Two post-it notes.

So it's a week before my new album is released...

Needless to say, I'm a busy kid right now.

However, beyond the busy parts of my day, it feels sooooooo good to know that every bit of the album is done, and the first pressing is being made right now, and in a matter of days I'll be getting a visit from the UPS man and then my room will be full of boxes and boxes and boxes of my new album. It's hard to describe the feeling I get when I open up the first box of a new album...

it's just so.... so.....amazing. I really don't what to say other than pour your heart out into something for months on end and then one day you hear a knock on the door and moments later you're opening a box with your finished work in a pretty package.... just waiting to go out to the ears of others. Ahhh, I LOVE it.

So yeah, I'm excited about recieveing that first shipment this week :)

As far as busy goes...

Today I finally started the storyboard for the first actual Backseat Goodbye music video.

(Storyboard. And my To-Do List for today)

If all goes well I hope to get it shot and wrapped up over this coming weekend... and then have the video ready by the 29th.

Ha.

On a side note.

If you're a close friend of mine you know this, but a lot of people don't...

I'm quite the forgetful person... I mean, I'm reaaaaaally good at accidentally forgetting things...

and for the longest time I've been meaning to make BG business cards, and I finally got those made today. Now this really doesn't matter to anyone but me, ha, but I'm just so happy that I finally made some so that I don't feel like a dumbass when people as me for a card.

(Simple and sweet.)

On a personal note.

I bought the most awesome Audrey Hepburn photograph (I've had a crush on that legendary lady for quite some time now) for my wall a couple of days ago.

And now that I'm done recording Dressed Up Like Dreams I was able to rearrange my bedroom so that I can actually manuever around my room, so that's exciting to me as well. Don't worry, I know I'm lame :)

(A bit of my new bedroom layout.)

That's pretty much all I've got for right now.

I'll be posting all of the lyrics from the new album sometime within the next day or two...

I'll also be posting a new song tomorrow on Myspace, I think I'm going to post "The Future Is A Masterpiece" I haven't decided for sure yet...

so be on the lookout for all that if you're interested.

- Chad

And I'll go lie down in the middle of the road.

I didn't realize until about 5 minutes ago that my new album will be released in just a matter of a few days now. 

And wow, to be honest with you I was scared about this album.

See, I've been working on it for the longest I've ever worked on an album, and it's truely evolved from so many different forms. Originally it was going to just be a collection of old songs I've released on previous EPs. Then I decided I didn't like that, I just couldn't cope with making people pay money for an album with songs they already had or could already get on past cds of mine. So then I decided to make half of the album have new songs and half be old songs... then I didn't like that and decided to have most of the album be new songs with just a few old songs.

It was then that the album had 16 tracks, 9 of which were new, and seven that were old.

And in the last two weeks I didn't like that, (and actually this is my first time announcing this) so I decided to put 17 songs on the album, 12 of which are brand new, and 5 that are old.

So now I give you the 110% final tracklisting for my new album, Dressed Up Like Dreams.

1. Swallow The Sun

2. Dressed Up Like Dreams

3. Summer Drive Song

4. Bottom Lips And Fingertips

5. Hello Yellow

6. Song For Audrey

7. Technicolor Eyes

8. Hey (New Version)

9. 32 Ways To Make You Smile (New Version)

10. Calico Kitten

11. Envy The Living

12. Boys, Girls, Sing!

13. Sidewalk Sing Along

14. The Future Is A Masterpiece

15. Reactions Over Resolutions (Acoustic)

16. An Attempt To Forget

17. I Think I Might Change My Name To Tomorrow

And I mentioned a second ago about being "scared" about this album...

well, see... I kind of haven't really let anyone hear the new songs or the new versions of them at all (except for literally 3 people). 

And I can just assure you that some of them are....well...."different" from things I've done before... 

but really, I think that's the most exciting thing about this album for me.

The fact that I'm going out on a limb and trying to really let my music grow is really freeing for me on a personal level.

But yeah, until last night I hadn't really put all the songs together and listened to them as a group, and I think that's what was scaring me the most,.... just the fact that I didn't see how these were going work together on the same album.

But after getting them all together for mastering I can gladly say that I don't know what the fuck I was so scared of. I could NOT be more glad to call this my debut full-length album.

I've never had one of my albums flow this well, these songs all just feel so right together.

I have NEVER been 100% happy with any of my previous releases (for various reasons)...

but with this one I am actually fully comfortable with it.

I could gladly hand the album to anyone and proudly say "Yeah, this is my music, my life."

And I'm not saying this album is perfect at all...

because it's really not...

if you listen close enough in some parts you will definitely be able to hear flaws in guitar riffs or flaws in my voice...

but I'm so so so sooooo fine with that fact.... because this album is an expression of me, my life, my loves, my desires, my hopes, my shortcomings, my hates, my everything.

But yeah, that's all I'll say about that right now, I'm sure I'll pour out a lengthy blog on the release date about my feelings about the about the album and what it means to me and what I hope it will represent for you....

for now, just know that I'm excited for you all to hear it.

Also, you may have noticed (New Version) beside "Hey" and "32 Ways To Make You Smile" in the tracklisting...

if you're a fan of the original versions of those songs don't worry....

these versions aren't far from the originals, I just wanted better recordings of them.

The new version of "Hey" is literally almost exactly the same as the originial, I just redid it to how I've always played it live, which it's just a tiny tiny bit faster, and the guitar riff is a bit different in parts. But I promise, the new version is much prettier and really how I wanted the song to be originally, so I hope you'll take in the new one nicely.

And the new version of "32 Ways To Make You Smile" is exactly the same as the original except I added a nice little "oldies style" solo to it in one part.

Let's see, what else....

Today I'm finishing up Mastering all the songs.

What's Mastering?.... you might ask.

Well, it's basically where you mess with the song's overall volume and frequencies to make sure it will sound good when it comes out of your iPods, laptops, and car speakers.

So yeah, after today the songs will literally be 100% done and ready for your ears.

I plan on making sure you get to hear a good bit of the new songs before the album actually comes out to, so just be on the lookout, because in the next two weeks I'll be posting new song previews like crazy.

Speaking of, if you didn't know, you can hear "Swallow The Sun" now on my myspace (www.myspace.com/backseatgoodbye)

What else...

hmm...

Oh, just a small warning, there's a chance the album's release on iTunes will be a bit delayed (probably just by a week).

I'm still working all that stuff out with the super awesome people at The Militia Group, and we're all just trying to make sure it gets released in the best way possible.

As far as the physical album goes, it will still be available beginning April 29th.

And if you preorder it then your copy will be sent early sometime the week before :)

By the way, you can preorder it now and get a free signed poster and sticker, all for just $8 at my online store at www.downtownrivals.com/store/BackseatGoodbye

That's all I've really got to blog about right now,

I've been too busy working on the post-production of the album for anything super interesting to post now.... 

but the fun stuff (including videos, finally!) and photos and new merch and new songs and all the exciting things that come with releasing a new album will be coming in new blog posts soon!

- Chad

P.S. - I'll be posting ALL of the lyrics from the album soon

P.P.S. - Don't forget to check out the new song "Swallow The Sun" and tell me what you think of it!