It's finally coming out!

It was going to be November. Then December. Then January. Then March.

The EP is finally going to be released to the world this month!

Truth be told, I just haven't had enough money. Still don't really, but we're going to make it happen. When I created the Kickstarter campaign, I set the monetary amount for the bare minimum for finishing the recording, mixing and mastering. I did the bare minimum because the Kickstarter campaign I had done before that was not successful and I really needed to finish the process. The thing is, it costs a lot more to actually release a music pro ject, not to mention to pay for all the promotion.

If you would like to help fully fund this you can donate with PayPal to eric(at)ericcoomer.com.

I'll be promoting the music by booking concerts and interviews, and starting a new YouTube campaign with music videos and covers. If you are interested in helping me book some shows, whether at a traditional venue (club, church, etc.) or a house show, please let me know.

Oh and yes, that's a brand spanking new cover up there! For more info,  go to the official Eric Coomer website.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert made me love the art of film more than I already did.

I admired him so much.

I loved his impassioned reviews of movies he loved and hated. I loved his arguments with Siskel (and Roeper). I loved his yearly Movie Home Companion. 

I loved that he championed films like Hoop Dreams, which he and Siskel were outraged wasn't nominated for the Academy Award for Documentary Feature. 

Most critics can be taken with a grain of salt, but when Ebert loved a movie -- when he gave it a "BIG thumbs up!" -- it made me want to see it. I always looked forward to his year end lists of best and worst films. 

I remember specifically 1998. It was a year filled with wonderful, groundbreaking, and critically acclaimed movies such as Out of Sight, Life Is Beautiful, Pleasantville, The Truman Show, Rushmore, Saving Private Ryan, American History X, A Simple Plan, A Bug's Life, Pi, The Big Lebowski, etc. etc. But for his top film of the year, Ebert picked a movie no one had heard of called Dark City. It made me want to see it. And when I did I, not surprisingly, fell in love with it. What's more, he so loved the film that he provided a commentary track for the DVD.

One of the things I admire most about Roger Ebert was that when life handed him lemons...no it handed him manure...he kept on going. He battled cancer with the dignity of a prince. When it took his jaw, he kept making appearances anyway. When it took his voice he found a company that used his DVD commentaries (which also included Citizen Kane and Casablanca) to give his voice to his computer narration system.

Through and through he was a class act. Just yesterday on his blog he wrote "Thank you for being the best readers any film critic could ask for... thank you for going on this journey with me. I'll see you at the movies."

Roger died today at 70. He will be greatly missed.

- Eric Coomer

What's going on with the EP?

Hello dear friends.

As you probably know by now, my debut solo EP, The Vast Configuration of Things, was originally supposed to be released late last year but has been delayed several times. It is available only here on my website as we continue to try to raise money to fund the printing and submission to iTunes and other stores. The money we raised here was just enough to get the recording, mixing, and mastering completed.

We have just about raised enough and (thank God) our tax return will be here soon, so I fully expect to begin the process of CD printing and duplication, submission to online stores, and rewards process by late March.

Many have asked how to help me raise additional funds so I can complete this process and get this music out into the world. The best way is to encourage people to purchase the EP at http://ericcoomer.com/music.

Here are some other ways you can help:

• You probably are involved in social networking. Let your friends and followers know about the EP on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, etc. etc. (I'm on all of those too. Check out the links at the top right of this website!)
  
• Encourage your Facebook friends to like http://facebook.com/theericcoomer.
   
• Do you have a blog? Write a review! It doesn't matter if its not a music blog. It's still great! Know of another blog where I should be featured? Let me (or them) know!
  
• Work in a business that plays music in the background? Play my EP! (And talk to me about selling it there!)
  
• Are you able to host a concert or know of somewhere I could play? Let me know!
  
• Listen to a radio station that plays independent artists? Tell me and I'll get them my music to them.
  
• Make a video for one of my songs by yourself or with your friends! You could even use a site like GoAnimate or Animoto.
  
• Above all, pray for me and my family. That's the greatest way you could help us.
  

Have other ideas? Let me know by clicking contact above.

As always, thanks for your support and love. It means all the world to me and my family!

2013 Academy Awards Nominees Available on DVD, Blu-Ray & Streaming Before the Oscars Air

It's been a while since I've posted anything not having to do with my music. So, I thought I'd nerd out and talk about the 2013 Academy Awards nominees. As a movie lover, I grew up watching The Oscars every year and (as far as I remember) haven't missed a single telecast since then. So I get excited and nerdy when it comes to this time of the year. 

2012 was a great year for movies (which is good, because 2011 was not.) So it's no surprise that it's an interesting year for the Academy Awards as well.

Take the Best Actress in a Leading Role category for instance. This category contains the oldest and youngest nominees in its history. Emmanuelle Riva, will turn 86 on the day of the Academy Awards. On the other side of the pendulum, Quvenzhané Wallis, who filmed Beasts of the Southern Wild when she was a mere 6 years old, will be 9 and a half years when the Oscars are handed out.

Riva is nominated for Amour, an Austrian film which received five nominations including Best Picture, the most for any foreign film since Roberto Benigni's Life is Beautiful. If that film is any indicator (and it is) Amour should definitely take home the Oscar for Foreign Language Film.

All of the men in the supporting role category are past winners. So we'll hope for a speech that rivals that of Tom Hanks when he won his second award for Philadelphia, but I'm not holding my breath. All of the actresses on the supporting category are past winners with the exception of Jacki Weaver from Silver Linings Playbook. So let's go ahead and call her underdog of the year.

Argo received seven nominations including Best Picture, Film Editing, and Adapted Screenplay, but director Ben Afleck sadly did not receive a nod. Katherine Hardwick, who was named Best Director for 2008's The Hurt Locker, was also snubbed. Both were nominated for this year's Directors Guild of America Awards. The results of the DGA's, which are voted upon by directors only and will take place February 2, are usually the best indicator for who will take home the Oscar. The Academy decided instead to nominate Michael Haneke for Amour and Benh Zeitlin for Beasts of the Southern Wild.

It's always frustrating when the nominees for the previous year's best films come from films that haven't even hit local theaters yet. Thankfully this year is different and many of the nominees are or will be available on Blu-Ray, DVD, or streaming before the Oscars, which will air on February 25.

Below is a list of all the nominees that you can watch at home before the big show. I've included Netflix links for your convenience. Of course, Netflix being Netflix, they may not get these DVDs until well after the Oscars. I've placed them in alphabetical and chronological order, but If you really want to be prepared, your best bet is to watch the films with the most nominations first, and the films in the most important categories (Best Picture, Direction, Acting, Writing) second.

These movies are already available:

• The Avengers (Visual Effects)
• Beasts of the Southern Wild (4 important nom - Watch this one.)
• Brave (Animated Feature)
• Frankenweenie (Animated Feature)
• How to Survive a Plague (Doc Feature - Streaming now)
• The Invisible War (Doc Feature - Streaming now)
• Mirror Mirror (Costume - Streaming now)
• Moonrise Kingdom (Original Screenplay)
• The Pirates! Band of Misfits (Animated Feature)
• Prometheus (Visual Effects)
• Snow White and the Huntsman (Costume Design / Visual Effects)
• Ted (Best Song - so...just listen to the song if you want.)

These movies are coming soon:

• 01/15 - 5 Broken Cameras (Doc Feature)
• 01/22 - Amour - (5 Noms including Best Pic)
• 01/22 - Searching for Sugar Man (Doc Feature)
• 02/05 - Flight (Denzel Washington - Lead Actor)
• 02/12 - The Sessions (Helen Hunt - Lead Actress)
• 02/19 - Anna Karenina (4 Noms including Cinematography & Costume)
• 02/19 - Argo (7 noms - don't miss this one) 

If you want to see the rest of the films before the Oscars, your best bet is to head to your local dollar theatre (if you're lucky enough to have one). The majority of the rest of the films will be out on DVD in March. 

So there you go. Get to work!

"The Vast Configuration of Things" EP Available Here and Now!

The day has come! My debut solo EP, "The Vast Configuration of Things", is finally available and you can get it right here! Please let your friends know and read the entry below this one for more info on how you can help get the word out and why it's only available here and on my Facebook page!

To listen to or purchase the EP, click on Music at the top of the page.

Thanks for taking the time to check it out and I hope you love it as much as I do!

November 13! Get the pre-release of my new EP!

Hi friends.

It's easy to get jealous of those super special people who get to do things early:

• The Academy voters who get to see a movie (at HOME) before it even comes out in the theater 
• The members of the fan club you didn't even know existed who got the front row tickets to your favorite band's concert before they even went on sale
• The Game Stop employee who gets a copy of the hottest game a week before it releases to the public
• The record exec who has your favorite band's album half a year before you can
• The hot girl who walks past the line and gets into the club without waiting

Well, now you can be that hot girl Game Stop record exec Academy member! Or something like that.

Next week I will be pre-releasing my EP, "The Vast Configuration of Things" exclusively through Bandcamp right here at www.ericcoomer.com. I'd love it if you get it early and, if you enjoy it, start talking it up and telling people about it via social networks such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. (By the way, I'm on all those. Yep. Follow me by clicking on the links at the top right of this page!)  You can brag about how cool you are for getting it early!

I'm really proud of "The Vast Configuration of Things"!  I made it over several months this year with Andrew Osenga and I love the way it turned out. I'm really proud of the music, the lyrics, the production. The whole shebang!

But I need a little more time to release it to stores so I can get reviews and interviews in magazines and blogs. So I'm releasing it later than I thought to stores like iTunes, Amazon and actual record stores (Yes, thank God, they do still exist) so I can do those things. But you will be able to get it next week here! And then...you won't be able to for just a bit.

The record industry has changed. This EP wasn't funded by a record label or some corporation. It was funded 31 generous people mostly on Kickstarter. So, this has been grassroots from the start.

And I still need your help! Here are some ways you can help:

• Do you have a blog? Write a review! It doesn't matter if its not a music blog. It's still great! Know of another blog where I should be featured? Let me (or them) know!
• Work in a business that plays music in the background? Play my EP! (And talk to me about selling it there!)
• Are you able to host a concert or know of somewhere I could play? Let me know!
• Listen to a radio station that plays independent artists? Tell me and I'll get them my music to them.
• Do you have a ton of followers on a social network (or even just five)? You can post about the EP there. 
• Make a video for one of my songs by yourself or with your friends! You could even use a site like GoAnimate or Animoto.
• Donate a little more than what's asked when you buy my EP! We need all the money we can get to be able to afford marketing and promotion.
• Above all, pray for me and my family. That's the greatest way you could help us.

Do you have other ideas? Let me know!

The first step is to let your Facebook friends know that they should "Like" me at facebook.com/theericcoomer. I'll be updating there and letting you know how you can help further and what people are doing to help.

Thanks for all of your support! Stay tuned here and to the Facebook page! And make sure to come back next Tuesday!!!

Why hello there...

I haven't blogged since May?!? Wow. That's ridiculous.

It's mostly because I've been tweeting a lot at twitter.com/ericcoomer and posting at The Eric Coomer Music Facebook Page. And I've updated the official Eric Coomer website.

But I should update you here as well! First of all, my solo EP, "The Vast Configuration of Things" (Hey, that's the name of this blog too!) will be releasing in November and I can't wait for you to hear it! It's almost finally done and those who supported me by donating at Kickstarter will be receiving it within the next couple weeks.

For those of you who weren't able to donate before, you can still get the EP in advance by purchasing it here within the next few weeks. More info coming on that soon. These purchases will be paramount because any money from those sales will be used to promote the EP on the actual release date.

So stay tuned for further updates. Thanks always for your support!

Kickstarter Update