The first "2010 Remixes" Collector's Edition sets went out yesterday! The set includes "2010 Remixes" - the new "A Different Drum" Haberdashery CD release, a 2011 calendar, and a set of 12 magnets featuring the artwork from the series. The EPs were all released as free downloads each month during 2010. Over 11,000 free songs were downloaded!

Last night was the darkest night of the year - the Winter Solstice. (And for our friends in the southern hemisphere, the Summer Solstice.) It only lasted a moment, but it's one of my favorites! I posted a free download of "The Greatest Heights (Darkest Night Mix)" to toast it :)

I have wanted to learn to play the guitar for years, but haven't really practiced enough to play well... until recently. I've decided to record acoustic versions of all ten songs from "Tonight The Angels", and to release them along with the singles next year. Right now it's more of an experiment than anything, since I'm still pretty terrible at it! But I do think it will at least be interesting - if nothing else it's making me listen to the music in a different way. But my fingers are killing me!

The new addition to the Haberdashery Christmas EP came out today! It's two versions of "Silent Night", one in English, and one in German. I like to think of EPs and b-sides as a place to try out new ideas or different styles that I don't usually use, and the Christmas EP is just that. The arrangements of these songs is pretty simple, and almost classical in their feel - one is even a cappella. The idea to record in German actually came up last year - I was going to record "O Tannenbaum" (O Christmas Tree) for the EP, but didn't have enough time. Maybe I'll do it next year... Anyway, I think the Christmas EP is really fun, and I hope it helps everyone to get into the holiday spirit! It's free for the rest of the year - Happy Holidays :)

My good friend, Bobby Clark of Synthetik FM, just posted this video on youtube. It's a memorial for a tragic shooting that occurred at his church in 2008. The following year, Bobby released a synthopop compilation called "Untied Synthpop Artists 2: Everyone Welcome - a Tribute to Peace" to remember the people affected by this event. I was honored to be a part of this project, and you can get more information about it at the Synthetik FM website.

Just after Thanksgiving, The Museum Of Science & Industry in Chicago put up a beautiful display of Christmas Trees from around the world. I'll be using some video I took there for a short montage that will accompany "Silent Night", the new addition to the Christmas EP. Here are a few snapshots...