Album Timeline

Hi everyone, this is just a quick update to let you know about where
things are at with my health and the timetable for the album.

So, I am starting to get a bit stronger now and this week I have
been able to make definite plans about dates for finishing the
final stages of the album.  As I mentioned before, the majority of
the recording work is done- I just have a few vocals, the mix and
mastering process. I have decided to give myself a little extra time
to finish these final stages and the new deadline is 31st August.
I hope that's ok with you all.

The vocals will be done over the next 6 weeks as that'll give me
time to build strength back up in my voice. I had my first lesson last
week since I got ill and luckily my voice hasn't disappeared!

The mix will be done in the week 13th- 17th August. This gives me
time to do the last vocals, aswell as some extra time to improve
in terms of my recovery- as the mix process will be full time days
for a week and require some stamina!

I find the mix is one of the parts of the album I've been most excited about
so I really hope I can attend the mix sessions! If I'm not well enough
a trusted a musician friend of mine has agreed to sit in for me, and
in addition, the engineer/ producer I've been working with is the person
who will be doing the mix and he's someone who's musical sense
I definitely trust- so that's all good!

The mastering will be done following the mix in time for the new release
date of 31st August- we have arranged that with the mastering engineer
in advance aswell.

The exclusives: I am starting to feel well enough to complete these
and I will do my best to have the majority done by the
1st August as agreed. However, I would like to give an absolute
deadline a bit later than this, so that I can take a bit longer to
finish artwork and also because the physical release of the album may
take a few weeks longer to process. So, the majority of exclusives by
1st August- any remaining will have a deadline of 15th October.

The date has also been pushed forward because I am emigrating to
the US in September, so there will be lots going on to prepare for the
move in the weeks before, so an October deadline gives me the chance
to work on stuff once I've arrived over there.

Ok, that's all the info for the timeline, will send further updates on other stuff
soon!

Roxyx

P.S. video attached is with a song from my back catalogue exclusive to pledgers, made by the brilliant Will Harwood click here: http://youtu.be/2ahpkhchrl4

An update

Hey all, it's been a while since I've written. Over the last few months, I've been quite unwell, my doc diagnosed me with chronic fatigue/ adrenal exhaustion. I think the working full time as well as working on the album took it's toll, so I've taken a complete break from both over the last few weeks.

In Feb, we recorded some more tracks and will be following that up soon. We can't decide however, whether to include these in the album- we may make them into a whole other album or EP which will follow the release of the album.

In addition, over the last few months, my pledge campaign reached 100% which was amazing!! I was soo happy:) That means the mixing and mastering are covered. However, because I've not been able to work the last while, it means I haven't been earning funds to save up for the final takes of the vocals I still need to do. If you know anyone who might be interested to pledge, please pass on the link- there are a couple of weeks left, so I'm hoping that might be enough time to increase the percentage enough for me to afford to finish off the vocals!

Anyhoow..thought I'd share a few links of things I liked while listening/ reading over the past while:

"The kingdom of plants can easily be thought of as the nearest neighbour of the kingdom of death. Perhaps the mysteries of transformation and the enigmas of life which so torment us are concentrated in the green of the earth, among the trees in graveyards and the flowering shoots springing from their beds. Mary Magdalene, not at once recognising Jesus risen from the grave, took Him for the gardener." Pasternak

“When the first chakra is disconnected from the feminine Earth, we can feel orphaned and motherless. The masculine principle predominates, and we look for security from material things. Individuality prevails over relationship, and selfish... drives triumph over family, social and global responsibility. The more separated we become from the Earth, the more hostile we become to the feminine. We disown our passion, our creativity, and our sexuality. Eventually the Earth itself becomes a baneful place. I remember being told by a medicine woman in the Amazon, "Do you know why they are really cutting down the rain forest? Because it is wet and dark and tangled and feminine.”
― Alberto Villoldo

'When we are deadlocked in pain or ecstasy, when we are “surprised by joy;” this does not lead on to the notion that religions will be proved right after all, and in a few hundred million years’ time God will be revealed. It does though lead me to doubt the absolute authority of reason.' Melvyn Bragg

(http://port-magazine.com/2011/10/the-dawkins-delusion/)

Listening to:

http://williamnein.bandcamp.com/album/no-hearts-a-wasteland

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCq9k0_O96I (radio head, worrywort)

http://www.suzannevega.com/store/ Suzanna Vega (new acoustic songs)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i6O-WelWgE&feature=related Suzanne Vega, the queen and the soldier

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Q10t3g3vZM&feature=fvwrel Nattura, Bjork

http://www.annanightingale.com/index.html

http://drouillardfineart.blogspot.co.uk/

Mon 2nd Jan- nooonsense!

So the 2nd day of Jan and I've made a little nonsense poem for u now-

there was a young lady from hitchin

who was always so bored of bitchin'

so spent all her time doing other good things

like licking the spoons in her kitchen!

Ok, soo, well a new year starts- I wish you all a very good year!

One of main activities the last few days has included starting on a puzzle. I got two great puzzles for christmas- not too large and with good pictures of paintings...I always thought puzzles are past- time things for when you get older, but I have decided to make some changes this year. I've decided the best things are things that appear to have no rational point or end result- just for the sake of enjoying them for surely that is a good thing!:)

Right so mission for this year- is to keep on the mission of this album and just GET IT DONE!!

Things remaining to do: last vocal tracks, two more new songs to record end Jan- via amazing offer from RED BULL'S STUDIO for freeee, mixing and mastering after pledge campaign has finished, artwork and piccys and then hunt for a groovy label:)! There are a couple of slightly leftfield ones I've got my beady eye on, but still doing some research. If you have any ideas feel free to email me here: hiroxyrawson@gmail.com

Re my interests/ inspirations of late- I've been listening to Eric Francis' astrological readings- which mix psychological aspects with the symbolism of what is happening in the stars- I'm not sure if I believe that the stars write our fate at all, but I am drawn time and again to anything that has strong symbolism created by humans, because of the subconscious truth is feels it contains. I love mythology and archetypes/ fairy tales and all sorts of religious writings and stories, for the symbolism and messages they contain about human nature....there's lots to learn...

Eric Francis' pod cast for virgo got me thinking about consumerism and how that hijacks our own wishes without realizing- I don't mean just subliminal messages to buy things- but the whole work/ job pressure thing- which is particularly difficult to not buy into and tough to be a musician/ artist or any other vocation that's unconventional..I finally got round to watching the Adam Curtis series 'century of the self' on how Freud's nephew used the ideas about desires supposedly uncovered by psychoanalysis, to construct PR and dupe the masses. I watched two episodes at once and it quite freaked me out!

Eric Francis also made a little astrological reading around the middle of his podcast for 2011 on his website: planet waves

Also musicians I've been listening to have been real christmassy- Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra

Nina Simone (particularly fell for this track http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p70tMgHdSP0&feature=related"> black is the colour of my true love's hair. I've also continued to be crazy about Bjork's new album and Tune Yard's new album- here's a track from her new album: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQ1LI-NTa2s&g t;bizness"> bizness. Also a suuuper little gig "http://www.npr.org/event/music/142861581/tune-yards-tiny-desk-concert"tune yards tiny desk concert"> here .

That's it for now!x