It’s finally here, the day I’ve worked the last two years to reach: the official release date of my new album Internal Combustion. It’s been on my calendar – a glowing, pulsing deadline – with hundreds of “next actions” on my lists that had to be done in order to get here – and it’s here! Fireworks seem appropriate! Bouquets of flowers!  Massive checks arriving by FedEx!

But…you know what? I spent most of the day in my pajamas, filing the massive stack in my office, emptying my email inbox, stuffing a few CDs in mailers. All the work comes before this. The writing of the songs, the negotiating with the family for travel time, the wonderful time in Austin with Mark working on the record, the back and forth of the mixing and the graphic design, the new website, the new email service, the occasional freaking out by me and the shoring up by my husband, the hiring of the publicist and the radio promoter, the submitting to iTunes and Amazon and CD Baby. The urgent last-minute trip to Indiana to mail the CDs to the radio in time. The millions of emails alerting the world that the CD is coming. All done. Now it’s out into the world and there is nothing to do but…let it go. It will get played or it won’t get played. People will buy it or they won’t. I’ve worked with the most awesome people, I’ve done the best job I could, and now it’s done. Phew.

So, my husband and I were looking for something special to do for our anniversary.

Almost halfway there… please consider pledging now to my “Keanuville” video project!

Talking Internal Combustion with Rain Perry

Posted by Hal Bogerd on September 14, 2010 at 5:30pm
View Hal Bogerd’s blog

If you watched the first season of CW Network’s “Life Unexpected” you’ve heard Rain Perry’s strong clear voice sing the theme song “Beautiful Tree” from her 2008 release Cinderblock Bookshelves. Confession: I didn’t. I hadn’t. How did we get here? An email offering a cover of Bob Seger’s “Till It Shines”, a song I know but don’t own, by a singer I had never heard of somehow caught my eye, then caught my ear and left me wanting more. Internal Combustion (Precipitous Records), produced by Mark Hallman, is an Americana gem that finds room for gospel, folk, country, rock & roll and soul in Rain’s music tent.
The usual cast of contemporary intelligent female singer/songwriters (Suzanne Vega,Vanessa Peters, Aimee Mann, Tift Merritt, etc.) are easy reference points but those comparisons might sell Rain short. (more…)