Jennifer Haase: News

Hey Haase Fans!  I'm thrilled to announced that my song NEW PINK SWEATER just won SONG OF THE YEAR at Imprint Radio Show!  I'm so grateful to everyone who voted and to the Imprint Radio crew for nominating me. 

Winners will be announced at www.wioxradio.org on Saturday Feb 4th at 4pm Eastern.  Special Thanks to Terry Doyle and lovers of indie music everywhere.

YAY!!! Feels GOOD!

Huge THANKS to these folks for the recent blog features about me.  So appreciated!

Interviewed by Amanda Auch, author of "She Has Moxie." 

http://shehasmoxie.com/2011/02/20/jennifer-haase-singersongwriter/

Interviewed by Shane Lund, at SWL Photography. 

http://swlundphoto.com/2011/01/an-interview-with-song-writer-jennifer-haase/

Welcome 2011 and thank you to all of you who were amazingly supportive and encouraging throughout 2010. It was an incredible year for me. I left Corporate America, I reached my $15,000 album fundraiser goal, and we damn near finished this album that we're about to release!

It's been an amazing journey. And in so many ways, it's just beginning for me. Thanks for being along for the ride.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Best,
Jennifer

NO MORE INVITATIONS releasing SOON! Please sign up for my mailing list on this website to get my email updates about album release and more. And follow my blog at www.nomoreinvitations.blogspot.com for additional musings and special offers, thanks!

Played the John Street Jam in Saugerties NY last night and LOVED IT! Full house, very attentive audience, two sets of singer/songwriters (some as duos) made for a wonderful night of music to remember. HUGE thanks to hosts Steve & Terri....and their stand-in hosts Bruce & Jeanne....all my co-performers and the couple at brunch today at Cafe Mezzaluna who recognized me from the show and showered me with compliments! (Theresa, right? Thank you!)

And I really loved Saugerties. I need to spend more time there and plan to ASAP.

Thanks for a great night! If you were there, please say hello on my Guestbook link here in my website. Would love to hear from you!

Happy Halloween Everyone!

xo,
jennifer

If you're not on my mailing list yet, you may not know the story of my album fundraiser.   The full year it took to reach my $15,000 goal.  The ups, the downs, the sits and spins, the tremendous leaps forward and the unending support and cheers from my fans, family and friends. 

It was an incredible experience and, yes, that $15,000 goal was just finally reached last month, in August 2010, due to one final unbelievably generous donor who took it upon herself to give me the last $7,000 (yes, SEVEN THOUSAND DOLLARS) I needed to finish my album.  

But it took every single dollar from every single wonderfully generous donor to get here.   Every $15 donation meant as much to me as those who were able to give more. 

There is no way to fully describe how blessed and grateful I feel, and have felt during the entire fundraising process, for the dream-building help you all gave.   I am forever thankful.  I will never forget it.  I will pay it forward someday.

I'll be writing in more detail about my fundraiser in a new article for my song column called "SONG is a Four-Letter Word" over at www.musesmuse.com.  Watch for that new column post by next week.

As for the ALBUM, "No More Invitations", we're madly (and so very happily) working to finish her up now that we have the funds to make it happen!  Recording is almost done! I can hardly believe that and it feels amazing to be this close to the finish line. 

Please stay tuned for more updates, more song column pieces, more email updates (sign up for my email mailing list right here on this website!) and YES my friends a NEW ALBUM by the time the new year rings through.  WOOT!!

I'm so grateful!  Blessings to you all.

Jennifer Haase

www.rhymeswithclassy.com

www.nomoreinvitations.blogspot.com

DON'T FORGET that my 1st song release off NO MORE INVITATIONS is available for download now!  It's called NEW PINK SWEATER and it's a playful, sassy little tune I hope you enjoy.  You can download NEW PINK SWEATER at www.cdbaby.com/cd/jenniferhaase  or from your favorite online music e-tailer.

FOLLOW me on twitter!  I love me some tweetin', gang.  www.twitter.com/jenniferhaase

 

I am the fortunate focus of two NEW blog interviews in the past two weeks!

Last week at "Inflamed Temperaments" blog:

http://inflamedtemperament.blogspot.com/2010/07/11-questions-withjennifer-haase.html

And just today at "Talking with Tim" blog:

http://talkingwithtim.com/wordpress/2010/07/21/jennifer-haase-on-no-more-invitations/#more-1430

Mentions of Rosanne Cash, Stephen Kellogg, my record producer Mike Leslie, The Wrecking Ball Radio Show and more!

Thanks for reading...

jennifer

NEW PINK SWEATER has released!

The 1st single off my forthcoming album NO MORE INVITATIONS has released for download purchase at CDBaby, iTunes, Amazon, Rhapsody, Napster, etc, etc. 

FYI, I make the most profit from a download direct from CDBaby, so here's the link for NEW PINK SWEATER downloads there:

www.cdbaby.com/cd/jenniferhaase

And please leave reviews at CDBaby, too! 

Thanks for buying the music and helping me spread the word.   The full album itself is due for September and I'm working hard to raise the rest of the funds I need to finish it.  We're truly so very close to being done, it's amazing and feels so very good!

Love to all and THANK YOU!

jennifer

Dear J'HA Fans!

I'm so excited to announce that my first single from my forthcoming album "No More Invitations" will release NEXT WEEK on the web!!  

The song is called NEW PINK SWEATER and it's a saucy, playful song about doing what it takes to get what you need. ;)

Watch for another announcement next week when the song is officially released, thanks!

Jennifer

Dear ALL Generous Donators to my Making-of-the-Album Fundraiser....

As we close in on the completion of my forthcoming folk-pop album called "No More Invitations" I'm going to start showing more appreciation for all your help!!

ALL MY CURRENT MAKING-OF-THE-ALBUM DONATORS will receive a SURPRISE GIFT via email this coming Wednesday, April 21st!

Please WATCH YOUR INBOX by end of day on Wednesday for a SPECIAL THANK-YOU from me to you!

We're still working our way toward our fundraiser goal to be able to afford the final recording sessions....the mixing and mastering process...and the manufacturing of the discs....so THANK YOU for keeping this here fundraiser fire burning for me!!

Love to All,
Jennifer Haase

For Donation Drive details, please see the "buy" link at www.rhymeswithclassy.com THANK YOU!!

PS....YES YES, I will CONTINUE my Europe Reflections blog posts ASAP, too, at www.nomoreinvitations.blogspot.com! Thanks for wanting to know how it all turns out. :)

It's New Year's Day 2010 and probably the best day I've had in a long, long time. 

A very smart and very generous Grammy award-winning singer/songwriter mentor of mine (yes, THAT one!) challenged me to 100 hours of gigs this year, which--since most of my gigs are an hour or less--means 100 gigs total, played before New Year's Day 2011.   Not only did she challenge me, she's helping me build the venue list and gave me a great quote to help get my toe in all these new doors.

And, yes, I TAKE that challenge.  OF COURSE I do.  Today I sent booking requests to several fab USA venues in NY, Philly and New England.  I had a really great email chit-chat with another very smart and very generous woman, this one a UK booking agent who got me the March 26th Norwich UK show (see "Calendar" page), about the possibility of working with her on a 6-week UK tour in Oct/Nov. 

I finally sent in an application to my Performance Rights company of choice and BMI was the winner. 

I connected with a new songwriter friend online who is taking similar leaps of faith toward her creative career goals.  (Thanks, Kelley!)

I stiched another patch in the Quilt of Dreams.   And it felt more than GOOD.

100 Gigs.  Yes, I can.

Please check back for more TOUR DATES and shout out any you think I should add to the list!

HAPPY NEW YEAR.

--jennifer

 

Ah, November. This past week, my father turned 73. I turned the thermostat up just a smidge more. And we turned around to find that we'd sailed solidly past the deadline we were hoping to meet for CD manufacturing in order to have an early January release for my forthcoming album NO MORE INVITATIONS.

Yeah, that's a difficult disappointment for me right now. But sometimes you've just gotta wipe out your pout and say "deadlines schmedlines." Delays do not mean Defunct. We've done a ton of really great work on this record that we're really proud of and I know that the rest of the means will come in order to get her done.

In the meantime, it's time to shift the flow of prosperity outward. Because what I also know is that an important part of receiving is the art and act of giving and it is most definitely time to turn our focus on opportunities to GIVE.

I have always known that my making-of-the-album fundraiser would grow into a Pay It Forward campaign, as well. Most of that will happen once the album is done and we have earnings coming in, but we want to shift gears to GIVING in even a small way right now because we think it's important, it will feel good to help others and it will encourage some really lovely karma flow for us all.

Where shall we begin? With 100 CANS.

Food cans, that is.

THANK YOU to my good friend Jennifer Lavonier for helping me brainstorm & carry out the Give Back Plans and for recommending that we begin with Food Pantries locally.

And THANK YOU to my donators for your contribution to this endeavor as well.

How, you ask?

We decided that we're going to spend $1 for every person who has donated to my making-of-the-album fundraiser so far. We'll apply those dollars to the purchase of canned goods and we're out searching for great canned good deals now so we can make each dollar really count.

I have a total of 43 donators for my fundraiser so far. That's $43 bucks we will definitely spend on helping feed folks in need.

But Jenn & I want to donate at least 100 CANS to split between at least 2 Food Pantries, most likely one in New York and one in New Jersey as those are the states where Jenn (NJ) and I (NY) live. So we'll kick in whatever it takes from personal funds to reach that 100 CAN number and then we'll fill up the back of the Pacifica with corn and carrots and all colors of beans, etc. and drive those goodies to the drop-off spots sometime by mid-December.

And you can count on me bloggin' and emailin' all about it as we go. :)

Someday our outreach will include giving back nationally, as well as globally, but for now we're starting locally and we think that holiday time is a great time to begin.


My NO MORE INVITATIONS fundraiser began on July 9, 2009. ALL OF YOU, in some way, have helped keep us working on this album or networking or building the mailing list for nearly 5 months and I'm truly at a loss for words to express how much that means to me.


We'll get back to recording soon when we can, but for now PLEASE JOIN US on a brief and festive holiday journey of making a difference for others, too.
It's gonna FEEL good!

More 100 CANS and other Give Back Endeavor updates coming soon.


Love to All,

Jennifer Haase

www.rhymeswithclassy.com

Personally speaking, October was a big kick in the teeth in some ways and an incredible gift in others. I am grateful that I survived the rough stuff and I am grateful for the extra DElightful seeds that were planted due to loads of tenacity, a new finished song and some hooked-in friends and fans who helped make some magic happen.

NEW PINK SWEATER is finished, WOOOOO-HOOO!!! And I just posted a teaser snippet of the song to my website right here at www.rhymeswithclassy.com on the "music" link. Please take a listen and leave a comment in the "Guestbook" link letting me know what you think! This is a playful n'saucy little ditty that we had a lot of fun recording. We will officially release it on the new album, but we're already sending it around for licensing opportunities so cross your fingers that you hear it in a film or TV commercial (Victoria's Secret, perhaps?) soon!

HUGE THANKS to Mr. Frank Thompson (a J'Ha music fan AND a two-time making-of-the-album donator) who actually DID forward a sample of this new song on to a film director buddy of his who responded to Frank with a "Me Likey! Send me a copy!" for possible use in an upcoming film that's in pre-production now. Frank, I can't thank you enough! There are no guarantees that this specific opportunity will happen, but to have you out there asking folks to listen and building more buzz for me is a tremendous gift that means more to me than I know how to express. Thank you, thank you, my friend.

We have 2-3 more songs on the BRINK of being finished and a slew of others waiting in the gate for their turn at the plate. We have a NEW recording session booked for the eve of November 12th and I've got to raise at least $400 more in donations by then in order to be able to afford it. And so I will, my friends. And so I will. :)

Every time you send someone to my website to hear the song samples, we build the fan base, the outreach, the album buzz, the Street Team so necessary to make this musical engine keep on runnin'. THANK YOU for your continued support. It FEELS soooooo GOOD!

We've raised $5,300 of our $15,000 goal! We have miles to go before we sleep, but we'll get there. And we're having an amazing time on the journey with you. Thank you again for being there.

Please listen to the song teaser cut of NEW PINK SWEATER and let us know what you think!

Right here at www.rhymeswithclassy.com at the "Music" link.


Love to All,

Jennifer Haase


To DONATE, please see details on the home page at www.rhymeswithclassy.com. THANK YOU for helping us stretch and push and climb and find our way to $10,000 total raised by the end of November!! (Hey, if you don't dream big, why dream at all, right?)


To see THANK YOU NOTES to all my donators, as well as keep up with my making-of-the-new-album called NO MORE INVITATIONS happenings, please check in at my blog at www.nomoreinvitations.blogspot.com

And PLEASE REMEMBER that GIFT CERTIFICATES ARE AVAILABLE! Email me for details.


And for those BIG INVESTORS who have been hoping for a DEAL, it takes just $2,500 (normally the $5,000 level!) in total donations by November 15th to earn the PATRON SAINT OF ALL THINGS CLASSY donator goodie package that includes a song ABOUT you, recorded FOR you and gifted TO you at a HOUSE CONCERT in your honor at a time & place we agree upon in 2010. See the rest of the details on the home page at www.rhymeswithclassy.com!

It's been $200 more making-of-the-album funds raised and a new 5-hour recording session since we last gathered here around this warm fire. Among other tunes in mid-progress, we're nearly finished with a song called "New Pink Sweater" that's turning out so playful and fun and is sounding so gooood I've played the pre-mixed version of it about 800 times in the past 2 days. Mike Leslie, my record producer, and I sang "Bold like a daaaaarrrrrree...." triple-layered backing vox between bouts of giggles from Mike's impromptu impressions of various hilariously over-exaggerated characters and celebrities. (His Sean Connery KILLS me every time...) Meanwhile, Mr. Robert L. Smith....Mr. Magic Man at the Controls...whipped up said backing vox into sparkly crystal-choir quality that made us hit playback an embarrassing amount of times just to hear ourselves sound like that again and again.

WOW, that felt good, Boys! I needed it and I thank you for providing it.

UPDATES:

**Got feedback from a Top Exec at a NYC Company that Helps Songwriters Like Me Get Great Licensing Deals. He likes my new not-yet-released song "Oneonta" (with special guest vocals from Rosanne Cash) and wants to hear more. So we're about to send him more. I invited him to attend my set at The Songwriter Sessions @ The Bitter End NYC on Sunday, November 22nd @ 8pm and he said he would. Cross your fingers that he does and I hope you and your friends come, too.

**Podcast Show "Indie Music Sampler" played my song "Loose Strand" this past week, hooray!

**Lovely MAGGIE SMITH, from the UK, downloaded my 1st album "Listening Chair" this past week and has been feeding me gig venue ideas & contact info for London and surrounding area. THANK YOU, MAGGIE!! I hope to play one of those stages near you in 2010!

**Received an anonymous (and so very generous, thank you!) donation for $200 toward the making of my new album NO MORE INVITATIONS and that gives us a juicy head-start to the next $5,000 raised, YAY!!

We're working, we're playing, we're plotting, we're pushing one song, one session, one Sean Connery impression (KILLS me!) at a time toward the completed album collection and some exciting licensing and performance ventures now and beyond.

Bold Like A Dare, Baby. On much more than a Wing and a Prayer. Amen.

Thank you for helping us get there!

Love to All,

Jennifer


I'm going to ask The Boys if we can release a teaser song snippet of "New Pink Sweater" when we reach $6,000! Just $800 to go to hear some new SNEAK PREVIEWS of the work we've been doing behind the scenes with the funds you have lovingly provided. I'll be out here marketing my brains out to get us there! Thanks again for spreading the word via email, Facebook, song swaps, planes, trains and automobiles.

TO DONATE and/or PRE-PURCHASE my new album-in-progress, please see details on the home page at www.rhymeswithclassy.com.


TO PURCHASE my 1st album LISTENING CHAIR, you can hear songs and read reviews and make that purchase at www.cdbaby.com/haase. My songs are also available on iTunes and at amazon.com.


TO READ UPDATES AND THANK YOU NOTES TO DONATORS please visit my blog at www.nomoreinvitations.blogspot.com


www.rhymeswithclassy.com
www.nomoreinvitations.blogspot.com
www.cdbaby.com/haase
www.sonicbids.com/jenniferhaase
www.wrmusicreview.com/profile/jenniferhaase
www.myspace.com/rhymeswithclassy

YOU DID IT!!! OMG, THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYBODY!!

Out of our total goal of $15,000 to finish funding the recording of my new album called NO MORE INVITATIONS, YOU all helped me reach our first $5,000 raised last night!

Special thanks to Stacie Rose, Amanda Auch, Todd Gottschalk, Joanna Kirkland and Jennifer Lavonier for taking up the challenge yesterday to collectively donate the last $200 it took to get me here, between sun up and sundown.

And special thanks to Judi French Scarmuzzi for downloading my first album "Listening Chair" yesterday and posting a note to my Facebook wall that you "love it", thank you! Hello down Atlanta way and welcome to the mailing list, Judi. It's wonderful to have you here.

And, of course, another round of heartfelt applause to ALL OF YOU who have donated so far, who sent your friends to my website, shared new email addresses, gave me advice and support and kicked my keister when I needed some help getting back on the road. We have a lot of great work to do to finish the album in the next few months--plus $10,000 more to raise to fund it--and I'm looking forward to all of it! But right now, I'm so happy basking in this moment and this incredible accomplishment with all of you.

HOORAY TEAM!!! YOU'RE BEYOND CLASSY!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

Love to All,

Jennifer


www.rhymeswithclassy.com
www.nomoreinvitations.blogspot.com
www.cdbaby.com/haase
www.myspace.com/rhymeswithclassy
www.wrmusicreview.com/profile/jenniferhaase
www.sonicbids.com/jenniferhaase

We're CONFIRMED for the NYC Songwriter Sessions showcase @ The Bitter End for Sunday, November 22nd @ 7pm! HOORAY!

My 30 minute set begins at 8pm sharp, but please be there by 7pm for best seating. The show features a handful of really great artists and runs from 7pm-Midnight.

I'm really excited to play this show and will totally TEASE & TANTALIZE you with new songs from the new album-in-progress, called No More Invitations, and wet your whistles for the full CD release show & tour dates happening in the new year.

Looking forward to seeing you and your friends on Sunday, Nov 22nd at The Bitter End in Greenwich Village NYC!

www.bitterend.com

Love to All,

Jennifer Haase



www.rhymeswithclassy.com
www.nomoreinvitations.blogspot.com
www.cdbaby.com/haase
www.myspace.com/rhymeswithclassy
www.sonicbids.com/jenniferhaase
www.wrmusicreview.com/profile/jenniferhaase

Dear Classy Haase Friends & Fans-

1. SELECTED! "Songwriter Sessions @ The Bitter End" Upcoming Showcase in NYC (date TBD).

2. SELECTED! Women's Radio Upcoming Podcast Feature. (Sending songs to them now, date TBD.)

3. PLAYED! My song "Heat Risin' From the #109" was featured this weekend on the jazz/blues/worldmusic "Lonely Fella" Podcast show #32, via my profile on www.musicalley.com. Hope all you lonely fellas out there tuned in and swayed! ;)

4. DONATIONS RECEIVED! We got $75 more in donations this past weekend and WE APPRECIATE IT SO MUCH!

In among the challenges, no responses, full-on rejections and our constant push for funds to keep working, some really wonderful stuff is starting to happen to keep me keepin' on. It feels GREAT!!!

THANK YOU for all your support, advise, donations, all of it. It's incredible to be on this journey with you.


Love to All,

Jennifer Haase


TO DONATE, please see details on the home page at www.rhymeswithclassy.com.



TO READ THE THANK YOU NOTES to all donators and keep up with my album happenings, please visit my blog at www.nomoreinvitations.blogspot.com.



I can also be found at:

www.cdbaby.com/haase (my first album, Listening Chair, is available here)

www.myspace.com/rhymeswithclassy
www.sonicbids.com/jenniferhaase
www.wrmusicreview.com/profile/jenniferhaase


Yes, my songs are on iTunes! And at Napster and Rhapsody and at amazon.com.

My recording engineer, Robert L. Smith (nope, NOT the lead singer for The Cure, but very very close...), and I have known each about 135 years now, give or take. When I first came to NY & started working with him on some demo recordings in his teensy little apartment in mid-town, his response to my half-finished tunes and starry-eyed chatter about a business I knew nothing about (that biz being music) was to sit quietly and nod his head. Never saying I was great, never saying that I stunk. Never saying I should quit, but never saying I had a big shot either. No, he just sat there very still-like, taking it in, while I crooned & I rambled, with that little twinkle in his eye that I now know meant "She doesn't get it yet, but someday she will."

Soon I was making my scared n'tentative way toward a few low-key NYC (and surrounding area) stages. I played a couple of Round Robin gigs with my songwriter cronies, which Mr. Smith attended. I played a coffee house near Vassar College owned then by another songwriter buddy, with Mr. Smith again in tow. I started to share the songs I had moved from Nebraska with and battled my way through stage fright, self-esteem struggles, the NYC venue mentality of "fill our room with all your friends or don't come back again" non-paying, play-fast-and-leave even faster competitive whirlwind craziness. And all the while, when I was teary and ranted and cancelled and sometimes got some pretty decent praise, Robert L. Smith sat quietly, listened and patiently waited, waited, waited.

Years passed. I set all that songwriter stuff solidly aside and then picked it up again about a thousand times. But I was writing. I even wrote a song for Mr. Smith, called "Fragments", for a project of his own. As I grew into my later 30's, as I experienced deeper hardship and bigger joy, as I watched and learned and tried and tried, better songs started coming out of me. Better demos. Better performances. A better grasp on what being a part of the musical collective actually meant and a more clear picture of my place within it.

And Mr. Smith's quietly supportive silence started speaking volumes to me. It became incredibly tangible. It started feeling very very good.

Today, as we work on my new album NO MORE INVITATIONS, I still have trouble reading those silences of his when I look over in his direction, after a stab at a lead vocal, with a big question mark on my face. When I ask "What do you think?" his tendency still, developed over many years from many different artists (and many quite famous) behind those microphones, is to wait until the light bulb goes off for me before he says a darn thing.

But lately he looks back over at me more and more with a new twinkle in his eye and he'll actually laugh out loud when a really great performance comes out of me. And I know what that all means, too...

"You're almost there, Kid. You finally earned it. And I'm damn proud of you."

FUNDRAISER UPDATE!!

We're so close to our first $5,000, I can feel it in the air! Got another $25 donation this morning, WOO-HOOOO!! We still need $335 to get there, so PLEASE keep those cards & letters comin' in!! We can't meet our completion deadline without the funds, so THANK YOU for all the extra marketing you're out there doing for us to help make it happen!

TO DONATE, please see details on the home page at www.rhymeswithclassy.com
Love to All,

Jennifer Haase


ROBERT L. SMITH has more than 20 years experience working all the knobs and flashing buttons in practically every dang recording studio New York City has to offer or ever did. He has worked with a zillion amazing artists including David Bowie, Ricki Lee Jones and the late great Michael Jackson. There are very few recording engineers here or anywhere who have a handle on great sound like Mr. Smith does and if you don't believe ME just ask my record producer or a thousand other folks who will put Robert on the top of the Who's Who in Audio Genius lists. Don't make your album (or commercial, or voice-over, or film score) without him. Seriously. You can find Robert (and tons of great press about him) at www.defyrecordings.com.


and find me here...

www.rhymeswithclassy.com
www.nomoreinvitations.blogspot.com
www.cdbaby.com/haase
www.myspace.com/rhymeswithclassy
www.wrmusicreview.com/profile/jenniferhaase

Many moons ago, Mike Leslie (my record producer) and I sat down over coffee at Kitchenette in uptown NY and talked about making an album together. I talked about the kind of record I wanted to make. He talked about how he'd like to help me make it. I knew I had the right producer before the cups o'joe were drained, but when we shook hands on it and he said "Now I want you to go home and write a mission statement for this record" I about died on the spot with sensitive, overly-expressive singer/songwriter elation that I was being asked to write out what I wanted from this album and this experience.

The original Mission Statement that I wrote and shared with Mike a few days later was several paragraphs of runaway thoughts and meandering points, but what rose to the top from those words and still resonates these many more moons later is this:

No matter what, always serve the song before the songwriter.

As in....I may be considered a folk singer, but let's not set out to make a folk album. Let's take each song and serve it individually and the sound of the album will unfold organically from there.

As in....I will sometimes play the "But it's my song, so I get my way" Pouty Princess when I'm behind the microphone or otherwise, but don't listen to ME, listen to the SONG. (Uh...and Mike has been a dang PRO at this task since moment one, much to my pouty princess chagrin...)

Going back to that Mission Statement has been a way to ground myself again, over and over, in what we're all trying to do here and reminds me that this is the stuff that will find us happy with the final result. Of the whole album. Of each individual song that we served. And how much we got out of the music-makin' process.

No matter what The Princess in me might say when those headphones are back on my head.


FUNDRAISER UPDATE!
$360 to go to reach our first $5,000!!

C'mon, you KNOW you want your name in the CD booklet as a donator, don't ya? OF COURSE YOU DO! So get on over to the home page at www.rhymeswithclassy.com for details of how to make that happen and the other cool things you'll get for your very appreciated generosity.

New recording session coming up next week, HOORAY! Gigs being scheduled. Press being sought. Seeds A-Plenty Gettin' Planted Every Day.


And I will be asking The Boys if we can share a NEW song snippet with you in a week or two, as well, so don't touch that dial...there are more updates and new song teasers to come.


Love to All,

Jennifer Haase


MIKE LESLIE is a multi-instrumentalist and an incredibly talented Musical Idea Guy who loves to "play with tape recorders." He's a bass player by trade and I just might step aside for a few seconds so that you can hire him, too. Mike can be reached at mleslie438@gmail.com. You can hear some of Mike's bass work and check out his rock band's happenings at www.citizensofcontraryknowledge.com. Or just give him a shout to tell him THANK YOU for all he's doing to make these new songs sound so very GOOD and make my lil musical dreams come true.


I (Afore-mentioned Pouty Princess) can be reached at:

www.rhymeswithclassy.com
www.cdbaby.com/haase
www.nomoreinvitations.blogspot.com
www.wrmusicreview.com/profile/jenniferhaase
www.myspace.com/rhymeswithclassy


Yes, I'm on twitter. Follow me! @jenniferhaase

Yes, I'm on Facebook. Come Befriend Me!

Dear J'HA Fans & Friends.....

We're up to $4,525 in my NO MORE INVITATIONS making-of-the-album fundraiser! Can you believe that fabulous money-raising madness??!!

HOORAY!!

I am so keyed up about reaching $5,000 ASAP that I'm back in here to keep the momentum up and keep your brains working about who on your list of music lovin' friends might want to be part of our mission and our buzz.

Please get their OK first, but I would love it if everyone would send me TWO names this week of folks I could add to my mailing list. A friend, a co-worker, a family member, your stock broker (only if he's still employed, of course), your lawn care professional, your favorite bartender down at the Choke N'Puke, ANYONE you think would really enjoy the music I make and would like to be part of the barn raisin' for which we've all gathered here to do.

THANK YOU to my donators this past week, one of which is my former high school choir conductor Mr. Fred Ritter. Let me tell ya....when you're 41 years old and your teacher from high school throws you some money so your big mid-life dreams can come true, THAT'S what makes the world go round, my friends. THANK YOU, Mr. Ritter, for being so helpful to me both back then and now.

PLEASE help us reach our first $5,000 raised by sending us TWO NAMES of pre-approved folks who would like to be part of our journey and would like to be kept in the loop for updates on our album-makin' progress. We appreciate it very very much.


Love to All,

Jennifer Haase


TO DONATE and receive some way cool stuff for doing so, please see details on my website's home page at www.rhymeswithclassy.com.


TO LISTEN to a snippet of a new song-in-progress off my new album, called RESCUE DREAMS, please listen at the "music" link at www.rhymeswithclassy.com. Please leave us a comment at the Guestbook, too!


TO KEEP UP with our album-making happenings and to READ THE THANK YOU NOTES that I post there for my donators, catch my blog at www.nomoreinvitations.blogspot.com.

Dear J'HA Peeps,



Just in case you wondered...



I am not about to shut-up and sit down.



$900 still to go to reach our first $5,000 raised.



RAH, RAH, FREAKIN' RAH, BABY!!



YES, WE CAN!!





Sincerely,

Jennifer Haase

To DONATE, please see details on the home page here at www.rhymeswithclassy.com




What we did last week:


Recording Session! Rhythm tracks for 3 songs done, YAY!
Reached out to Joe's Pub NYC asking for a CD Release Show spot in Jan or Feb 2010. Please Stay Tuned. www.joespub.com Requested an Autumn show at Rockwood Music Hall in NYC, for an intimate acoustic gig to help build the buzz
Requested an Autumn show with the Roxbury Arts Group in upstate NY to build buzz upstate, too
Sent a song to a top exec at Bug Music (www.bugmusic.com), asking his interest for more. Let the song licensing convos & contracts begin!
Recruited Ms. Jennifer Lavonier to help with publicity and she's already earned me a new donation from her efforts, thanks Jenn!













Please keep passing the music and our mission on. There ARE folks out there with the means and the desire to help. Thank you for helping me connect to them and they to me.



We'll be back in the studio very soon and our deadline for this album to be done, designed, mixed and mastered is November 15th. Everything we're doing is pay-as-you-go, so I HAVE to keep working the fundraiser every single minute possible in order to make the album happen at all.



Which is why I'm happily spending my lunch break today with all of you. :)



Thanks for all you do!

Dear Jennifer Haase Fans & Friends,


While you've been out there working your tails off, taking kids to the bus stop, healing from various ailments and doin' that day-to-day survival thing I have been begging for favors, pullin' some strings and budgeting my brains out in order to do THIS as a pampering TREAT for YOU....

Anyone who DONATES $1,000 or more to my NO MORE INVITATIONS Donations Drive TODAY, Sunday 8/16, will get two PAID nights--at the time of my CD Release show at Joe's Pub in NYC in Jan or Feb (date TBD)--at none other than...


The Waldorf Astoria!! www.waldorfastoria.com

That's right, The Waldorf. A gorgeous abode with rich history and very much a New York treasure.


We will also cover your cab ride to and from the CD release show so the only worry you'll have is what the heck you're gonna wear for your night of live music in the Big Apple.



PLEASE REMEMBER that donating $1,000 also earns you the Perks & Prizes of the CARD-CARRYING CLASSY HAASE V.I.P:



Advanced signed CD (or download, your choice) at least 2 weeks before the rest of the world gets one
A special THANK YOU in the album credits for being a donator
Signed THE MERMAID SESSIONS t-shirt
Way Cool NO MORE INVITATIONS Messenger Bag
A VIP pass that allows you free entrance & backstage access at all of my shows through 2010
Special seating and Classy Haase VIP treatment at the CD release show itself


No matter WHEN you donate $1,000, you will receive the VIP perks, but THIS WEEKEND ONLY earns you the two PAID nights at the WALDORF, so if you were thinking of giving generously we're gonna reward you in a BIG WAY for doing it NOW.



Because you deserve it. Because we love you. Because it will be really fun to see how happy you are to be spoiled like that and we think you'll really enjoy seeing how happy WE are that you helped us out in such an important way.



It's a win-win, Baby! See you there!



Love to All,

Jennifer Haase



TO DONATE, please see details on the home page at www.rhymeswithclassy.com.



"Jennifer, Thank you for playing for us. You are surely a class act. We have had a lot of artists come through, but you really rank up with the best of them. You are a true professional in the highest regard. We loved it, and we had quite a few comments the next day about your music from people who came in. Thanks again, and I hope whenever you come back to Omaha that we can have you again." --Jeff, bookings @ The Foundry

There is a deep inner buzz inside my body that I feel for days and days after a really fun & productive recording session. It's a mix of satisfaction and excitement that makes it hard for me to sit still, in a very good way.



Add that feeling, that I am still feeling after our August 11th rhythm track recording session, to the additional and even mightier feeling of gratitude I feel for all of you who have helped me do this and you've got yourself one musical girl bouncing off clouds like a fairy who's smoked a great deal of moon dust, dude.



Or a mermaid who's very high on her life's creative waves.



We knocked out rhythm tracks for songs called BEAUTIFUL MAN.....NEW PINK SWEATER....and ALL OUT OF TRY in that little, funky bohemian FABULOUS hidden gem of a studio in Long Island City called A BLOODY GOOD RECORD. (www.abloodygoodrecord.com) Denny McDermott on drums once again WOWED us with his enthusiastic genius and Way Cool-ness Factor while being the nicest down-to-earth guy you'd definitely want on your musical team. Mike Leslie, my record producer, on bass provided--as always--EXACTLY the right deep tone bass line stepping stones that guided my rhythm guitar strummin' as close to the pocket as I could get on that particular day.



And where would be be....I say where would we BE without that make-it-seamless-and-smooth professional hand of our engineer, Robert L. Smith (www.defyrecordings.com), at the controls. Seriously, there is NOTHING more worthy of your time and money than investing in a REALLY GOOD recording engineer and every musician to back-up singer worth their salt will say the very same thing, amen.



We worked hard. We laughed. We feasted on a picnic of sammiches and cold risotto. We praised the success of my donation drive with the shock and awe that we still feel from receiving this kind of support and generosity. Seriously, thank you so much.





WHAT'S NEXT?


Getting to the $5,000 mark and to our $15,000 goal ASAP!!! To keep this album moving forward, I've got to raise a lot more dough right the heck now. Mike and I studied the calendar and determined that in order to release this album in early January 2010, we've gotta have it all done by mid-November to get recording-plus-design to the manufacturer. That gives them enough time to press and ship my completed discs to arrive to me just before the holidays. So in this pay-as-you-go process, I've gotta keep raising funds and FAST.







Toward that goal, I've recruited my good friend Jennifer Lavonier ("LAW vone yay") to my "Street Team" in an ultra-important capacity of Part-time Publicist-Slash-Right-Hand-Gal to help me with networking, out-reach, building my mailing list and regular brainstorms about how we can get the job done. Jennifer is a brilliant, hilarious, creative, hard-workin' go-getter who was my boss years ago at a children's bookstore in NYC called Books of Wonder and I find it maybe a little bit TOO satisfying to now be HER boss in some small way, haha! Payback, Jenn! Bring me some coffee and get to WORK! wheee, this is fun!









Thank you, my generous fans, for helping me do this. Please keep those new mailing list names and hearty donations coming. We love you madly for it. We really do.






Jennifer Haase






TO DONATE and see the fun PERKS & PRIZES you earn for doing so, please see details on the home page at www.rhymeswithclassy.com




TO HEAR A NEW SONG-IN-PROGRESS we're working and leave us your comments at the Guestbook, if you're so inclined, please click in the "music" link at www.rhymeswithclassy.com and listen to RESCUE DREAMS.





TO KEEP UP WITH MY ALBUM-IN-PROGRESS HAPPENINGS, please visit www.nomoreinvitations.blogspot.com

Dear Fans & Friends of Jennifer Haase...



NOW my target is the mighty $5,000 mark. We need $950 to get there. We're adding new names to the mailing list every day. Please keep 'em comin'! We're marketing our brains out via social media and that's working wonders, YAY! We're compiling your promotion idea suggestions and getting started on other outreach, too. Details to come.



But to reach this first big $5K milestone, I decided it was time to bring out the Big Guns. The Crown Jewel. The Ace in the Hole.



My Baby Sister, Julie. :)



Julie is two years younger than me (that makes her 24...ha!) and never did quite understand that it's the OLDER sister who is supposed to be the boss and the tougher of the two. I think she takes a bit of secret delight in the fact that I still have scars to prove that she used to kick the crap outta me as a young, fragile thing but she sure taught me a thing or two about fighting for myself and for what I want.



And now, with the note to YOU from her below, she's helping me fight the good fight to make this album happen, too.





Here you go.....a word from my SISTER.....





I have to admit, when my sister first started taking guitar lessons, I thought it was . . . cute. When she told me she was writing songs, I was a little nervous. What if they suck? Do I have to pretend to like them?


It’s strange to think that you can live your whole life with someone and not know how unbelievably talented they are.









I don’t remember which song she played for me first, but I distinctly remember the night she played me “Dear Mrs. Claus.” We were in our dad’s house in North Platte, Nebraska, for Christmas (how appropriate!). Sitting in Dad’s back family room after he had gone to sleep for the night, Jennifer sat down and played me this little song she’d been working on. Holy crap, I almost cried! I don’t know if it was the lovely sentimental lyrics, the sweet soothing melody, or my sister’s amazing, clear, beautiful voice. All I know is that I was an instant fan.







A lot of people, myself included, have been very anxious and even more impatient for Jennifer’s sophomore release. The freshman effort, Listening Chair, is so freakin’ great that expectations are, not surprisingly, very high. I think it’s safe to say that we each have just a handful of favorite artists whom we KNOW will never let us down musically. If Jennifer isn’t on that short list for each and every one of you, then you haven’t been paying attention.





The bottom line? If you don’t help her pay for this CD, then I’m going to have to, so step up people!!


Just kidding! The truth is that whatever support you can afford to give is more of an investment than a gift. You’re investing in a crazy talented musician who’s music will not disappoint. I guarantee it.







(Seriously, don’t make me pay for this thing!!)


Thanks! --Julie Haase, wicked proud sister and #1 fan



Thank you, Julie Jo, I love you!





Just $950, folks.



YES, WE CAN!!



To DONATE and for details about the PERKS & PRIZES you earn by doing so, please visit the home page at www.rhymeswithclassy.com









To HEAR a snippet of a song-in-progress called RESCUE DREAMS off the new album called NO MORE INVITATIONS, please visit the "music" link at www.rhymeswithclassy.com









To READ a collection of some of the great QUOTES I've been collecting since we started our fundraiser, please see the "Press" link at www.rhymeswithclassy.com









To KEEP TRACK of our album-making and fundraising happenings, please visit www.nomoreinvitations.blogspot.com









Thank You!!!

Jennifer Haase

We've raised $4,050 in just over FOUR WEEKS, OMG!!! I am so grateful to ALL OF YOU!!



Less than 10 minutes after I sent out my last email, stating that we had just $79 to go to reach the $4,000 mark, Mr. Frank Thompson donated exactly $79 bucks to make it happen. THANK YOU, FRANK! And this morning, having learned that we got to $4,000 and wanting to give me a nice headstart toward the big $5k milestone, Jan-Oliver Wenzel donated 50 more bucks. THANK YOU, JAN!



Because both men, Frank and Jan, have donated more than once....and because they each are so very talented in their own rights as a writer and filmmaker (Frank) and photographer (Jan), I'm including their websites below so that I can spread the word about their work. It's the LEAST I could do!



Frank Thompson: www.frankthompson.tv
Jan-Oliver Wenzel: www.janoliverwenzel.com


Thanks again, Gentlemen!



And thanks again to my generous friends Patty Ocfemia, Jennifer Lavonier, Mike Moran and Suzanne Henry who all donated gorgeous heaping piles of sparkly coinage over the past week or two, as well. YOU COMPLETE ME! ;)



Onward to our first $5,000!! just $950 needed to get there, YAY!!!





Our next recording session is just a few days away (Tuesday, Aug 11th in NYC) and I have to buckle down now and rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. Denny McDermott (drums), Mike Leslie (bass and record producer), Robert L. Smith (recording engineer) and I are all heading out to a Long Island studio to lay down some rhythm tracks for 3-4 new songs.



THANK YOU FOR HELPING ME PAY FOR IT! I look forward to telling you all about the session late next week.



Please keep sending me mailing list names and your fundraising ideas! Those are JUST AS IMPORTANT as actual monetary donations, so if you'd like to contribute to the cause but can't spare some dimes PLEASE KNOW that you helping me build my mailing list is a huge step toward building momentum, awareness and, don't forget, ALBUM SALES.



Amen.



Dear $5,000, get ready. Here we come....



Love to All,

Jennifer



To DONATE for the making of my new album called NO MORE INVITATIONS, please see details on the home page of my website at www.rhymeswithclassy.com


To follow the happenings of the donations drive and album progress, please visit www.nomoreinvitations.blogspot.com


To hear a brief snippet of a NEW SONG we're working on, called RESCUE DREAMS, please click on the "music" link at my website at www.rhymeswithclassy.com




"79 bucks, huh? Okay, you're at $4000. I'm a miracle worker, huh?" --Frank Thompson, PayPal donation message



"As the 79 USD slot in week 4 has been filled by others let's make a headstart to week 5 ... ;-)" --Jan-Oliver Wenzel, PayPal donation message

"Diamonds are only chunks of coal that stuck to their jobs, you see." --Minnie Richard Smith, poet



Dear J'Ha mailing list,



Former President Bill Clinton hopped on a billionaire's plane, had cup after cup of green tea with North Korea, and brought two weary, pardoned journalists home.



Now THAT, my friends, is a kick-ass NEGOTIATOR.



Mine eyes spilleth over with joy from this news. And my own negotiator spirit has kicked back into highest gear, inspired by this and by your voices in my ears.



Thank you for all your notes of encouragement this week! Our donation drive is one very successful month old today.



We've raised ALMOST $4,000, but there's STILL $79 to go to reach it! Please keep passing me along to new music lovers and WELCOME to those of you just joining us for this crazy, wonderful ride!



This week, I want your ideas. If YOU were raising money via donations to pay for an album, how would YOU raise it? Who would YOU contact? How would YOU build your mailing list more quickly? Where would YOU go for the support you needed?



Besides to the guy who gave Clinton a lift across the ocean and back.



Unless you have his number, of course. ;)



Please "idea" me!



Love to all,

jennifer



To see the GREAT perks & PRIZES you earn with your donations, please see the home page at www.rhymeswithclassy.com.



To keep tabs on our album-makin' and fundraising progress, please visit my blog at www.nomoreinvitations.blogspot.com.



To hear a brief piece of a NEW SONG called "Rescue Dreams" from my new album called NO MORE INVITATIONS, please click on the "music" link at www.rhymeswithclassy.com




"Keep swimming my friend! Soon you will see the shore - and maybe even some dancing penguins!" -- Matthew Gallagher, very supportive & a little bit silly email (muah!)