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"Blacksburg": the song
Den Hollinden's Virginia Tech tribute
After some emotionally difficult writing, I'm back in the studio recording a new song called "Blacksburg" as a tribute to the students who were killed or wounded at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia the end of last school year. The studio work is going well, and I'm hoping to have the song finished soon. Once it is, the plan is to offer it for sale on iTunes and donate a portion of the net proceeds to the memorial fund at Tech. At the same time, the song will be released to radio in the area; so, whether you hear the song on the radio or buy your own copy for a good cause, I hope you like what you hear and that it becomes a meaningful part of remembering those lost.
New geographical view of Den Hollinden music
If you've ever wanted to get a handle on exactly which geographical areas (countries, states, counties, towns, etc.) are mentioned in which Den Hollinden songs, I have some good news for you. Whether you're a small town newspaper researching a possible article, a curious resident of a small town that has an interesting story to tell or just a trivia-loving Den Hollinden music fan, this new feature should make life easier. I don't have every song I've ever written represented yet, but I have compiled information for most Den Hollinden music that is either available on CD or for Web streaming/download. More will follow as I continue work on the new feature.
The URL of the new site is http://DenHollinden.com/places.html. I'm not even sure how I'm going to link the page to the Den Hollinden official music site's other content, but I am certain the address places.html will remain the same no matter what I do; so, you'll always be able to reach it directly regardless of whether or not, for example, it becomes a regular navigation link on the left side of every page of DenHollinden.com/DenCountry.com.
Songwriter's desk
 | Den Hollinden's "St. Patty's Day" |
My latest song is the very first Saint Patrick's Day song I've ever written. As a matter of fact, it's also probably the only Saint Patrick's Day song I've ever heard or at least noticed as being specific to the day. With this level of uniqueness, maybe I can be excused for just calling the song "St. Patty's Day." I wrote it for an informal contest my local songwriters' association is having to spice up a St. Patty's Day gettogether. The song is fun to sing and really lets me exercise the country muscle in my voice. I hope it'll also be a lot of fun to listen to. It's definitely a drinking song; so, look for it to come to a bar or jukebox near you.
Forest Park Ranger basketball team make it two in a row:
Oops, they did it again!
Yes, it's true. Not only were the Forest Park Rangers the winners of the state 2a basketball championship in 2005, they did it again in 2006. Coach Beach and the guys keep thanking me for my support, but hey, it's real easy to support a winner! Congratulations, guys. Keep up the good work.
little time
I continue to work to promote little time/"The Basketball Song", my new 4-song EP that includes both "The Basketball Song" and "Child of a Fallen Soldier." If you're local to Southern Indiana, WBDC in Huntingburg has a copy; so, feel free to bug them (812-683-4144) about playing any of the 4 songs on the EP. They played "Child of a Fallen Soldier" Memorial Day weekend, and I told them to expect some heavy interest in "The Basketball Song." If you see yourself as more of a WITZer, you can find them at 812-482-2131--but don't bother them while they're trying to announce the cash call. If Mom misses it, she'll blame me!
Once the CD is available to the general public, you'll read it first right here. Thank you all very much for your continuing support. Remember, I'm here to work for you. If you have an opinion about the direction of the music or anything else, please let me know via Contact.
MySpace meets "The Basketball Song"!
Shortly after setting up my MySpace site, I started looking at my catalogue of music to see which of my songs the MySpace audience might enjoy hearing. My First choice was "Merrik's Song." Then to introduce a little variety, I put up "The Basketball Song." The response was heartening. Not only was the song generally well-received, but I soon learned that there was a sizeable representation of Forest Park Rangers, the song's home team, on MySpace--particularly from the Class of 2005, the year of Forest Park's big win. It was a win-win situation: They were thrilled to hear about the song, and I got a bunch of new fans who are eager to hear more songs like "The Basketball Song"!
"The Basketball Song" debuts at sports banquet:
The song was heard for the very first time by the public...by the public who appreciate it most, the Forest Park Ranger basketball team, cheerleaders and fans. The song wasn't even technically finished yet, but I mixed and mastered a special version of it just for them, and they passed out copies of the lyrics and turned it into a sing-along. They seemed to enjoy the song, and I appreciated the chance to share in this small way in their great victory. It just makes me grin to know at least a few special people will be singing along with the song--even on the first few plays on Hoosier country radio.
I live in Ferdinand; where can I go to get my copy?
Please watch this space for an announcement. I'm going to keep this section right here until I've announced the location. I'll probably also send a release to the good people at the Ferdinand News; so, be sure to read that--as if you didn't already. If you own a retail business in Ferdinand, are a Forest Park Ranger or Den Hollinden fan, and want to sell copies of this release on consignment, please let me know via the Contact feature. I sent a "jukebox" copy to Fleig's Cafe a while ago, (I thought it was only fair since they're mentioned in "The Basketball Song",) and I just mailed one to the American Legion in Ferdiand--yep, the same organization that helped inspire the song "Old 124." I'm hoping at least one of those two organizations will be able to offer the CD for sale at their locations.
In the studio:
I'm currently recording "Back Home," another one for our troops. Next steps are to restring my mandolin and record some mandolin solos for that song.
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