Reviews

A friend recently got in touch with me on Facebook, saying he ran across a review of my latest album (Breathe Deep) on The Phantom Tollbooth. Intrigued, I went looking for it and sure enough found it was posted on June 16th, 2009. Here's an excerpt from the review, and you can link to the full review HERE:
  "What makes this album, Breathe Deep, so good is Hiram's penmanship. He is a great songwriter/wordsmith. Combine that with the airy guitar-based folk of his musical style, it makes for an enjoyable listen... It is poetic, musical, and honest. Hiram has put together an excellent album full of hope you can sit down and contemplate your navel to, or just play for enjoyment." 4/5 stars! - Robert Boynton, The Phantom Tollbooth
I just ran a Google search for 'hiram ring breathe deep review' and found another great review HERE on Adequacy.net - excerpt below:
   "Ring’s debut record suggest that there’s no suffering or turmoil that can’t be at least neutralized a little bit through some inspirational six-string strumming and a dose of hopefulness... there’s a heartwarming sincerity to be found in his fragile tenor and in the percussive beating of the guitar... If you feel like your life is in the doldrums, Hiram Ring’s music can probably help dig you out... His music, like his faith, is all about finding and embracing the light that can come out of dark places." Adam Costa, Adequacy.net
At the moment I'm packing for Germany, where I'll be joining a team from my church in teaching conversational English to German highschoolers for three weeks. I'll be video blogging on my YouTube site, and will try to keep this blog updated as well. When I get back, work will continue on the Sacred Songs project I started with Matthew Monticchio - we're also working on updating a Pageant Music blog, and I'll let you know when we get that up and running.

Vlog Day 22 - Greenville and Leopard Forest

Michele took me to Blue Ridge Brewing for lunch because of the ketchup. She was not joking either - the ketchup is AMAzing, as the first video demonstrates. We talked about the recent album review for 'Breathe Deep' (HERE) and how hard it is to strike the balance between being culturally relevant and maintaining excellence without giving in to the culture around you. She then showed me around some of the rest of Greenville, most notably the park that was recently renovated and the Warehouse Theater where she is part of an improv troupe and today was auditioning for a Shakespeare play. Michele said that only recently has competition between the theaters here become less cutthroat and more friendly - it's good to hear that community is being built instead of animosity.

Michele had arranged for me to go to an open mic in the evening at Leopard Forest Coffee in the town of Travelers Rest, so after a nap I headed over there. Jacob Johnson, who runs the open mic, turned out to be a great guy and a gifted musician, and I had a lot of fun listening as well as playing. I played 4 songs, the last of which, 'One Girl for Me' is on the video below, and people were really into the music. Leopard Forest Coffee itself is a really neat place - they get all their coffee from a single farm in Zimbabwe where it is specially grown (relatives of the owner), and have won numerous awards. The coffee is amazing, the atmosphere was welcoming and gracious.

Video Blog Installment 2 (pre-tour)

Here's the second installment of my vlog - in which I drive, visit my parents, and hang out at the American Music Theater on the spur of the moment. Mostly a test of the capabilities of my new Flip Mino HD, but perhaps to keep you entertained as well... =)

Tour Video Blog - First Intro

I'm starting a Video Blog (Vlog) for my tour supporting 'Breathe Deep'. It's pretty cool how everything is coming together, and I'm really looking forward to being on the road, albeit with some trepidation. I'll be posting the videos on YouTube daily ( youtube.com/ringrecords ), or as close to that as I can, and trying to keep up here on my regular blog as well. Here's the first installment of the Vlog:

Great Release!

The other night was a great release! Over a hundred people turned up at Building Character, and we had so much fun! Sorry to everyone that missed it. You can now get the album on iTunes or my website and from all accounts it is worth it... =)
We were also recording the night - i will let you know if anything comes of that. You can also read a review of the show by Andi Cumbo.

CD Release and Radio

Tomorrow is the big day. February 7th, the day my first full-length album becomes available physically. We're having a sweet party at Building Character to kick it off - indie rockers 'Trash and Glory' opening the show @ 7pm... =) looking forward to it.
You can read a review of the new album, 'Breathe Deep', on my friend Ken Mueller's blog, and tonight at 9pm I'll be on FM 90.3 WJTL with my friend Phil Smith to talk about the album and play some songs. Listen HERE.

One Girl for Me music video!

You can now view the new music video for 'One Girl for Me' online! 'One Girl for Me' is a song on my new album, 'Breathe Deep', which comes out February 7th.
My friend Claire plays the girl - does that mean we share the lead? One of the things I really like about this video is that it shares the familiar sights of Lancaster, PA, where I live. My friend Ryan Mast at Unitheo helped shoot and edit it, and we worked together on the storyline and direction. It was a lot of fun and a lot of work, but now you can enjoy!
We're working on a promo vid for the music video, but it hasn't happened quite yet - you all get the scoop, and the promo vid will be out pretty soon (after the release - good idea, eh?). =) Leave comments, feedback, I'd love to hear what you think!
On Youtube
On Vimeo
On Facebook
On MySpace

The Business of Music

I've been working on my full-length album for a year now, and it is finally completed. There are some slight details that need to be worked out before sending it to the printer, but the music part is done. It feels good to say that.
Now my attention is turning to promoting the album. I've been thinking about this for awhile (I've had about a year) as I try to figure out the business end of things, and I've come to some conclusions mirrored by a great post by George Howard that I linked to from Tunecore .
Basically, the conclusions are as follows:
1) create
2) be real
3) don't worry
4) make a plan with specific goals
5) work incrementally
6) build on the existing foundation
7) enjoy it!
So I'm going ahead to plan a CD-release here in Lancaster for Feb 7th @ Building Character, kind of like last year's EP release at the Station House. Hope to see you there!