May 10, 2012

May Studio Update

We're gonna have unique items from the recording process up for sale soon. Check out the video to see what they will be!

April 19, 2012

"Fade" (Alternate Version) Official Fan Video

The official video for the alternate version of "Fade" was made using all fan-submitted photos. Do you see yourself?

April 8, 2012

"Hallelujah" Official Lyric Video

April 4, 2012

B-Sides and Seasides Available Now

We're very happy to announce that our latest release B-Sides and Seasides is now available through iTunes!

We hope you enjoy the alternate arrangement on "Fade" and any of the other tracks you may not have heard. If you feel so inclined, please spread the word about the release on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or whatever social media outlet you prefer.

We appreciate you so much!

April 2, 2012

Hey all you awesome and sexy fans, friends, and family!

As many of you know, we are currently in the process of recording our second full-length album! We are incredibly excited about this batch of songs and we hope you all will love them once they're complete. After all, you are the ones that keep us motivated to even be doing this thing.

We are still currently doing everything ourselves, from changing our own underwear to writing you those silly little notes with every merch order, to funding our own recording process. Though at times it's overwhelming, we continue to work our hardest and trying to make music that is healthy for your ears and your hearts.

Not that long ago we ran a Kickstarter to fund an unpaid slot on the Eisley Spring Tour. We had an amazing time on that tour, met so many incredible people, and overall grew a lot as a band. We couldn't have done any of this without you and the overwhelming success we saw via your fundraising donations.

We here in The Narrative camp are givers. More than anything we want to be able to continue to provide you guys with the things you've grown to love about us. While it is on one hand really difficult for us to be asking you guys for things, it's also a really awesome opportunity for us to be able to work together in a way. Essentially, you guys are acting as a sort of label that helps our band to continue. In our opinion, that possibility is one of the greatest positives of these modern times and this ever-changing music industry.

So, after realizing what an overwhelming expense it is for us to make this record the way we believe it should be made, we are once again asking you guys to help make it happen. We want to assure you we are doing everything in as cost effective of a way as possible (for those of you who don't know, we are recording in a barn in upstate NY which will wind up saving us around $4000 vs. renting an adequate studio near where we live). Unfortunately, after hiring a producer, engineers, additional musicians, and paying for people's food and gas, things start to add up!

We both work jobs while we're home but the lifestyle of the DIY musician is not exactly one where you can put a ton of money away. Since we started, we've invested any band income we've received and regularly pulled from our personal bank accounts to keep this project going. We'll continue to do so, but your involvement helps us keep moving at a good pace and keeps us out of debt. The more help we get from you guys, the easier it is for us to keep working on music in the capacity that we do.

Of course, we're not just asking you to throw money our way (although please feel free to do so). There are a number of ways you can help that will be easier on your conscience than just flushing your paycheck down The Narrative toilet (hopefully).

WAY #1
Buy merch! Or music!
While it's true that we pay to produce our super cool t-shirts, hoodies, etc., those things are already paid for and we can take the entire gross of what comes in and use it for this recording process. Every little bit helps!

WAY #2
Our pseudo-Kickstartery incentive based donation system!
The way we look at it, while Kickstarter is an amazing tool, we think we know our fans and like to maintain a personal relationship with you! Screw the middle-man!

So, we've decided to come up with some Thank Yous for those that kindly donate their hard earned dollars to support this band and recording process. Please view our Donate Page for all the details. We'll also have a limited quantity of specialty items from the recording (like autographed drum heads and sticks used on the record) added to our Merch Store regularly in the "Donation" category. We really wanted to make this whole thing about THIS upcoming record and THIS recording, so we're trying to offer things that make you feel like you own a piece of what we're doing in our cozy upstate NY barn house.

WAY #3
Our new B-sides album!!!!
Ok, this is a part of Way #2 and sort of falls into Way #1 but for those of you who are thinking "but I HAVE all the merch AND music"… BZZT! We just shipped off a fresh B-sides record to all your favorite digital music stores.

If you choose not to participate in our incentive based donation system, you can still purchase the B-Sides album (either through a donation to us or by buying it on iTunes etc.)

Some of you who bought the vinyl or donated to Kickstarter may recognize a number of these tracks but we're also including a bunch of tracks either never before offered or that were offered in limited quantities.

Here's your track listing:

1. Hallelujah
2. Make It Right
3. Winter's Coming (Acoustic)
4. Castling (Acoustic)
5. Fade (Alternate version)
6. Silence and Sirens (Acoustic)
7. You Will Be Mine (Acoustic)
8. End All (2007 Demo)
9. Tautou (Brand New Cover)
10. Karma Police (Radiohead Cover)

So, if you buy what you don't have you'll have some totally new stuff from us and will have helped us a ton in the process of the album we're currently recording!

WAY #4
Chat with us on U-Stream!
This is also technically a part of our incentive based system but we felt it deserved its own mention!

We'll send you a password to come chat with us live via video stream for whatever donation you want. Seriously, donate anything from $1-$INFINITYYYY and come say hi. We'll answer any ridiculous (or serious) questions you have. We'll do this a number of times so that you can be sure to find a time (or a few) that suits your schedule.

Last but not least, we always love hearing from you. If you'd like to help us out in any other way, please reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter, or on our e-mail account. We're happy to discuss variations on our Thank You packages, or just, the weather here in NY. Don't be a stranger.

Love,
Jesse & Suzie