Happy Birthday Derek Nicoletto!

Tomorrow is not only Thanksgiving, it is also the birthday of one of my delightful musical crushes. It started when I heard his voice singing lead for Telling On Trixie, and I saw the video for Orion's Light and the next thing I knew, I was searching the internet learn about them. As anyone who reads this blog can tell, I love all kinds of music, but I loves me some rock. TOT made some cool rock. The music was hot, and Derek's vocals just elevated the sound to a different level.



When I discovered Derek was an out and proud frontman, I was doubly delighted. In my younger years, I discovered rock crowds are not the most welcoming crowds, so this was big for me. I jumped on board with TOT, and wrote to Derek, to express my appreciation. He was very sweet in his reply. I've never looked back. I was wad when I got the tweet that TOT broke up, but stayed in touch with Derek. I was thrilled when he started a new project, Derek & the Darling. I was near giddy when I saw the first video, shot by the amazing Julian Rad, for Hustler With A Rescue Plan.

DATD Hustler with a Rescue Plan Music Video from Julian Rad on Vimeo.

Alas, that group soon came to an end, but once again, I stayed in touch. And I have gotten so excited when I heard Derek was planning to go back in the studio to start a solo project. OK, so maybe near-giddy is a better explanation. To try to speed up the process a bit, Derek is looking to raise some funding for studio time, and started a Kickstater page. You can find it here. It is easier to let Derek explain it all to you.



Like other similar projects, it is not about just donating money, but also getting back on your investment. You can give what you can afford, and in return, you can get a return, be it an autographed copy of the album, invites to the release party, included in the liner notes, or a private house concert. The list is on the Kind Ghosts page here or by clicking on the Kickstarter widget belo.



I've said it before, and I'll continue to say it. If you like good music, music that really talks to you, that nourishes your soul, you should support it. I try as much as I can, even more so in these tough economic times. I don't listen to the radio much any more - if I hear another tween/tween wannabe warbling I just might scream. I find the music I want to hear, and support those artists. I try to go to as many shows as I can, buy their music, buy their t-shirts, whatever. If I can help them make more music, it means I will have something to listen to, and I won't be forced to hear the shrill garbage the studios put out. Sure, it isn't all bad, but most of it is. For every Miley Cyrus or Justin Bieber, there are amazing artists like Derek, Eric Himan, Levi Kreis, Tom Goss, Christopher Dallman, Aiden James, Casey Stratton, Andy Moore, and so many more. These are the artists who really need our support, and who have mine.