I haven't written a monthly newsletter for a while, as I was a little disillusioned by general failure to understand the Indie GoGo campaign to raise funds. If people had looked beyond the idea of making a vinyl album of A Kazoo Christmas with Steve Oliver and watched the video or read the blurb then you would have got the point that all I was trying to do was raise enough money to help with ongoing projects.
Please remember that all the money raised using the above PayPal button goes towards making podcasts, Random Sessions, short films, comedy sketches, documentaries and loads more. In return for your generosity I will make these things available for free on the Internet.
Christmas shopping
Okay, we can't deny it any longer. It will soon be Christmas and as such you need to buy presents for people. First of all you might be thinking of buying someone an MP3 player or smart phone. Why not add something nice before you wrap it up.
Go to my Bandcamp page and check out a range of audio books and my debut album A Kazoo Christmas with Steve Oliver. These are all available to download for free or pay what you like. If you donate something it all goes into the fund to make exciting projects available for free. Imagine how good you'll feel knowing you made a contribution towards it.
My new single is available now by email only. I have made a kazoo cover of 'Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy' which is exclusively sent out to anyone who donates £1 or more using the PayPal button. This single will never be made available any other way so get donating.
There are CDs left featuring several musicians who have been part of The Random Saturday Sessions, all the profits go to the musicians (please be assured that they come out of it better than I do). They are £5 each and will be sent to you if you donate the fiver using the PayPal button and email me straight away with 'Random CD' in the subject line and send your postal address.
In other news
The Sunday Alternative Podcast: Still going strong every week (and bonus Bank Holiday Monday editions) after five years. I listen to all music I am sent so email MP3/download links to steveEoliver@gmail.com or send physical copies/press packs to
Steve Oliver
The Sunday Alternative
c/o I'm Not From London
Unit 5 Cobden Chambers
Pelham Street
Nottingham
NG1 2ED
There will be a Christmas special released on Christmas Day as it is a Sunday this year, and extra episodes on Boxing Day and Tuesday 27th.
The Random Sessions: Notice how the 'Saturday' has been dropped. I will still be doing the day out events because they are a lot of fun to do, but I am also reformatting the series with videos recorded more as proper sessions, maybe as a tidier version of what has come before. In the can at the time of writing are sets by Joe Strange, Strange Currencies, Heather Flint and The Girl and The Stone, with plenty more arranged.
I intend to film sessions in other areas too, with York and Sheffield already planned for early 2017.
Finally...
I'm not sure if it's a public event or not, but I am giving a speech on Friday 23rd December called Charles Dickens: The Man Who Invented Christmas at the Nottingham Mechanics Institute. Get me!
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That's it for now, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and please do consider donating towards a good creative cause.