Valerie Borman Blog - Better Days

Hey Everyone!!

Welcome to my new website! This website is just one of the many things happening right now for me and I am so excited!! In addition, I’ve got a new cd, a new band, new gigs….. so much is happening and you can hear all about it right hear on my website!!!

This website which has so much more to offer than my old website! First, there is a lot more information – and it will be current and changing constantly. I’ve got news, videos, blogs, podcasts, pix from each performance….. so you’ll have to be sure to stop back often.

Also, I (finally) have an official newsletter and if you haven’t done so yet – SIGN UP! You will get the latest news delivered to your inbox AND you will receive notifications of my events and gigs. You will even get a free song just for signing up! While you are at it – invite your friends to sign up as well!!

Speaking of gigs – this site has a much better calendar – check it out! You’ll see that I have gigs here in Nashville as well as back in PA. I will be continuing to perform in both places, so sign up for the newsletter and you won’t miss a single show (Don’t forget – you’ll also get that free song!)

So let’s talk about my other HUGE piece of news – the release of my new CD, “Better Days.” It’s finally availabel!!! It had been on hold because I was informed by the licensing agency that under no circumstances was I to reproduce (or even promote) the CD until I had obtained the “Mechanical Licenses” for the songs that I recorded. Here’s a brief tutorial! In order to duplicate and distribute a song that someone else has written, a recording artist needs to have the mechanical license for each song. Proper licensing essentially insures that the songwriter will be paid his or her royalties. That’s great – the songwriters definitely need to be protected – and PAID. However, the songs are actually owned/administered by publishing companies who also perform a variety of services for the songwriter. This is also great – songwriters need these services. But here is where it really gets messy: each song may be owned by several publishing companies who each only hold a percentage of the song. One of my tracks on “Better Days” lists SIX separate publishers. It took months to track down and obtain all the proper paperwork, but all that is behind me now and I have a brand new, AWESOME CD!!

If you don’t want to wait for a physical CD to be mailed to you, you can download the tracks right here on the website. Go to the store page for the details on how to get the songs RIGHT NOW!!

Thanks for stopping by! See you at the show!

Valerie

gschmitt Gallery - Gaspar gig

Photos of gschmitt and fellow band members at a Gaspar performance.

Junkbox Gallery - October 2009

Junkbox shows from October 2009 at The Coconut Bay in Manchester, TN and The Bunganut Pig in Murfreesboro, TN.

gschmitt Gallery - Gaspar CD Release Party

gschmitt produced an album for singer/songwriter Gaspar. This gallery contains photos from the CD release party where gschmitt performed with Gaspar.

gschmitt Blog - Letter to Gaspar

Jorge,

HOLY SHIT man! What can I say? I’m attaching the last Excel document with the hours tally for the project with what can only be described as an intense mixture of emotions. The first one is an incredible sense of calm; I actually got to sit down yesterday with my guitar and engage myself in some disciplined practice – something that I haven’t done for the last 8 months. It was exhilarating. The second one is a bit of excitement; I don’t know what i’m going to do next – is my next project going to be a new gschmitt CD? Is it going to be someone else’s? Should I start scouring the local music scene for somebody to produce? The possibilities seem endless and to not “have to get ___ done” in every spare moment of the day is just exciting. But inevitably, the third and last one is a bit heavier-hearted than the other two….it’s that of a subtle sadness because the “Produce and direct Gaspar” chapter of my musical life is over – and it truly is. Even if we do continue to play gigs, which looks like it may be the case, the keys to the machine are now faithfully being put in your deserving hands. Your work (and your humble WILLINGNESS to do the work correctly and dedicatedly) has played a huge part in making this project what it has become – and it’s an example for me that I doubtlessly will be drawing from in the future.

It has been an honor working with you and helping you turn your musical ideas into a solid disk of high-quality material that sounds like nothing else in ANY market. You trusted me with something as personal as your song ideas and I can’t possibly thank you enough for that opportunity. These last 8 months have been surreal and the way that this project came together with everyone who played a hand in it is nothing short of magical. Be PROUD of your disk, Jorge. It’s one of a kind. The synergistic energy created by the unique mix of people involved in this project and the intelligence of your original ideas made it one that not even the most talented musicians can ever come close to recreating.

I’m proud of the music for its quality and uniqueness; proud of you for your hidden talent, dedication and effort; proud of Ariel, Raul and “the Juans” from Pasado Meridiano for their “holy shit” skills live AND in the studio; proud of Mara for an amazing job singing (damn…talk about “hidden skills”); proud of Sakko for his ears and his god-given-gift for making hard, hard work seem like a day at the beach with friends….FUNNY-ass friends; and maybe even a little bit proud of myself, too.

Thank you for giving me the chance to feel this good. Really. Whatever you could possibly need from me in the future, I’m just a phone call away, brother.

- Greg