Notes on the Occupation

I wrote a piece for Coilhouse Blog about Occupy Wall Street. READ MORE...

"People around America are confused, interested, annoyed, supportive, angry, joyous. But no one seems quite sure what Occupy Wall Street is.

“It’s like the 1960′s.”

“It’s the democratic answer to the Tea Party.”

“It’s just dirty hippies.”

There are as many explanations for what Occupy Wall Street is as there are people involved in it..." READ MORE...

Motion Consumes Distance

As I was out walking today I thought about how the motion of my legs propelled me forward through space. The distance between myself and my destination got shorter and shorter. Being eaten up.

"Motion consumes distance." I said.

I bring myself closer to things by moving towards them. I bring myself closer to my goals in the same way: by motion, though it's not always physical.

I move a lot. I'm a little obsessed with motion. Getting closer...

Which is why I have launched a UK and Ireland mini tour. It is a pre-sold tour which will only happen if I sell enough tickets. I'm doing six dates (though I only mention five in the video.)

Also not mentioned in the video is that Molly Crabapple will be doing the art for this tour!

NOVEMBER:

- 21st Manchester  -  w/ She Makes War

- 22nd Leeds    -    w/ She Makes War

- 23rd Dublin    -    w/ She Makes War

- 24th Birmingham    -    w/ She Makes War

- 25th Brighton   -    w/ She Makes War

- 26th London



She Makes War is a musician from London who will be doing the tour along with me.



I won't be touring for a while after this, so if you want to see me: THIS IS YOUR CHANCE.


October:

- 4th Boston (Free,  RSVP here: http://www.morganshotelgroup.com/rsvp/ames-sessions.html )

- 16th San Francisco - w/ Gabby Lala  http://www.brickandmortarmusic.com/event/66835/

- 22nd Portland - with Myrrh Larsen http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=153547161400486

- 27th New Orleans - w/ Helen Keller's Ukulele http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=201653956557445



November:

- 4th Boston

-12th New York City

- 21st Manchester -  w/ She Makes War   http://kck.st/pWkjWk

- 22nd Leeds -    w/ She Makes War   http://kck.st/pWkjWk

- 23rd Dublin -    w/ She Makes War   http://kck.st/pWkjWk

- 24th Birmingham -    w/ She Makes War   http://kck.st/pWkjWk

- 25th Brighton -    w/ She Makes War   http://kck.st/pWkjWk

- 26th London http://kck.st/pWkjWk

The Molly Crabapple Posters for The Impossible Tour (pre-sold dates)

People who bought tickets through Kickstarter get copies of the posters.

&n

By way of a little update

I left New York on Wednesday morning and arrived in Melbourne on Friday morning. It is cold here! We have fires and drink hot tea and wear scarves. Very different from my sweaty summer in NY. This fuzzy blue hot water bottle is my best friend.

Since arriving I have been sleeping, eating scones, helping Jim with the animation, and doing my part to make sure my pre-sold tour gets sold.

I'm happy to report that with 56 hours to go half of my pre-sold "Impossible Tour" has sold!

 

Shows that will happen!

 

NOVEMBER 4th - Boston, MA

NOVEMBER 12th - New York, NY

OCTOBER 15th - San Francisco, CA

OCTOBER 27th - New Orleans, LA

OCTOBER 22nd - Portland, OR

 

Shows that may not happen

OCTOBER 14th - Los Angeles, CA

OCTOBER 23rd - Minneapolis, MN

NOVEMBER 5th - Hartford, CT

OCTOBER 21st - Seattle, WA

OCTOBER 13th - San Diego, CA

 

I'm really excited about the shows that have been funded and I cannot wait to come to those cities and put on amazing shows. There's still a little bit of time left to buy tickets, so if you want a show now is your chance.

**

 

Here's a little preview photo from the set of the "I Have Your Heart" animation:

 

Follow the progress here: http://www.ihaveyourheart.com

 

 

 

 

XxK

 

Calling ALL Bloggers

I need you to help make my "Impossible Tour" happen. We have 10 days left to make sure all 10 shows sell 100% and I really want these shows to happen!  They only happen if we reach 100%. This touring model has HUGE implications for musicians everywhere. I really do believe that this could work for many bands. 

So here's my exclusive blogger deal (valid through Tuesday August 30th):

Write a blog about me, my music, and my pre-sold tour. You can come at it from any angle you like: the music, the innovation of the pre-sold tour idea, how pink my hair is, how sparkly my shoes are, whatever it is that you connect to. 

For your blog I will answer three questions via email: kim (at) kimboekbinder.com

I will also take an exclusive photo JUST FOR YOUR BLOG. 

Once the blog is posted I will post a link on my sites to your blog.

AND I will mail you a thank you package. In the real world mail. For real. 

It doesn't matter if your blog has 2 readers or 20,000 for this. And you can cut and paste the text below, or write your own post. The post can be any length (as long as it talks about the tour.) Anywhere between 100-1000 words is great! I just want to get the word out as much as possible.

So:

1) Email three questions to: kim (at) kimboekbinder.com

2) I'll send you an exclusive photo along with the answers to your questions.

3.) Post your blog with an embedded Kickstarter video from one of my shows and links to all ten shows. 

4.) Send me the link to your blog so I can post it. Send me your postal address so I can send your thank you package. 

You can post the blog anytime this week but I have to have your postal address by midnight on Tuesday if you want me to send you a thank you package.

Here is an example blog by Eric Parfait: http://www.theparfaitreport.com/2011/08/sharing-music-kim-boekbinder-is.html

Here is my press release text you can cut and paste into your blog if you want:

Kim Boekbinder Redefines The Rock Tour

Iconoclastic New York musician, Kim Boekbinder, has set the internet abuzz with her passionate rant about the state of the music industry and how she's decided to circumvent the broken system by using her vibrant social media presence to pre-sell her shows BEFORE they are even booked. Kim's first test run of the idea was launched on Kickstarter and she got her funding for a show in New York City in under 24 hours. Now she's doing a 10 date US tour: http://kck.st/pIcXeH

Ms. Boekbinder's "Impossible Tour" idea has been featured on CCN Money, BBC Radio's World Service, and BoingBoing. http://www.boingboing.net/2011/06/14/crowdfunding-the-tou.html#comments.  The attention generated from the story has her email inbox flooded with thank you messages from fans, musicians, and venues; as well as offers from internet startups trying to address the very issues that she is dealing with. 

Kim Boekbinder is The Impossible Girl; a performer, composer, musician, and visual artist who defies genre. She has travelled the world, stealing hearts and changing paradigms with her indelible live performance and her excitingly original and unforgettable music. http://www.kimboekbinder.com/about/

**

For those of you who are not inclined to blogging, posting helps! Put a link on Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Tumblr, whatever your preferred form of internet communication is. And appeal to your friends directly with personal emails inviting them to be part of making the show happen. 

OCTOBER 13th – San Diego, CA

OCTOBER 14th – Los Angeles, CA

OCTOBER 15th – San Francisco, CA

OCTOBER 21st – Seattle, WA

OCTOBER 22nd – Portland, OR

OCTOBER 23rd – Minneapolis, MN

OCTOBER 27th – New Orleans, LA

NOVEMBER 4th – Boston, MA

NOVEMBER 5th – Hartford, CT

NOVEMBER 12th – New York, NY

**

Let's get the word out and make art happen!

Thank you!

The Impossible Girl

How to be Impossible: Dancing in the rain.

Me and my brother Oliver.

So I've been thinking about doing a column in my blog called "How To Be Impossible" which would be a sort of "self-help" or "how-to" column, but you know: TOTALLY RIDICULOUS.

I haven't written anything yet because I don't know how to tell you how to shed sequins everywhere you go (because I just do it. I don't know how.) But tonight I did something I can explain. There are easy steps. And so tonight I pen my very first "How To Be Impossible" in the hopes that this will break the seal and now I can write more of these:


Tonight at around 7:04pm a most epic thunderstorm descended on New York. The sky got all DOOM colored and the trees started to dance with the wind. Lightening split the sky and thunder creaked and boomed. Rain thrashed against the windows, coming from every direction at once.

My brother and I decided we should go outside.

The light was fantastic, it wasn't really true night, but it was very dark and DOOM-y. Oliver and I sang "Singing in the Rain" and did the dance - swinging around lamp posts and clicking our heels. We ran and skipped and laughed and jumped until we were soaked through and through.

It is amazingly freeing to do something that doesn't "make sense." Running around in a storm is so much fun. Watching the lightening, loving the thunder, getting soaked. It is extra fun with a family member or friend, but also quite satisfying and sometimes even more freeing to do this alone (I know from experience.)

It doesn't further my career or get anything done. It doesn't give my body nutrients or cure cancer or solve the (insert hyperbole here) crisis. But it is fun.

And fun is so so so so so so so so SO IMPORTANT.

That photo above was taken just after we came inside, the flash sort of obscured how soaked we were, but nothing can hide our excitement.




How To Be Impossible in three easy steps:

1. Find EPIC thunderstorm.

2. Go outside in it.

3. Dance.

"Such Great Heights" is out NOW!

My duet with Amanda Palmer has been released. You can listen, love, download here:

CNN and the Pre-Sold Tour

I did a CNN Money interview. Click on the image to watch it on the CNN website. Molly Crabapple was also interviewed, we talk about Kickstarter, art, pre-sold tours and more.



The pre-sold tour is humming along nicely. No completely sold shows, and we've got a few straggler cities, but I have high hopes and it is early yet.

I also have some fans who have taken initiative and put up Facebook events to try to get me to their cities: Tampa, FL, Chicago, IL and even Dublin, Ireland and the UK.

Tampa Florida went up two weeks ago and only has 11 people requesting me so far. It makes me a little sad of course, but it illustrates how hard it is for me to get the word out about my shows.

It also illustrates the distortion of internet "fame" and social media perception. I may have 11 fans in any given city who all talk to each other and because they are part of a community of many thousands on the internet who like my music they think I am super famous and wanted by a large group of people in their home town.

Many people have written to me to say "Please come to CITY X, no one ever comes here, we always get passed over, we are always left out." And I understand the frustration of living in a city that is not on a popular tour route. I know you love music as much as anyone in a big city. You may even love music more. I'd love to come play everywhere. I'm not snobby about cities, I'm not "passing you over" because your city isn't "cool" enough. Musicians don't often take chances in smaller, or unknown cities because we lose a lot of money when we do. Being an independent artist I just don't have money to lose.

My pre-sold touring concept puts far more power in your hands, if you choose to accept it. You can put up Facebook events and promote them to get me to try one of my pre-sold shows in your city. And for those cities that had people write in to get me to play there:

OCTOBER 13th – San Diego, CA 12%

OCTOBER 14th – Los Angeles, CA 10%

OCTOBER 15th – San Francisco, CA 46%

OCTOBER 21st – Seattle, WA 4%

OCTOBER 22nd – Portland, OR 43%

OCTOBER 23rd – Minneapolis, MN 11%

OCTOBER 27th – New Orleans, LA 43%

NOVEMBER 4th – Boston, MA 27%

NOVEMBER 5th – Hartford, CT 15%

NOVEMBER 12th – New York, NY 38%

 

The ball is now in your court. I've given you the tools to make the show happen and now it's up to you. Once I reach funding then I do the rest of the work. But we get to do this together. That's why it's special.

I believe in you!

 

Love,

K