Finally... FINALLY!

The long-awaited album, Trebuchet by George Hrab, is finally live.

You're looking at the cover. For the first time in Geologic history, this sixth album is in a conventional jewel case. However, true to form, there are slightly unconventional features about it. For one thing,  there is a 20-page booklet. That's right. You read me. TWENTY pages. I can't say any more than this since there should be an a-HA moment when people purchase the physical CD. There will be one lucky customer who will discover something we're calling The Golden Ticket inserted into one of the CDs. That ensures that the Maestro will fly to wherever they are—Belgium, Waukesha, the Congo—and deliver a concert in their home.

The cover photo and all the images in the packaging were shot by the wicked-talented and profoundly amazing John and Erik from John Sterling Ruth Studio. The album features a number of contributors: Dr. Phil Plait, the Bad Astronomer for his voiceover on track 11 "Death From The Skies", named for his book; the technologically-innovative cellist, Peter Gregson; Slau Halatyn for all his vocal, arrangement and music contributions, as well as the intrinsically-important recording and engineering at Be Sharp Studios; Dr. Stephen Primatic for a few arrangements; Milton Mermikides for recording the cello part at Miltone Studio in London; the Skeptical Shoe Horns—Andy Kowal, Dale Gearhart, Larry Ogden, Steve Bridges, Dave “Hotloaf” Painchaud; and many MANY others who are mentioned in the liner notes.

We pick up the final product at Discmakers tomorrow. It will be rather exciting [and slightly sad] to NOT have to hand-tip everything like we did with the earlier albums. [I love you, shrink-wrap!] Interrobang, in particular, required a white-glove treatment. No lie. I bought white photo gloves for a roomful of people so that we could put these things together in the most pristine manner. [How nice that it won a handful of major awards and was a Nationals finalist at the ADDYs. It made up for all that mincing around with the assembly.]

Trebuchet is available at CD Baby, iTunes and a variety of other digital distribution sites. When we ship the product to CD Baby this week, it will be available for purchase there as an actual CD. Oh, and you can also listen to the album for free at the Geologic Podcast, released in its entirety as Episode 170.

And just let me say this about CD Baby. [...gets on soap box with megaphone...] This will be the sixth album we offer there: Interrobang, Coelacanth, Vitriol, Minutiae and the re-issue of the post-litigation version of [sic]. They are our main e-commerce source and the portal through which we do business with all the digital distribution sites. There is no one... and, I mean NO ONE who equals them for customer service. They are a real and active advocate for independently-produced music and truly give a damn about their artists. They not only have revamped their online interface to be artist- and buyer-friendly, but they will hold your hand, as they did mine, through every single phone call you make to them about your concerns and questions. And they will do everything they can to make your business happen. You can imagine that I had nearly memorized their contact number since we had to be a little creative with this album's release, doing an end-run around the traditional process. [Imagine that!] I don't know if they rolled their eyes every time I rang them but they surely didn't act like it. They were extraordinarily gracious, helpful and proactive—I owe every single one of them a fruit basket filled with mangoes, skittles, unicorns and rainbows.

Phew!

Hurray!

And with that, I think it's time for a celebratory drink. [clink!]
Cheers, y'all. Cent'anni!