Well, folks, here we are, on the eve of yet another year on the Planet Earth. Let's be honest, some of you whackjobs wondered if we'd make it, right? It's OK to 'fess up. Hell, I'll shoot straight, I'm listening to the God-awful KISS 'Psycho Circus' album while I type this, of my own free will. If I can pony up such an embarrassing truth , at least one of you nutters can come clean on buying into Mayan prophecy. Any takers?
Fine, whatever then.
So, this time last year, fORMER was the name of the game, promoting our then-new 2nd record, whilst navigating the health issues and eventual departure of our long-time drummer, all of which left me wondering if carrying on with these musical efforts was even worth the trouble. Truth be told, I was THIS close to calling it a day, and applying myself wholeheartedly to latch-hooking, but we stumbled upon a new tub-thumper, ditched the fORMER moniker, and adopted The Great Affairs as our full-time handle, scooping up material from both bands and making our setlist a grab-bag of whatever we felt like playing on any given evening.
As it turns out, this change of scenery was exactly what the doctor ordered, for me at least, and before I knew it, we were in the middle of making not one, but two new records, the first of which is about to drop in the first weeks of 2013.
Here's a taste:
https://soundcloud.com/the-great-affairs/01-rock-n-roll-heart
You can hear more here: http://www.thegreataffairs.com
'4' is the debut offering from the newly revamped lineup of The Great Affairs, and we're so proud of it, there will be two versions made available.
If you buy it through iTunes(or whatever digital outlet supplies your portable devices with content), you'll get 7 songs.
If you buy the CD directly from us through this site, you'll get those same 7 songs in a swank package designed by yours truly, along with a sticker, a TGA guitar pick, and a download link to a new EP called 'Halfways & Misfires', consisting of previously unreleased material recorded specifically for this occasion. Here's a sample, a tune called 'Skyline', that you can download right now at this link:
https://soundcloud.com/the-great-affairs/skyline
Hell, we'll even sign the CD for you, if you drop us a line with your order and let us know you're into that sort of thing.
Here's the link to pre-order this version now(Actual release date is January 15th, and we anticipate shipping initial orders on or before that date. Watch your email for the link to 'Halfways & Misfires' around that time as well.)
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=VSJHLATNETTZU
But wait, there is another option. Kool Kat Musik, out of New Jersey will be releasing an expanded version of the record, with those 7 tunes, PLUS 7 more bonus demos(all unique from the tracks featured on the 'Halfways & Misfires' EP), in an entirely different packaging. Here's the cover....and a pre-order link for the "deluxe" edition:
http://64.33.80.122/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=KKM&Product_Code=The_Great_Affairs_4&Category_Code=PO
To celebrate all this nonsense, we'll be playing a CD Release show at 12th & Porter in Nashville on Saturday, January 19th. We'll be headlining, and unwrapping a few of these new tunes live for the first time. Our brothers The East Side Gamblers will precede us, preceded themselves by D. Ryan, playing his first Nashville show in some time. $7, 18 & up, and we'd sure be glad to see you down front, as we attempt to redeem ourselves for a recent poor showing there, plagued throughout by a projectile-vomiting bassist. He's feeling much better now, by the way.
From there, we aim to hit the road a bit, spreading the gospel of '4', while Kenny & I work on finishing up our duo record 'Nothing's Broken', currently at a state of approximately 55% readiness. This may be slow going, as Kenny & I have a sessions for a new record from Joshua Ketchmark to helm in March, but we're trying to be expeditious in getting this thing into folks' hands, because it's a damn fine selection of numbers, in our humble assessment.
To everyone that's been keeping up, coming out to shows, buying our swag, and helping us keep this often slow-moving train on the rails, we hail you. Please be safe this evening, and all evenings, and here's to an even better 2013.
Cheers,
Denny
p.s. New shirts on the way shortly. Here's the design.