FAREWELL TYPEWRITER

It's true. That 3-song EP we told you about has turned into a proper full-length album, with at least a dozen songs if not a few more. We once again recorded with Brad McGowan at Little Red Wagon Studios, and so far we're really happy with how things are sounding. There's more Jason-written material on this record, and some of our most adventurous songs yet. We'll let you know more about it as we finish it up, but meanwhile, enjoy these photos from the sessions.

Grant's strap buttons (on a guitar he hasn't used on the session yet...)

One of Brad's many awesome pieces of gear. This mic did double duty as a kick drum mic and a vocal mic (not at the same time, though we should try that).

Brad and Jason get cozy.

Steve the robot drummer.

If you're like us, you prefer having a computer decide what you listen to rather than taking care of that pesky task yourself. (If not, it's the way of the future, and we recommend embracing it.)

Now you can let Pandora play you Farewell Typewriter tunes mixed in with all kinds of other neat stuff. Listen to Farewell Typewriter radio now!

It's been a busy summer. Busy for us as people, but not necessarily as a band. Audie had a baby. Grant and Steve took vacations. Grant had minor surgery. Jason wore a silly hat. Steve and Grant went on tour with their other band, Aloha Screwdriver. Jason rode his bike all over the place. Audie did not sleep well.

But the most important news for readers of this web page is this: we have shows booked. And a new record coming out later this year.

Next Friday, Aug. 10, see us with Pancho San, O Presidente and Astral at SUB/Mission in San Francisco (info here). A few weeks later, we'll be playing in our hometown of Alameda at the Off the Grid food truck extravaganza. That's Saturday, Sept. 1 around noon at the Alameda South Shore Center, but we'll follow up with details about where to find us.

The EP we recorded in June is mixed and mastered. It features two new tunes and a cover we've been playing since the early days. We're putting together the release plan and artwork now, so we'll let you know when you can get your hands on that.

But for now, we must rest up. We've been busy. See you next Friday.

It's been a quiet back half of the year since our last show at the Evergreen Lodge (see below video of us making asses of ourselves playing cover tunes we have no business playing) back in July, but the good news is we're working on booking shows for the end of the year and into 2012 right this very moment.

The even good-er news is that Jason is back from a brief hiatus and will be playing with us for the foreseeable future. We missed his shoe collection, mostly, but he's a pretty good bass player, too.

IN ANY CASE, look for show announcements from us coming soon.

We have good news and bad news:

First, our new record Buttons and Bows is out now! You can buy it a number of different places, but the best ones are Bandcamp for digital downloads and Storenvy for physical CDs (and T-shirts). You can also find the record on popular online outlets like Amazon MP3 and iTunes, if that's more your thing.

The bad news is that after more than five years with Farewell Typewriter, our beloved bass player and sometime singer Jason Countryman is taking a break from the band soon. He says he'll return in a while, but for the time being, we're losing one of the finest musicians any of us has ever had the pleasure of playing with. Come wish Jason bon voyage at a special show June 1 at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco. We play first at 9 p.m.

The time has come to celebrate the release of our long-worked-on record, "Buttons & Bows." We're thrilled and delighted to be playing our CD release party opening up for one of our favorite Bay Area bands, The Heavenly States. I first saw them opening for Superdrag at Bottom of the Hill in 2003, and once again opening for Spoon at The Fillmore a couple of years ago. I liked them the first time, and LOVED them the second time. (Fun fact: They were the first rock band to play in Libya. Seriously.) It's their LP release party, too.

Come on out to the beautiful Red Devil Lounge in SF this Saturday, and make sure you get there on time—we play first at 8:30 p.m.

Farewell Typewriter CD release party
w/ The Heavenly States & Kill Moi
Sat. April 16 @ 8 p.m.
Red Devil Lounge
1695 Polk St.
San Francisco, CA
map
21+
$15 (buy tickets)

We're almost done, folks. The record is mixed. It will be mastered next week. Copies will be pressed. Digital files will be made available. Shows will be booked.

We appreciate your patience.

We hope you appreciate our record.

Dear friends, fans and family,

Nine months ago, we started making a record. It was originally going to be a 6- or 7-song EP—a followup to our 2007 release “Selfish,” capturing the best material we’ve written since then. Once we got into the studio, though, one thing led to another and we wound up recording 11 songs. We can’t explain how, but these things happen. And let us tell you this: the thing sounds amazing. There’s bells, organs, vintage amps, synths, tambourines, timpani, banjos—all kinds of crazy stuff on it. We literally pulled out all the stops (on a Hammond B3 organ).

In any case, we’re done with the recording phase and are about to send off our tracks for mixing and mastering. Trouble is, making a record this way isn’t cheap! We need $5,830 to finish this beast. Hence, this letter.

Click here to chip in now!

As our fans, you have the opportunity to help us finish this record soon, and own a little piece of the process. Here’s what you get by donating to help us out:

$10 or more: early digital download of the record + inclusion in the “thanks” section of our liner notes
$25 or more: above + signed CD
$50 or more: above + Farewell Typewriter T-shirt
$100 or more: above + customized video thank-you note
$250 or more: above + recording of a song written just for you
$500 or more: above + Farewell Typewriter house concert (San Francisco Bay or Sacramento areas only)
$1,000 or more: above + “executive producer” credit + permanent guest list spot at all of our shows (whenever possible)
$5,830: above + a song on the record named after you + our eternal gratitude

We appreciate whatever you can give. This fundraising drive only lasts two weeks, so if you’re kind enough to donate, please do so by Aug. 4. Thanks for considering and we’ll see you soon.

Love and many thanks,

Grant, Steve, Jason & Audie