Hey bloomers, as I write this, I'm overwhelmed by your support for our Kickstarter campaign! We've broken over 10k today and that's so encouraging. We ABSOLUTELY couldn't do this without you all. We know y'all won't be disappointed in the album because all five of us are really digging it right now. If you haven't seen the second "Making Of" video on our page, be sure to scroll down a ways so you can see it! You might even see an interview with Death...
These last several months have truly been insane as we worked on the album and the Kickstarter at the same time. As things come to a close on the fundraising campaign, we couldn't be happier to see the support and encouraging words that you all have graciously shown us. Have you all seen that if you donate $50 or more, your name will be in the credits? Or that you can have a night out on the town with us? Sounds pretty sweet, huh?
Please continue spreading the word around about the project so we can hit our goal and continue to melt faces with our righteous jams! And don't forget to spread the bloom responsibly!
Can't wait to see all of you guys when we hit the road again.
- Brink
Hey Everybody,
We are super excited to finally announce the BIG news we’ve been sitting on for months. As many of you know, we have been working feverishly on our new album. Well, we’ve also been working on the mother of all promo videos for it to be used in conjunction with our Kickstarter campaign we launched on Manic Monday LAST NIGHT!!!! http://kck.st/LY80Ny Go here to watch the video.
Many of us in the band felt equal parts of excitement and anxiety as we clicked the launch button ….but, alas, the mission is now officially underway. So, we need EVERYONE’s help on this because, to date, we’ve never done anything this ambitious. In fact, the album itself is the turning out to be equally, if not more, ambitious and easily the most progressive and daring music we’ve ever written. You can hear clips of the new songs playing in the background of the second video we released (located at the bottom of our Kickstarter page).
Regardless if you can’t make a pledge towards our campaign, we are asking that you pass this story around to as many people as you know…if anything, simply to show off the amazing cinematography and Oscar-esque acting we brought to the table. Matt worked his butt off to make this thing as mind-blowing and impressive as possible. So, on principle alone, we want the whole world to see the lengths we are willing to go to show that we are not only relevant in the world of artistry but that our creative endeavors are indeed worth your investment.
Kickstarter: http://kck.st/LY80Ny
Press Release: http://www.manicbloom.com/3rd-record.php
Thanks again for all your support! We couldn’t do this without you.
Hildee
-Manic Bloom
That's right folks! Two of our songs are going to be played during tonight's episode of Bad Girls Club! I just personally hope it's not during a scene that I'd be embarrassed for my grandmother to watch. Of course, my grandmother's favorite show is Two and a Half Men, so if she can deal with Charlie Sheen's shenanigans, she can probably handle hair pulling and the crying that ensues... She's a pretty cool 92 year old. Not to say that watching cat fights makes someone cool. But I digress.
Almost a year ago, we were featured on Channel One News, and now we're up for their Artist of the Year contest! There's a link right below this - it would super sweet if you could click it and vote for us! And then vote again in the coming rounds... I think there's quite a few of you out there that found out about us through Channel One, so you probably already know about it.
We ended up pulling in second place in the Music 2 Rise contest that Andy mentioned last time around - right behind some friends of ours in Nashville - Darling Parade. Thanks for supporting us in that!!
It's been a while since I've written an update - and a lot has happened since... We're still working on a new record, and I think we've got some really cool stuff churning around - hopefully we'll give you a decent taste soon. We've thrown around the idea of letting you hear a few clips in May. It's absolutely crazy that next month is May... Where does time go? We'd better hurry up on this record or the Mayans will take it from us...
As most of you know, I'm a nerd... I've been working on a website over the past 10 months or so that will basically reward everyone out there that spreads our music by giving them free downloads of some of our music - beyond the free stuff we give you for being part of the mailing list. It's not quite finished yet, but it's soooooo close. For those of you that are artists yourselves, it'll be something that will hopefully help you as well - after I get all the bugs out.
Also - last week I added a soundcloud player to our website so you can listen and comment on certain parts of our songs while you're browsing us online. Tell me what you think!
You're all AWESOME!
-David
Hey Bloomers! Just wanted to give you a few quick updates.
1. Today we are featured on Music 2 Rise. Please go to the link here and watch and spread to your facebook and friends....please, please....please! There will be a contest starting March 29th to get us to win.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=980wRFl-Lk0
2. We have been working on a surprise video, as some of you already know from Manic Monday TV...but it is going to be awesome and scary and funny and a mind warp,...so get crunk for that!
3. I have gotten several comments and question on how the dreadies are coming and...I have to say, they are coming along nicely...sure, they take time right now to maintain, but in the end....oh, the locks will be what rocks! Check out my facebook page for an awesome pic from one of our fans at the last show.
https://www.facebook.com/aneale
We are working really hard in the studio and doing this video right now, so the shows have slowed down a little, but if you are in the Nashville area, we are playing 12th and Porter's St. Patrick's Day big show on March 17th and we are up for some nominations for Nashvilles rock award show - The Music City Mayhem awards. Come see us do a set on March 24th at the Rutledge and hopefully get to do some acceptance speeches as well.
Until next time peeps....spread the Bloom responsibly!
AndiRoo
Hey Bloomers,
Season's Greetings! I'm always blown away by the happiness that seems to fill everyone during the holiday season. You hear some people complain about the consumerism, and how it's become all about gifts, but I love seeing everyone's excitement when finding that perfect gift for someone they love. Personally, I keep a list on my phone throughout the year of gifts I think someone would want, so that when Christmas comes around I know what to get. It definitely makes things easier and less stressful.
There's one thing that has become a tradition for me during the holidays, and that's reading this study on the star of Bethlehem. I grew up hearing about the Star of Betlehem, and a guy in Texas did tons of research on it and found some pretty amazing things. It's definitely worth your time! Besides that, some of my favorite Christmas traditions are going to a Christmas eve service, opening one present on Christmas eve, eating tons of candy and cinnamon rolls, watching tons of movies, etc. What are some of your favorite holiday traditions?
Lastly, we in Manic Bloom had a good time a couple weeks ago celebrating Hildee's 30th (yeah, I said 30th) birthday. We wanted to help Hildee still feel young, so we rented out a cigar bar and hung out all night. I included a little sneak peek into the festivities at the bottom.
We hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and gets to spend some time with family and friends. Merry Christmas!
Matt
-Manic Bloom
Bloomers! I just want to say thank you to all of you for keeping in touch with us as we go down this twisted, uncharted road in the digital world of the music industry. As I sat and read through some of the Facebook comments today...a smile ensued.--It brings so much joy to my heart when I see you comment or message us on Facebook or send out a quick tweet about us, and essentially exposing and revealing Manic Bloom little by little to the 7 billion (yeah, humanity hit that number this week i think) across the globe. We are reminded daily that the 5 of us are nothing with out your help to spread the word of MB. Thank you (times) 7 billion!
I don't know if you and you and you...and you and you realize how important YOU are to us, and I wish we could do something more powerful to demonstrate our gratitude, but hopefully the music, videos, Manic Mondays, and comments begin to show our appreciation. We know that we need your support just as much as you all need innovative, inspiring music...and we will do our best to hold up our part...and here is where I ask you to help. We are going to be revealing a list, as our regular Manic Monday viewers know (Monday nights at 7pm central), soon on things that you can volunteer to do. With that said, we might also make random suggestion on our blog/email as well.
So Bloomers, here is my task for you today. Please comment in our blog when/if you decide to take this weeks challenge to the field/court/pitch/diamond/track (insert playing location of choice).
Drum roll please.............Brink,...... you there???............dldldldldldldldldldldldldldldldldldlddddldldlddld,.., there it is, thank you...ha, ha
Pandora, the internet radio website needs more people to make a "Manic Bloom" station - THIS IS easy and quick...plus, it will give you some MB (amoung other great bands) to listen to on your iphone/droid/ipad/blackberry while you are on the go.
On Last FM, do the same please.
I don't know how else to tell you, but if you really believe in Manic Bloom and want to do simple things to help us, this would be one of them. We love you all and stay tuned for more as blogs roll out.
AndiRoo
We in Manic Bloom are big fans of the holidays. So, with All Hollow's Eve fastly approaching, we wanted to do something special to enjoy it with you all.
First, we created a Manic Bloom pumpkin stencil. You can find the printable PDF here, http://www.manicbloom.com/_documents/uploads/mbpumpkinstencil.pdf. Since the B in our logo has no break in it, you need to leave part of it uncut, but you can scrape off the skin of the pumpkin to complete the logo. Check out the bottom of this blog for a picture example.
Second, we are giving away our song "What Scares You Most" in honor of the holiday. Right click on this link, http://www.manicbloom.com/_documents/uploads/01_what_scares_you_most.mp3, and click "Save As". Whenever I think of what scares me most, bees come to mind. For Andy, it would be heights and undoubtedly the dentist. Hildee, sharp knives!! David, clusters of things (yeah, I know, that's just funny). And Brink, small crystal bears. Post a comment on this blog entry to let us know what scares YOU most. If you already have the song, then leave a comment anyways, my friend : )
Lastly, we're really pumped about the traffic we've gotten from Dude Perfect's new video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_2eU1ykV3k&feature=channel_video_title. So far, it's gotten 2.5 million views in 6 days. The song is a rough version of "Start A New One", which will be on our upcoming EP (release date TBD). If you haven't gotten your free download of that song, go to our free downloads section, www.manicbloom.com/free, and enter the password that is included at the bottom of the email notification you recieve each time we post a new blog.
We've been booking a lot more shows lately, so we'd love to make it out to your neck of the woods to play a show near you. Just let us know where you're at, and if it's feasible we'll try and make it out. As always, we appreciate everything you do and please keep spreading the bloom...responsibly.
Happy Halloween!!!!!
Matt
-Manic Bloom
What up faithful Bloomers? Hildee here. We are fresh off a 5 day mini tour through the Lone Star State and let me tell you, it was not short on surprises and overall ridiculousness.
This was a first for Manic Bloom....not that we toured Texas. No, but that we traveled over 2600 miles and played 4 shows in a span of 5 days. The insanity included, but wasn't limited to: a broken down trailer, a parade, running out of gas, lots of Mexican food, two shows in one day, a nearly collapsing stage, cheerleaders, dancing mascots, and hitchhiking. All True. It tested not only our physical well-being but also our ability to maintain the always unpredictable social constructs of the intra-vehicle environment. Being that close to 5 other dudes in such a small space for such long stretches of time can be....well, stressful, to say the least. But alas, as one of the many reasons why I love this band, we all got along magnificently.
Contrary to what others may think, we were able to preserve the peace simply by allowing room to indulge our fancies for fine Texas fast-food. One might wonder why we hold such trivial (and perhaps, poor) culinary values. But let me re-emphasize the oft neglected fact that Texas is better in just about every category (cough, cough…..Andy, cough, David, throat clear). As you will see below in the first installment of our Texas Trip Vlog, our restaurant choices were of the highest importance. I will go so far as to say that those choices were what made the trip so successful.
Oh yeah, and the shows were pretty good too : )
Considering that three of us (and our soundguy) are actually from Texas, every time we do a little tour in Texas it always feels a little bit like a homecoming. So we're pretty excited about leaving today to make our way down to the Lonestar State and play four shows, IN 3 DAYS! If you're in Texas, we'd love to see you out at one of the shows. Here's the schedule.
Thursday, September 22, 6:00 pm - San Antonio, TX - we're playing at UTSA, and we'll be playing three sets broken up.
Friday, September 23, 7:00 pm - Denton, TX - we're playing at UNT, and we'll be playing one long set
Saturday, September 24, 10:00 am - San Antonio, TX - again playing at UTSA, several sets broken up
Saturday, September 24, 10:30 pm - San Angelo, TX - we're playing at Penny Pub & Grill and we'll be playing about an hour.
If you can't tell by the schedule, this trip is gonna be a little rough on us. We've estimated about 44 hours of driving time in 4 1/2 days, so it's a good thing we actually like each other. It's all worth it though, getting to play music for and hang out with all of you. It also doesn't hurt that we'll be getting some Whataburger and Taco Bueno either though, since we can't get that in Tennessee. And we'll post about it, but be on the lookout for an article about us in the San Angelo Standard Times this Friday.
As always, we appreciate everything you guys do for us!
Matt
Maybe you've heard - or maybe you haven't... We released our first official video - for Death & Conversation - earlier this week! We're crazy pumped about it, and we're very proud of how it turned out. HUGE thanks to Matt Crum (director/cameraman/editor/visionary), Eric Klumpe (who played Death), and Susan Warf (who owns the place where we shot the video [Maple Lawn, a not-yet-open-to-the-public Bed & Breakfast], and who happens to be my mother-in-law!).
I'd also like to say how much we appreciate Ron Warf, my father-in-law, who passed away a couple of weeks ago. He took care of all of us the weekend that we shot the video by cooking and making sure we had everything we needed.
We've been sharing the video on facebook and twitter like it's going out of style, so forgive us if we're a bit overexcited... But we're really excited! I would personally be grateful if each of you shared it with 3 of your friends. (I'm not going to be upset if you shared it with more, either. Actually, I'll just more be even MORE grateful!)
In other news, we're teaming up with Precedent Entertainment to be our booking agency, and that's good news considering Andy spends a lot of his time trying to get us shows. Technically the agreement starts at the first of September, but they're cool enough people that they've already been working on getting some new shows for us. So, hopefully we'll be coming your way soon. That is, if you're in the USA... If you're not, then it'll still probably be a while. Why? Cause it's so gosh darn expensive to tour for a band of our stature.
On that note, we're seriously considering buying a van. We've been talking about it for a while, and it would literally wipe out every dime that we have plus everything we are supposed to make for the next couple of months, but we think it just might be worth it. And we're not talking a fancy schmancy state-of-the-art anything, either... We're talking a 16 year old church van that is super cheap. But it would allow me to no longer be crammed in the back of Brink's SUV without a seat belt.
So - here's the deal. If you like the music we make and want us to make more, please buy our records and tshirts! As most of you know, we all have full time jobs and are pouring our lives into this band, so every single time someone buys a song or a record or a shirt, you're literally giving us a glimmer of hope that we'll be able to do this for the rest of our lives. If you've already bought our music - first of all, THANK YOU! Second of all, if you feel so moved, please buy a few more copies and give them away! Heck - buy 100 copies and I will seriously call you and thank you and talk to your grandma or whoever you want me to talk to. I'll tell them about how great of a grandchild you've been, and how you're making good grades, and how you love the sweater she knit you. All that still applies even if I'm not talking to your grandmother...
So, Bloomers - Share the video!! Buy some stuff!! Keep on spreading the Bloom responsibly!!!!
I hope to see you at a show soon (check our tour page), and YOU ARE ALL AWESOME!
-David
MB
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