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Hey kiddo! 

How are you doing today? Summer’s in full swing, found any great new music for the summer? Personally, I’ve become kinda obsessed with Duett. Visions just has that wonderful, smooth, summer vibe to it. I just adore it. Now I’ve got their catalog on repeat. 

Anyway, I didn’t write you to talk about Duett, I want to tell you the story of a wonderfully gracious thing a few of your sisters did. But before that, a little news:

I’m working away on the new EP. I’ve got the music so close to done. Trying to focus in on all those pesky details now, like album art, cassette design, etc. But this Saturday I’ll be spending the whole day focusing on finishing off the music (ideally) and then I’l start dropping tidbits for your ears here and there. It’s gonna be a fun one!

Speaking of, do you, or anyone you know, have any experience with GTA V and the Rockstar Editor? I’m trying to pull in a couple simple shots for a promo idea I have, but my computer isn’t quite fancy enough to make the game look as good as I know it can. I don’t know, shot in the dark. Let me know!

Also, more details below, but tomorrow (Friday) I’ll be doing an AMA (Ask Me Anything) on Reddit!

Now, on to the important part. Let me tell you about the wonderful Father’s Day present I got. 

June 19th I was lucky enough to open for TWRP at Vinyl, here in Atlanta, and it was a BLAST. Even before the show I got a taste of how wonderful the TWRP community was when I started talking to some of their fans on Twitter. Plenty of people were telling me they had just seen TWRP in Charlotte NC, and planned to drive to Atlanta to see them AGAIN. (#Goals, amiright?!)

But a few fans, Becca, Hannah, and Hannah (C and W, respectively,) on their drive down, while talking about Father’s Day (which was the day before) had a little idea. They stopped into a store and picked up a Father’s Day card, and while they waited outside in the line for the show, they asked everyone in the line to sign it. 

Now, I’m not naive. I fully realize that 99% of that line was for TWRP, not me. But really, that makes it even more special, that these kids, just there to see their favorite band, took a bit of their time, and write a nice note to the opener. That’s just wonderful. 

So I wanted to share with you all the wonderful things they said, even some of the creepy inappropriate things!  I scanned it, and put it up on The Fridge. Check it out!

Pretty cool, huh? I gotta tell you, that night was wonderful for a lot of reasons, but I can’t think of a better way to ending the night than reading over that just before I lay my tired head down in my casket. It was something mighty special. Huge thanks to Becca and Hannah, but not the other Hannah. They’ll just have to figure out which one I mean. And also, huge thanks to YOU for being part of the family, and supporting me in my creative efforts. 

Last thing: So tomorrow, I’ll be doing an AMA (Ask Me Anything) on Reddit, in the Outrun subreddit. If this all sounds confusing to you, just know that Reddit is essentially a web forum, and AMA means you can ask me questions and I’ll answer them. Of course, you can do that any time you want, but it’d be super helpful if you came and participated tomorrow, at 2pm EDT. (Use this link to help you find what that time is where you are http://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/) If you CAN’T make it, you can always leave your questions in the announcement thread, and a moderator will post them for you when the time comes. 

So, come by and ask me silly, serious, deep, shallow, embarrassing questions! I’ll answer them! I may lie, I may not, who knows!

Hope to see you there!

Vlad, your Vampire Step-Dad

Hey Kiddo!

Oh man, so much to talk about!

The TWRP show on the 19th went FANTASTICALLY. I really hope those of you that couldn’t make it got a chance to see the livestream. If not, thanks to your brother James at Echosynthetic, you can see it right here. I can’t tell you how cool it was to know that the whole family had a chance to see the show at the same time! I gotta tell you, that was easily to best crowd I have ever played in front of in my entire life (and I’ve played in front of plenty in my 478 years!) Everyone was so eager to clap along and have a good time. If there weren’t so tightly packed, I’m sure I would have seen plenty of dancing too.

Oh, how the family continues to grow! I got to see some familiar faces, and got to meet a TON of new people. (Sidenote: For all you that are new, I’ve got some stuff for you at the end of the email, so be sure to check that out) There were people that had come from as far as Miami to see TWRP, and rightfully so. If you have a chance to see TWRP, I’d highly recommend it. Those guys are top showmen.

With the TWRP show done, I decided it’s time to buckle down and start wrapping up the next EP. Last night I promised to turn off the internet for 24 hours and spend ALL day today working on nothing but music. I mostly kept that promise. Mostly.

I took this very seriously. SO much so I started the day out meditating, cause I’ve heard that’s a cool thing to do. It was definitely nice for clearing my head and focusing on the task at hand. Then I sat down and I listened to everything I had so far, and I took some detailed notes on what I wanted to change. (You can read all about this process here) Then I started knocking things out! I’ve already got 5 tracks that are like, all but done. I even accidently wrote an entirely new song today, pretty much start to finish, done. It won’t work for the next EP, so I may just release it as a single here soon.

After the 12 hour mark, I was feeling pretty spent, and after making enormous progress, I decided I’d done enough. 12 hours of music is a lot. Ok, maybe there was a 90 minute nap in the middle there, but 10 and a half hours of music is a lot. too. I guess I also spent some time eating. And I know I pooped at least once. Well, I’m sure there was at least 8 hours of very productive work done today. I’ll pinky swear on that one.

The new EP is going to be really good. I’m feeling really happy with what I have so far. This may be the best Thuirsday at 7 yet. I’ve also got some really fun ideas for promoting it, and a KILLER piece of merch that I think you guys are going to love.

Speaking of, how much do you want to know about the new EP? Should I surprise you with everything, or do you wanna know all that goes into it? I generally get a really good response when I talk about how the sausage is made. What do you think? Hit reply and let me know!

So I’ve not decided on a release date yet, but I think it’s definitely going to be out before summer ends. Maybe. We’ll see. I want to have EVERYTHING in house before I start selling things. The keychain debacle has left me scared for life. Somewhere in US customs exists 20 Vampire Step-Dad keychains. Who knows if I’ll ever see them. Sigh.

Anyway, I just wanted to give you a heads up on what’s going on, and thank you once again for your tremendous support. I have officially sold out of ALL Vampire Step-Dad merchandise because you guys are SO AWESOME. I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you help me to keep doing what I love to do. I will never be able to thank you enough for that.

Just a quick reminder, July 28th is my birthday, and on my birthday, I like to do a sale. Now, since I sold out of all my merch, it looks like it’ll only be digital music and t-shirts, but we’ll see maybe I can get some CDs here before then. So keep your eyes peeled for that one!

For all you new kiddos out there, there’s a few things I wanted to catch you up on.

You are now part of the family. I don’t have fans, we’re all family. This is not just an band mailing list where I tell you when I’m playing shows and when you can buy more stuff from me. Yes, I will say that stuff too, but this is something much more special. A few of you have already responded to an email or two with a “do you actually get these?” skepticism. The answer is YES. As a matter of fact, I ENCOURAGE you to respond to this very email, or any other one, and let me know what you think.

Some of your brothers and sisters have made VSD-inspired art, and I like to show it off on The Fridge https://vampirestepdad.com/the-fridge/ Have something you’d like to add? Send it my way and I’ll put it up! I’ve got plenty of magnets!

So welcome. We’re all super glad you’re here. I can’t wait to show you the new things I’ve been working on.

Until then, Keep Being Awesome,

Vlad, your Vampire Step-Dad

Hey Kiddo!

Things are really moving down here in the crypt! (OK fine, it’s just the basement…)

In case you’ve missed it, I’ve got a show coming in just SIX DAYS! If you’re in or around Atlanta (or with a will to travel) you should try to make it out to Vinyl on Monday (June 19th) I’ll be opening for TWRP! If you’ve never heard of them, check them out. They are awesome on more than a few levels. You can get details about the show right here.

It’s gonna be a good show. I’m mixing up the set, playing some stuff from Love Bites, adding in a cover…it’s gonna be a heck of a good time!

But I know what you’re thinking, “Aww, Vlad, I can’t travel all the way to Atlanta on a Monday?!” I know. We really wish you could come visit for the family reunion, but that doesn’t mean you have to miss out entirely! Your brother James, over at Echosynthetic, will be live streaming the whole show on Periscope! So be sure to give him a follow and keep your eye on Twitter Monday night so you can join the fun! He even promised me he won’t film vertically this time! EXCITEMENT! Also, ifyou know someone that might be able to make it to the show, please, let them know about the it. It would mean the world to me, and then you’d be known as the person that introduced them to their new favorite music. Imagine how much respect and admiration they’d have for you.

As for non-show news, the next EP is shaping up quite nicely. It’s gonna be a bit different, but I think you’ll enjoy it. Leaning very hard on the soundtrack side of things. It’s gonna be atmospheric, dangerous…but there will be some toe-tapping in there as well, so don’t worry too much. Once I get this show out of the way, I think it’s going to be time to buckle down and start dressing up this EP and shoving it out the door. It’s been too dang long since I made you some new music!

I’m working on new shirts! Square Wave and I are trying to figure out the best way to get nice, summery colors in the VSD style, but for now, we’re looking at some more black Ts with the new logo:

Pretty cool, huh? I’m excited.

Also, don’t forget, end of July will be the big birthday bash, with a sale on EVERYTHING VSD.

Alright, that’s enough babbling from me for now. Hope to see you at the show! If not, hope to see you on the stream! If not, hope to hear from you via a reply to this email. If not, hope to hear from you in a dream conversation!

Hugs and Kisses,
Vlad, your Vampire Step-Dad

It’s June 6th, and that means that my second EP, Sweater Weather, is officially one year old. To celebrate, I’m offering Sweater Weather for half off, today only. So if you’re a Love Bites newbie, or a more seasoned A Night In The Life Of… listener, but you’ve not yet grabbed Sweater Weather, now is your chance to get it for cheap!

You can grab it now (June 6th only) for just $2 on my site, or on Bandcamp.

It also happens to be the 2 year birthday of my very first release, Colombia. If you’re on this list, you already own that song, but in case you’ve never seen the video, check it out here:

Atlanta family, don’t forget, June 19th I’m opening for TWRP at Vinyl! I’d love to see you there!

For details, and tickets, click here: https://www.facebook.com/events/283666632072957

Also, my birthday is coming up at the end of July, and just like last year, we’re going to have a sale!
All digital albums will be half off.
All physical merch will have free shipping and a reduced price.
Even the shirts will be on sale!
It’s a Birthday Blowout Bash! (airhorn sound effect)

Hey, you only turn 479 once, right!

So anyway, It’s been a wonderful year since Sweater Weather, and things are just getting better and better as time goes on. I look forward to another year of making more music for you! Thanks so much for your ongoing support.

Oh, speaking of, if you’re a Spotify listener, here’s a few ways you can help support me (or really any artist you enjoy):
1. Add my music to your public playlists. Even if you’re not a fancy pants curator with 10,000 followers, Spotify sees me as more legit if I’m on more playlists, and will show my music to more new listeners. If you add me to a playlist of yours, and let me know about it, I’ll share it across my social media thing-a-mabobbers, so if you are looking for followers, I may be able to help with that.
2. Save my music to your library. All you have to do is hit that little plus sign next to a song. This is another indicator to Spotify that says “Hey, this Vampire Step-Dad guy seems to be getting a lot of attention, maybe we should feature him on some Discover Weekly playlists!”
3. Follow me! My artist profile is right here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/57p6kWVidtODwurCvkGO75

Hopefully these are all easy ways for you to help support me and share my music with new people, and of course, grow the family!

Again, thanks so much for all your support. You mean the world to me, kiddo.

Keep being awesome,
Vlad, your Vampire Step-Dad