$1050 in one month seemed like a stretch, which is why I chose that timeframe. Deadlines work for me. I assumed that come the last week of March, I'd be begging people to donate just a bit more, handing flyers to strangers... Instead, the whole thing was funded 10 days in. Friends are wonderful things, especially when they're glad you've finally gotten off your ass and done the thing they've been telling you to do for years.

I'd love to see more people just pre-order the CD (you can still do that), just because the ultimate point of this is to make music and have it heard.

But I highly recommend Kickstarter's tiered rewards setup, especially the fact that you choose your own rewards. You know your audience (if you don't, figure that out first). Gordon knew that music geeks (like me) would want the limited-edition vinyl. JigGsaw knew their fans (like me) would want T-shirts and their back catalog.

I knew my friends would want to make me sing songs that I hate.

I can't take credit for the original idea. In December, at a charity live-band karaoke, Mike Ingram promised to sing any song on the band's extensive list for a donation to the cause. Making my fellow indie-acoustic-singer-songwriter sing "9 to 5"? Worth it, and many others agreed.

I knew that people who had been in bands — or high school, or the workplace — with me were well aware of my pointed musical opinions and dislikes. If you've been around me even once when Journey came on the radio, I imagine forcing "Open Arms" on me must be enticing.

Know your audience.

Which brings me to the second interesting facet of this project, vs. any I'd done in the past: I haven't touched my mailing list yet. Like most artists, I have a good-sized email list I've built up over the years. More years than most, dating back to when I had to explain what email was.

And I know some, but by no means all, of those people. And many of those emails are out-of-date, or silently bouncing, never checked...

Instead, I talked about the project on Facebook (both my personal profile and my fan page) and Twitter. Where I know who I'm talking to — the exact same people most likely to show up at an eventual release party. The exact same people most likely to take me up on the "tell your friends" request. And they don't just sign up for a CD, they chime in and taunt me with song requests, rubbing hands and discussing the possibilities. These are the people who will listen as work-in-progress mixes are shared (a backers-only bonus). Feedback rocks. Feedback inspires.

It's not news: conversations are better than announcements, for both sides. I'll have the CD soon enough, and it will be available from CD Baby, and for download on iTunes and elsewhere, and I will hit the mailing list, and that will be fantastic. I'm not sure it will be as fun as this part has been.

Now back to concentrating on the CD itself. I find myself practicing and thinking about guitar parts I've played for years. I'm more excited about my music than I've been in years.

Somehow, over the years, recording a CD of just-me-n-a-guitar has always been the next thing I was thinking about. Despite being the first thing, or the only thing, everyone asks for at gigs and in-between.

Stars are aligning, though, since I'm actually excited to do just that. Studio? Chosen and booked. Mastering and duplication? Priced. Artwork? Who knows; haven't come to that bridge yet. Funding?

Funding. That's where you come in, I hope.

In short: $1 or more is a helpful and appreciated boost. $10 pre-orders a CD, shipped to you and signed, as soon as one exists. $25 gets the same plus early peeks at the tunes. $50 lets you make me squirm, cringe, and bite my tongue as I cover the song of your choice. (you could also pick something I'd enjoy singing, but how's that fun?)

If you're unfamiliar with Kickstarter, where the project is living, it's kinda awesome: you pledge what you want towards my goal. If the goal is hit in time ($1050 by March 31st), you get charged. I don't hit the goal? No charge. All or nothing.

Take a look. Hop over to music.paulroub.com and take a listen. Tell your friends via those nice little Share buttons on the Kickstarter page.

Every little bit helps; and anything you can post on your Walls and your Timelines and your Twitter Streams is hugely appreciated.

I've set a short schedule because I'm stoked; this is going to be good. I'm proud of it in advance.

In particular, I think this piece of software is going to let me write more songs. Leaving aside the question of whether this is a good or bad outcome for the world at large — as someone who (a) is a songwriter and (b) find himeself blocked more often than not — it's certainly a win for me.

I had the germ of an idea a couple of weeks ago. A lyric, in this case. Sometimes it's a fragment of melody, a chord progression, a theme... in any case, usually quickly forgotten. In this, I grabbed my phone, added a new note, titled it "Lyrics", and added one line:

He's been anything but kind

Had an inherent rhythm, suggested a lot of ways to continue. A good start. And now, I wouldn't forget it.

Fast forward a couple of days, I have some ideas for more lyrics, as well as some of the tune. New Audio Note time, and I warble this little bit of ridiculousness:

humming and la-ing like an idiot

and then some chords:

barely audible chords

Not done, maybe not good, but not forgotten. A few days after that, stuck for progress, I headed out to see Kayla Brown play. Well, not see; I sat at the counter, out of site, and just listened. Kayla's fantastic, I got inspired, and started free-associating lyric ideas, discussion of lyric ideas, arguments-with-myself, etc. Later, I scanned the scribblings in. Not forgotten:

Started to actually type out the lyrics into Evernote on my laptop (everything synchs everywhere, so all of my reference points were present).

Had most of the verse/chorus figured out, and recorded those to the laptop for future reference:

almost there

Finished it up, took it out and played it, and earlier this week recorded an actual demo. Here it is:

Paul Roub - A Little Bit Wiser

What I liked about the whole process was how unobtrusive and immediate it was. Evernote was my pocket notepad that can handle sound and pictures. The whole thing just came together so much easier than it has in the past.

Now watch me not write anything new for nine months.

This is not quite a week old, but I think I've mostly found it now, performance-wise. I think this will age well; finding something new every time I sing it.

So I'm bringing a PA. And some friends. And I'm planning to take over for about an hour, in return for you, me, and your dear friends buying delicious caffeinated beverages and things. We'll see how it goes.

Your friends? Tell them. Please.

Address, etc., at paulroub.com/gigs, as ever.

What's it gonna sound like? Me, pretty much: paulroub.com/audio/

There's a Facebook event page here. Be a fan, sign up, I don't know, I'm not the boss of you.

Don't mind the vocals... body and voice are tired right now.

Paul Roub - One Man At Best (demo)

If you do come out, please say "hi" before; after; during a break; mid-song if you have to.

The details are, as always, on my gigs page. There's also a Facebook event page if you want to RSVP or Share (hint, hint). I created a MySpace event as well, but I don't know why. I think I just didn't want to hurt MySpace's feelings, all alone and graffiti-covered in the corner over there.

A Nerd Musician. But not in the MC Frontalot sense.

Maybe Geek Musician? Nah, "nerd" is the operative word here... in the socially-awkward, or at least socially-hesitant, sense.

If you're one of those, too, this may ring a bell:

I don't like asking people to come to my shows.

Even though I really want them to.

I hate describing what I do.

Even though I like it, and love playing and singing it.

I tend to get really embarrassed and uncomfortable when people compliment me at a show.

Although I love it so very much when that happens.

Online promotion works very well for people like me, at least for anxiety-avoidance. But how do I get someone to look at my site, join the mailing list, in the first place?

By making a personal or musical connection, of course. By, I don't know, inviting someone to come to a show. Personally.

So at the moment I'm sitting at Aroma Cafe, where I'm playing in a couple of weeks. There's a band playing tonight. During the breaks, I'm actually handing out fliers. To real live people. I kinda painted myself into this corner, purposely -- by making flyers that don't really work in piles or tacked somewhere. 'Cause there's a drive full of stuff attached.

Needless to say, way more fun than sticking a pile of paper in the corner, or clearing space on the bulletin board.

If you are one of the recipients of these drives, and you've made it this far, I should tell you this is likely the most-neurotic blog post I've ever written. Normally I hide all this silliness as well as everyone else. And I'm perfectly happy and content onstage. Promise. Look.

See you a week from Wednesday.

Yours in dweeb-ness, Paul

So a little bonus side-effect is that one or both will probably now be pulled out of performance limbo, as I'm all excited about them again. Good chance you'll hear this one on the 1st:

The CD is due out August 21st, and you can and should and must pre-order it now, here.

More details and reminders to come, or watch the gig page.

It's called "Half Way Home", and you can find it here

But to the point -- just added a show for this coming Wednesday (July 9th), at the Iron Post in Urbana, with Eleni Moraites.

Showtime is 8pm, I'm on first, and the cover is $3.

Details, as ever, at paulroub.com/gigs

1. Get a gig, already. The "I just moved" excuse dried up months ago. Or...
2. Dedicate yourself to the "notoriously reclusive musician" path

The former seems like much more fun.

So, three weeks from tonight (Thursday, May 29th), I'm at Aroma Cafe in Champaign. 8pm, followed by Carl Hauck at 9.

Updates, address, etc. are at paulroub.com/gigs, as always.

or Ben?

Ben Lee was just amazing — despite, or perhaps a little because of, ongoing equipment issues. No guitar in the PA? Just walk to the front of the stage and serenade a packed house unamplified. And continue to be amazing. No problem. He was just loads of fun, and impossible not to love.

And Ben Folds?

Was Ben Folds. And then some.

Being an old guy in a large crowd of UI students, it's easy to start off smiling nostalgically at the puppy-like quality of the bouncing, shouting, crowding-the-stage kids... until I realize I'm bouncing every bit as much, doing all my crowd-vocal jobs, screaming my head off when "Philosophy" started up...

In summary, music continues to be the best.

Oh, and who was better? Easy. Ben was.

More explanation at the work blog.