Album Out Tomorrow! (Also, preview "Bedtime Song")

It's been a long time coming. Many hours in my studio. Countless minutes re-drafting, co-writing, and pouring over the keyboard.  Going so far as to move my family to Nashville, TN for the recording process.  This album is such a real part of me.  To give it to you is to give you a genuine piece of myself. I hope you love it.  For now, preview this lovely lullaby that will have you waltzing your way into bed tonight. This is "Bedtime Song."  Pre-order the album now on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/pocketful-of-poetry/id688062384?ign-mpt=uo%3D2

 

A Song a Day - I Take Flight

The song of the day is one that I wrote with a wonderful Nashville, based artist, Trent Dabbs.  For me, this song is about being able to love people, while at the same time finding your happiness totally independently of them.  But this song could be interpreted in so many different beautiful ways.  What does it mean for you?  Preview "I Take Flight" below. Available on iTunes this Tuesday!

A Song a Day: Picture Show

I grew up right next to a drive-in movie theater. The tree house on our property was the perfect place for watching silent films and listening to teens and college students flirt and laugh from the beds of trucks and the backseats of station wagons. That old drive-in screen is the backdrop of my childhood where I watch the scenes of my life flicker in front of me. Today's song is "Picture Show." Releases on iTunes this Tuesday! (9/10) https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/pocketful-of-poetry/id688062384?ign-mpt=uo%3D2

   

P.S.  If you're in Utah, I'll be co-headlining with Peter Breinholt at the Ed Kenley Amphitheater in Layton, UT tonight! Get tickets here: http://tickets.davisarts.org/

A Song a Day: Shadow Children

Today's song is all about the bittersweet of growing out of childhood. Someone recently posted that this song made them want to build forts with their children and to tell them to never grow up. That sums it up quite nicely. This is "Shadow Children." (Available on iTunes, this Tuesday!) https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/pocketful-of-poetry/id688062384?ign-mpt=uo%3D2

A Song a Day: Little Red Bike

My dad taught me how to ride a bike on a little red Schwinn.  How I loved that bike, circling the house with it for hours on end.  More than that, my dad taught me how to be a strong, independent and influential human being.  Today's song is "Little Red Bike."

When I was in Brooklyn for the mixing of this song, I stepped out for lunch with my producer and mixing engineer. I nearly ran right into a little red Schwinn just like my childhood bike on the way to the restaurant.  It was as if it showed up to say "thank you."

Available on iTunes, Sep. 10th! Pre-order it now here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/pocketful-of-poetry/id688062384?ign-mpt=uo%3D2

A Song a Day: Oh No!

I'm posting a song a day until my album release on September 10th!  Today's song is a deliciously quirky love song called "Oh No!," written with my dear friend and guitarist, Joe Corcoran. Produced by Cason Cooley. Pre-order it HERE! Now, feast your ears and fall in love:

A Song a Day: "Honey"

My new album drops in one week. ONE WEEK! I am borderline spastic these days because I am so excited. Every day this week, I'm going to post a new song from the album for you to preview. Don't forget: You can pre-order the album on iTunes now (includes two electronic bonus tracks!).  If you like the physical copy, head on over to Amazon to preorder that too.  For now, I give you, "Honey:"

Pre-order My New Album on iTunes Now (and get a track!)

Photo by Jefra Starr Linn

Get ready to do a little dance! You can pre-order my new album, "Pocketful of Poetry" on iTunes today! When you pre-order, you get my single, "Pocketful of Poetry" right away. When the album releases on September 10th, iTunes will automatically send the songs to your library. It's perfect.

New Free Download!

YOU GUYS!  Have you heard this hot new summer jam I co-wrote and recorded with Oceanear? This video is an awesome preview and sneak peek into our recording session.  For a limited time, you can download this track for FREE at www.oceanear.bandcamp.com.  RUN and get it now!!!

P.S. Oceanear's new album is due out in October!

Preview of "Pocketful of Poetry!"

Behold! Another NEW SONG for you to preview! This is the title track to my upcoming album and I adore how it turned out.  Download it on Sep. 13th!  But hear it live this Friday at the Rooftop Concert Series in Provo, UT. 7:30 pm. 100 W 100 N on the top of the parking structure. It's FREE!

Free Download!

I have a present for you.

Photo by Jefra Starr Linn

For a limited time, I am offering a FREE download of one of my new songs.  It was really Anthropologie's idea.  You see, they are posting about my new album on their blog today and they said, "Hey.  Why not do a free download with our blog post?"  I thought that was a dandy idea.  In fact, I think every idea of Anthropologie's is divinely inspired.

Click the HERE to get your free download and get happy.

P.S. Speaking of Anthropologie, a darling fashion blog called Lunchpails and Lipstick is featuring my favorite picks from Anthro right this very minute.  Go check it out!

Album Artwork Preview!

It's coming! I've been in ultra hermit-mode while I've been working to create this new album.  I'm so proud of the artwork.  Just wait until you actually feel it with your own hands! The paper is a creamy linen texture.  The stitching on the title will be embossed.  The little pocket that is exposing my heart will be cut out and wait for it . . . a red thread will wind around the album case and fasten to a grommet and button.  Yes! I'm a packaging nerd!

Many thanks to Alma Loveland for her amazing design skills, Mike Loveland for his brilliant illustrations and Jefra Starr Linn for her photography from which the illustrations of me were derived.

The album is in production this very minute and will be officially released on iTunes on September 10th. Save the date!  

PledgeMusic is 115% Funded! Also, New Video: Recording Vocals!

Hey everyone! Last week, with an army of family, friends and fans backing me, I surpassed my goal for my PledgeMusic campaign.  I just got chills as I typed that last sentence.  I am so moved and so deeply grateful to have a piece of all of you on this new album and to have also helped fund the Rooftop Concert Series this year.

I owe some very special thanks to these people for their help and support in the success of this campaign:

Courtney Kendrick and The Rooftop Concert Series
Sam Schultz of Sammy's Cafe
Stephanie Nielson
Ariel Hyatt
Wesley Johnson
Lyndsay Johnson
Jeff Yeats
Jared Platt
Jefra Starr Linn
Krista Maurer
Rachel Schutz (Darlybird)
Canela Limoine

And of course, the staff at PledgeMusic.

Many of you helped me Tweet, Facebook, Instagram and do giveaways to help spread the word.  I don't even think I could begin to fit all of the names into this post.  Please know how thankful I am to you.

So, what's next?  Today, I am shooting the photos for my album artwork.  In three days, I leave for New York to finish the mixing and mastering of the album.  Then the album will be manufactured in July and ready to hit stores by September 10th.  I'll continue to post videos of the album creation process.  Check out the new one above of recording vocals in the studio on a brand new song called, "Little Red Bike!" 

Why I Love Vintage!

Let's be honest: I don't keep up with the latest fashions.  But, I DO keep up with the fashions of yesteryear.  Why?  Because I'm drawn to them like a bear to a beehive.  The perks: Vintage clothing is usually very inexpensive, one-of-a-kind, non-skanky and chalk-full of unique patterns, textures, colors and personality!  

I made you (or rather, Jeff Yeats made you) a rad video about why I love vintage, filmed inside of a slick vintage clothing store in Nashville, TN called "The Hip Zipper." 

Also, I'm going to give you the  4-1-1 on where I've bought some of my favorite outfits and how much they cost.  I've used these beauties for photo shoots and music videos.  Check it out:

 

 Square Dance Shirt: $15 at "Decades," Salt Lake City, UT

Tutu: $30 at "Decades," Salt Lake City, UT

Picture Frame: $1.50 at Deseret Industries, Provo, UT

Photo by Jefra Starr Linn

 

Prom Dress: $120 at "Swift Vintage," Burbank, CA

Photo by Wendy Whitaker of Blue Lily Photography

 

 Polyester Red Dress: $7 at "Nevin's Thrift Store," Mt. Pleasant, UT

Photo by Wendy Whitaker of Blue Lily Photography

Navy Velour & Lace Dress: $7 at "Nevin's Thrift Store," Mt. pleasant, UT

Photo by Wendy Whitaker of Blue Lily Photo

Retro Circus Dress: $35 at "Hubba Hubba," Burbank, CA

Photo by Justin Hackworth

P.S. I am offering a private, all-day shopping excursion with me through my PledgeMusic Campaign.  I only have a few spots left.  Offer ends on June 4th, so hurry and sign up! I'd love to take you shopping! Sign up at www.pledgemusic.com/mindygledhill.

Strings!

I want to take you on a tour through the studio during what we call a "string session," (the part of the recording process where we record the strings!).  We used an amazing group of string players in Nashville, called "The Love Sponge."  These guys have played on recordings for many greats, including Ben Folds, The Fray, Jennifer Lopez, Johnny Mathis, Jason Mraz, and Ron Sexsmith, to name just a few.  Let's just say I had to pinch myself a few times.  Many thanks to my producer, Cason Cooley, string arranger, Ben Shive, The Lovesponge and Jeff Yeats for making this video.  Enjoy!

New Video and Contest!

 

This is an exciting week! I have a goal to be 50% funded by the end of the week on my PledgeMusic Campaign.  I am currently at 36%.  Hooray!  We're getting close!  If you pledge to my new album online by Saturday, May 5th, you will receive a FREE PASS to a private concert with me, hosted by Sammy's Cafe. 

Also, A CONTEST!  If you re-post one of my Instagram buttons on IG (below) and use the hashtag, #pledgemindy, you will be entered to win  a lunch date with me, you,  and a friend at Sammy's Cafe in Provo or Salt Lake City, UT, plus $100 in credit at Sammy's cafe!  I can't think of anything better than scarfing an entire plate of sweet potato fries with you by my side.

Nope. That's not all! 30% of all pledges to my new album will go toward funding this year's Rooftop Concert Series.  This is all one big love fest of giving through music and community.  Read about an exciting new announcement about the Rooftop Concert Series on CJane's blog today! Your clue word is "broadcast."
 
I'll sign off by offering you this beautifully filmed video to bring you up to speed on what's happening in the studio here in Nashville as I make my new album. Made by the talented, Jeff Yeats.
www.pledgemusic.com/mindygledhill
 

 

 

 

A Converted Heart

Photo by Wesley Johnson

When I was small enough to hide in cupboards and squirm through the nooks and crannies of the old blue house of my childhood, I would find refuge from my existence as one of nine children in a closet underneath the spiral staircase.  Climbing the rickety shelves of the closet in bare feet, I would always find a cassette tape recorder with a rectangular shaped lo-fi microphone attached to it.  There was a special cradle for the microphone on the recorder and I loved to repeatedly pull the microphone out and then click it back into it's proper place.  But even more than that, I relished flipping on the "power" switch and singing directly into it while pressing my mouth to the grill.  The buzz created by the distortion tickled my lips while an electrified sense of joy ran through my body from sun-kissed head to dingy little toes.

Fast forward twenty-some-odd-years and not much has changed.  When I step into the iso-booth in the studio, I feel the quietude and safety that is my childhood closet under the spiral staircase.  It is me and the microphone.  The vibration.  The electrified joy from head to toe.  My heart nearly leaps from my mouth in the form of sound waves. The waves cause the microphone's diaphragm to vibrate. The microphone captures and transmits my vibrations into an electrical signal. The signal travels a path through a cable to a computer sound card where it is converted from analog into digital code which is then sent to the computer's recording software.  The digital signal is decoded and then sent back to the device's sound card which converts it back to an analog signal, read by your speaker system and emitted as sound waves that are processed by your very own ears.  

Note that this electrical signal started it's journey in my heart.  It IS my heart, traveling through my mouth, changing from one form of energy into another until it reaches you.  Understood in code, then decoded, and recoded. It is my spirit speaking to your spirit. Mine is a converted heart.

Album Recording, Part 4!

I love recording music!  Enjoy a little summary of what I've recorded and meet my guitarist, Joe Corcoran! I'm embarking upon a two week break from the studio right now, but I'll be here in Nashville with my boys climbing trees, chasing fireflies, and eating fried okra.  You can follow the adventures here, on Facebook, Twitter, Vine and especially, Instagram! I love Instagram. (@mindygledhill). 

To pre-order the new album, visit www.pledgemusic.com/mindygledhill.

Thanks for following along!

What Is Crowdfunding?

Last Friday, I did the most vulnerable thing of my entire music career to date: I launched a PledgeMusic campaign.  What is that? you ask.  PledgeMusic is a platform for crowdfunding, much like Kickstarter, but specified for musicians. And what is crowdfunding? you ask. Crowdfunding is where you involve the people who support you in the creation of your product—in my case, my new album.  It's actually a brilliant way to pre-sell your music, but even more than that, offer your listeners some truly unique ways to be involved.  For example, in exchange for my fans' contributions, I will send them my album a week before it releases, I will call them and sing them to sleep, take them to lunch, teach them how to write songs via Skype or in person, take them shopping for a day, invite them to sing a duet with me on stage, and so much more. These are things that I normally wouldn't have available for purchase. It's also an incredible way to create momentum and awareness surrounding a new album release.  Additionally, I've made it so that 30% of my campaign will go toward funding the Rooftop Concert Series to support my local music scene. 

Any time you put yourself out there, there will be naysayers.  Trust me.  I live in a world of putting myself out there.  One person commented:

In my opinion if Mindy wanted to record another album she should have had the money upfront, not beg from her fans for it.

For those of you who may be confused about what this campaign is all about, allow me to spell it out a little more clearly and be vulnerable, yet one more time.  I have paid for the recording of my album, up front, with my own money that I have set aside for three years.  (Although, I do not see anything wrong with bands raising money to pay for an album up front if they don't have it). I am an independent artist. This means that I fund my entire career. I pay for the recording, I pay for CD duplication, album design, web design, my band members' pay checks, travel costs for touring, music videos, and the list goes on and on. The contributions of my fans will go towards all of the extra expenses beyond the album recording, that it takes to thrive as a musician.  In a beautifully symbiotic way, my fans will allow me to have a wider reach by making more videos, touring more and meeting them face to face through this very campaign.  Don't think for a minute that I'm not deeply grateful for this or that I'm not working my tail off to create new music to share with all of you.  I'm really proud of this music and I stand by it unapologetically.  I can't wait to see how it brings us together. Thank you so much for allowing me into your lives through music.

Pledge HERE.

Watch this amazing TED talk by independent artist, Amanda Palmer, who raised 1.2 million dollars for her music through crowdfunding:

Be a Part of My New Album!

I've never done anything like this before. And I must admit that it drums up that same feeling inside of me that one gets when they're about to plunge into the deep end from off of the high dive at the community swimming pool. Scary and exhilarating all at once.  But I don't want to live on the steps of the swimming pool for the rest of my life. 

I'd love for you to be a a part of my album as much as you want to be. In return, I want to do some things for you that I've never offered on such a personal level to my fan base before. (Confession: The term, "fan base, " makes me all kinds of uncomfortable. I think of my following as my friends. And many of you are just that).  Just think: We could find ourselves in the middle of a glowing room of candles in your home, among your family and friends, me  pouring out my soul to you in a private and intimate setting. We could spend the day together digging through treasure troves untold of the best vintage clothes money can buy.  I could even call you on the phone and sing you to sleep. These are just a few of the lovely things I'm offering as part of my Pledge Music campaign. Also, 30% of your contribution will go towards supporting my local music scene through helping to fund the Rooftop Concert Series. Hip-hip, HOORAY! To join in on the making of my new album, visit:
www.pledgemusic.com/mindygledhill.

Thank you for your support and encouragement!