It is what it is, it was what it was

This past weekend, we celebrated Independence Day, our country's birthday, on the 4th of July. This comes one day after July 3rd (of course), which is a much less significant birthday - that of Rebuilt Records. I spent much of my time this past weekend away from the world, and most of my thoughts revolved around freedom, independence, and that pursuit of happiness our forefathers declared to be an inalienable right. At some point in the six years since Rebuilt became my full-time activity, I feel like I misplaced these things. And so it is a bit poetic perhaps that here is where we end Rebuilt Records.

I remember July 3rd, 2003 pretty well because I was scared to death. Jana and I arrived that afternoon in Corona, California at the Fireproof house that was to be our office and home. Our furniture and other personal items wouldn't arrive for another week or so (after our moving truck drivers took a "small" detour up to Sturgis, South Dakota for bike week), and so we spent our first night there alone in the dark of our living room, eating In-N-Out burger (because that was the only place we knew to get food), and sitting in office chairs because those were the only things we had to sit on. We sat out on the back patio, listened to the neighbors get drunk, and wondered what in the world we had done.

I kind of miss that feeling. It was scary in that we had committed to do something we had no idea how to do, and we'd essentially put ourselves up to be the ridicule of our families if it didn't work out. But I felt so alive, so free. It was a different world then - literally and figuratively. Musically, the Internet hadn't yet helped make buying music passe´ or leveled the playing field for independents, and there was a very real need for Rebuilt to help artists raise money to record quality albums. As you no doubt know, things today are a bit different. Today, artists can use something like Kickstarter to raise money on their own and manage their own careers through free or next-to-free tools available online. It’s a good time to be an artist and a bad time to be a label.

From the beginning, we wanted Rebuilt artists to have the freedom to grow, create, live healthy, balanced lives, and to take whatever time they needed, but this also created a tension for the label. Rebuilt was born on the notion that for most artists, incessant touring and living on the road is not a healthy way to live, but on the other hand, the label needed our artists to sell enough albums to cover our expenses and pay a few bills. What were we to do, push our friends to “work harder” and “sell more?” Were we to take an increasingly popular stance and sign our artists to 360 deals, essentially collecting money we didn’t earn from every stream of income (like door money from shows)? As we move into a world where music is free, artists will need as much income as they can muster to that they can grow and develop their art into something sustainable. Others certainly feel differently, but we felt to do so would be to become exactly the opposite of what we wanted our label to be.

At the end of the day, Rebuilt was an organization that lived and died on the sale of its recordings, and pinning the blame on “downloading” or “the internet” or whatever is completely asinine. Sometimes the world just changes. I imagine there were a lot of angry scribes in the world when Gutenberg rolled out the movable-type printing press and effectively wiped out their “industry” essentially overnight. But in doing so, he also played a major role in ushering in the Renaissance (look it up). In an age where we’re hell-bent on bailing out all kinds of things, I am of the opinion that sometimes old models need to die off to make room for new and more effective ones. In Rebuilt’s case, we saw no way to retrofit an old model into a new world, at least not at the expense of the people we were actually trying to help.

Certainly, the fact that people are choosing to buy less music these days is a large factor in our decision to close Rebuilt's doors, but that's more of a symptom than the real ailment. While I can deal with losing money (understanding that Rebuilt was always a risk), I became aware that I was in pretty bad shape elsewhere. I was bitter at the way things had been, angry that I didn't do a better job, and hopeless that it would turn around. In truth, I had become a slave to this thing I loved so much. Having no foresight to set boundaries (and not even knowing how), I was never able to break my livelihood from its livelihood. Financially speaking, when Rebuilt took a hit, so did my family, and since we operated as a nonprofit, there was no real way to get back any money we put into it. It follows, then, that as our income from album sales dropped, the financial pressure on the company (and on us personally) only continued to intensify.

Over the last few years, I had come to resent Rebuilt for the ways I had allowed it to drain not only my personal finances, but also my joy, my spirit, and my willingness to want to serve and help others. For a while, I tried to push my nose to the grindstone harder, to raise more money and find some folks to help out; but as the expenses mounted and the income slowed, I found that I just had nothing left when I "hit the gas." This was not how I wanted to live. This was not freedom.

And so freedom is what we have granted our artists. Effective August 1st, all master rights will transfer to the artists themselves and all remaining recoupment debt will be canceled. Our artists are free to do what they will with their recordings with no further obligation to Rebuilt Records. We will continue to offer remaining stock for sale via Rebuilt’s online store as a one-stop outlet for the label’s catalogue and to help pay down our outstanding debt on these recordings, but apart from this, our artists will receive 100% of the income derived from the sales of their recordings. This seemed like the right thing to do - our own little “year of jubilation,” if you will.

Six years ago, we sat in that empty house in Corona because we felt God had asked us to, not knowing how or when it would end. It was a wonderful leap of faith that has changed the course of my life forever. Rebuilt continues to teach me about commitment, community, giving, and service.

In looking back on the days since California, there are certainly things I would do differently. This is to be expected, I guess. And depending on the day, I go back and forth on how I view these six years, whether they were success or failure, accomplishment or defeat. But I feel pretty strongly that each one of our artists is better in some way for having been a part of Rebuilt Records, and I am thankful to have had the opportunity to float alongside them in their journeys. Even six years ago, we made a promise that we would "ride the wave until it hit the beach," and here we are. Just as we felt God calling us to California, it is clear to my heart that he is asking us to put Rebuilt to rest.

Thank you to so many who gave and gave and gave to the vision of Rebuilt Records – financially and otherwise. Because of you, Rebuilt raised nearly $130,000 that went directly to help make the 14 albums baring the Rebuilt hammer. Through your support, our good friend and artist Paul Reeves built a professional-class studio that will continue as a place to document artists’ work and care for them as they grow and develop. Your support helped to encourage the discouraged, and your emails, letters, phone calls, and attendance made us all feel that what we were doing mattered. I could never say thank you enough.

I’ll end here by raising my glass to Jon Black, Micah Dalton, The Goodfight, Paul Reeves, Natalie Moon, and David Herndon, to our family of dedicated donors, and to all who continue to support independent artists; here’s to finding the next wave. It’s been a pleasure.

Jason

Artist Updates!

This past weekend was a busy one for the artists of Rebuilt Records. In
fact, five out of our seven roster artists played shows both Friday and
Saturday nights in places all over. Here's the recap:



* On Friday, April 3, the Goodfight sold out the venerable Eddie's Attic in Atlanta with our own Paul Reeves and Jason Harwell in tow (not to mention the amazing Sweet Alizabeth and Bonnie Bishop). The Goodfight absolutely killed their set (of which you can see HD video on Facebook... search for it).



* That same night, Micah Dalton and Jon Black (along with Ryan Horne, David Berkeley, and Kim Taylor) stopped in at the Living Room in Muncie, IN as part of the "All The Lads & A Lady" songwriters tour. By all acounts, the boys nailed it. So well, in fact...



* The very next night, Saturday, the 4th, they packed up and headed to Schuba's in Chicago. Word on the street is that somebody shot some video of the show, so look for that (and other tour updates) over at whoisjonblack.com. Currently, you can read about tamales. Yep, you know you want some.



* A little farther down the map here in Athens, GA, the Goodfight was
setting up for a house show extravaganza with the aforementioned Paul
Reeves, Pilot Coat, the Bride, and Jason's powerpop side project, the Warm Fuzzies. After the 'Fuzzies and Pilot Coat tore through their sets at the Springdale Prom (benefitting Young Life),
the Goodfight shut the place down. Well, actually, the police did, but
it was during the Goodfight's set. You can read J.Rich's account (and
see a little YouTube clip of the officer telling everyone to go home)
over at thegoodfightsite.com.



*And it's not over. Micah and Jon (and the gang) are hitting up Athens, Knoxville, Birmingham, Atlanta, and Greenville on the back leg of the "All The Lads" tour this week. If you're in or around those cities, come on out!

What happens when you fight the good fight...

This video is courtesy of Christopher Rich, who captured the abrupt ending the Goodfight's set at the Springdale Prom (I guess the boys of Springdale should have looked into a permit)....



For the entire story, click on over to thegoodfightsite.com.

People From Way Back Are Excited...

The Goodfight Launches new Site!

Curious as to what Jonathan Rich has been brewing up with the Goodfight? Head on over to the brand spankin' new site here: www.thegoodfightsite.com and see for yourself.

And in case you missed it, you can listen to the whole new album, Good & Evil, on Last.fm and preorder your copy here.

Get Ready for "Good & Evil"

After nearly three years of art+experience+life, etc., the Goodfight's brand new double EP album, Good & Evil, is set for an April 7th release!

We'll have more info in the next few days, but here's what you need to know now:

1. Pre-order the album here at the RebuiltStore.

2. Listen to the new track "Those Pills And That Bottle Are A Trap" on the Goodfight's Myspace page.

3. Plan to be at these shows:
Friday, April 3 - Atlanta, GA - Eddie's Attic w/Jason Harwell, Paul Reeves, Bethany Dick, and Bonnie Bishop (7pm)
Saturday, April 4 - Athens, GA - Springdale (house show) w/the Warm Fuzzies, Paul Reeves, and Jeremy Ezell (email for info)
Tuesday, April 7 - Atlanta, GA - Vinyl, w/Jeremy Ezell and the Well Reds, 8pm, $5 adv./$8 door

All The Lads & A Lady Songwriters Tour feat. Jon Black & Micah Dalton!

We're pleased to announce the dates for the "All The Lads & A Lady" songwriters tour featuring our very own Jon Black and Micah Dalton, as well as Ryan Horne, David Berkeley, and Kim Taylor! Following in the footsteps of last year's very successful "Guys With Guitars" tour (also featuring Jon, Micah, and Ryan), this tour provides folks outside of the southeastern US the chance to experience some of our favorite songwriting talents in an intimate, in-the-round format.

The tour begins in just a couple of weeks, so get ready (and get down there, dang it!):

3/26 - Nashville, TN - 3rd & Lindsley
3/28 - Opelika, AL - 8th & Rail
4/1 - Cincinatti, OH - Northside Tavern
4/2 - Lexington, KY - Natasha’s
4/3 - Muncie, IN - The Living Room
4/4 - Chicago, IL - Shuba’s
4/5 - Metroplis, IL - House Show
4/6 - Athens, GA - Melting Point
4/8 - Birmingham, AL - Workplay Theater
4/9 - Atlanta, GA - Eddie’s Attic
4/10 - Greenville, SC - The Channel

For more specific info, please visit our show calendar on Myspace.

Jon Black's 'Golden Age' Featured on PopMatters

Read the latest review of Jon Black's stellar new album, Goodbye Golden Age, over at PopMatters by clicking here.

The good news just keeps rolling in from those who love the album, and if you haven't heard it yet, click on over to www.whoisjonblack.com to stream the whole thing. And if so inclined, you can purchase it online from iTunes, Amazon, and the Rebuilt store!

Jon Black featured on NPR, Birmingham Magazine

From whoisjonblack.com:

"NPR’s All Songs Considered has selected “If We Hang On (Uncle Sam’s Song of Hope)” to be streamed on their website. Not sure if it’ll be played anywhere else but I will be sure to keep everyone in the loop.

You can stream the song on their site here.

I’m honored to be on the site. - Jon"

This story was also picked up by Birmingham Magazine; read the article here. Congratulations, Jon!

"A Rebuilt Family Christmas, Part Two" Available for Free Download!

Part Two of "A Rebuilt Family Christmas" is now available for free download - right click here to download the file (20 megs or so), here to listen online, and here to subscribe to the Rebuilt "Starving Artist" podcast through iTunes.

Here's the second half of the Christmas show:
Jonathan Rich & Natalie Moon: "Come Thou Long Expected Jesus"
Micah Dalton: "O Little Town of Bethlehem"
Ryan Horne: "Silent Night"
Jon Black: "What Child Is This?"
Natalie Moon: "I Wonder As I Wander" & "Do You Hear What I Hear?"
Jim & The Beanstalks: "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings"
Paul Reeves: "Angels We Have Heard On High"
Pilot Coat: "O Come, All Ye Faithful"
Everyone: "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing" and "We Wish You A Merry Christmas"

*Scripture read by J. Bart Scarborough, Esq.

"A Rebuilt Family Christmas" Available for Free Download!

Couldn't make it out to the Melting Point in Athens on December 4th, 2008 for "A Rebuilt Family Christmas?" No worries... we're podcasting most of it. It's a little rough around the edges, but then again, so are we.

Subscribe to the Rebuilt podcast through iTunes, or simply click here to download Part One (approx. 10 megs). Look for Part Two in a few days.

Part One features:
Jon Black: "Christmas Makes Me Happy"
Jim & The Beanstalks: "Let It Snow"
The Warm Fuzzies: "I Want An Alien For Christmas" and "The Grinch"
Micah Dalton: "Merry American Christmas"
Nathan Angelo: "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas/Christmas Song" medley

Part Two will feature:
Jonathan Rich, Natalie Moon, Jon Black, Paul Reeves, Micah Dalton, Ryan Horne, Pilot Coat, and more!

Christmas Show Traffic Info - Melting Point 12/4

Okay, kids, there always has to be some kind of wrinkle anytime you do something, right? It just so happens that the downtown Athens Christmas parade will coincide with the opening of the doors at the Melting Point at 6pm. That's okay except the Melting Point is on the parade route, which means there's only one street open to get there.

Fortunately, we have directions, courtesy of the Melting Point:

Parking Directions & Street Closure Information for December 4th

 As a portion of Dougherty Street will be closed for the start of the parade route as of 6:15 p.m.  We are suggesting everyone enter the Melting Point from the North side of Athens.
 
If you are traveling from Atlanta via Hwy 316 we suggest you take Loop 10 North and follow until the North Avenue exit.  Take North Avenue towards downtown Athens as you enter the downtown corridor turn right onto Dougherty Street and make an immediate right into the hotel.
 
Other streets affected and information to consider:
         Thomas Street (in front of the Classic Center) will be blocked starting at 6:30 p.m.
        The Parade will begin at 7 p.m. and staging will begin 30 minutes prior to the start.
        Streets should re-open by 8-8:30 p.m.

If you need additional directions or have questions about the parade route, please do not hesitate to contact Guest Services at 706.549.7020.

Sorry for any inconvenience - see you tomorrow!

One More Rebuilt Christmas Plug

If you're in the Athens, GA area tomorrow night, I'd love for you to join us at the Melting Point for the 2nd Annual Rebuilt Family Christmas show featuring just about every Rebuilt artist, and a slew of other people we call family delivering tidings of good cheer and their own renditions of familiar (and not so familiar) Christmas tunes. Last year, we had a blast, and we're looking forward to an even better show this year!

Doors open at 6pm (it's also a restaurant so you can eat), with music from 8-10pm. The event is all-ages, it's smoke-free, and tickets are $5 advance (today's the last day! Click here to order!) or $8 at the door.

Here's the lineup (besides me, of course):

*Micah Dalton
*Jon Black
*Paul Reeves
*Natalie Moon
*Jonathan Rich/the Goodfight
*Nathan Angelo
*Ryan Horne
*Pilot Coat
*The Warm Fuzzies
*Jim & the Beanstalks

We're shooting video and capturing audio, but there really ain't no substitute for being there - hope you can make it!

- jason

Rebuilt News Update

In this exciting edition:

I I. A Rebuilt Family Christmas
II. Some Nice Things to Say
III. Jonathan Rich Finishing Up Double EP
IV. Good Ideas for Gifts
V. The Warm Fuzzies To Smell Like Bubblegum

A Rebuilt Family Christmas
It truly is the most wonderful time of the year. Well, it's our
favorite at least. The time when we get the extended Rebuilt family
together for some serious decking of the halls and to have Linus
remind us about the true meaning of Christmas. Last year, this was a
special evening, and it really emphasized all the good and great
things music and musicians have to offer our culture. We sincerely
hope you'll consider joining us for this year's edition. Expect some
of your favorite Christmas songs -and probably some you've never heard
of.

Here are the details:
When: Thursday, December 4th, 2008
Where: The Melting Point, 295 E. Dougherty St., Athens, GA 30601
Time: Doors open at 6pm (as does the kitchen) with music beginning at
8pm
Cost: $5 advance/$8 at the door. Advance tickets are available from
the Melting Point here. The show is all-ages.

Who:
All seven Rebuilt artists - Micah, Jon, Paul, Jason, <Jonathan,
Natalie, and David
Our good friends: Nathan Angelo, Ryan Horne, Pilot Coat, the Warm
Fuzzies, and Jim & the Beanstalks

You can see some video from last year at the official Rebuilt YouTube
page here.

* We should also note that we're encouraging folks to bring a canned
food item to help stock the Foodbank of Northeast Georgia. We'll have
collection receptacles on hand, and to say thank you for your
donation, you'll receive a special limited edition sampler featuring
songs from all of the evening's performers!

Hope to see you on the 4th!


Some Nice Things to Say
Recently, some folks have had nice things to say about Rebuilt, our
artists, and our releases. Here's the latest:

Label profile - Southeast Performer Magazine
Reviews of Paul's Winter's Over and Natalie's Short Stories in
Southeast Performer
Review of Jon's Goodbye Golden Age on Americana UK and WayCoolMusic
Reviews of Jason's the.brokenheadphones, David's Into Danger, and
Micah's Pawn Shop on the Phantom Tollbooth.

Jonathan Rich Finishing Up Double EP
Begun over a year ago, Jonathan Rich's double EP, Good & Evil, is
nearing completion and is aiming for a January release. Comprised of
two EPs on one disc, the acoustic Holiday and the rocking We Are Far
Too Easily Pleased, the first 300 copies will be the kind of limited
edition-type things we like to do around here at Rebuilt. You know,
individually numbered, handmade & hand-packed, full of goodies, etc.
You get the idea. We'll have more info as details are firmed, but you
can be among the first to hear the Holiday track "Love" on the Rebuilt
Family Sampler available at the Family Christmas show. And as I'm
typing out this update, I just got a rough mix from Jonathan's rock
recording sessions... ummm... tasty.

Good Ideas for Gifts
And though we're completely skipping over Thanksgiving, we're going to
go ahead and shamelessly remind you that Rebuilt Records has an online
store fully stocked with wonderful albums, stickers, and t-shirts that
make wonderful gifts this holiday season. We recently got some
spankin' new Micah Dalton t-shirts from his Fall tour, but we've only
got a handful, so grab yours now!

And Finally...
Though not a Rebuilt release, Jason's powerpop side project, the Warm
Fuzzies, is set to unveil their debut EP (entitled the Bubblegum EP)
on Tuesday, December 2nd. The official release party will be that
night at the Caledonia here in Athens with Mass Solo Revolt, Farewell
Flight, and our very own Jonathan Rich joining in the fun. The disc is
packaged in a very eco-friendly arigato pak (just like Natalie's Short
Stories disc) and features a comic strip liner note insert and A
SCRATCH AND SNIFF DISC THAT SMELLS LIKE (WHAT ELSE?) BUBBLEGUM. You
can stream the EP and pre-order your copy now at thewarmfuzzies.com.

That's it for now - see you on the 4th!
Team Rebuilt

Micah Dalton's Fall Tour Dates!

If you live in the eastern United States, there's a good chance that Micah will be hitting a town near you, so come out and support independent music! Tyler James and Nathan Angelo will be joining Micah on these dates as well, officially turning everything up two notches...

Here's the skinny:
October 15     8:00 PM     The Rutledge     Nashville, TN
October 16     7:30 PM     The Grey Eagle     Asheville, NC
October 17     8:00 PM     The Village Tavern     Charleston, SC
October 18     8:30 PM     Smith's Olde Bar     Atlanta, GA
October 21     8:00 PM     Tin Angel     Philadelphia, PA
October 22     7:00 PM     East Stroudsburg University East Stroudsburg, PA
October 23     9:00 PM     CMJ Music Festival @ The Living Room  New York, NY
October 25     8:00 PM     Thunderbird Cafe     Pittsburgh, PA
October 28     7:30 PM     The Channel     Greenville, SC
October 29     8:00 PM     The Evening Muse     Charlotte, NC
October 30     8:00 PM     Patrick Sullivans     Knoxville, TN

And as always, visit Micah's Myspace page here and if you're into Facebook, check out his artist page here.

NoiseTrade Widget

Jon Black CD Release Shows!

This is a huge week for Jon Black (and for Rebuilt, too), as we celebrate the official release of his amazing new album, Goodbye Golden Age, tomorrow, September 30th. Jon will be hitting the road this week with a full band to bring the new tunes to your ears. Here's where Jon will be:

Tuesday September 30 - 3rd & Lindsley, Nashville, TN, 9pm
Thursday, October 2 - Caledonia, Athens, GA, 10pm
Friday, October 3 - the Vinyl, Atlanta, GA, 9pm
Saturday, October 4 - the Workplay Theatre, Birmingham, AL, 8pm

And if you haven't already done so, you can purchase Goodbye Golden Age right here today! And as always, you can listen to the album and see what's going on with Jon at www.whoisjonblack.com.

Micah is a Paste Finalist!

We're are ecstatic to announce that our very own Micah Dalton has made the finals for Paste Magazine's "Rock N' Reel At Sea." If picked, Micah will perform on the Cayamo Cruise featuring ridiculously talented artists like John Hiatt, Lyle Lovett, Over the Rhine, Patty Griffin, the Indigo Girls, etc. etc.

So now it's up to the folks at Paste and some celebrity judges to decide who gets to go, but you all need to give yourselves a collective pat on the back for voting Micah through the semis.

YOUR VOTES MADE ALL THE DIFFERENCE! THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING MICAH!

This is what Rebuilt is all about folks...

Vote for Micah at Pastemagazine.com for the Cayamo Cruise!

We're pleased to announce that Micah is a semi-finalist for the Cayamo Cruise featuring John Hiatt, Lyle Lovett, Buddy Miller, Patty Griffin, and others! It's like a cruise, but with awesome music.

And more importantly, YOU can help Micah get on the boat. We need to help Micah reach the finals, so for the next two weeks only, you can vote once a day for Micah. This is a huge opportunity, and Rebuilt has always been about people just like you actively and directly supporting quality musicians. You CAN make a difference in Micah's future.

Vote once a day here:
http://www.pastemagazine.com/action/rnr_vote

LET'S GET MICAH ON BOARD!


And plus, you can vote for some Athens folks - Bill Mallonee and Ken Will Morton - as well as our good friends Ellery!

Rebuilt News Brief...

... The 3rd Annual Bowl-A-Rama! will be held Saturday, September 30th at Showtime Bowl in Athens, GA. Sign up a team and win $1000 in gift cards to the Apple Store! More info at rebuiltrecords.com/bowlarama

...two new pre-orders in the Rebuilt Store, Paul Reeves' Winter's Over (released September 9) and Jon Black's Goodbye Golden Age (released September 30).

... In other Paul news, we'll officially celebrate the release of Winter's Over here in Athens on Thursday, September 11 at the Seney-Stovall Chapel(next to the Varsity on Millege Ave). Natalie Moon and locals Pilot Coat join in the fun! 7pm, all-ages, $5 at the door.

...Jason will be performing new unrecorded songs at Flicker in Athens, GA with Kate Morrissey on September 3rd. 8pm, 18+ $5

... Have you downloaded Micah's new album, Pawnshop, from Noisetrade yet? You should...