Hey Gang,

In just a few days, I step on a plane with two guitars, an electric
keyboard, luggage, CD's, props, magazines, bottled water and a pastrami sandwhich from Blooms Deli (not the one at Golders Green; a new one that just opened up in our neighborhood) and head off to Edinburgh, Scotland for the start of my Fringe Festival run at the Assembly Rooms. Shortly after which, following a brief hiatus back I home, I embark on a 30 city UK/Ireland tour that runs from October 1 to November 6.

I'd be excited except for about a zillion things I still have to do
between now and then, like... put new strings on my guitars, buy extra
guitar picks (I'm down to two and one of them's cracked), pick up some
new clothes, ship over a bunch of CD's (and maybe a few mousepads.), get
a haircut, pack all the props for the Silly Song, Sing-Along kids shows
I'm doing at the Fringe - you know, the bumble bee wings, the
tooth-fairy costumes, the fireman hats, the inflatable smelly feet... -
transfer my entire office database, and crucial applications over to my
laptop, make sure the tour posters are shipped in time, sweep all the
acorns and twigs out of the treehouse... Anyway you get the idea.

So, it occurred to me that I could use a little help to, sort of, spread
the musical word. So this is my humble request for volunteers - sort of
an international street-team to help promote and implement the upcoming back-to-back tours totaling 78 performances (if you include the kids shows). A kind of Odd Squad! Dedicated to the legions of oddballs and misfits ;-) (me included) as well as a few
perfectly normal (or, at least, apparently normal) music aficionados,
which a mutual desire to support independent music.

So, forgive the brazen chutzpah, but the following are a few modest
suggestions for ways in which your combined efforts could significantly
help this musical cause.

1. You could, for example, ORDER TICKETS TODAY to the upcoming gigs - and, don't forget, invite your friends! Sounds simple enough. Most of the UK/Ireland dates are on
sale now. If you're planning on attending one of the upcoming gigs, the
sooner you order, the better for the tour, in terms of planning,
logistics and cashflow to promote the gigs. Also I hope you appreciate
that given the modest (or almost non-existent) airplay I am likely to
receive these days, the most crucial means by which people become
acquainted with my music is when their friends drag them, kicking and
screaming, to one of my concerts. So, PLEASE NOTE: As an added incentive
for people to invite a lot of friends. There's a 10% discount for all
orders of 6 tickets or more. The more friends you bring along, the MORE
YOU SAVE! Of course, I realize this strategy runs the risk of my having
to perform to jam-pack, filled, sold-out theatres, thus losing some of
the warmth and intimacy of those sparsely attended gigs, where only a few
dozen people show up. Well, gee whiz, what can I say? I guess I'll just
have to be prepared to live with that tragic loss! (hopefully) So, if
you'd like to help out, ORDER YOUR TICKETS TODAY!

2. If you were really inspired, you could also, ORDER even more CD's! What's that? You already have a signed copy of every studio album plus the live offerings and the kids stuff PLUS you are the proud owner of a 'Well, Well' Said the Rocking Chair' Mouse Pad?
O.K. we'll I really do appreciate that, but, what about all your song-starved friends? How are you gonna convince them to get in a car and drive to the next town to join you at one of the upcoming gigs if you haven't already favored them with their very own copy of your
favorite Dean Friedman CD? It's only logical! So, if you'd like to help spread the music, a good way to do it would be to, well... spread the music! (O.K. you could also burn illegal copies of your own CD's to give to them, but if you do that, then you REALLY have to bring 'em to a gig!)

3. Then, of course, there are... POSTERS & FLYERS.
Any volunteers willing to poster and distribute flyers in their neighborhood are probably temporarily unemployed or musicians, themselves. In either case, it can really help
spread the word. Folks with a color printer, willing to put up a few posters/flyers in their neighborhood, can download A5 or A4 posters/flyers at the following URL:

http://www.deanfriedman.com/photos/UKTourPoster2003-A5-148.5x210-03.jpg
http://www.deanfriedman.com/photos/UKTourPoster2003-A4-FLAT-01.jpg

[To download, open these images in your browser, then right-mouse-click
on the image to download onto your harddrive]

Anyone feeling really ambitious that's willing to try and find
appropriate spots for 200-500 flyers, please send an email saying you'd
like to be a flyer-volunteer and include your snailmail address.

4. Oh yeah, I almost forgot: PRODUCTION ASSISTANT VOLUNTEERS NEEDED AT FRINGE! I could definitely use some part time local help putting on the upcoming shows at the Fringe. Anyone that happens to be based in Edinburgh with a little free time on their hands, that is interested in lending a hand, please drop an email with contact details and general schedule of availability as a 'PA' - Production Assistant.

5. If you're really bored after a long day at the office, you could... HELP SPREAD THE WORD (AND THE MUSIC) VIA THE INTERNET - Email your friends. Tell 'em about the upcoming gigs. Invite them to visit the website. Forward the animated musical emails you get. Also, it doesn't
hurt to casually mention the tour in any of those 'curious' online chatrooms you happen to frequent. DON'T FORGET: Unlike Radio, TV, FILM and Newspapers, the Internet is a still affordable, mass-communication tool that is not yet entirely controlled by multinational multimedia conglomerates (ie Rupert Murdoch). Use the awesome power of the internet to tell others about the kind of music you care about.

6. If you like talking on the telephone, you could always...CALL RADIO REQUEST LINES -
This really works, folks. In fact, just last week, a dedicated fan sent a copy of my 1st hit single, 'Ariel' to one of the top radio stations in Australia. They played it several times in one evening and I've been getting friendly emails from 'down under' ever since. I'm even having discussions with a promoter about the possibility of touring there next year - all because someone decided to
share the music.

7. And then, there's the old standby... HAVE A BAKE SALE!!! O.K. I'm kidding about the bake sale. Seriously, don't start baking scones or anything like that, but do be sure and mention to your friends that Dean Friedman is performing a full run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (Assembly Rooms - Kid Show 11am & Grownup Show 6:35pm) followed by a 30 City UK/Ireland Concert Tour. If they look at you kinda funny and say, "Dean who?"...

... just start singing!

Thanks for listening! Thanks for your support! See you on the road!

Oddly Yours,
Dean
Dean