Phil Ristaino aka Zuben El Genubi, Agent of Venus talking to ya. Right out of the gate, I encourage you to click on the music player just to the right of this post and check out three original tracks from Agents of Venus' new cd. Just to get you in the mood, so to speak.We here at the Agency are super excited since we are just about to release our brand new album, Boduvt (which means "a round boat" according to a 4 year old named Felix, but I'll explain that in another post sooner or later). Its a record that is technically 17 years in the making, since the first song Allen Towbin and I ever wrote together in 1993 is the epic album closer "Weightless," which has existed in at least 3 permutations and 3 bands over the past two decades. Most of this album was written and recorded starting around 2003 up until last year, so its really a Bush-era record, but I personally am amazed at how much the themes of the album resonate with the state of the planet in present day 2010. And there is some serious production going on behind this record. Master Towbin really slaved over the boards for years to get every little ping, twang and thud sounding perfect and in its proper place. Not to mention the top notch musicians we assembled (and many thanks to Mike, Homey, Scott and Stevey D for their contributions and patience with us). I think we might have something special here to offer you.
Which brings me to my call to action. The Agents of Venus want nothing more than to get this album in the hands and ears of any and every discerning listener as soon as possible, but we've hit a slight snag down the final stretch. The album is on its way to being pressed, the websites are being built, it'll be made available for digital download, we'll even be having a record release party in conjunction with my brother Andy Ristaino's gallery show and graphic novel release at Mission Comics and Art on 20th st in San Francisco on April 3rd (more on that later, too). But we need your help to finish paying off the costs incurred for producing the record/art/website. We tried to figure out another way, and we've even gotten some inspiring donations to get us this far, but much to our chagrin, we've fallen short in the 11th hour.So, you might be sitting there thinking, "Why should I help you? You're just a band, not a 3rd world country ravaged by earthquakes and famine. Get a grip, you drip!" And in that way, well, you may be right.
But we do have wonderfulness to offer you in honor of your donations.
If you go to the side tab of this blog, you'll see a little "donate" button, where, with a simple click you can make two 30 something songsmith's dreams come true. We hope you'll consider anywhere from $5 up.If you do decide to donate to our cause, we will send you:
1. A copy of our 13 track magnum opus Agents of Venus : Boduvt! This is a rollicking good time, filled to the cd's edge with stylistically and thematically diverse tracks that harken back to the likes of the Beatles, the Cars, Radiohead, Soundgarden, the Foo Fighters, Gnarles Barkley, and Steely Dan, with a tip of the hat to power pop masters like XTC, Jellyfish and Jason Falkner, as well as some hip hop, funk, dance music, total psychedelia, and stuff we hope you've never heard before. Its good! You like very much!
2. A signed print of original Agents of Venus album cover art by yours truly, Phil Ristaino. These will be rare prints, trust me, no one will have these things. If you dig drawings of space people in full regalia, blazing forth into the new frontier, then maybe you'll also like my original work, which is kinda sorta something like that.Moderately Neato!
3. You will become an honorary Agent of Venus, with full authority to go out and spread love, chaos, and melted marshmallow peeps on anything or anyone in your area! Also, you will be added to our Agents of Venus members list which you'll see to the lower right of this page. There we will link to your particular website or charity of choice, hopefully to encourage Agents worldwide to check out your jam and groove and froth to your gibe! Agents Unite!4. There is no 4.
So there you have it. IMPORTANT: If you do decide to donate to AoV, and you want to receive your goodies, please contact me (Phil) at agentsofvenus@gmail.com and let us know you donated. Please include your full name and address so we can get you the goods! And if you have a website or cause you want us to link up to, please make sure you mention that too. Excitement abounds!
Sorry for the long winded message, I'm really up to my nose in this thing, and I can't wait for everyone to hear these tunes. They rule! Honestly! I mean it!
No, really, they're actually pretty good.
Thanks again for stopping by, please drop by again, and tell your friends: The Agents of Venus are coming!
love always
Phil aka Zuben El Genubi
