The State of All Things: OCTOBER 2018 {official thing} (Patreon)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!! IT'S THE OCTOBER ALTHING!!!

before anything, let me just tell you how fucking amazing the first big dresden dolls show was last night. it was. so. fucking. amazing. 

here are a few photos from the troxy. 

photo by gabrielle motola

photo by gabrielle motola

photo by gabrielle motola

and here's me in a special kimono, made for the UK to send back to their american friends to REMIND THEM TO VOTE ON NOVEMBER 6th!!!!

photo by hayley rosenblum

we do it all again tonight.

then i collapse for a couple days.

all this and we also put out a video yesterday (more on that below).

we are insane.

........

it's been a particularly gruelingly busy and beautiful month, my loves. i crammed my head with nothing but 80 minutes of memorization for the new album recording only to come straight to london and demand that my brain replace that 80 minutes of music with three hours of dresden dolls material. i am impressed with myself, even if i forgot a verse of "delilah" last night - and i've played that song 2,387 times.....

WHERE IS MY MIND?

but i wouldn't have it any other way.

i have been inspired as fuck given what is happening with the upcoming vote, and with the recent news from brazil. IT IS TIME TO WORK. i feel like there aren't enough hours in the day to make art and fight back against a world that is getting increasingly weirder by the day.

i am so happy i have you here with me.

and i am so happy that i don't have to use facebook to reach you.

three cheers for the patreon.

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WHAT HAPPENED THIS MONTH...

it was october.....

main event: THE NEW RECORD.

the vast majority of my month was taken up by holing away in los angeles and recording my first MASSIVE solo album since theatre is evil. i rented an air BNB ....

photo by katie kay mead

....in echo park, and recorded with john congleton at a recording studio in highland park. we spent about 17 days straight in the Cave of Making Sounds.

i'm working on the album artwork and you can expect to see that, and the announcement about the drop date (and the TITLE), and the (eeeee) WORLD TOUR DATES around about early december. it's a fuck ton of work. i've been having meetings in the cracks in london, on the phone, and goddamn putting out a huge record is a lotta work.

the spring - and most of 2018 - is going to be ALL ABOUT THIS RECORD.

I AM REALLY REALLY PROUD OF IT. it's the most personal and vulnerable thing i've ever made.

 MR. WEINSTEIN WILL SEE YOU NOW - THE MUSIC VIDEO

october was hot on Things.....the powerful, choreographed video for "Mr. Weinstein Will See You Now", directed by noemie lafrance and starring MANY nyc-area women (including some of YOU)  was released on the exact day that marked the one year anniversary of the NY Times' expose on harvey weinstein's abuse allegations.

we held a last-minute screening in LA at the downtown independent, and people watched the video and shared stories. it was really powerful...

we hustled hard to get press to pick up the weinstein clip....and after a short silence, it was kinda shocking to see huge mainstream outlets like people magazine, paper magazine, pitchfork and mother fucking cnn (?!) pick it up while it was mostly ignored by feminist outlets. so i got ask-y and asked you to help me tweet to them and sho nuff.....that helped get bust and ms magazine to cover it. 

WE ARE THE MEDIA. thanks for that. it actually works, people. we got the power.

to boot, paste magazine just included the song & video in their round-up of music speaking to the #metoo movement and it's a real honor to be among such incredible artists, women, all taking a stand and making art about a subject so important....

ART ART ART.

i wrapped the record and left LA, and neil and i went on a family vacation to the southwest.....and I PLAYED A SHOW IN TUCSON, ARIZONA at the rialto theater WITH NEIL, FEATURING MY DAD JACK AND SISTER ALYSON....

(photo by keladry1999 on reddit)

this is us covering "if this is goodbye" by mark knofler (my dad's pick). (and if you've never heard the cute patron-powered folk covers record i made with my dad, it's HERE). 

we recorded THE WHOLE SHOW and are working on a bootleg to send just to y'all patrons :)

and, with a little help from you (especially renee harper ), we held an impromptu patron meet up at the famed hotel congress across the street....you are all so fucking beautiful. about 200 patrons & friends showed up and i wandered around blearily hugging people....

OTHER THINGS....

THE ART OF ASKING AUDIOBOOK VINYL PRESSING !!!!!

HOW AWESOME & WEIRD IS THIS....excerpts that i chose from the "art of asking" audiobook (read, indeed, by yours truly) have been pressed on to a double gatefold vinyl - this was the publisher's idea -  and if you're a vinyl or art of asking completionist, you can get NOW at indie record and book stores, or online, links below.

the artwork is exciting to me - it's outtakes from the book cover photo shoot i did with allan amato, and i was always hoping these shots would get used for SOMETHING....

if you buy the vinyl, you get to see the tits under the sticker. 

not that you haven't seen enough of my tits by now. but yeah

usa/worldwide afp online shop: https://shop.amandapalmer.net/collections/vinyl/products/the-art-of-asking-on-vinyl

uk/europe afp online shop: https://ukshop.amandapalmer.net/collections/12-vinyl/products/the-art-of-asking-12-vinyl

here's the artwork inside the gatefold...the infamous berlin image taken by luis pedro castro:

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AND:

ELECTRIC BLANKET, THE SONG, THE MUSIC VIDEO AND THE LIMITED 10" VINYL

this all just came out, so here's the quickie recap....

we released the song i co-wrote with jason webley, "electric blanket", as a digital single , AND we shared the music video directed the incredible hoku uchiyama,,,,AND we released a limited edition 2 track 10" vinyl also featuring "House of Eternal Return".

you can watch the video HERE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ARMZfdJHZU&feature=youtu.be

and pre-order the vinyl with gorgeous artwork by bayla arietta, HERE:

you can get the vinyl from jason's merch shop, if you're in USA/worldwide, or from my UK merch shop, if you're in UK/europe. 

you vinyl people must be very happy this month :D.

..............

I'M COMING TO AUSTIN FOR SXSW 2019, BETCHES!!! GET YER SHITKICKERS READY.

america's biggest music conference - south by southwest, aka SXSW - has announced me as a featured speaker and showcasing artist - which means i'll be speaking at the conference and performing at least one little mini-concert as part of the SXSW shitshow. it will be happening RIGHT around the time the record is dropping. mama will be busy.

here's the announcement, there's so many wonderful people lined up already to talk (shirley manson!!!), and more will be announced soon:
https://www.sxsw.com/music/2018/2019-music-festival-artist-announcement-round-one/

SXSW announces speakers and performers this far in advance, but closer to the festival they'll start announcing exact talk times and concert location, dates and details. if you're planning to go to sxsw, you can bookmark this link to my artist profile, which they should update once the schedule is released:

https://schedule.sxsw.com/2019/artists/2004658

i will DEFINITELY be doing some kind of event for patrons only, because my AUSTIN TOUR DATE will be later in the year. so if you're from austin and hate SXSW and don't want to buy a badge (they're expensive) don't stress. i'll also make damn sure that my talk is filmed and shared online so nobody misses out. 

expect hijinks. don't ever forget: the first time i used twitter to "do something fun" was at SXSW. i threw a pillow fight in the street with vermillion lies:

(you can watch a clip of this on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uode8Yc8MGg)

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as i mentioned above, I AM GOING TO BE TOURING MY ASS OFF IN 2018 on this solo piano record. it'll be my first global tour by my total lonesome. north america is coming together for march-april-may-june and then i'm gonna take the summer off with neil and ash. then september-october-nov-dec will be europe and the UK. then....AUSTRALIA, i come to you.

just stay tuned and get ready to buy tickets in december.

patrons will be getting first dibbs on EVERYTHING.

.......................

NERDY THINGS....

WE'RE TESTING PATREON'S NEW INTEGRATION WITH REDDIT.

if you missed my post about us beta testing a new integration patreon has with reddit, take a minute to catch up, here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/better-on-here-22079565

thank you to everyone who has provided feedback so far about it. from the looks of it, it seems that the r/amandapalmer subreddit has been a useful place for real time conversations and it is working well for sharing images.

we can enable a chat on the subreddit, akin to the old internet chatrooms of yore. is that something you're interested in....? if so, leave a comment, lemme know. are any of you super users of reddit and want to help with moderation?.... leave a comment or email hayley at patronhelp@amandapalmer.net - this is a new thing and it's a TEST. we're one of the first communities on patreon to be testing this out, let's make the most of it.

and LOOK, the internet is writing about us...because we are awesome

https://www.wired.com/story/reddit-patreon-partnership

all of this is new and more information about it will becoming soon, but it's looking like a good thing to keep around.

NEW DRESDEN DOLLS MERCH ARTWORK

we had a bunch of new merch made for the dolls' halloween shows in london. whatever is left over from the troxy gigs will be put up online in the dresden dolls online shop: http://shop.dresdendolls.com

take a look at these METAL AS HELL new designs!!!!

the brand new logo designed by christophe "lord of the logos" szpajdel. this is featured on shirts (as pictured in the gif above), a tote, and a patch....

and we have a brand new long sleeve shirt with artwork created by the legendary artist dan seagrave.

here's brian showing it off before our warm up show at the dome, brian is possessed by the metal:

we also have new hoodies and silkscreened posters signed by me and brian featuring artwork by malleus - it's similar to the design on shirts/hoodies from last year's dolls shows, but malleus has reworked the design to incorporate show-specific info at the bottom, and there's a new band logo design on the front of the hoodie.

.........

CHARITABLE GOODNESS....

the "mr, weinstein will see you now" LA screening and donation collection

maura, who volunteered on instagram (@maurasworld), to help set up bins to collect donations of needed items for charity 

dropped off the collection to the Children Of The Night in van nuys, california and said that they were delighted for the donation as they have started to help with housing women and children in all of los angeles and have been a long standing provider of refuge for women and girls of sex trafficking.

thank you to everyone who came to the screening, who donated items, and to maura and avery for coordinating the donation delivery.

..........

THINGS COMING!!!!

there's too many to list without getting boring, but we have videos, podcasts, interviews, and other exciting offbeat music projects and animations in the works. the new song & video i made with andrew o'neill is finally ready, that will be coming out next month in november. 

your dollars are going towards the making of MUCH ART.

this is a good time to remind you to wrap your head around it:

every project you see made here, from the weinstein video to the paintings to the recording of my record in LA....THAT'S YOUR MONEY I AM SPENDING.

THIS SHIT IS NOT CHEAP.

when i fly from los angeles to london? that's your money paying me to get from point a to point b. my air bnb? paid for my you. my engineers and piano rentals? the session drummer we decided we needed for the record? my photoshoots? paid, paid, paid for by you.

all of your dollars are my collective fuel to make ALL OF THIS SHIT HAPPEN. you are collectively micro-employing HUNDREDS of artists, makers, designers and more. 

feel proud.

you are all contributing a shit ton to an important indie art economy.

don't you forget it.

......

while we're on that topic:

HOW THE PATREON HAS GROWN....

as of this writing there are 12,081 patrons pledging  $46,014 for the first THING of the month. 

goddamn I LOVE YOU ALL.

patreon charges you monthly/retroactively, meaning that you get billed on the 1st of the month for all the Things released the month prior (for example, you'll get charged for the Things released in october on november 1st). 

so i don't have figures for august just yet, but here's september:

(i say this every month, but if you're new....)

because people have their pledges capped (HAVE YOU NOT CAPPED YOUR PLEDGE? if you are on a budget, you should. here's the tutorial again), the first Thing raises the most money, and anything released thereafter raises less and less. (I LIKE THIS. it means i never feel too guilty).

the numbers below are gross. not net. basic math. meaning: it's the money raised before fees were deducted by patreon and is not the total deposited to me. patreon takes a 5% fee (which they use to build and sustain the platform, which is GOOD) and then there's a payment processing fee, which varies on a ton of factors and is usually between 5-9% of the total collected. 

also, none of this reflects the money i SPENT MAKING THE ART, running my business, etc etc. 

i don't share that level of nitty-detail-stuff with you because i assume it would bore you to fucking tears. but you can trust me: paying for a full-time staff, office, manager, accountant, and massive team of art-collaborators ain't cheap. sometimes we barely break even. so be it. this is awesome.

.....

in september, i Thinged three Things:

The Art of Asking Everything - Episode #1 with David Eagleman: this podcast was the first Thing and it earned about $49,918 from 11,588 patrons.

House of Eternal Return with Jason Webley was the second Thing of the month and it earned about $23,925 from 7,540 patrons.

The State of All The Things: September 2018 was the third and final Thing of the month and it earned about $16,584 from 5,496 patrons.

(we say "about" because patreon may be still trying to process some pledges that have yet to go through...we never know, you know.)

NOTES FROM THE WORLD OF TEAM AFP...

i have two full time employees - hayley and michael - who help me run this entire mothership out of AFP-central in brooklyn, and they are awesome. right now they're in london WITH ME for the dolls mess. (their plane tickets? their hotels? PAID FOR BY YOU, THANKS FOR THAT). 

part of their job is to check in with y'all every month.... there's also Alex the Merch Queen in the UK, he's been slamming it in merchland here at the dresden dolls shows....

from hayley:

Wowza, has October been a busy and exciting month. We FINALLY got all the pieces of Art In The Mail mailed out and have been hearing such wonderful things from patrons who received their packages. This has been an epic saga of lessons learned, and adapting to weird mishaps and lack of fortune with so many curve balls. We've had packages of the different pieces held up by international postal services, mis-delivered, but eventually located, print errors, ink stamp size errors, signature plan shake-ups, and lots and lots learned from it. Packages were mailed from three locations - our NYC office, Alex at UK merch headquarters and from our US merch warehouse.

Here's a photo to illustrate just how tiny the initial ink stamp was when I received the proof to test:

and here's what it looks like side-by-side with the final, corrected stamp:

here i am folding totes in preparation to mail out the US/Canadian Signed Art In the Mail packages:

LONDON!

I have been working on so many things with and for Amanda, especially on this here Patreon this week to help Amanda put out the Electric Blanket song and video release, the City Winery presale tickets, this Althings and meetings for the upcoming album. All while also preparing to head to Los Angeles bright and early tomorrow to speak at the PatreCon conference, which I am so excited about.

At PatreCon I will be presenting a panel on November 3rd with Patreon's Head of Data, Maura Church called "Using Data in your Creative Strategy". We're going to talk about the Thank You Art Cards Amanda gave patrons last year, and how data insights can be used to help Patreon creators strategize, experiment and build their community. I am also going to be speaking on a Reddit panel on November 2nd called "Lunch 'n' Learn with Reddit", to share insights about building community, and tying in the new Patreon and Reddit integration all together.

It's been an absolute busy whirlwind here in London with some highs (the shows! meeting so many patrons! meeting so many friends i made on The Shadowbox 10 years ago for the first time! meeting different people who i've worked with in my time with amanda that I've only emailed! good meetings about amanda's new record! took some KILLER photographs of amanda and brian at the shows!) and there were some lows (being stuck outside at 1am for an hour and a half in 40F degree weather after the key to my air bnb fell out of my pocket in the cab on the way home! really, really, really long work days! not much sleep! jetlag! coping with the heartbreak and sorrow of current events in the USA while I'm away! having to replace my credit card!). All and all it's been a FULL time here.

I am backstage at Troxy right now, Amanda and Brian are about to hit the stage and I'm wearing metal corpse make up finishing up this Althing. Here's me helping Brian sign the gig posters, like I said, we're working hard, very hard!

Love,
Hayley

........

and from michael:

side of stage photo at The Dome of hayley and michael by gabrielle motola

Hello Community!

Another month, another Althing!  This month has been even crazier than usual!  Huge Video Release!  Album Recording!  Dresden Dolls take London!  And now it's HALLOWEEN (or All Hallows Eve, or the Night before The Day of the Dead or Samhain depending on your personal beliefs, joyous tidings either way)!

I am furiously writing this very last minute while sitting backstage at Troxy sorting out Guest Lists, Show Order, Set Lists, Post Show Plans, etc, etc, etc.  Needless to say this Personal Assistant is BUSY! 

However I did want to take a moment apart from all the amazing hustle and bustle to really sit and reflect on the month and everything going on in Amandaland and beyond.

There's a lot happening in the world, friends.  Things are scary in Brazil, there are truly frightening things going on in the United States, people are dying and people are afraid.  I say this not to bring you all down but to reinforce once again just how important this art which we are ALL contributing to is.  We are a powerful as fuck community and together we are spreading light and love and togetherness in a time when it is very very needed.  Thank you for being a part of this and going on this amazing ride with all of this.  

If you are feeling scared, we see you.  If you are feeling alone we love you.  If you feel like no one understands you, we do.  If you are feeling overwhelmed and you need to take a break from doing good in the world, take a break.  We'll be here to fill in the gaps while you're taking care of yourself.

Well, that got pretty intense pretty quickly, didn't it?  That gives you an idea of the kind of conversations that we are having back here behind the scenes on Team AFP and Team Dresden Dolls.  We'll get through this together though.  We always do.  We will light the way. . . and sometimes we need a little magic to help us do that.  And to hopefully make you smile, here is a crappy iPhone picture of some 15 foot wands at the end of Millennium Bridge in London. Lumos!

........

and from alex, from uk merchland.

hello hello patrons!! this month has been an exciting melange of things, starting with art in the mail!! my living room ended up looking very similar to the image of hayley up above, but with bob's burgers playing in the background as i packed up the UK & EU envelopes.

and now we have moved onto the dresden dolls shows, which are huge and so exciting to have the band back on my home territory!! the dolls were my gateway into the world of AFP, back when i was 15. and i think there is something about music you love when you are 15 that hits you deeper and harder than anything you have discovered before, or anything you will discover after. this particular band have a dynamic and chemistry that is unaparalleled by anything else i have ever witnessed. every time i see the dolls, i get this same overwhelming rush of love for this beautiful music, beautiful band, and beautiful community that has been inspired and continues to thrive, right here. and it is an honour and a privilege to be involved.

LONG LIVE THE PUNK CABARET.

love from, 

spooky vampire merch queen alex, backstage at the troxy

....

SOME MORE ARTISTS TO SUPPORT....

every month i like to shine a light on my friends and collaborators who have their own projects going on...

torres
https://www.patreon.com/torreslovesyou

zola jesus

https://www.patreon.com/zolajesus

thanks to maria popova of brain pickings for sharing with me and to experiential orchestra, who are running the campaign.

not only was she the first woman composer to have work performed at the Met, it’d be more than a century until the next. she was as respected as Tchaikovsky, but her most important music was never recorded. LET’S FIX THAT!!!!! 

support this kickstarter for dame ethyl smith: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/smyth/herstory-recording-composer-dame-ethel-smyths-mast

they're almost halfway to their goal.

……………

UPCOMING DATES:

all the upcoming tour dates are below. as always, you can head to the official show pages for more info: http://amandapalmer.net/shows

NOVEMBER 6th - City Winery - New York, NY

i changed my flight from the UK back to the US so i could help encourage votes on election day at city winery, a small but cozy venue in new york city.  

i present to you....

AFTER-VOTE THROW-DOWN WITH AMANDA PALMER, JHEREK BISCHOFF & FRIENDS (Feat. Brian Sella of The Front Bottoms & Resistance Revival Chorus)

https://citywinery.com/newyork/after-vote-throw-down-with-amanda-palmer-jherek-bischoff-friends-11-6.html  

you can get tickets now using the patron presale code: IVOTE!

tickets go on sale to the public on THURSDAY at 3pm new york time.  

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NOVEMBER 30th - The Colony - Woodstock, NY

it's time for AFP goth party #2 featuring a performance from the band WEEKNIGHT, a DJ set from DJ Mon Amie, and some gothy surprises from me.

get your tickets, here: http://www.ticketfly.com/event/1779845

WE HAD A BLAST LAST TIME DANCING DEEP INTO THE NIGHT!!!!

GOTH IT UP

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DECEMBER 8th - Beacon Theatre - New York, NY

i am super-excited to finally be able to join cyndi lauper at her home for the holidays benefit concert - this is the first time i've been able to make it after being invited every year since ever. 

i'll be guesting with a bunch of other amazing musicians, this show benefits the work from true colors fund to help end LGBTQ youth homelessness.....

AND LOOK, REGINA SPEKTOR!!!!

get your tickets, and more information, HERE:
https://truecolorsfund.org/homefortheholidays/

.........

and as always, a reminder that patrons will get first crack at tickets....AND a gently encouraging reminder to always be on the mailing list in case you drop off the patreon. (you can sign up, HERE: http://amandapalmer.net/emaillist)   

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please don't forget, my fellow americans, that NOVEMBER 6th is the MIDTERM ELECTIONS. 

DON’T FORGET TO REGISTER TO VOTE. and put november 6th in your calendar NOW. please. go. vote. no matter what. so much is at stake right now. 

here’s a list of voter registration deadlines in the USA if you aren’t registered, it varies by state! VOOOOOOTE

https://www.vote.org/voter-registration-deadlines

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I LOVE YOU ALL

THANK YOU SO SO MUCH FOR BEING MY PATRONS.

this is everything.

we are the media.

more soon.

back to work.....i have a dresden dolls show in a few hours :)

xxx
AFP

------THE NEVER-ENDING AS ALWAYS---------

1. if you’re a patron, please click through to comment on this post. at the very least, if you’ve read it, indicate that by using the heart symbol.

2. see All the Things i've made so far on patreon: http://amandapalmer.net/patreon-things

3. join the official AFP-patron facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/afpland

4. new to my music and TOTALLY OVERWHELMED? TAKE A WALK THROUGH AMANDALANDA….we made a basic list of my greatest hits n stuff on this lovely page: http://amandalanda.amandapalmer.net/

5. general AFP/patreon-related questions? ask away, someone will answer: patronhelp@amandapalmer.net