITED EDITION SCREEN PRINTS, I WILL MARRY YOU (to another person), HOUSE SHOWS, I WILL PRODUCE YOUR EP, LISTENING PARTY FOR DAGGER BEACH, TINY TELEPHONE / TAQUERIA TOUR in San Francisco, UNRELEASED RARITIES CD, and ohh so many more.

All artwork for the albums, screen prints, t-shirts and more by the great Joe Williams!!