The Shiz Reaches Their Goal!

I think the headline says it all.  Thanks to everyone that contributed to their kickstarter campaign.

12 Days To GO

C'mon we're still a long ways from the goal line on this one.

14 Days To Go

You Are The Shiz!

Still a long ways to go.  Remember you are the Shiz.

The Shiz

They still have a long way to go...let's help them get out on tour.

The Shiz

This is the new kickstarter campaign that we're backing.  Instead of making an album, The Shiz is trying to get enough money to tour.  Besides the music, which I think is fantastic on its own, I just love the message of this group.  I'm going to reprint their message from their kickstarter page, but go visit and donate some money.

Hi. This is Liz from The Shiz.

My wife Lilli and I are launching a “U R The Shiz” campaign. We are embarking on a 6 week tour to the west coast to play our music, fill folks with good vibes, and along the way, document why the people we meet feel they are The Shiz.

The Shiz is a rock band based in Hammond, Louisiana, and our mission is to encourage love and positivity through music and community interaction.

Ironically, the band formed at a time when I was feeling anything but The Shiz. The story begins with a simple conversation I had guy my age who seemed to find me compelling, so he asked about the ring on my finger. When he heard the answer, I was fired from my job. 

“I’m married to a woman, and her name is Lilli.”

That man was my supervisor in a wilderness therapy program in Arizona, and that day The Shiz was born - because when I spoke my truth, I witnessed his brain derail and then sat there and listened to the garbage that spilled from his mouth while he tried to get it back on track. I did not ask him to think differently of me, I let him have his experience.  And then I left, and moved back home to Louisiana, feeling empty-handed and alone.

But empty handed and alone can have its perks, and it is a great place to start figuring out what you do have.  

Me, I had songs. I’ve always had songs and a guitar. If I was not singing one song, I was singing another; if not your song, then my own. And when I sang them to my wife Lilli, she was convinced we would have a musical journey together. We had put that journey aside so that I could have my wanderings in the wilderness, but when the wilderness delivered me back home, it was time to start that quest in the form of a rock band which named itself The Shiz. 

While I can’t say that I would have started the band had I kept that job, I can say The Shiz has helped me reclaim my personal authority and my power. As the band has grown over the past three years, I have grown.  I have been forced to find comfort in myself, the people I make music with, and the people I make music for.  This musical journey has inspired me to be, and appreciate being, exactly who I am.

And I am THE SHIZ! We all are. Lilli and I have traveled all over the country and found that to be a hard concept for many of us to grasp. So many of us spend years berating ourselves for one thing or another, sometimes because at one point, someone told us we weren't good enough or that something was wrong with us. Sometimes it's just what we tell ourselves.

I think it’s time to lay that story to rest. We need individuals to believe in themselves now more than ever so that we can stop competing and start working together to keep our planet and each other alive. I want people to join me in saying and believing, “I AM THE SHIZ.” 

We've started by asking current fans and friends, and have already gotten some great responses like:

from Germany:
"I am the Shiz because I still remember the Roger Rabbit and will do if anytime if asked." 

from Louisiana:
"I am the SHIZ because I love rainbows. When I see one, I want everyone to see it, too. I'd stop traffic to make people look at the beauty of a rainbow hanging in the sky."

from the cosmos:
"I am the shiz because I am the universe after 14 billion years of cosmic evolution. I am the shiz because I am the universe made conscious - a way for the universe to experience and understand itself. I am the shiz because I am completely insignificant and yet am the most significant being in existence. I am the shiz simply because I AM."

We plan to film as many people as possible for a documentary that will be available online.  We will also be collecting comments on twitter and facebook so that as many people can be involved (and heard) as possible.  

Please take this journey with us by donating and/or spreading the word. And always remember: U R THE SHIZ!

Crunch Time

Let's push her over!

Two Days To Go

Countdown

Less than three days to help Bonnie make her new album.

Six Days Left

We're past the halfway point.

A Week Left

Not quite halfway and a week left.

Less Than A Day To Go!

Less Than Two Days Left

We're down to crunch time.  In the last week the traffic at this site has tripled, so there seems to be a lot of new readers out.  If you can give a hand to a worthy cause and help get this album made.

Counting Down

We're down to less than a week left for The Bards of Bywater's tribute to Leonard Cohen.  It would be cool to show what we can do at this site and push them over their goal.

Bonnie Sims' New Album: Help Out

The Bards of Bywater

I try and only push one kickstarter project at a time on this site, because I know how tight everyone's budgets are and I don't want to come across as always asking for your money.  I think it's important to try and showcase these kickstarter projects and help the artists find the means to create their project on their own.  But I just discovered this project and they have only 10 days to go.  It's from my hometown of New Orleans so I couldn't just ignore it.  So if you can please give a listen and if you can give a little bit to help them out.

Help Bonnie Sims Record Her New Album

Help Bonnie Sims with her new album

Bonnie Sims: Pretty Fair Maid

Don't forget to check our her Kickstarter page.

Our New Kickstarter Project: Bonnie and the Clydes

I want to thank everyone that helped push Megan Blue over the top on our last Kickstarter project.  I don't know how much we helped tilt the odds in her favor, but I'm sure all of you out there made an impact.  We now move on to a new project.

The name of the band is Bonnie and the Clydes.  From their bio page on their site:

Dust off your dancing shoes, real country music has returned. Bonnie & the Clydes bring a brand of swingin' music that makes it nearly impossible to sit still. In a world overrun by alt and pop country, they conjure up the sounds of the genre's legends. Led by Bonnie Sims, Bonnie & the Clydes feature soulful vocals, dynamic fiddle and guitar solos, and a solid country swing groove.
Bonnie Sims sings the only way she knows how, full throttle and without regret. The combination creates a wild freedom that few performers possess. Bonnie started performing at a young age and has loved being on stage since then. At twelve, Bonnie picked up the guitar and began performing with her father, Mike Cruciger, all over Texas.
She’s played venues such as Silver Dollar City (Branson, MO), Six Flags Over Texas, and was included on the Texas Commission on The Arts Touring Artists Rooster for the 2005-2007 season. Most recently Bonnie performed with KC Groves & the Blue Maddies at Rockygrass (2009), Fox Theatre, Boulder Theatre, Wildflower Pavillion and other local venues.
Bonnie’s powerful singing and fiery personality are the driving force behind Bonnie & the Clydes. The authenticity of her voice lends itself to old time favorites, but her youthful take on them make the songs anything but dated. She breathes new life into old tunes and is so genuine, you can't help but believe her.
Bonnie is now joined onstage by her husband, Taylor Sims of SPRING CREEK, on electric guitar, Nancy Steinberger on the fiddle, Michael Schenkelberg on the upright bass, Chris Ramey on pedal steel, and Jason Pawlina back on the drumkit. All of the Clydes are accomplished individual musicians, and joined together they are a seamless unit of rockin' country sound. This group is on schedule to record in the new year, with a projected release date of June 2012 for the sophmore installment of Bonnie & the Clydes. Come see a show soon with this amazing new lineup!

To give you some listening pleasure:



And finally here is where to contribute to their kickstarter campaign.  You can also find it on the sidebar for the next 40 something days.