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Just a quick, last-minute-ish reminder that I'm playing at Aroma Café in downtown Champaign this Wednesday. Starts at 7, ends about 9.

If you do come out, please say "hi" before; after; during a break; mid-song if you have to.

The details are, as always, on my gigs page. There's also a Facebook event page if you want to RSVP or Share (hint, hint). I created a MySpace event as well, but I don't know why. I think I just didn't want to hurt MySpace's feelings, all alone and graffiti-covered in the corner over there.

... OK, yeah, I am actually a music nerd, but that's not the point here.

A Nerd Musician. But not in the MC Frontalot sense.

Maybe Geek Musician? Nah, "nerd" is the operative word here... in the socially-awkward, or at least socially-hesitant, sense.

If you're one of those, too, this may ring a bell:

I don't like asking people to come to my shows.

Even though I really want them to.

I hate describing what I do.

Even though I like it, and love playing and singing it.

I tend to get really embarrassed and uncomfortable when people compliment me at a show.

Although I love it so very much when that happens.

Online promotion works very well for people like me, at least for anxiety-avoidance. But how do I get someone to look at my site, join the mailing list, in the first place?

By making a personal or musical connection, of course. By, I don't know, inviting someone to come to a show. Personally.

So at the moment I'm sitting at Aroma Cafe, where I'm playing in a couple of weeks. There's a band playing tonight. During the breaks, I'm actually handing out fliers. To real live people. I kinda painted myself into this corner, purposely -- by making flyers that don't really work in piles or tacked somewhere. 'Cause there's a drive full of stuff attached.

Needless to say, way more fun than sticking a pile of paper in the corner, or clearing space on the bulletin board.

If you are one of the recipients of these drives, and you've made it this far, I should tell you this is likely the most-neurotic blog post I've ever written. Normally I hide all this silliness as well as everyone else. And I'm perfectly happy and content onstage. Promise. Look.

See you a week from Wednesday.

Yours in dweeb-ness, Paul

My friend and erstwhile bandmate Alex has a new CD coming out, and a couple of my songs are being covered in the process. Which is pretty flattering, and a bit humbling — he's taken two songs I never quite got a handle on, and handled them just fine.

So a little bonus side-effect is that one or both will probably now be pulled out of performance limbo, as I'm all excited about them again. Good chance you'll hear this one on the 1st:

The CD is due out August 21st, and you can and should and must pre-order it now, here.

Just an early heads-up: Wednesday, July 1 I'm playing at Aroma Café in downtown Champaign. The show runs from 7 to 9pm.

More details and reminders to come, or watch the gig page.

Just posted the roughest possible demo of a brand new song. My voice is shot, my G string goes out of tune midway through, and I don’t care ‘cause I’m happy to have finished something. I’ll make it perfect later.

It’s called “Half Way Home”, and you can find it here