Emily Dunbar

Review

2010-03-25T16:35:00.001-07:00

Ben Squires of MusicSpectrum wrote a review of Catch It When You Can! Read it here.

Radio Interview

2010-02-25T15:48:00.000-08:00

In October I did an interview with Lyrical Venus on Fairfield, Iowa's community radio station KRUU. The podcast just went up. You can download it or stream it here.

CDs make GREAT Christmas Gifts!

2009-12-03T14:38:00.001-08:00

Don'tcha think?

You can order @ CDbaby or find me on iTunes.

Ho ho ho ho.

iTunes

2009-11-04T20:03:00.000-08:00

Catch It When You Can is now available for download on iTunes! How cool is that? The only drawback, those who download don't get to put their hands on the awesome hand printed box.

Online Sales

2009-10-03T21:55:00.000-07:00

Today I got an email that, at long last, my cd is on sale at cdbaby! Cdbaby is an online distributor of independent music. You can buy "Catch It When You Can" or download it. You can also write a review. I would love to hear what you think!

In the near future I will be shutting down the paypal portal and let cdbaby take care of sales for me. They will also distribute to other online entities (like iTunes, Amazon, etc.). How cool is that?

So if anyone would like to purchase a cd (Christmas is right around the corner!) click this link:

Emily @ cdbaby

P.S.

Cdbaby had me fill in sound-alikes for myself. Sort of a "If you like ______________ you'll like Emily Dunbar!" I said Natalie Merchant, Nanci Griffith & The Dixie Chicks. If you have a better answer, let me know!

Overwhelmed!

2009-08-04T20:59:00.000-07:00

Saturday night was my cd-release show. I did two sets with the Emily Dunbar Band: Jay Bayles (bass), John Bonham (drums--seriously, my drummer is named John Bonham!), Robin Harrell (vocals) and Todd Brown (guitar). This basically means, I got a bunch of talented friends together and we had a ball. The Hastings Business Improvement District agreed to sponsor the event, which we held in a new downtown park. My brother in law Gus got some folks who run a taco truck to come sell delicious Mexican food and my friend Angela is friends with icecream man, who set up shop in the parking lot. I did interviews with the Hastings Tribune and our local NBC affiliate--both ran nice stories. I knew we had the making of a good night, but was still nervous about how it would all go.

It could not have been a more perfect night.

It dipped down into the upper 60s. More than 200 people showed up with lawn chairs and filled the park. No trains came by and blew their horns (we were less than a block from the tracks!). People enjoyed the music, food and weather and bought cds.

I've been so thrilled with the response. I've gotten so many nice emails and such great chatter on facebook. Friends of friends are ordering discs through the blog. It has been wonderful.

Thanks, everybody!

CD-Release

2009-08-01T10:06:00.000-07:00

Well, if you pre-ordered a CD, you should have it by now...or maybe Monday. I started shipping them on Thursday afternoon. Enjoy! And thanks so much for supporting this project. You're encouragement kept me going through the LONG months of getting it done.

Tonight I have my cd-release show in downtown Hastings. There is a little park (Central Park) that is adorable. I'll be playing with a band. There will be food vendors--a taco truck & the icecream man. Paul and my friend Susie will be manning the cd sales table. It's free and open to the public. I'm very curious what the turn out will be. There are posters up all over town. The newspaper ran a story and so did the local news station. It could be big.

I even bought a new dress.

I'll post pictures of the event soon.

Hope you are enjoying your cds!

IT'S DONE

2009-07-30T12:38:00.001-07:00

The CD is ready!
I'm shipping out discs to everyone who pre-ordered this afternoon. I can't thank you enough for your support and patience.

If you don't live in the Hastings, NE area and want to order a cd, info is on the sidebar!

Thanks!

Watch the movie below to hear an mp3 (it's the only way I could think of to get audio on here!)

Awe-Overload

2009-01-31T17:26:00.000-08:00

As I type, Tom is recording the bass part for Ohio. We have been working like maniacs with amazing results. My brain simply cannot sustain a permanent state of awe, but if it could, it would. I couldn't be happier with how this is going.

We play the basic guitar track to which Tom programs the drums and then he says, "Okay, bass." And then he records the bass. "What next?" he asks. "Manolin?" I say. And so it goes. Once we have all the parts we want, Tom mixes it a bit and then I sing the final vocal track. This process takes a couple of hours for every song.

We are working our way alphabetically through the song list. We did four yesterday. We're on number four today and will do one more.

Exciting development: Tom will send tracks to Peter Lainson so Robin can record harmony vocals at Peter's house in Hastings. We'll send them back to Tom and Robin will be on my CD! Hooray for the internet!

That's all for now. There is work to be done!

Progress!

2009-01-30T06:20:00.000-08:00

Tom & I got started yesterday around 10:00 and worked until 4:00 or so. We finished the process we had started Wednesday afternoon--recording the basic guitar and vocals for all the songs. I ended up with 13 total, with no guarantee that I will use them all, but this will give me a little choice when we are finished. I even recorded a song that I wrote a couple of days ago.

Recording the guitar is liking being under a microscope. Okay, it's like being in front of a microphone. Why use a metaphor when the literal description is just as accurate? Every little pop, squeak, buzz or string hit not quite right is caught and then played back very loudly. This can make a person sad. But the beauty of Pro Tools is that you can record over the buzzes--punch in, play a clean chord or note, punch out. It's a bit like cheating. However, I'd make the same mistake live and you'd never hear it and it would be no big deal. This is going to be captured for posterity so I'm all for the edits.

We took a break in the evening. I checked email. I read Dracula. Tom was taking his step daughters out for Thai and I tagged along. I am very much looking forward to my leftovers for lunch. We came home and the girls and Cary went to bed. Tom & I headed out to the studio with Thurman and worked for a couple more hours. We worked until I got to that sleepy point where you can't think too critically or form a solid opinion. "Sure" was about all I could muster and we called it a day.

A note about Thurman: Thurman is a gigantic white Golden Doodle. He's like a big sheep. I love this guy. When the girls were at school and Cary was out, Thurman came into the studio with us. He just curled up on the floor and listened. I often asked his opinion of things. I found myself repeating throughout the day, "Well...I'll take your indifference as a yes!" or if my personal answer was no, "I'll take your indifference as a no."

The studio, by the way, is a converted garage just a few steps out the back door. I'll post pics at some point. The interior is entirely wrapped in sari's and other gorgeous materials. There's a bazillion instruments hung on the wall, book shevles, recording equipment, and the futon. No windows. A space heater for winter and a little AC for summer. I have slept the sleep of the dead out there. It's great.

That's all for now.

Paul, if you are reading: Golden Doodle = hypoallergenic

2009-01-29T06:36:00.000-08:00

The roads were as bad as supposed. I got to Oklahoma City and had to call it quits. I got a room at a semi-dodgey Super 8, had dinner at 10 pm at the Denny's next door (I was the only customer), got up and had breakfast at Denny's at 10 am, and then got on the road. The first hour of travel was horrible. I could have waited an hour and still got to Dallas in the same amount of time. But around 12:30 the roads cleared and it was smooth sailing to Dallas.

Tom & I got started right away. He opened up a file in Pro Tools (the computer/recording program) for each song we will record. We then recorded the guitar part and scratch vocals for three songs. We'll do that for everything, then come back and add parts (bass, lead guitar, accordion, etc) and then re-record the vocals with all the parts. I have been practicing with a metronome. When I record, I have not just a click-track in my ear, but a drum loop, which makes it much easier.

After the three songs, we went out to dinner. $2 margarita night at Desparado's. Nice. We left it up in the air if we would work again afterwards...but after my travel nightmare and two margaritas I thought I should go to bed! There's a futon in the studio (formerly a garage), and no windows--it's like a tomb. I slept like a rock and am ready to go this morning.

I'll try and take some pictures today to post.

Love to all!

Dunbar Does Dallas

2009-01-27T07:33:00.000-08:00

I am sitting at work which is a windowless basement. Even thought I can't SEE it, I know the snow is falling. I know that last night Oklahoma and norhtern Texas got creamed. And as soon as I'm done with my final presentation for my January-Term class I'm driving south through Kansas and OK to Dallas. I'm a little bit worried.

This is the start of my big adventure and the weather is really putting a damper on things.

I'm not crazy, though. I'll see how far I can get and if the roads are bad I'll find a Super 8. And I decided to drive the Odyssey and not the Fit (sorry, Environment!) for the sake of safety and handling in snow.

I will update throughout the week so you can see how it's going. I'm super excited!

In the meantime, here is a song I wrote with the accompanying iMovie. It was project for my Instructional Tools class. If you are a teacher and think this might be helpful to you, please use it. If you just think it is fun and would like to pass it on, feel free.

Prairie Christmas

2008-12-09T07:18:00.000-08:00

We are one week into Advent. Last night the sleet almost turned to snow. And I swear, this week, we will get a tree...we will. To help me (and you!) really get into the season I thought I'd post a video of my Christmas song, Prairie Christmas. It's an oldie but a goodie. An ode to Nebraska almost as much as an ode to Christmas. Enjoy!

Thanks to everyone who has helped with my recording project so far. Please pass this link or the video onto friends who you think might be interested!

Emily Dunbar Plays for 800 Farmers

2008-11-22T13:58:00.000-08:00

It's true! I played a gig last week for 800+ farmers at the Adam's County Fairgrounds. What a hoot! It was the Chamber of Commerce Ag BBQ and Robin Harrell, Carey McGehee & I provided the entertainment. They say it was the largest crowd they'd had in the 31 year history of the event. I like to think it was because we were on the program (really, it had been raining for days so the farmers couldn't harvest--see how much I've learned living in Nebraska?!). I can't imagine when I'll have an audience that big again. It was an honor to be a part and really fun to play with my pals.

My next up-coming gig is December 20 at the Blue Moon in Hastings for a suicide prevention benefit. It's a great lineup of local talent including Robin Harrell, Todd Brown, Jay Bayles & Trey Hamik. Good stuff!

In the meantime I've been working hard getting through my school work. When I finish this semester I'll be at the halfway point--a year and a half to go until I receive my master's degree and teaching certificate.

Pre-sales are going well. I've raised HALF my recording costs, which is awesome, but I still have a long way to go to cover art & manufacturing. I'm starting phase III of pre-sales today. Phase I was local sales at shows. Phase II was launching the blog and putting up video on facebook (I hope to have another video up next week--check back!). Phase III is sending out a mass email and hoping friends who haven't yet respond and forward it on to other interested parties.

Thanks to you all for your encouragement and support!
Emily

Doing My Homework

2008-10-22T06:58:00.000-07:00

The pre-sales are well underway and I am feeling overwhelmed by not only the financial generosity, but the encouragement and enthusiasm for the project my friends have shown. I think anyone who creates art of any sort walks a fine line between pride and doubt. I love writing songs and making music and think I have a great catalogue of tunes--until I put it out there for others to hear -- and then I suddenly think I have been kidding myself. So having you all back me in this endeavor not only ensures the album can be recorded, it gives me affirmation that this is what I should be doing--so I thank you!

Pre-sales are not the only preparation I have to do before I go into the studio. I have plenty of homework to do -- and I'm not even talking grad school--that's a whole other ball game! I thought I would share a few details about the project and what, specifically, I am working on.

I'll be recording with Tom Prasada-Rao and Cary Cooper at their studio, The Wildwood Tofu Bar, in Dallas. I have known Tom and Cary for sometime. They play quite regularly at The Listening Room, they taught a songwriting workshop at The Flatwater Folk Festival here in Hastings last summer which I attended, and then we got to hang out in Lyons, CO this summer at Planet Blugrass's The Song School and the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival. I love their music. I know they are fantastic at what they do. I trust them. I figure if I am going to do it, I may as well go all out and do it right.

Right now, I am working on finalizing what songs I want to record. I have six years worth of tunes to sift through--many have stood the test of time and there are many new-ish songs I want to include too. Keeping it to ten tracks will be difficult. Many of you have already weighed in on what you want and I will do my best to fulfill your requests, but something has got to give!

I am practicing the songs I know will go on the CD with a metronome. I like to call it my metro-gnome, but I'm an idiot :) In the studio I'll play with a click track--which is essentially, a digital metro-gnome. This will assure that I keep my rhythm steady throughout the song. We'll record the guitar track first with the click track and THEN record drums and all the other instruments. The click track ensures that all the parts line up. It seems like a simple thing...I would say I have a good sense of rhythm...but the metro-gnome is hard! That infernal clicking in my ear! So it's practice, practice, practice. The more prepared I am to play my songs a) flawlessly and b) with the click track, the smoother and faster (and therefor cheaper) things will go in the studio. So, most evenings you can find me sitting on the piano bench in my living room with an earbud in my left ear plugged into the metro-gnome, tapping my foot, playing a song over and over again and trying not to curse :)

Who wants a studio-recorded version of this song?!

2008-10-18T10:36:00.001-07:00

Here is a slightly nerdy video of me standing in my kitchen playing Catch It When You Can. My friend Susan suggested that I put some songs up so people who haven't heard me play can get on board with the recording project. Very smart, Susan! But I don't have quality recordings of my songs--hence the need for the album. But I made Paul record me with the video camera so you can get a taste of what I do.

Launch Night

2008-10-15T13:42:00.000-07:00

The Listening Room gig was fantastic. It was a thrill to open for Amy Speace and Jagoda who put on a great show. I played a bunch of new tunes plus an Aretha Franklin cover with the help of Carey and Robin, my back-up divas.

I also launched the pre-sale and made about $200. That will buy (approximately) the recording time for one song. Woo hoo! Thank you to everyone who bought a CD. Thank you to everyone who bought two! Thank you to everyone who bought a CD and then threw in a little extra cash!

It's a long road ahead, though. Recording costs alone will be $2000+. This does not include manufacturing the discs, artwork or mastering--so every pre-sale counts! Either tonight or tomorrow I will send out a note on facebook, myspace and email with a link to this blog and launch my on-line sales. I'm excited to see what happens!

Love,
Emily

The Big Launch

2008-10-11T13:18:00.001-07:00

Okay, folks. There is no turning back now. Tonight I open for Amy Speace at the Listening Room and launch the pre-sales for my album. Once I start...once people give me their money in faith that next spring I will give them a cd...there is no stopping. I am now in the cd business.

Early next week I will have a paypal link up and running so that those of you who are in far-flung places and pre-order your cd that way.

Thank you for all of your encouragement and support ALREADY! I'll keep you posted.

Love,
Emily