Hello!  It is getting COLD outside.   What a strange and wonderful ride it has been the last few months. I haven't forgotten about you... I have been busy writing over 60 songs... and recording demos so you can hear them!  Lots of really exciting stuff in this update...  Grab a cup of coffee and settle in to read this little novella.   Please send me an update on YOUR life too.

Miss me?  I send these ridiculously huge updates once in while.  Get frequent updates on facebook and twitter. 

If you'd rather read this Newsletter online: http://danvaillancourt.com/newsletter.php

..Wanna Be A Model?..
I'd love to have some photos of you in your Dan Vaillancourt apparel, old or new. Please include a note of permission to post it. I might use it for something as simple as a photo gallery to using it as an example on the merch display to the merch page online. I really NEED some photos of you in your new super-cool DV hats and your new navy Rooster T-shirts too. Say Cheese!

..House, College, Church, Etc..
If you are interested in hosting a concert at your house, college, church, etc for Fall 2009 or 2010... Please get in touch. Another idea is to have you or a group “sponsor me” to come play at your favorite local coffeehouse. Ask me about it.

..Workshops..
Did you know I do workshops on songwriting and various other topics? Many have been asking for it and I am doing a songwriting workshop at Creative360 in Midland, MI on Sunday, December 6th. Sign up today! Interesting in hosting a workshop near you? Ask me about it.

..Road Trips, Good Food and Rain Storms..
I love adventures. I recently drove on a road trip adventure that encompassed the majority of the Northeast and down half of the East Coast. I performed in four new states to add to my little list of states that I have performed in. Thank you to Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Connecticut. Lots of rain on my trips. Rain seems to follow me on all of my travels... always has. My favorite thing about traveling is finding all the little out of the way places to eat... I get excited about food... all the time. I bet you knew that.

..Inspiration and Muse - 60+ New Songs!..
February Album Writing Month was just a warm up for the 50/90 Songwriting Challenge to write 50 songs in just 90 short days. I hit 50 songs written and recorded in just 72 days this year. [Cdbaby founder Derek Sivers 'tweeted' about me] I ended up with over 60 new songs!

The songs cover a huge range from darker topics like domestic violence, death, depression and to lighter topics like nature, dreams, inventors, astronomy and old movie stars... and everything in between. Instrumentation can be anything from acoustic and electric guitars, banjo, lap steel, full band arrangements, etc... lots of fun.

Listen HERE for a limited time. (All the lyrics, chords, liner notes are listed for each song too.)

..Law of 10,000 hours..
I get the question all the time. “Why on earth would you try to write so many songs?!” Many reasons. Basically, I'm trying to get better at what I do. I indulge some of my musical quirks and experiment will lots of techniques. The songs cover a large range of styles/topics which means you might love some and not like others. I am totally okay with that.

Four reasons why I do it...

1. To get better at playing music/singing, etc. I am constantly learning and striving to be better. Things I did differently and/or learned: Played only 6 string guitars. I rarely used a pick. Learned to program virtual instruments. Wrote songs on banjo, lap steel, mandolin...

4. Of course to get some good songs out of it! Many of you know last year's 50/90 yielded the 26 Girls Series which includes fan favorites like Normandy, Olivia, Zoey, Wendy and many more.

Some points to ponder. I've heard that the Beatles wrote “100 songs before releasing “Love Me Do” They wrote, improved, performed, and then basically threw away the first 100 songs." Neil Young allegedly wrote three of his hit songs "Cinnamon Girl", "Down by the River" and "Cowgirl in the Sand" in the same day... while in bed with the flu.

Another interesting thought. Have you heard of The 10,000 Hour Rule Study? The results show that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to attain mastery of any human craft. To break that down... it is three hours per day, 330 days per year for ten years gets you to 10,000 hours. To put this in perspective... I ask my students to practice 30 minutes a day. At that rate it would take 60 years to attain this. I just read an article by Stowe Boyd's called "The Cost of Being Creative." Good stuff.

..Hundreds of Songs..
Everyone always asks about songs that aren't on albums yet...I just realized that the newest song on any of my albums is over two and a half years old! The majority are written well before that. I've written upwards or 200 songs since then and hundreds prior to that... If you have some favorites of the unreleased songs... let me know. :)

..What a Long Strange Trip it Has Been..
Just in case you are counting... I started teaching music 13 years ago ago and it is closing in on a decade that I've been doing this singer-songwriter thing. My first solo self-titled debut came out 9 years ago in August of 2000! Wow. It seems like another life ago now. Back then I would never have imagined that I would end up here. I've met so many wonderful folks, played hundreds of concerts in 33 states, written hundreds of songs, gotten lots of radio play... Every single little good thing that has happened has been because of the help of YOU and people that have cared enough to take a chance on me. Some of you I have known for a very long time and some of you I have just met. I hope to continue to share your friendship and support for the next decade as well.

Thank You. You Are Awesome. Life is Short... Follow Your Dreams Today.

-dan

"Whatever scares you or excites you, go do it." - Derek Sivers
"Whatever you're thinking, go do it." - Mark Fried