WHOA! A BRAND NEW ADDITION TO THE "COMMUNITY FUN HOUSE!"
I have JUST started doing the "52 Consecutive Songs/Videos In 52 Consecutive Weeks Series"
(Click on the Bill Mallonee Music "Welcome" page to see an example of this new feature!)
As many of you know, I write anywhere between 50-75 songs a year. done in a solo rendering with acoustic & electric instruments, this is a way to garner MANY of the songs that will not make the format of a formal record release. This, in addition to all of the other Community "perks" make this a cool deal. ~ Bill Mallonee
Original "pitch & manifesto" of this online Community.
Community. A beautiful word. You hear that word a lot these days.
And for good reason. To be in "community" is what defines us as human beings. Hopefully, the new Bill Mallonee Music Online Community (aka Community Fun House) will manifest itself as a community that connects over my music...but NOT just that alone. It is my deepest hope that it will also connect over all that that music is about, all that it wrestles with, and all that it hopes to inspire.
These are dark times and one must run to where the light is. It is my hope to provide some of that clarity & light by the grace of God.
I believe, at the very core of our existence, (as mysterious, frustrating & as hallowed as it is) there is bonded-ness. There is a "something" that makes us all very similar. I've said it for over 25 years of making albums and being a relentless troubadour & recording artist: "We're all living in the same skin."
As a songwriter, I think part of what it means is that when you hit on the truth, when it surfaces in a lyric and song it inevitably resonates with a group of folks. Not everyone, of course.
It's a world of diversity and Thank God for that!
But, even amidst such beautiful diversity, there are the bed-rock, foundational truths that make telling that Truth whether it be told in song, in art, in film or literature, a necessity. It is a necessity, I believe, because if such truths aren't "incarnated" in art then there is the chance they become garbled, unclear, distorted and eventually forgotten.
And when the truths of our souls & bonded-ness die? Well, that's when all hell breaks loose.
Songs. It's what I do.
Songs for me have always been a way of wrestling with and coming to terms with truths like Goodness, Wholeness, Love, Life, Grief and Death...and how God lives and manifests in and around all of it.
Me? I've been lucky on this journey.
There have been so many folks whose hearts of kindness and acts of goodwill have sustained me and encouraged me through some 65 albums. (God willing there'll be a few more!)
SO: It is my hope that the Bill Mallonee Music Community will be a way for me to reward you folks who have "been there" for me...and continue to be there.
Truth be told? I need you. The road from "way back when" in 1991 to the present has been one of beauty, discovery and hardship. It's the "raw data" of all of our lives. That "hardness" has all gone back into the songs, into the music. It's what I do.
I have deeply appreciated your goodwill, your kind words and seeing so many of you at shows these 25 years.
I covet your thoughts & prayers from time to time.
(And, yes, at times I need your resources to keep going. In a day and age when industry super-structures are in ruins and where the "pond" of talent is quite "over-stocked," it's increasingly hard to "get noticed," find new fans, and sustain a livelihood.) Therefore, this Community also has the dynamic of "reciprocity." It revives the notion of Patronage, BUT it also gives me the opportunity to give back a great deal and in doing so say to each of you: "Thank You!"
I have always felt that what I create as an artist is of value (why spend your talents on anything if it's not a pursuit of excellence, right?); Therefore my intentions, in starting this "inner circle," is to create a vehicle whereby I can offer the things that are special and unique to those who value my work.
If you join, "what's in it" for you?
~ Exclusive EPs just for those who join...I'm shooting for 2 a year, maybe more!
~ Discounted prices on the whole catalog! All 60 plus albums.
~ Exclusive special "live" recording video shows done out of our studio!
~ Demos...I make many! Sometimes it's full songs that will never show up in any formal release.
~ We'll be brainstorming many new things frequently to make available to you.
~ Fun. we're gonna keep it amazing...and FUN!
That's not all: There's access to discuss with me (and among other members of the community) a variety of topics: Music, Theology, Creative Process, Art, Culture, Faith, etc...
It's my hope that we'll dig into what all of this is about. You'll have greater access to my opinions, my knowledge, my work. I'll answer questions about just about any aspect of What I do, How I do it and Why I do it.
Also technical issues can be addressed: What "tricks of the trade," I've learned in recording, writing and performance.
To start things off I've picked 40 albums (I do realize many of you have almost all of the 80 plus albums) that are YOURS for FREE simply for joining up. Plus new new songs, live videos.
The exclusive EPs (I'm planning two a year for you) will follow over the course of the year.
We hope that's enough enticement to join up for the year. And like I said: It's gonna be fun!
And we're still just in the planning, brain-storming stages, so the sky is the limit!
Grace & Joy,
bill
Here’s what you get:
- All the new music I make streaming instantly on your mobile device via the free Bandcamp app, and also available as a high-quality download.*
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Access to subscriber-exclusive messages:
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These back-catalog and subscriber-only releases:
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WELCOME TO STRUGGLEVILLE (Remaster by Pete Lyman) 2024
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Comes To Life (New single & free download)
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GLIMMER Spring 2024 (demos are back up for 2 days)
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NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, & WEST, ABOVE, BELOW & WITHIN (single from Orphan Songs)
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A CLAMORING OF GHOSTS (2021)
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THE LOT OF EVERYMAN (a free download today)
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STUNNED (an anniversary song)
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Exclusive TRAVELIN' LIGHT (Online Community Exclusive! New 7 song EP)
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- The satisfaction of knowing you’re supporting me in a sustainable way.
Bill Mallonee
founding member of Vigilantes of Love. He has worked with Mark Heard, Buddy Miller, Emmylou Harris, & Peter Buck from REM.
His most recent work, "Lead On, Kindly Light" is a 23song double Cd released Feb 2020.