August 2019 "Not Really Vacation" Edition

 
Welcome

The season of the late summer vacation is upon us, and I too have plans for a bit of a short break this month. Due some unusual quirk of the cosmos, every five years all of the anniversaries in my family are milestones, providing us a good excuse to gather from our far scattered lives for a few days of quiet celebration off the grid. In late August my parents mark 60 years together. That's worthy of celebration indeed!

But of course, it's a bit of a working vacation too. In my 25 years as a recording artist, I haven't recorded anything with any of my family. On a project drawn largely from one's family history and experiences, and in a family where music is such a central part of our DNA, that certainly will change. I've written two songs in the last two weeks, and one of them, "Sons & Fathers," is cued up and ready for my dad to play piano in the studio this week. And the first time I heard "Margaret," the piece my great-grandfather Andrew McKnight wrote and published in 1906, it was my sister playing it on her piano. I also need to record some decent ocean waves for a piece on the album, and my parents' proximity to the Atlantic Ocean will fit that bill neatly as well.

If you contributed or simply followed our IndieGoGo crowdfunding campaign last month, thank you ever so much! We made our first goal, and obviously we are going full throttle in the recording studio. I'm excited to soon be sharing some previews with you. If you would still like to contribute by preordering and perhaps etch your own name or dedication in the book, you can do so through the end of the month (see below).

Artists traffic in emotion and experience; these are our media, and our canvas. It has certainly been an emotional summer, for reasons good and bad. Big emotional events can produce catharsis too. As summer's heat slowly relinquishes its grip, I am recommitting myself to putting a bit more kindness into the world, each day, at every opportunity. My personal mission, tilting at my own windmills perhaps. Perhaps you'll join me in that mission. I'd like that very much indeed.
UPCOMING DATES

AUGUST, Short vacation, recording, and book writing!

SAT. 9/28 - CAPON BRIDGE WV, Founder's Day Festival 11:30am

SUN. 9/29 - HAGERSTOWN MD, Special Music Service at U.U. Church, 13245 Cearfoss Pike 10:45am

We're always grateful for help filling open dates on the road as well as home, especially September through November this year!
NEWS TIDBITS
(full stories at the News page)
FUNDRAISING UPDATE: The crowdfunding campaign continues through September 1st to bring to life my most ambitious project ever. For those uncomfortable with online fundraising, this phase has mail a check and PayPal options available. You can still preorder the album and book, or consider underwriting an essential marketing component, or perhaps even have Andrew help you make the most of your DNA results. Most popular has been the $100 package that gets you the paperback book as well as an e-reader version, plus the album as either a download or a disc, and your name in the thank you section of the book!
You can simply preorder the album download for $15, add the e-reader/Kindle version of the book for $30, or get the paperback with album download for $70.
Whatever you'd like to do is a big help, and real humans are keeping track of all the preorders, gratefully! THANK YOU SO MUCH for the help - take a peek at http://andrewmcknight.net/campaign
PROJECT UPDATE: To date twelve songs are recorded, and three more will be recorded in the next month - we can't wait to share those sounds with you! You can see photos and read more about the recording (and writing) progress at http://andrewmcknight.net/news/recording_update/
A FEW WORDS: There have been new songs and new chapters for the book since last month's E-Zine so no Essay this month, but we do have several new short blog posts with photos, including the story of Andrew's Dad's 1940 Ford Coupe. Come have a look at http://andrewmcknight.net/blog.
Have you done a DNA test to learn more about your family history? Andrew can help you get the most out of your results, and preserve and share what you've learned - learn about his Ancestories consulting work here.

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