For those who don’t know, we’ve been working on a video for our song “In the Dirt” with Troma Films.  There’s a scene where the Toxic Avenger and Leslie (one fine Tromette!) chase the band into a classroom and eventually stomps my head into a fine red paste.  This was done using a cantaloupe filled with crushed beets.  Two perfectly good, white button-up shirts were ruined in the process, requiring a morning jaunt to Target so I’d have one for the show.  We shot the rest of the footage at the show, where Toxie and Leslie chased me off the stage.  The fans were featured heavily in this part, and Lloyd had them screaming and jumping up and down until their legs ached and their voices were sore and faint… it’s awesome to know that you guys will endure this kind of torture for us, and we love you for it!  Troma will likely finish editing the video in a month or so. If you haven’t already, sign up to our mailing list (in the left column) so I can let you know when it’s is done. It’s going to be epic! I miss Toxie already.

Tony and I performed an “unplugged” set in the exhibitor’s hall.  When we arrived we noticed there was no PA system for us to hook up to, which meant we couldn’t mic Tony’s guitar or either of our vocals… At first we thought we might not be able to do the set, but figuring we had nothing to lose decided to give it a go.  And it ended up being a truly great time.  People gathered around us like we were playing songs over a camp fire.  No microphones at all, just a guitar and a couple of voices.  It was the most naked performance we’ve ever done, and I’m left feeling like I want to do it again.  It’s amazing what can come from a seemingly negative situation if you go in with a decent attitude.

I met some fellow authors at the author panels… Dan Jolley, D.A. Adams, Stephen Zimmer (whose identity I briefly stole), Shane Berryhill, Mary Kowal, Robert Freese, and a few others I’m sure to be forgetting at the moment due to the fact that I consider 11am to be early.  Check these guys out, and if you ever run into any of them, remind them that they owe me lunch… and dessert. The panels were a lot of fun, even if my tendency to goof off sent us flying off course every ten minutes or so.

Tony and I were on a band panel with Ricky from Radio Cult that had no agenda whatsoever… We ended up telling our funniest and most repulsive road stories and having a blast! Sometimes chaos is the right way to go.

Huge thanks to Lloyd Kaufman, Leslie, Raven, Opal, the A NEW LOW crew, and Todd!  See you next year, Connooga!

~Andy

6:00 PM Friday – 7:00 PM Friday: Andy reading from “The Sticks”
3:00 PM Saturday – 4:00 PM Saturday  : Authors Round Table with Andy
4:00 PM Saturday  -  5:00 PM Saturday  : From the Band’s POV
5:00 PM Saturday – 6:00 PM Saturday  : Bella Morte (acoustic performance)
11:30 PM Saturday  -  1:00 AM Sunday    : concert: Bella Morte
1:00 PM Sunday – 2:00 PM Sunday    : Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing with Andy

I fully expect this weekend to kick some serious ass!  See you down south, away from the snow, in a couple days!

~Andy

~Andy

Also, next Tuesday (Feb 9th) I’ll be spinning in my hometown of Charlottesville, VA for Umlaut at Rapture.  Doors at 10pm.  Click the image below for details!

I’m proud to say that I’ve completed my second novel and it’s going to be released in the fall of 2010.  I’ve yet to title it, but that will have to change before the end of the year as contracts need to be signed and it’s hard to make that happen when what you’re selling has no name.  In the meantime, there’s a damn good chance that I’ll have a novella out in the form of a chapbook this coming spring.  That all depends on how much I can get written in the next thirty days.  Feel free to send me messages of encouragement… and threats…  Ha!  And please, continue spreading the word about my first novel, “The Sticks”.  The more copies that sell, the better my distribution will be in the future, and that could mean the world for me as an author.

As I said before, Bella Morte toured for better than two months and played to an amazing crowd at DragonCon in Atlanta this past September.  We saw our classic albums “Remains” and “The Death Rock EP” come back to life on iTunes.  We also started work on a video with Lloyd Kaufman and Troma Films that will wrap up shooting in February at Connooga in Chattanooga, TN… which you should come to if you’re reading this because it’s gonna rock.  Big time.  We’re releasing a new album in 2010, and have a lot of the material written.  Now we need to get back in the studio with Micah.  At the same time, Tony and I are recording an EP of acoustic tunes that I’m hoping will be released in February… it’s a long shot, but we’re making a real go at it.  In addition, I’ve remixed a couple tracks from our latest album “Beautiful Death” and decided it was time for a remix album, which I’d also like to see released in 2010. This band eats a lot of time, but I love it more than I can express in words, so that’s just fine by me.

This Wednesday I’m heading to a couple of Philadelphia area libraries to help out in some creative writing classes for kids and teens.  I’ve never done anything like this, so I’m looking very forward to the experience.  Then I’ll be playing a show with Bella Morte on Friday just outside of NYC in Jersey City.  Our last gig of the year will take place here in my hometown of Charlottesville, VA on December 19th.  We’re playing at a truly amazing venue called The Jefferson Theater that just opened here in town.  It’s a renovated theater with a great stage and sound system, and I would love to see all the Bella Morte fans there to send out the year with a bang… and maybe some IHOP afterward.

Best,

Andy

Andy Deane of Bella Morte

Click here to get The Sticks digital edition

Last time we performed at DragonCon a fan of the band suggested that we enlist an army of “Bella Morte zombies” to promote our performances at the con, similar to “The Cruxshadows fairies”, but with a greater tendency toward eating brains. So I’d like to know… if you are going to be at DragonCon next month, would you be interested in joining up? It would involve dressing up as a zombie (a sexy zombie if you’re a lady) and passing out flyers, spreading the word, that sort of thing. Maybe work an impromptu zombie parade in there somehow! I think it’d be a load of fun.

I for one am looking very forward to the weekend at D.C. All this hard work has me looking very forward to a fun, stress free weekend in Atlanta… play a couple shows (we’ll be doing an acoustic set along with our regular performance), sign some books, and most of all hang out with you guys. No schedule has been posted yet, but as soon as I know when our performances and panel appearances will take place I’ll pass it on to you.

So, for all you folks who want to be Bella Morte zombies at DragonCon, send an email to BMZombie@gmail.com. Include your real name and cell phone number so we can text you at the Con to organize a time and place to meet.

Can’t wait to see all you crazy bastards next month!

Best,
Andy

Order “The Sticks” from Barnes and Noble!

“The Sticks” is available through Amazon.com as well!

Thanks to everyone who was there, and special thanks to Shawn Decker for shooting the video.

~Andy

See the online article by clicking the picture below!

I know many of you won’t be able to make it because you live too far away…  I’ve gotten a lot of requests to do signings elsewhere, so feel free to make suggestions and I’ll do what I can to get there!

Thanks everyone!  See you Thursday!

~Andy

My friend Gwenn took this picture outside Barnes and Noble today… if you look closely you can see her ghost!!!  Thanks Gwenn!