I'm delighted to announce that the Toronto Women's Bookstore at 73 Harbord Street is selling my new cd, The Day the Money Run Out.
And, I'm going to perform a short set at the TWB on Thursday, October 28 as part of their 3-day Cabaret in celebration of their grand re-opening.
Here's the line-up of performers (starting at 7pm and running to about 10pm). Hope you can stop by:
Anne Perdue - reading from her newly released book "I'm a Registered Nurse Not a Whore"
Dinah Thorpe
Alex Hickey
Alexandra Nunez, Shameema & Tony
Edgardo Moreno & Valeria
Gord Zubrecki Band
I'm looking forward to this celebration of the revitalization of a great Toronto institution. In addition to Thursday's musical extravaganza, there will be readings on Wednesday, October 27 and a dance party on Friday, October 29. More information available through the TWB's Facebook group.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
The Day the Money Run Out - now available to download
It's October 19, 2010, the official release date for The Day the Money Run Out, and iTunes impressed the heck out of me by having the new cd available right after midnight. I thought they would be lagging a little behind CDbaby, but actually, it's the other way around. Thanks, iTunes!
You can link directly to my CDs in the iTunes store here:
www.itunes.com/alexhickey (please be aware that clicking this link will launch the iTunes application)
Happy listening!
You can link directly to my CDs in the iTunes store here:
www.itunes.com/alexhickey (please be aware that clicking this link will launch the iTunes application)
Happy listening!
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Save a Penny!
I'm very excited to announce that The Day the Money Run Out is available for sale at Soundscapes (572 College Street) and at the Roncy location of She Said Boom (393 Roncesvalles Ave.)
If you are in Toronto and craving a copy before the launch party on Thursday, or if you aren't able to make it to the launch, please stop by and pick up a copy at one of these fine independent music retailers.
In the interest of optimum convenience, Soundscapes is open later hours that I am (though I'm generally awake long before they open, so if you ever need to get a copy of the cd before breakfast, get in touch). She Said Boom is a little further west that I am – just across the street from the awesome Revue Cinema. And shopping locally on Roncy is a great help to the businesses there during their massive street construction ordeal.
The CD sells for $14.99 at either store. I don't tend to carry that many pennies around with me, so if you buy your copy at the launch (or over breakfast sometime) it'll be an even $15.
If you are in Toronto and craving a copy before the launch party on Thursday, or if you aren't able to make it to the launch, please stop by and pick up a copy at one of these fine independent music retailers.
In the interest of optimum convenience, Soundscapes is open later hours that I am (though I'm generally awake long before they open, so if you ever need to get a copy of the cd before breakfast, get in touch). She Said Boom is a little further west that I am – just across the street from the awesome Revue Cinema. And shopping locally on Roncy is a great help to the businesses there during their massive street construction ordeal.
The CD sells for $14.99 at either store. I don't tend to carry that many pennies around with me, so if you buy your copy at the launch (or over breakfast sometime) it'll be an even $15.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
The Day the Money Run Out Release Info
Please join in the upcoming celebrations for the release of my new cd, The Day the Money Run Out (virtually, or in person)
Digital release: Tuesday, October 19, 2010 via CDBaby
(Both physical cds and digital downloads will be available via CDBaby. The digital downloads will also roll out to iTunes—eventually. Physical CDs are also available from me directly, in person or via e-mail)
CD release party: Thursday, October 21, 2010 at Bread & Circus
299 Augusta Avenue (Kensington Market)
Toronto
Doors at 9, Show at 10, $5 cover
Digital release: Tuesday, October 19, 2010 via CDBaby
(Both physical cds and digital downloads will be available via CDBaby. The digital downloads will also roll out to iTunes—eventually. Physical CDs are also available from me directly, in person or via e-mail)
CD release party: Thursday, October 21, 2010 at Bread & Circus
299 Augusta Avenue (Kensington Market)
Toronto
Doors at 9, Show at 10, $5 cover
Monday, August 16, 2010
Album Notes - The Day The Money Run Out
Now that the artwork and the master for The Day The Money Run Out have been handed over to the manufacturers, I am taking a few moments to reflect on the genesis of the project before plunging into the nitty-gritty of putting together the launch: the party, the media push and all that jazz. Basically, I'm procrastinating, because none of that organizing work is going to be anywhere near as much fun for me as the process of creating the cd. At least not until we get to the launch party – that'll be a hoot, but with a date sometime in late October, there's still a ways to go before we get there.
In the meantime, I'm thinking about how this cd came into being. Because I've been writing for many years but only recording for the past couple, I have almost 4 albums of songs (with more added every month) waiting their turn to be recorded and released. So, the question is: what made me choose to record and release these songs at this time?
The Day the Money Run Out is basically an album about work: the good and bad sides of working – and not working. There are songs about corporate zombies and homelessness, success and getting stepped on. I wrote some of these songs years ago, and others (including the title track), since the current economic downturn began in 2008.
I think the bolt of lightening hit me in March 2009, when I saw Jon Stewart interview Bruce Springsteen on The Daily Show and The Boss said, "We've had an enormous moral, spiritual, economic collapse, and people go to storytellers when times are like that." That statement hit me hard and pointed me in the direction of creating The Day The Money Run Out.
Sometimes, there's an invisibility to hard times. A few months after his interview with Springsteen, I heard Jon Stewart question why people don't write songs about things like the economic collapse (I'm paraphrasing here because I can't find the exact episode – but can you tell that I watch The Daily Show compulsively?) I remember thinking, "Well, actually, lots of people write those songs, but they just tend not to be folks with major label deals who get played a lot on the radio. For songs about hard times, you have to look to independent musicians, people who are experiencing hard times, or who have experienced them recently enough to remember what they feel like. (One song that immediately leaps to my mind is "Woebetide the Doer of the Deed" by Old Man Luedecke, a no-holds-barred response to the actions that led to the current economic situation, released on his amazing album, My Hands are on Fire and Other Love Songs in the spring of 2010.)
Since I feel deeply connected with my own struggles around work, financial survival and urban living, when The Boss's lightening bolt hit me, I leapt at the opportunity to create an album that focuses on these topics. I hope The Day the Money Run Out will provoke new insights into the economic and cultural situation we find ourselves in. And I figure a little toe-tapping, a few laughs and couple of lullabies can't hurt matters, either. Maybe Human Resources Blues will help take the sting out of being downsized for you or someone you love. Maybe John Doe will inspire you to lend a hand to a fellow-traveler along the way. Maybe Rest With Me Tonight will lull you to sleep after a difficult and anxious day. I certainly hope so.
Track Listing:
one: buy more buddhas
two: elevator blues
three: the day the money run out
four: daytime lullaby
five: mercury lights
six: don river valley scene
seven: human resources blues
eight: salthill road
nine: john doe
ten: little girl
eleven: never too late
twelve: rest with me tonight
P.S. This blog post was written and posted in Dufferin Grove Park courtesy of Wireless Toronto. Thanks for the free wi-fi, folks!
In the meantime, I'm thinking about how this cd came into being. Because I've been writing for many years but only recording for the past couple, I have almost 4 albums of songs (with more added every month) waiting their turn to be recorded and released. So, the question is: what made me choose to record and release these songs at this time?
The Day the Money Run Out is basically an album about work: the good and bad sides of working – and not working. There are songs about corporate zombies and homelessness, success and getting stepped on. I wrote some of these songs years ago, and others (including the title track), since the current economic downturn began in 2008.
I think the bolt of lightening hit me in March 2009, when I saw Jon Stewart interview Bruce Springsteen on The Daily Show and The Boss said, "We've had an enormous moral, spiritual, economic collapse, and people go to storytellers when times are like that." That statement hit me hard and pointed me in the direction of creating The Day The Money Run Out.
Sometimes, there's an invisibility to hard times. A few months after his interview with Springsteen, I heard Jon Stewart question why people don't write songs about things like the economic collapse (I'm paraphrasing here because I can't find the exact episode – but can you tell that I watch The Daily Show compulsively?) I remember thinking, "Well, actually, lots of people write those songs, but they just tend not to be folks with major label deals who get played a lot on the radio. For songs about hard times, you have to look to independent musicians, people who are experiencing hard times, or who have experienced them recently enough to remember what they feel like. (One song that immediately leaps to my mind is "Woebetide the Doer of the Deed" by Old Man Luedecke, a no-holds-barred response to the actions that led to the current economic situation, released on his amazing album, My Hands are on Fire and Other Love Songs in the spring of 2010.)
Since I feel deeply connected with my own struggles around work, financial survival and urban living, when The Boss's lightening bolt hit me, I leapt at the opportunity to create an album that focuses on these topics. I hope The Day the Money Run Out will provoke new insights into the economic and cultural situation we find ourselves in. And I figure a little toe-tapping, a few laughs and couple of lullabies can't hurt matters, either. Maybe Human Resources Blues will help take the sting out of being downsized for you or someone you love. Maybe John Doe will inspire you to lend a hand to a fellow-traveler along the way. Maybe Rest With Me Tonight will lull you to sleep after a difficult and anxious day. I certainly hope so.
Track Listing:
one: buy more buddhas
two: elevator blues
three: the day the money run out
four: daytime lullaby
five: mercury lights
six: don river valley scene
seven: human resources blues
eight: salthill road
nine: john doe
ten: little girl
eleven: never too late
twelve: rest with me tonight
P.S. This blog post was written and posted in Dufferin Grove Park courtesy of Wireless Toronto. Thanks for the free wi-fi, folks!
Monday, August 9, 2010
Song Notes
I'm in the last stages of preparing my second cd, The Day the Money Run Out, for manufacture. The tracks went off to be mastered this morning—they sound amazing. And I'm in my studio at home, finalizing the album art, which looks pretty great, if I do say so myself.
Once again, I'm facing the disappointment of not being able to include notes about the songs in the cd booklet. (If only I could justify pressing vinyl, there'd be room for a whole libretto!) As it is, the lyrics take up pretty much all of the available space. So, I've decided to create a set of blog posts with notes for each of the songs on the new cd. I'll be posting them over the coming weeks, in advance of the cd release this October.
I'll tag them as "Song Notes", so they'll be easy to find. If I get carried away, I might post notes for the songs on Love Bites, and maybe even some unreleased songs, too. I hope you'll enjoy the posts—and the songs.
Once again, I'm facing the disappointment of not being able to include notes about the songs in the cd booklet. (If only I could justify pressing vinyl, there'd be room for a whole libretto!) As it is, the lyrics take up pretty much all of the available space. So, I've decided to create a set of blog posts with notes for each of the songs on the new cd. I'll be posting them over the coming weeks, in advance of the cd release this October.
I'll tag them as "Song Notes", so they'll be easy to find. If I get carried away, I might post notes for the songs on Love Bites, and maybe even some unreleased songs, too. I hope you'll enjoy the posts—and the songs.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
August 1st Benefit Show - Free the Hikers
There are a million good causes out there. A billion, maybe. Maybe 6 billion. The way our system is set up with a hierarchical power structure and all, a lot of us are struggling to get by these days. But some of us are in much more difficult situations than others.
The sheer number of causes can be overwhelming. A lot of the time, I fall prey to compassion-fatigue. I look from cause to cause to cause to cause to cause and do nothing. So, I rely heavily on my friends to shake me gently into action by telling me about issues and showing me ways that I can help.
That's what happened with the benefit show I'm playing this Sunday, August 1, 2010. A good friend invited me to perform to help Free the Hikers - an effort to liberate three travelers: Shane, Sarah and Josh, who have been detained for the past year in Iran, without charge or trial, after they were arrested while hiking near the Iranian border. I would never have even heard of their situation, if it weren't for my friend, and maybe you wouldn't have heard about them if it weren't for this blog post.
Please, come to the show if you can and/or visit the Free the Hikers web site, where you can click on the Take Action tab to learn how you can help advocate for Shane, Sarah and Josh's safe return.
Many thanks!
P.S. While you're taking a moment to help Shane, Sarah and Josh, you might also want to sign up with Avaaz, an organization that will give you information about other causes and ways to help. From putting an end to the practice of stoning in Iran to lobbying against offshore drilling, Avaaz gathers together caring people to advocate for a more just, humane and ecologically-sound world.
The sheer number of causes can be overwhelming. A lot of the time, I fall prey to compassion-fatigue. I look from cause to cause to cause to cause to cause and do nothing. So, I rely heavily on my friends to shake me gently into action by telling me about issues and showing me ways that I can help.
That's what happened with the benefit show I'm playing this Sunday, August 1, 2010. A good friend invited me to perform to help Free the Hikers - an effort to liberate three travelers: Shane, Sarah and Josh, who have been detained for the past year in Iran, without charge or trial, after they were arrested while hiking near the Iranian border. I would never have even heard of their situation, if it weren't for my friend, and maybe you wouldn't have heard about them if it weren't for this blog post.
Please, come to the show if you can and/or visit the Free the Hikers web site, where you can click on the Take Action tab to learn how you can help advocate for Shane, Sarah and Josh's safe return.
Many thanks!
P.S. While you're taking a moment to help Shane, Sarah and Josh, you might also want to sign up with Avaaz, an organization that will give you information about other causes and ways to help. From putting an end to the practice of stoning in Iran to lobbying against offshore drilling, Avaaz gathers together caring people to advocate for a more just, humane and ecologically-sound world.
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