Talk To Me Tuesday #6 – The Pieces Are Falling Into Place!

September 15, 2009 by

CD Cover

So far, you’ve learned the CD title and song names, and you’ve heard the first song. Now…it’s time to see the CD cover. Go to www.mikerickard.com and click on Journal. You will see an entry called, “SWEAT CD Cover.” Click on the entry and the pieces will fall into place?

Don’t forget – the CD has a 12 page booklet, so there will be several more pictures to come. Email me and let me know what you think of the cover.

CD Release Party

Just a reminder – the CD Release party is at Red Light Cafe on Saturday, October 10, 2009. Doors will open around 7:15 p.m. Admission is $8 per person at the door, $7 if you buy them from my website. I am asking/encouraging everyone to buy their tickets ahead of time because I expect we will pack Red Light.

SWEAT Pre-Orders

SWEAT is available for preorder for $12. If you preorder a copy, you can pick it up at the CD Release party, or it will be shipped to you free of charge.

VERY IMPORTANT: To get free shipping, enter PARTY into the discount coupon field at checkout. Shipping charges will automatically be deducted.

The Store page can be found at www.mikerickard.com by clicking on Store. Or you can access it directly at www.store.mikerickard.com.

Weekly Contest

I’m holding a free contest and you have the opportunity to win an autographed CD before it’s released. To enter, all you need to do is send me a question (click on the Win Free Stuff tab on www.mikerickard.com). The best question each week will be entered into a drawing for a free autographed CD and is included in the newsletter. The remaining questions are posted on my website. This week, I only received 2 questions. The winning question was submitted by S.N. in Atlanta, GA. He is entered into the drawing.

Q. Tell me the inspiration for the soul patch that you are so prominently displaying in your media photos? (S.N., Atlanta, GA)

A. Okay, so your question made me laugh out loud. And the explanation is fairly simple. I have no piercings, no tattoos. I’ve never worn my hair too long for work. I’ve always been mindful of having an “acceptable” appearance in a professional environment. I’ve never been outwardly rebellious. Also, I can not grow a full beard, I can’t even connect a goatee. I can, however, grow a soul patch. So it’s there to make sure I don’t look too “white bread” and to assert just a little bit of individuality.

Here is the other question:

Q. When I listen to the song "Sweat" on your website it reminds me of a song Madonna would record. Is Madonna your biggest influence in your music? (R.M., Minneapolis, MN)

A. There’s no denying that she has been a huge influence! While I have never tried to copy her style directly, there are elements of her music that I have incorporated. For example, in “Who I Am” from Stirred Not Shaken, I wanted to include elements of “Like A Prayer” such as the grungy electric guitar intro and the gospel sounding back ground vocals. I also referred to “Vogue” when it came time to adding the spoken word section, specifically on how to incorporate them into the song structure. There have also been a few times when I’ve been tempted to water down what I would really say, and her fearlessness has certainly been an inspiration to me to NOT do that. The first time my mom heard the song “Sweat,” she referred to it as the “Madonna song.” That surprised me because I don’t think it sounds like her style at all. But I’ll take that, nonetheless.

There are also a number of male singers who have influenced me: George Michael for his vocal ability, John Mayer’s Room For Squares CD, and Rob Thomas for his songwriting ability. During the last few years, I’ve been completely in awe of Jason Mraz. He is a great songwriter and guitar player, and he’s a PHENOMENAL singer, and he puts on one heck of a live show.

Keep the questions coming – and let me know what you think of the CD cover. I’ve got lots more exciting stuff to tell you.

Have a great week and I’ll talk to you next Tuesday!