Hello, everybody,

Today, I am taking a pretty big step in my publicity game. Below, you'll find the message and image I put out to social media, asking for testimonials. As you know, I try to give you, my most loyal, awesome followers, a little more insight than the general public.

I am doing this because I have been shopping for publicity/website companies to tie these projects together. I have been fooling myself into thinking I can do everything, learn everything. Truth is, with all the touring and playing, I have realized my limitations. Also, I have seen potential. I know I can learn to build a website. I don't want to. And it wouldn't look nearly as good or do as much as a site built by experts. This needs to be more than a one man operation. I believe I have found my team to build the container that will hold all of these projects.

This weekend, Ryan is back to shoot a wedding. I have hijacked his Sunday (after 2 church services, of course) to shoot a couple promo videos in a recording studio. With any leftover time, I am going to record the solo/live versions of some of my original songs that I have been playing all over Montana this summer. Big plans. Big ambition.

If you want to join in on the testimonials, please, please do. As I say below, it is hard for me to do this. I am blessed with people saying nice things to me on a regular basis. There is a part of me that always seems to try to deflect these things. "If I take all of the compliments seriously, don't I have to take the criticism to heart, too?" That kind of thinking, and many other versions of derailing behavior, can hurt artists and/or drive them. I am coming to grips with the idea that I am asking for more, that I want more. More art, more performances, more connections, more for this big, dumb heart to process. Here's what the "ask" looks like:

Big Ask Alert- As you can probably tell from the recent updates, I am trying to step up my game. Coming soon: A new album, more live shows, the podcast launched properly, more film projects released…a lot of stuff. I am working on building the website and the platform. To that end I need some testimonials. For these particular projects, those testimonials would concern my music and performances. Here’s the ask: If you are willing to write a testimonial that I can use for publicity purposes I would love to receive them here or on messenger or however you want to give it to me. It can be a quick blurb about my songs, albums, live work, abilities, whatever you want. Sometimes artists have a hard time requesting this kind of validation, especially in public and in writing. I have this difficulty too, but here I am asking for help. If you are willing please do so. Thank you all for supporting me and my work.

I recorded a couple more episodes with Ryan on his last visit. You'll never hear those because I pushed the wrong button and erased them. Bummer, 'cause they were really good. In a different session, I had our first guest join the show. Drew Johnson is my trainer and coach. Drew and I are starting another podcast, Messy Action, in the next month or two. This is about his work as a trainer and will chronicle the work he and I do together. We thought we could test our chemistry out on The Launch to see how it works. This resulted in two episodes with a different voice added to the mix. It was fun and energizing.

Other than that, some writing and plenty of gigs are happening. I am enjoying the last bit of this seemingly chaotic ride before the routine of the school year kicks in and you will see the releases come your way on a regular basis.

So, if the spirit moves you, please send me testimonials. Any which way, I am so happy you are with me here. I cannot thank you enough.

Joel Corda