Hello.

We put a lot of love and passion into the creation of 10 Neurotics, and I am
pleased the CD is making its way to the fans. You are giving me great feeback.
It is always a risk to try something new, so reading your enthusiasm is really
encouraging.

Trisol Records is releasing the album in Europe. Alex asked me to create a "more
provocative" cover for Europe. You can see all the artwork with links to the
photographers and the models: 10neurotics.com.

I have been busy doing interviews for Euopean magazines. So far I have "talked"
with Orkus, Zillo, Sonic Seducer, Ascension and Elegy. When the issues are out,
I will post the original English version on the website, here. It has been
interesting to talk about the album. I think the thing that comes across to me
is that even though the lyrics are about all of these erotic/extreme
experiences, the theme boils down to: follow your desire.

To kick things off, we are giving away a free MP3 of "Sailor Boy" in conjunction
with our friends at Amazon. You can grab the track here:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002DUTI5I/ref=dm_ty_alb

You can purchase 10 Neurotics from Projekt, here:
http://projekt.com/projekt/product.asp?sku=PRO00229

It seems that 90% of the people subscribed to this Yahoo list have "message
bouncing" next to their name. If you are still getting your news on Black Tape
For A Blue Girl from this list, may I ask you to join the new list at iContact.
It has pretty graphics and stuff.
You can sign up here:
http://www.blacktapeforabluegirl.com/elist.html

Sam

10 Neurotics in now up for pre-order at Projekt
[http://www.projekt.com//projekt/assets/product_images/PRO00229.jpg]  I
was on the phone talking with Tom from my pressing plant. I asked "So,
when do you think 10 Neurotics might be ready to ship?" And he casually
replied, "Oh, maybe next Wednesday, maybe end of next week." I did a
double take. What?! Next Week!!! Oh my, it's almost here. I am so
excited. We have set the album to pre-order on the Projekt site. So you
can be one of the first to get it. If you want me to sign it, leave a
note in the Comments Area of the cart, with what you'd like me to write.
Pre-order, here <http://projekt.com/projekt/product.asp?sku=PRO00229> .
You can also listen to MP3 clips. I have been busy getting things ready
for the release of 10 Neurotics. Next week, Athan & I are shooting part
of the video for "The Pleasure in the Pain." I went to a Plastics store
in Manhattan to get some plexiglass for the clear chair I am making, and
grabbed some lighting supplies at B&H Camera. I  confirmed our first
live appearance in years, which will be as special guests previewing a 4
song teaser for 10 Neurotics. I was in the studio all of last weekend,
working out the set. A few nights ago I did my first press interview for
the album, with Italy's Ascension Magazine.
<http://www.myspace.com/ascensionmagazine>  That was a lot of fun. I
believe it will run in Italy, so at that point I will post the English
version on the website.  Over at Projekt, we have been sending out
promos of the Quadranotics maxi; If you are a DJ, press person, etc....
contact me for a copy. I have also set up a Twitter account:

   <http://www.twitter.com/blacktapesam>
<http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=285044\
15&blogId=495184192>    I got Wikipedia help! Thanks so much to Marco C
for responding to my request last time and then creating a 10 Neurotics
page  at Wikipedia. You can see it, here
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10_Neurotics> . Loveyl!   Free MP3
Download
I am going to use this email list to announce a FREE MP3 from 10
Neurotics. I am hoping that we can encourage people to join this list in
order to get the secret location. Could you do me a favor and email your
friends (those who like Black Tape For A Blue Girl  or this genre in
general), and ask them to join the list, here
<http://blacktapeforabluegirl.com/elist.html> . The announcement will be
some time next month.


More soon.... Sam     blacktapeforabluegirl.com/
<http://www.blacktapeforabluegirl.com/>  or myspace.com
<http://myspace.com/blacktapeforabluegirl>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

New Blog Posted: Athan Maroulis, my new vocalist

(excerpt)...When Athan came into the band (again) last year, a majority of the
songs were written and Brian Viglione's drums were laid down for about half of
them. The first song Athan & I worked on was "Sailor Boy." [As I said at the
very
top, in most bands the singer handles the lyrical/melodic songwriting side of
the music. Athan did it for his other bands, Laurie did it for High Blue Star.
It's different in my band. In Black Tape For A Blue GIrl, I'm the director. I'm
the
one who has the whole concept spinning 'round in my head. I write the songs,
words & melodies, and provide my singers with a recorded guide of me performing
the words the way I envision them. I'll admit this is non-traditional, but it
has
worked for me.]

That first day, it didn't take long in the studio for Athan to have "Sailor Boy"
recorded. I knew he was a good choice! Athan brings his own personality and
touch to the song, while respecting the intention with which I imagined it. In
"Sailor Boy," Athan's high-spirited performance portrays a Russian-syntaxed
sailor with a mistaken understanding of the nature of his relationship --
who is the master and who is the slave?

Read the full blog at blacktapeforabluegirl.com/ or
[http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=28504415&blogI\
d=495184192]
myspace.com

Sailor Boy / Tell Me You've Taken Another final mix.
Listen to the MP3:
[http://blacktapeforabluegirl.com/inprogress/Blacktape_A2_progress.mp3]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I need some Wikipedia help!
Do you work on the Wikipedia site? One of the administration types
deleted the page for Halo Star for the inaccurate reason "Non-notable music
by artist with no Wikipedia article." As there are pages for all the other
Black Tape For A Blue Girl albums (and even the side projects), this reason
makes no sense. Could somebody go in and start a new Halo Star page, and
also one for 10 Neurotics? Email me when you have done it. Thanks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sam's personal T-shirt sale
I have some old Tshirts  I am selling. My own internet stoop sale.
Proceeds are going towards buying Sasha a bitchin' toy for his 7th
birthday.  Details on what and how,
[http://www.projekt.com/tshirts/tshirts.html] here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We interrupt your busy, stressful day with a delightful distraction from

BLACK TAPE FOR A BLUE GIRL
I uploaded a short video for "Marmalade Cat" to my youTube page.
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKhF6CrYfI4]

Talk with you soon.... Sam

Hello. I uploaded a short video for our new song "Marmalade Cat" to my youTube
page. I let a bit of video roll, while I was shooting images for the 10
Neurotics booklet; I used this footage as a test, more to come in the months
ahead.  "Marmalade Cat" is about a woman who finds comfort in her second skin of
marmalade fur. Goddess Narcissa : model & stylist.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKhF6CrYfI4


MARMALADE CAT
Words & Music : Sam   |  Inspiration & lyric suggestions : Margaret Middleton
Sam : guitar & electronics  |  Brian Viglione : bass  |  Laurie Reade : vocals

I live in a house on Benefit Street.
I prowl here within the walls.
Peekin' out from behind my paws.

My second skin is a marmalade cat.
I feel at home as a marmalade cat.
I'm big and fat, an old lazy boy. I'm sleepin' in the sun.
So, why do they fear what makes me feel at home?

I'm up in the loft, I play in the sheets, he pushes me down,
he pets my head. He runs his hands through my fur,
I smile with a purr on my lips. It's not just about the
bowls of cream - he pets my lustrous fur.

My second skin is a marmalade cat.
When I'm back in the world my feline power fades.
Give me my big fat coat of marmalade fur and long whiskers to match.
I'll be home catching mice instead of catching flack.

Please post your comments on the YouTube page.
Sam

Hi.

10 Neurotics is going to the pressing plant in the next few weeks. I have
completed my first interview for 10 Neurotics, for the Russian Gothic Project.
Read it in English at the blacktape website:
http://www.blacktapeforabluegirl.com/int10N.01.html . I can't wait until 10
Neurotics is available for you to hear.


For one week, Projekt has a private sale which is only being announced to my
friends here on the Of These Reminders list. Purchase Black tape for a blue
girl's studio albums for just $6.98. The website lists the regular price,
Projekt will adjust the price to $6.98 when you put "Of these reminders" in the
comment area.

This sale price is good through Midnight on May 25th.

These are the albums on Sale:
the rope CD (Projekt, 1986)
http://www.projekt.com/projekt/product.asp?sku=PRO00020

mesmerized by the sirens (Projekt, 1987)
http://www.projekt.com/projekt/product.asp?sku=PRO00025

ashes in the brittle air CD (Projekt, 1989)
http://www.projekt.com/projekt/product.asp?sku=PRO00026

a chaos of desire (out of print) CD (Projekt, 1991)
Sorry. out-of-print - reissue soon on Two Gods.

this lush garden within CD (Projekt, 1993)
http://www.projekt.com/projekt/product.asp?sku=PRO00038

remnants of a deeper purity (10th anniversary edition) 2-CD (Projekt, 1996)
http://www.projekt.com/projekt/product.asp?sku=PRO00186

As one aflame laid bare by desire CD (Projekt, 1999)
http://www.projekt.com/projekt/product.asp?sku=PRO000086

the scavenger bride CD (Projekt, 2002)
http://www.projekt.com/projekt/product.asp?sku=PRO00130

HALO STAR CD (Projekt, 2004)
http://www.projekt.com/projekt/product.asp?sku=PRO00158


Sam

A friend asked me about my creative process. In response, I've posted a blog
about the
origins of "Love of the Father," a track from the upcoming 10 Neurotics album.
This song
features vocalist Athan Maroulis. The MP3 is the final vocal track (I'm still
working on the mix
and effects).

"I reject god 'cause they say He will save me.
I can't touch him like the toys on my bed, use your magic to save me !
Then he smacks me 'cross the face; ears ringing, angels singing:
"he loves you" and I know he doesn't mean it."

Visit the blog at
http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendID=28504415
or
http://www.blacktapeforabluegirl.com
Enter the studio, look around, get an insider's view of the creative process.

Please post comments with your thoughts, I love to read them

Sam

I'm having stereotypical artist-neurosis about "Tell me you've taken another."
It's one of those "be careful of what you wish for" scenarios. I wanted to take
my dirgy song (originally written in 1998 for the As one aflame laid bare by
desire album) and turn it into a song that would feel at home on 10 Neurotics.
What I've ended up with is exactly what I set out to create, but I'm frightened.
Very frightened. Like Dr. Frankenstein when he realizes the creature is alive. 
Visit the blog at

http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?
fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=28504415&blogID=468999491

or http://www.blacktapeforabluegirl.com

Enter the studio, look around, get an insider's view of the creative process.

Please Post Your Thoughts
- Sam


PS: I've started a new version of this list via iContact. That list is much
nicer; I design it with graphics and colors and stuff! If you'd like the purty
list, unsubscribe here at yahoo, and resubscribe through this page:

http://www.blacktapeforabluegirl.com/elist.html

Hi. I've posted the first installment in an ongoing series of "Black tape for a
blue girl :  In the studio" blogs. The idea is to bring you into the creative
process of 10 Neurotics, our upcoming album. I begin with the song "Sailor Boy."
Visit the blog at myspace or the blacktape home page, enter the studio, look in
on the progress.

http://www.blacktapeforabluegirl.com/

http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?
fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=28504415&blogID=462366656


I've started a new version of this list via iContact. That list is much nicer; I
design it with graphics and colors and stuff! If you'd like the purty list,
unsubscribe here at yahoo, and resubscribe through this page:

http://www.blacktapeforabluegirl.com/elist.html


Thanks, Sam

Black tape for a blue girl studio update 

Hello everyone. 2008 turned out to be a pretty good year, even with
all the turmoil. We got a new president, we got wiser and hopefully more
self aware. Musically, Blacktape's Russian best of was released, I
built out my new (larger) studio and I have been really productive the
last few months, getting together the songs for the new album. Here's
wishing you a wonderful 2009..... Sam 

 BLOG: I was in the studio, working on the new album, 10
Neurotics. Two days were spent recording drum kit and percussion with
new band member, Brian Viglione (The Dresden Dolls, WORLD/INFERNO). On
Saturday we listening and mixed, on Sunday I got a handle on the track
"Inch Worm" which has been attempting to get away from me for many many
month. Brian and I made a lot of progress on these songs, giving them an
aurally lush environment and shape that pushes them beyond the initial
versions I started with... Read the rest of this blog at myspace
<http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=28504415&blogID\
=458754131>
 or at the blacktape website
<http://www.blacktapeforabluegirl.com/> .

October 14, 2004

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

+++ Black tape for a blue girl Live Bootleg
+++ free mp3 download album
+++ http://www.blacktapeforabluegirl.com/LIVE04/CDR.html

I wanted to share with you some of the great new music that we have been
performing on tour. I figured that putting them up for free would be a nice way
to thank you for your support and your interest. Please check out our new sound,
and feel free to spread the word to your friends...

I uploaded five exclusive Live MP3s from our West Coast Tour, for you to
download and burn to a CD-R. I also created images to print for the cover and
traycard. Live Bootleg is not available in stores, it is only available as a
free download by clicking here. The album includes MP3s of three tracks from 
HALO STAR recorded live on the radio at KXCI in Tucson ("Remnants of a deeper
purity," "Your love is sweeter than wine" and "Knock Three Times") plus two
cover versions recorded live in Salt Lake City (The Velvet Underground's "All
Tomorrow's Parties" and David Bowie's "Space Oddity").

And you know what? If you don't feel like downloading,  you can go to the page
and open the links and stream the MP3s. You don't HAVE TO download them and burn
them. Do whatever is easier for you... :-)

Thanks!

Sam

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


+++ Black Tape For A Blue Girl live on the East Coast
+++ full details: http://www.projekt.com/projekt/live.asp

Saturday October 23 |  Batcave @ Downtime ~ New York City
	 with The Mirror Reveals
Sunday October 24 | Grape Street ~ Philadelphia
	 with Bow Ever Down & Stygian Veil
Monday October 25 | NOKTURNAL ~ Providence, RI
	 with  Nicki Jaine
Tuesday October 26 | The Middle East ~ Cambridge, MA
	 with Plumerai & Cabiria
Thursday October 28 | Nation ~ Washington DC
Friday October 29 | Revolution @ Fusion Dance Club ~ Dayton, OH
	 with Audra (Acoustic set) & Hungry Lucy
Saturday October 30 | Masquerade8 ~ Pittsburgh, PA
	 with Thousahltnot &  I, Parasite
Sunday October 31 | Revelations ~ Richmond, VA
	 with Nicki Jaine & Void Stares Back



++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A show preview from the San Francisco Weekly
http://www.sfweekly.com/issues/2004-09-08/calendar/performance.html

Boise Concert Photos
http://www.angelfire.com/goth2/gothic_boise_male/index.htm

San Francisco Concert Photos
http://www.dnalounge.com/gallery/2004/09-14/


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Order Halo Star:
http://www.projekt.com/projekt/product.asp?sku=PRO00158
http://www.industrial-music.com/product.php?prodnum=PRO+158


Order The Scarecrow Single
http://www.projekt.com/projekt/product.asp?sku=PRO00161
http://www.industrial-music.com/product.php?prodnum=PRO+161

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Amazon.com
Please add your review of HALO STAR:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0002LE9QI/qid=1097769673/sr=8-1/r\
ef=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl15/102-3090219-0670543?v=glance&s=music&n=507846


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


http://www.blacktapeforabluegirl.com/

------------------------------------------------

Thursday August 19, 204
from black tape for a blue girl's Sam Rosenthal...

Hello.... Thanks for all your great replies to the last list. I wish
I had time to answer each of them personally. I've been so busy
(getting ready for the album release and our tour) that I haven't
been able to. Wow! Only two weeks until HALO STAR is in the stores
and three weeks until we're out on the West Coast playing the new
songs for ya! They're gonna be really great shows. We're now a six
piece, so the sound is very full and dramatic! Check out the list
below for the dates and also the band line-up....



-----------------------| PRE-ORDER HALO STAR

HALO STAR will be in stores nationwide on August 31.
Receive your copy in the mail by the street date, by placing a
preorder at Projekt.com. Your CD will ship Tuesday, August 24.
Just $11.98! Preorder here:
http://www.projekt.com/projekt/product.asp?sku=PRO00158

And while you're at it, pick up a copy of "The Scarecrow Single."
This is a 5 song release featuring "Scarecrow" from the album plus
4 additional remixed songs. Just $1.98!
http://www.projekt.com/projekt/product.asp?sku=PRO00161



-----------------------| WEST COAST TOUR DATES

   Wednesday, September 8 |  Club Congress  ~ Tucson, AZ
   Thursday, September 9 | The Mason Jar ~ Phoenix, AZ
   Friday, September 10 | Showcase Theatre ~ Corona, CA
   Saturday September 11 | Bar Sinister ~ Los Angeles, CA
   Sunday, September 12 | TBA
   Monday September 13 | Amoeba Records In-Store ~ San Francisco, CA
   Tuesday September 14 | DNA lounge ~ San Francisco, CA
   Thursday September 16 | the Vogue ~ Seattle, WA
   Saturday September 18 | Sabala's Mt. Tabor ~ Portland, OR
   Sunday September 19 | The Venue ~ Boise, ID
   Monday September 20 | Area 51 ~ Salt Lake City, UT

   Audra and Nicki Jaine will open some shows.... for complete details:
		 http://www.projekt.com/projekt/live.asp



-----------------------| HELP PROMOTE THE TOUR

We're looking for fans who would like to pass out postcards to
promote the tour and HALO STAR. If you'd like to receive cards, email
maven@... with "WEST COAST POSTCARDS" as your subject.
Include your address and how many you would like (5-10-25?).
Thanks!



-----------------------| WIN A FREE HALO STAR POSTER

Five fans will be chosen at random to win the HALO STAR poster. To
enter, email blacktapeposter@... with the subject: "POSTER
CONTEST." Include your mailing address. Five winners will be chosen
on August 31. Everyone who emails will receive the new issue of
Projekt's magazine "Beneath the icy floe" which includes an article
on HALO STAR, as well as other Projekt releases.



-----------------------| BAND LINE-UP FOR THE WEST COAST TOUR

Bret Helm  - vocals & acoustic guitar
Elysabeth Grant  - vocals & viola
Sam Rosenthal  - electronics
Bart Helm  - electric & acoustic guitar
Nicki Jaine  - piano & acoustic guitar
J. DeWolfe  - percussion


-----------------------| SET LIST FOR THE WEST COAST TOUR

Nu-uh!!!! Gotta come to the show to find out!
: )


See you very soon.....
Sam

------------------------------------------
listen to mp3s: http://www.halostar.us/bio.html

July 14, 2004..... Bastille Day!

Hello. Black tape for a blue girl's 9th album - HALO STAR - will be released
August 31; that's only seven weeks from now!!! I've been very busy getting
prepared for the release; but here's a preview for all of you on OF THESE
REMINDERS to assure that you get the "inside information" from us, before you
see it in other places.

		 ~*~   ~*~   ~*~

Projekt is currently organizing West Coast and East Coast shows.
http://www.projekt.com/projekt/live.asp
will be updated as shows are confirmed....
A sneek peek for OF THESE REMINDERS members:

Wednesday (Sept 8) - Tucson - Club Congress
Saturday (Sept 11) - Los Angeles - BarSinister
Sunday (Sept 12) - San Diego - Brick by Brick
Tuesday (Sept 14) - San Francisco - DNA LOUNGE
Thursday (Sept 16) - Seattle - VOGUE
Saturday (Sept 18) - Portland - SABAL'S
Monday (Sept 20) - Salt Lake City - AREA 51

more to be announced very soon....

		 ~*~   ~*~   ~*~

I have been working on the webpages for HALO STAR.
You can check out the cover graphics and listen to 45 second MP3s
from the album here:
http://www.halostar.us/

		 ~*~   ~*~   ~*~

You can purchase the "Tarnished" CD-single from Projekt here:
http://www.projekt.com/projekt/product.asp?sku=PRO00155
You can also follow the link on that page to iTunes and purchase the
songs digitally!

Speaking of digital downloads, if all goes as planned, HALO STAR will
be available from iTunes on August 31, making the "digital street
date" the same as the retail release.

		 ~*~   ~*~   ~*~

I have been interviewed for upcoming issues of Gothic Beauty, Zillo
(Germany) and Ritual (Italy)


   ~*~      ~*~      ~*~      ~*~      ~*~      ~*~      ~*~      ~*~


"HALO STAR is brilliant! Bret Helm's vocals are mesmerizing, pulling
me in with every delicious note.  This is what I have been waiting to
hear from Black Tape all along, I just never knew it until now." -
Gothic Beauty Magazine


I have been receiving really really amazing feedback to HALO STAR,
both from press people and from friends and fans who have heard the
material. Our friend Akane has been working on a review for the next
issue of Beneath the icy floe, and she writes: "This is an album that
puts the songcraft before the soundscape, and the result is a much
sleeker, sparser creature.  We have an album that captures the energy
and spirit of the band's live shows. HALO STAR is a powerful album
that will both surprise fans and exceed all expectations.  Not only
their best to date, this album takes a massive leap forward in
breaking Black Tape for a Blue Girl out of its ethereal niche and
establish them as one of the best goth bands active today."


HALO STAR band line up:
Bret - Elysabeth - Michael - Lisa - Vicki - Sam


   ~*~      ~*~      ~*~      ~*~      ~*~      ~*~      ~*~      ~*~

An interview questions.....

Q: Based on the feel of the songs and lyrics, it would be easy to
infer that there is a central 'concept' to the whole album.  Is this
pure assumption?

A: I really don't want to explain this album, because it has been
very interesting to hear the way people are interpreting my lyrics.
When I was writing the album, I was staying away from making a
connecting line through every song -- and expecting the listener to
follow it. But now that I am stepping away from the creation, a bit,
I do see that there is more of a storyline then I expected. I am
still turning over in my mind who the characters are. There are
different interpretations, which I am very happy with. Even Bret,
Lisa and I were talking and realized we have different ideas of what
the songs are about, which is very exciting.


   ~*~      ~*~      ~*~      ~*~      ~*~      ~*~      ~*~      ~*~


SPEAKING OF LIVE SHOWS

Many of you saw us perform this May at Pianos in NYC and the Metro in
Chicago. It was a very strong set and we really appreciate the
enthusiastic response.... Here's some news that might come as a
surprise.

Because of other commitments, Lisa and Michael will not be in the
touring band (though both will continue to record with black tape for
a blue girl). Thus we bid a fond, tearful adieu to:

Michael Laird - currently busy with his band Unto Ashes, as well as
teaching graduate courses.

Lisa Feuer - on temporary hiatus from playing live to stay home and
take care of our two year old son, Sasha. Lisa is still involved in
recording and hopes to rejoin the live band again someday in the
future.



RETURNING FROM THE 2002 - 2004 LIVE BAND:

Bret Helm - vocals & acoustic guitar
Elysabeth Grant - vocals & viola
Sam Rosenthal (me!) - electronics

and we welcome:

Bart Helm - electric & acoustic guitar
Nicki Jaine - piano & acoustic guitar
J. DeWolfe - percussion


Those of you with a sharp eye for detail will note that Bret + Bart +
J = Audra! Yep, that's right.... 50% of the new live band = 100% of
Audra! Nicki is a darkwave artist from Philadelphia who we met at a
Middle Pillar Christmas Party last year.... I find it much easier to
bring people I know into the band (rather than finding people with an
ad in the newspaper) because "personalities" can be a big benefit or
big detractor to a live band. I prefer working with friends, because
I have a better grasp of their "Rock Star Status...." :-) and that
helps things gel. You remember many years ago that Elysabeth was
going to join the band as "just" the viola player, but she was so
talented and we got along so well that she  transformed overnight
into our lead vocalist. She's now been with us for almost six years!

You can expect to hear about half of the HALO STAR album performed
live, as well as some old favorites including Elysabeth on "All my
lovers" and "Bastille Day" from The Scavenger Bride (I thought I
would tie that in, since today is - in fact - Bastille Day!)....

If you don't know about Audra and Nicki Jaine, learn more about them here:
http://www.audramusic.com/
http://www.nickijaine.com/


Finally.... Lisa and Michael are quite involved in HALO STAR, so it
will be a bit odd for me to be performing these songs without them. I
look forward to working with them both on future recordings....


   ~*~      ~*~      ~*~      ~*~      ~*~      ~*~      ~*~      ~*~

FORTUNE PRESENTS GIFTS
http://www.projekt.com/projekt/product.asp?sku=BLR00062
Our version of Dead Can Dance's "fortune presents gifts not according
to the book" is now available on the Greek 2-CD compilation The Lotus
Eaters. The album also includes Faith and the Muse, Arcana, Ataraxia
and others. This is the only place the song is available, at this
time. It's quite expansive and features the vocals of Athan Maroulis.


   ~*~      ~*~      ~*~      ~*~      ~*~      ~*~      ~*~      ~*~


Ok. Gotta run.... I'm design the HALO STAR poster at the moment....
: )

Peace,
Sam Rosenthal


   ~*~      ~*~      ~*~      ~*~      ~*~      ~*~      ~*~      ~*~



--

Projekt  PoBox 180235 Brooklyn, NY 11218-0235
http://www.blacktapeforabluegirl.com/

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

hello. i have uploaded mp3s from the songs on tarnished, our upcoming
cd single, here:

http://www.projekt.com/projekt/product.asp?sku=PRO00155


pre-order tarnished at the link above, and projekt will ship it to
you just as soon as it's available (around may 5).....

also on wednesday, may 5, black tape for a blue girl perform an
exclusive engagement at the 150-capacity pianos on manhattan's lower
east side. to sweeten the deal, if you order tickets on-line at
projekt.com . . . you will receive a copy of tarnished for free at
the venue.

http://www.projekt.com/projekt/product.asp?sku=mAY52004


we're performing in chicago on saturday may 8 as part of the
convergence 10 festival held at the metro. read all about it and
order your tickets here:

http://altgothic.com/c10chicago/


the HALO STAR album is coming along really nicely! bret and elysabeth
are in town this weekend to record the rest of their vocals and lisa
has one more song to play flute on. i just recorded a really nice
moog part for the track "scarecow." you can see the cover in progress
here:

http://www.projekt.com/projekt/assets/product_images/PRO00155a.jpg


ok. a million things to take care of today!
see you at pianos and the metro very soon!

love
sam






--
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----
Sam Rosenthal

Projekt  PoBox 180235 Brooklyn, NY 11218-0235
http://www.projekt.com/

great news for fans in the u.s.!

black tape for a blue girl will be playing our first midwest show in
five years at convergence 10 in chicago. we play on saturday may 8 at
the metro. you can read more and purchase tickets at their website:
http://altgothic.com/c10chicago/

convergence is a netgoth festival that features music, day events, a
merchants bazaar and more. because of the way they set it up, tickets
cannot be purchased at the door. you have to purchase in advance
on-line. a slightly frustrating arrangement, but definitely worth the
trouble to see us play!
: )

as i said, we haven't played in the midwest in years, so this will be
your first chance to catch the new live incarnation of the band. bret
on vocals and guitar, elysabeth on vocals and viola, michael on
percussion, lisa on flute and myself (sam) on electronics... the band
is definitely more powerful and dramatic these days (the last time we
played the metro, we were a three-piece of elysabeth, lisa and
myself).

what's even more exciting is that you get to be some of the first
people to hear new material! i have been working on the new album for
the past couple of months, and it is really coming along! we will
perform four of our new songs, including the track that will be
released as a cd single just in time for convergence (sorry about not
providing the names of the album / single yet.... it's still being
decided). in fact, the full length will be completely recorded and
mixed by may 8, and it will be in stores august 31 -- but convergence
attendees will get a premiere of our new material....

exciting!



http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/of_these_reminders/polls
vinyl poll ---- only 52 replies out of 1517 people on this list!?!?!
come on! :-)   take a minute to answer the poll question.


http://www.blacktapeforabluegirl.com/int5.html
an interview with portugal's THE LODGE webzine from late-february 2004

http://www.starvox.net/photos/wgt/wgt4.htm
some nice live photos of us from leipzig last year...


i'm going to arizona to record with bret this weekend. life is hectic.
however i am really pleased with the new material....




sam

http://www.blacktapeforabluegirl.com

Enter your vote today!  A new poll has been created for the
of_these_reminders group:

Are you interested in a vinyl release of the next
black tape for a blue girl album?

   o NO, I never buy vinyl
   o YES, i would buy a vinyl release because i have a record player
   o YES, i would buy a vinyl release for collectibility reasons


To vote, please visit the following web page:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/of_these_reminders/surveys?id=11661897

Note: Please do not reply to this message. Poll votes are
not collected via email. To vote, you must go to the Yahoo! Groups
web site listed above.

Thanks!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----

---- Attention black tape for a blue girl fans in europe
---- with a million-tear stained memories [DOPPEL-CD]
---- at an incredible 6.99 Euro sale price


germany's trisol records have been kind enough to give black tape for
a blue girl's fans a BIG KISS! they want to introduce new fans - and
fence sitters - to the incredible music of this well-known heavenly
voices / ethereal band. for a limited time, you can buy their german
edition of the limited edition 2-cd retrospective with a million
tear-stained memories for just 6.99 euros at amazon.de:

http://www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00008S0R5/qid=1073405351/sr=2-1/ref=sr_ap\
s_prod_1_1/028-5512257-0372506

this is an excellent opportunity to discover the history of black
tape for a blue girl and even hear two previously unreleased tracks.

look forward to the new black tape maxi-cd in march and then a full length soon
thereafter on projekt in the us and a brilliant new label in germany...
: )

[december 24, 2003] hello to everyone. i'm sitting here at my desk,
early on xmas eve morning. i got up early to get projekt business
answered, so i could head into the studio after lunch. if you have
any questions you'd like me to answer here on the list, please send
them to distribution@... -- or just drop a line to say
hello... it's always nice to hear from you. here's a quick run-down
on what's been going on with black tape for a blue girl.


	 << new release for february or march >>
i have been making progress in the studio! i am focusing on four or
five songs i expect to release as a limited edition maxi-cd in a few
months. my thought is to give you an insight into work in progress,
rather than create a full-blown conceptual release. the songs feature
the whole band and they may / may not appear on the next full-length
album . . . and may / may not appear in this exact form. (ie: some
instrumentals might later have vocals or some songs will end up
having additional instrumentation)... yes, i know that's vague. i'm
still working! i have to start writing the lyrics, which i expect
will come to me in the next couple of weeks.



	 << gothic beauty magazine ~ issue 11 >>
http://www.projekt.com/projekt/product.asp?sku=GOT00011
the new issue includes a fashion article with a full page interview
with lisa of black tape for a blue girl. unfortunately, they didn't
use the nice layout idea i made for them, but you can see it at this
link:
http://www.blacktapeforabluegirl.com/images/lisalayoutidea.jpg


	 << dead can dance tribute cd >>
i hear the disc will be out in february on the the greek metal label
black lotus records. i did a cover of the song "fortune presents
gifts not according to the book." athan sings lead vocals and we came
up with some beautiful harmonies in the studio. more about this song
as the release date gets here...


	 << my book >>
i have about 80 pages written now, it's coming along!


	 << with a million-tear stained memories >>
projekt.com is sold out on this limited edition highlights 2-cd.
however there are still some copies available in retail stores.


	 << new full length >>
the timeline i gave last update is completely wrong; at one time, i
thought the next full-length would be out in the spring, but at the
rate i'm going  i think the summer is more realistic. and yes, we
expect to do select shows to support the album. it's been a long time
since we got out here in the u.s., so it could be kinda of fun. we
also have a new label in germany that we are planing to release the
cd with.




happy and peaceful new years to everyone...
sam

hi. yes, i know. i have been very negligent about writing this
message for the black tape eList. my apologies. very sincerely. i'm
slowly working towards a lot of black tape activity starting this
winter. here's what's in the works:



<< a chaos of desire >>, my 1991 cd will finally be back in print. the
first 1000 copies of the new edition will be in a digipack. people
have asked why this album has been out of print and the answer is
really dumb. my pressing plant in california lost the films for the
booklet + tray. i created the artwork for this album pre-computer, so
there was no back-up. i knew i had to redesign them, but i kept
hoping the printer would find those films. no luck. next, i couldn't
find the original photo that i used for the texture on the background
of the cover; so the whole project of redesigning the album kept
getting pushed back again and again. and now it's been perhaps two
years that the album has been unavailable. after our move, i made
another effort to find the photos. one day, i was going through my
book of negatives with lisa... and there was the transparency of the
photo! i had looked in every box and every old yellow folder of film,
and i had it all along. in exactly its proper place. oh my! well, i
have it scanned in now, and the redesign is coming along. really,
it's a re-creation, as i want it to look just the same as the
original. more on this release soon.

<< a new maxi cd >> i hope to have a maxi of new material before the end
of the year. i'm beginning to work on the next album -- and i thought
this would be a way to introduce you to the sounds i am creating. i
suspect many of the tracks on this release will be exclusive to the
maxi...

<< dead can dance tribute >> we're going to record a song for a greek dead can
dance tribute cd. i'm thinking of the song "fortune presents
itself not according to the book" from aion. i love the way the words
deal with the absurdities of life. there isn't a release date for
this, but i suspect early 2004.

<< my book >>  i now have 50 pages of a new book written. i'm very pleased with
how it is coming along. once upon a time, i thought i was
writing prose to excerpt into lyrics, but it has taken on a life of
its own. i think some of these stories will become songs on the new
album, but there's enough material here that it will stand on its
own. maybe i will release it with a cd of music, like i did for the
first pain to linger. maybe not. still to early to say, honestly.

<< the new album >> i am hoping to have it out in the spring of 2004. a
label in europe will license it. they also want us to come over to
tour in germany. that would be fun.

i say all of this, with only that one song written so far! but i know
that once i get started on music, it will come pretty quickly.
generally it only takes five months to create a new album, once i get
going. the scavenger bride came out in april of 2002, i guess there
will be about two years between albums. i was hoping for less. i hate
to leave you waiting for so long.... i will try to be better.


in other news, i was interviewed for a goth article that will appear
in the october issue of alternative press. the writer was very
knowledgeable about the scene and projekt. in fact he went to school
at the university of illinois in champaign, where the professor used
the first pain to linger as a text in his class about the philosophy
of love. how's that for synchronicity?




finally.... please email me at with any questions you have about the
band. i will answer them on the list next message... which
(hopefully) will be sooner than five months from now!

: )


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----
Sam Rosenthal

with a million tear-stained memories
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
the new black tape for a blue girl highlights cd is available at projekt.com!
http://www.projekt.com/projekt/product.asp?sku=PRO00145

it is a hand-numbered limited edition 2-cd of tracks from black
tape's first 17 years. there are only 2250 pieces in the u.s. edition
(there's a german edition on trisol - with the same track-listing -
in an edition of 1500). "with a million tear-stained memories"
features one disc with vocal songs and one disc with instrumentals.
the release date in u.s. stores is may 13th. new and exclusive are a
re-recording of "memory, uncaring friend" with bret on vocals, and
the steve roach remix of "kinski." also included are single or
compilation tracks that are relatively hard to come-by.

projekt is selling the 2-cd set for $17.98, a great price. order with
first class shipping (only $2 more) and save a few bucks.... projekt
is shipping them within a day or two of your order!


this morning i did an interview for germany's orkus magazine. here's
one of the questions that relates to the cd:

10. Are those songs on the album the "tear-stained memories"? Is it
hard for you to hear your old compositions, realizing that the time
and the "you" you were at that time is gone?

Sam: Hm? No, I don't think so. I don't have a problem reflecting on
the past, because I think that the "now" is always the best point in
my life. I don't wanna re-live those experiences. For me, they were
"tear-stained" in the moment when they were written. At the time,
those events were overwhelming, all-consuming. They are very sad and
tear-stained memories.




black tape for a blue confirmed to play at WGT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
black tape for a blue girl perform our first european show on sunday
night, june 8th as part of the wave-gothic-treffen festival in
leipzig, germany. we are on in the evening, between diary of dreams
and faith and the muse. we are also scheduled to do an autograph
signing session on saturday, june 7th.

the line-up will be the same band members that got great fan comments
as last year's projektfest: elysabeth on vocals + viola, lisa on
flute + backing vocals, michael on vocals + percussion, bret on
vocals + acoustic guitar, and sam (me) on electronics + vocals. it's
going to be an amazing evening.

the treffen is a massive gothic festival held every year in leipzig.
they have eight venues, with bands from noon through 2 am, over 250
bands play during the four day event and over 15,000 people attend.
other "confirmed" etherealish bands are stoa, chandeen, & love is
colder than death.

check out the WGT website: http://www.wave-gotik-treffen.de/english/

also: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AmericansInLeipzig/ | as the name
implies, this list is for americans who are going to the festival.
it's a good source of information and also let's you communicate with
other americans who are making the journey to germany.

we hope to see you there!




please help spread the word about "with a million tear-stained memories:"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1 NEW BANNER.
here's HTML that you can add to your website:
    <A HREF="http://www.projekt.com/projekt/product.asp?sku=PRO00145"><img
    src="http://www.projekt.com/assets/images/banner-million.jpg" border="0"></a>

2 HAND OUT POSTCARDS.
we can send 20 cards to pass out to your friends and people you think
would be interested in this release. please email maven@...
with "tear-stained postcard" as your subject. it goes without
saying...  please be sure to include your mailing address.




what's next?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
when we return from germany in mid-june, i will begin working in the
studio on material for the next cd which i hope to release in early
2004. i have begun writing a new book, with about 40 pages completed
so far. i expect that bits of it will be used as source material for
new lyrics. i am very excited to get back into the studio and get
working on new music...
	 : )




a few excerpts from the book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
the swan. i think as a child i was traumatized by swans. once, in
some long-forgotten park on a warm summer day, my aunt took a photo
of me as a small child with two magnificent swans. the image haunted
me; somewhere i had heard the myth of zeus transforming himself into
a swan, and i was so disturbed by this idea of bestiality. dogs or
horses or birds. always those birds, the image never left me. at
eleven i hid the photo away in a book of fables, but i couldn't stop
myself from retrieving it every day. imagining those long necks
wrapped around me, those soft feathery wings beating against me,
thrashing me as i lie half submerged in the warm water. that
uncontrollable bird. damn damn swan! that majestic bird. and i,
wanting to feel his feathers and beak and clawy webby feet tearing at
me.

(the swan inspired by a photo and passing thought of lisa's)

~~

rituals have since passed, broken into little fragments repeated
without thinking. letters from distant friends seem false and
hallucinatory, their proposals and solutions seem impossible, schemes
hatched in a different world from another time. connections are
broken, logical thought dissolute; "i will stay," that seems assured.
she pushes the pages  deep into her pocket and in her seat turns back
to the window, searching aimlessly for someone among the figures
passing through the square, hats and coats and umbrellas rushing in a
seamless blur. brownish gray wash of lives darting by, water running
by, without identification. without feeling. each darkened mass
headed somewhere, trailing through her view and cut off by the wall
on the left and on the right. each goal and destination cut off and
fragmented into a five meter wide window of reality. to her right,
the little bell on the door rings constantly as a patron enters,
shakes off and heads silently to the cafe counter. another bell,
another gust of cold air, another shake, another uninterpretable set
of desires and needs and emotions stumbles, reeling, toward the
counter. a moment of their lives passed with her, unidentifiably.
they don't look her in the eyes as they pass. yes, they may brush her
with their coats, jab her with their umbrellas, drop their parcels at
her feet, or tug their sniffing dog away, but they never look her in
the eye. no emotional attachment. no recognition. another gust, the
bell, the door; the rain slowly turns to sleet as the square grows
dark and the brownish gray mass merges with the sparkling falling
flecks and runs down the lamp posts and walls to mix in the gutters
and drip furiously through the grates. into the drainage sewer. lives
and names and hopes and faces all dripping through the grates as if
stomped beneath the feet of a hideously large giant, bruising the
grapes into wine. bones and noses and brains all clumped together and
rushing like dripping lives away from my eyes and away from my
thoughts. all the things i was once interested in and so aware of
purely lost to dreams. pure dreams. purity dreams. memories of
friends and a time when love was as i had imagined it. so many things
washed away by the bloody murky water as it continues to push its way
out from behind the peeling crackled paint in the corners of my
ceiling, down the walls, changing from a drip to a stream to a flood
as it gathers in the center of my room. photos of friends and
childhood - only a few years ago - are toppled from the dresser, drop
and thrown carelessly to the floor along with evidence that would
protect me from accusations and documents which would confirm who i
am. papers running by my feet as i watch, immobile, from the window
seat. his photo, his name, twirling in the whirlpool. pulling me
down. i am unable to let go. i am trapped in some sort of
fascination. watch as i am pulled through the waters, bell ringing,
wind blasting, rancid masses storming past, splashing their history
upon the glass, and that face peering back at me in the reflection,
always staring back at me in the glass. unemotional. undisturbed.
that horrible mask i wear. how much longer can i take that gaze (this
always ends with me rushing out the door)?

~~




talk with you again soon...


--

#8 | december 24, 2002
from sam rosenthal


hello..... i have some very exciting news for our european fans (and
also for americans who are in need of a vacation)...

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

black tape for a blue girl has been confirmed to play the treffen.

for those of you who haven't heard of the treffen, it's a massive
gothic festival held every year in the city of leipzig, germany. they
have eight different venues, with bands from noon through midnight.
over 250 bands play during the four day event and over 15,000 people
attend. it's wild! i have never been, but shea - who works with us at
projekt - has gone many times and says that it's incredible.

we don't know which day we are performing yet, though the festival
runs june 6-9th. so start looking into your tickets. other
"confirmed" etherealish bands are stoa, chandeen, faith and the muse
and love is colder than death.

current info at their website:
http://www.wave-gotik-treffen.de/english/bands.html

shea also asked me to mention this group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AmericansInLeipzig/
as the name implies, it's for americans who are going to the
festival. it's a good source of information and also let's you
communicate with other americans, so you know you won't be alone;
especially helpful if this is your first overseas adventure. but
believe me, europe is such a wonderful place. go. go!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
nice nice at amazon.com

thanks to everyone who posted reviews, after i mentioned it last
list. i have to get your packages together; i will get on it after
the first of the year. not only that, but i was contacted by a nice
guy at amazon (m.h.) who helped remove the original offending review.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

the scavenger bride tshirt
http://www.projekt.com/projekt/product.asp?sku=PRO2130X

i was looking at our tshirt shelf a few days ago and noticed these...
perhaps you missed this item because it was printed for the festival
(in may) rather than for the release of the album (in january). well,
we still have copies of the x-large shirt left, if you are
interested...

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

working working working

lisa just listened to all the black tape albums (in a row!) to give
advice on track selection for "the best of" i am compiling for
trisol. i go into the studio this week to put the songs in order and
add some eq. we are working on "memory, uncaring friend" (off "the
rope") with bret singing the lead vocals. if that works out, it will
be the opening track on the first disc (it's gonna be a limited 2-cd
set in a digi-pak). i'm also putting together a sort of homage to
"the rope," as the cover. more details on this release as it comes
together.

have a wonderful new year...




--

november 18, 2003.

hello. while bouncing sasha, i was looking out the window this
morning. i noticed squirrels running around wildly in the fallen
leaves in the backyard. "what are those little guys up to?" i asked
sasha. he couldn't say. the lead squirrel, with a mouthful of leaves,
ran up the tree by the street; we noticed that where two branches
forked, there was a pretty sizeable squirrel nest, 90% completed. as
leaf-carrier went into the nest, another squirrel dashed out. those
little guys were sure busy, getting their house ready for winter.
back and forth they went, carrying leaves, putting them in the right
place, crawling under the fence, chasing each other across the top of
the fence. getting it all just right. "how can they run up a tree,
with a mouth full of leaves blocking their eyes?" i asked sasha. he
couldn't say. i suspect there must be a useful metaphor in this
story, somewhere...


   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHAT'S IN THE WORKS FOR 2002?

black tape for a blue girl looks to have a very busy schedule for
2003. trisol records in germany is discussing the release of a
double-cd retrospective; one disc will be the songs and one disc will
be the ambient side of the band. steve roach is working on a remix
album of the scavenger bride - reprocessing it into an ambient piece.
in the new year, i'm gonna start working on songs for the next album
that *might* be available in the fall. if all goes as planned, black
tape for a blue girl could be back in mexico city in 2003 for a
concert or two. we're also in preliminary discussions for a show in
germany in may. there will be a warm-up show in new york city for
each overseas show! oh, i'm worn out just thinking about it.
	 : )

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
NASTY PEOPLE RAGGING ON AS AT AMAZON.COM

as you probably know, you can post a fan review at amazon.com.
unfortunately, mean people with too much time on their hands use this
forum to rag on artists they are jealous of. here's a recent review
of our downloadable track "Kinski:"


I Rate This A Blake, November 10, 2002
Reviewer: A customer from Sarasota, FL
This song is an example of when you don't have anything to say, you
can always title your song with some lofty artist's name in order to
affect some semblance of credibility. If you think about it, not only
is it extroardinarily ambitious, but equally pretentious. I think
that if I wanted to be recognized as an artist, especially if I was
an unknown, or not highly regarded in the art world, I would be a bit
more humble, and not go around naming my pieces after venerable
artists I really have nothing to do with, except for the fact that I
want to be as respected as they are. I can't, for the life of me,
give this piece any credit just because its title summons the spirit
of an artist who would probably cringe if he knew this song was
written with him in mind. Not only is this a lame device, but it's
downright derogatory, if not insulting to the listener, who deserves
and expects better. If you find a song somewhere by some obscure
artist that might be called "Cassavetes" and you hear nothing but
fart noises or leaves falling or even someone doing the theme from
the Andy Griffith Show, does that make it art? If it were as easy as
that, maybe we'd all be artists. And compared to this piece, maybe we
are! If this song could be rated according to artists and their scale
of artistry, I'm afraid I would not agree that it's a Kinski. I rate
it a Blake. After Robert Blake. (Don't do the crime if you can't do
the time.)

personally, I find it hilarious that some moron would spend so much
time ragging on one of my songs. as voltaire points out, somebody
must really (secretly) love you, if they take this much effort to put
you down... other members of the band aren't so zen about it,
however. they get annoyed and upset over idiots who probably didn't
even listen to the song, and just have a bone to pick because perhaps
i didn't sign their band to projekt, or their credit card bounced and
i wouldn't ship them their order for free.... so, to make the world a
better (and slightly skewed in our favor) place, I'd like to ask you
to help us out....

your mission:

post a review of the scavenger bride cd at:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00006418U/qid=1037651958/sr=8-1/r\
ef=sr_8_1/002-1046902-3183235?v=glance&s=music&n=507846

or the "kinski" download at:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000658BZ/ref=j_disp_dwnld_2/002-\
1046902-3183235?v=glance&s=music&n=507846

and you'll be rewarded! once your review is up, email
blacktape@... with "my review at amazon.com" as your subject.
let me know which review is yours (so use your real name when you
post it) and i will send you a mini-poster that lisa and i signed as
well as some other printed things from the office. a little black
tape for a blue care package to thank you for your effort....

   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE SCAVENGER BRIDE, MEXICO

way back in 1997, aldo altamirano [a very kind dj who hosts
ex-perimento radio on 96.1 fm / sabados 7:00 pm] brought black tape
for a blue girl to mexico city for our only concert outside of
america. It was a wonderful experience; we were really treated like
rock stars (press conference, an amazingly nice hotel on the central
square, incredible meals, two tv interviews on important network
shows and the finale: 900 people at the show!!!). i have kept in
touch with aldo over the years and when he asked if i would like the
scavenger bride to be the second release on his SAMADHI MUSIK label,
I gladly said "yes." over the years he's been a great partner and
friend to the band. so here it is, the second fruit of our work
together: the mexican edition of the scavenger bride. the first
edition is 1000 pieces in a glossy digi-pack with the full 24 page
booklet plus a mini-poster signed by lisa & me. if you live in
mexico, i encourage you to buy it in a local store (if you need
details on where to find it, contact aldo:
experimento1@...). for the rest of you, I have a few copies
for sale through the projekt site. it's very special when a music
lover takes the risk of releasing music from a band he cares about;
aldo is just such a special friend and i hope you all support his
appreciation of good music by helping to quickly sell out this first
edition!

for the rest of this week, the mexican edition will be on sale for $12.98
http://www.projekt.com/projekt/product.asp?sku=SMC00002


   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
FAN EMAIL

Hello! My name is David and I heard about Black Tape for a Blue Girl
when I accidentally found your website (very nice by the way). I
enjoy dark, romantic tunes greatly and I would love to buy your
albums. Are they available at your average CD place? One thing I
always wanted to ask a musician... what is it like to be on stage in
front of all those people? Don't you ever get scared? It must be a
rush to be in front of all those people and for a few precious
moments you're like gods to them. Like, everyone's all about YOU. It
must feel wonderful. I would love to feel that way someday. But I
know if I performed in front of human people I would get gas and
maybe throw up. Also, will you ever play live in Columbus, Ohio? I
would live to see you perform -David Pair

hi david, thanks for your email. first, yes, our cds are available in
stores around the country. borders usually stocks them, and in
columbus you might also check the virgin megastore. of course, if you
strike out that way, you can order them directly from the projekt
website. now as far as getting gas while performing.... i never feel
particularly nervous on stage. as i'm prepared, i feel pretty
relaxed. it's fun to be in front of people, but i get wrapped up in
making sure that everything is moving along properly... so i don't
really think about it too much. there are no plans for any black tape
for a blue girl shows in columbus, or anywhere else for that matter.
like i said above, we're planning on some overseas shows and possibly
a warm-up in new york city....

   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
there are a lot of new pictures of sasha on his website:
http://www.projekt.com/sasha/




- Sam Rosenthal

--

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Hello to all....
	 I'm back again with a black tape for a blue girl update that
includes a number of your questions and comments. Lisa and I
have been having a wonderful time with our baby boy Sasha,
who's already 12 weeks old!!! You can see Sasha's photos here:
http://www.projekt.com/sasha/  As always, I appreciate your
interest in black tape for a blue girl and thank you for buying our
records and keeping in touch with us.... well.... onto the list,
	 - Sam Rosenthal




I've got some exciting news for our fans in Mexico. Samadhi
Musik will be releasing a special digi-pack edition of "the
scavenger bride" in late October / early November. Samadhi is
the same label that issued Stoa's "Zal," and they are going to put
equal care into the release of our CD. It will include a mini-poster
and the full 24-page booklet. If you'd like to receive an email
when the cd is available, contact Aldo at:
experimento1@... (use "oh! tell me when the black
tape digipacl is out!" as your subject. You might remember that
Aldo is the one who brought black tape for a blue girl to Mexico
City in 1997, for our first show in your wonderful country. We are
currently discussing another Mexico City date for February of
2003. This will most likely be the only show we do (except for
perhaps an un-announced warm-up show somewhere near
NYC). If you are looking for a good reason to take a Mexican
vacation (I'm sure their tourism could use an influx of Goths!)
now you have it!!! More news as it becomes available....


--------------------------------------------------------------------

Wow! Has it really been four months since our May 25th
appearance in Philadelphia at the Projekt festival!?! Here's a
question from Ryan W.:

Hi, Sam.  I had the joy of seeing Black Tape For a Blue Girl two
weekends in a row, in Hadley, Massachusetts and at Projektfest.
I can't remember the exact order of songs, and I want to be able
to forever relive the shows in my mind.  :)  Would you be able to
help me out? I know that both shows began with "The Scavenger
Bride" as an intro recording, followed by "The Touch and the
Darkness" and then "All My Lovers".  I know that they both ended
with "Entr'acte (The Garden Awaits Us)" leading into
"Decomposed By the Fire and the Firmanent."  Also, what was
the one song that you sang lead vocals for, at both shows?
Would you mind refreshing me on what exactly the set list was?
I hope asking you this doesn't bother you.  I'll probably end up
playing the songs in that order and fantasizing about being at the
show.  :)  Thanks, Sam! Ryan Wynns


Sam's reply: Here's the set list:
 	 1 the scavenger bride
 	 2 touch and the darkness
	  3 all my lovers
 	 4 overwhelmed, beneathe me
	  5 floats in the updrafts
 	 6 one last breath
 	 7 could i stay the honest one
 	 8 the lie which refuses to die
 	 9 across a thousand blades
 	 10 your one wish
 	 11 the whipper
	  12 bastille day, 1961
 	 13 ent'racte
 	 14 decomposed by the fire of the firmament

In Hadley, we did not perform #9 and Elysabeth sang #8. Bret
sang #8 in Philadelphia. I sang lead vocals on #10, which is
from "As one aflame laid bare by desire."

--------------------------------------------------------------------

"Kinski" at Amazon.com
Black tape for a blue girl's track "Kinski" is an Editor's Pick in
Amazon.com's download section -- please go to their site and
download the track, to boost us up the charts. The higher on the
chart, the more people listen to the song. The more listens, the
more sales. The more sales, the more bread and butter we have
on the table!    : )
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000658BZ//00
2-2336333-1776832?v=glance&s=digital-music&n=468648

--------------------------------------------------------------------

black tape's Elysabeth Grant asks:
	     Sam, Sarah and I have scoured the web many times to find
Projektfest pics, with very few results. Has anyone sent you any?
I saw a zillion cameras out there. I just don't understand...

Sam's reply:
	     Allright, they must be out there somewhere. Please email me
if  you have pictures of us posted on your site, so i can add a link
to http://www.blacktapeforabluegirl.com

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Dave S. asks:
	     Sam - I was wondering what equipment you have used on the
various Black Tape albums, particularly the most recent. Also, do
you find yourself using computers a lot or are you more of a
hardware-based musician? I know this is probably a subject you
have been asked about a lot so even if you could point me in the
direction of an existing interview, I'd be really grateful.

Sam's reply:
	     Dave, Prior to "the scavenger bride," I didn't use a computer in
the studio. But Steve Roach turned me onto a Harddrive
recording system called "Vegas" by Sonic Foundry, that offered
everything I had always dreamed of in a system. I begin my
songs on the keyboards (my sequencer is an Ensoniq ESQ-1,
and an EMU ESI4000 is what I use for sampling and many
sounds, an old Korg Poly-61 chips in an occasional ambient
sound). Once the songs are written (which usually takes about
three or four hours), I give them a week or two to breath. If I still
like them, then I transfer them track by track into Vegas (using it
as an infinite channel recorder). Because this is the first album
that used Vegas, it was also a learning process. I found the
editing and layering possibilities amazing, it let me build up
really dense ambient songs such as the opening track.... After I
had written the words, I brought the singers in to add their parts.
People might think that Elysabeth sang the song straight
through, like we do in Concert; that's never been the case. When
I record, I work in sections. Sometimes a verse, sometimes just
a line. And we try it different ways till we get something that we
are pleased with, before moving on. The digital system allows a
lot more flexibility, because you can save prior takes. On analog
(since I had an 8 track), you needed to record over prior takes
which was a drag. Now we can keep a variety of concepts on the
system, and see which works best once the whole song is layed
down. Mmmm? Was that a length answer, or what!
	 : )


--------------------------------------------------------------------

Fred wrote:
	     Hello Elysabeth, I will make this brief yet sincere. I am a new
fan and I love all the songs Black Tape For A Blue Girl songs I've
heard at MP3.com but I must say that I've been listening to "All My
Lovers" over and over and it (especially your beautifully
mesmerizing vocals) seriously penetrate my  deep, dark, empty,
and lonely soul. Thank you.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Harri  wrote:
      hi! and thanks for nice soundworld and music... i'm pretty
confused because two of your songs contains finnish prayer and
your homepage background houses looks like houses of
tampere or helsinki...would tell me about your finnish
background little... what is meaning all of that ? !!!! P.S: please
answer...because i have lot of friends that is confused too...

Sam's reply:
	     Harri, the houses on the cover of "the scavenger bride" are in
Prague. The fact that they look like Helsinki is a surprising
coincidence. You are correct that on the "Mesmerized by the
sirens" album, my friend Miira Ojanen spoke in Finnish. That
spoken part was taken from an 8mm film I made in college (at
the same time) called "faith." Miira and my friend Dimitri were in
that (he was sa naughty priest who chased young girls). You can
see "faith" on my "fragments" video tape. I liked the sound of her
voice in Finnish, so I used it on the album as well.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Alyda wrote:
	     I thought I was all right... I thought I knew what I was
doing... I
was getting ready to work make up some time at work, was
sipping coffee... I sat down to put on my shoes and saw the new
Black Tape "the scavenger bride" cd on the table.  I placed it
carefully in the DVD player (we have no stereo at the moment)
pressed play... entre majestic synths, more full than ever,
penetrating me... I stared at the blank blue screen of the tv... what
was I doing?  I opened the front door... It was sunny outside, a
bird sat in its nest, kids played across the street, the air was
refreshing, and the music... what was I supposed to be doing
today?  I'm suddenly lost, overwhelmed by this dreamy
ambiance. It's something I felt I had to share with someone... I
think this is their best BTFBG cd yet!

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Allion wrote:
	     I just went out and bought the cd today. (I was too poor to
afford it when it first came out.) I just wanted to say that I think
it
works beautifully as a concept album. Elysabeth's vocals are
mesmerizing (as always) and the music is reminiscent of
something classic but also new at the same time. It's timeless. I
can't wait to put this cd on for my clients, thank you guys so much
for making such unforgettable music. I hope everyone has a
good time at Projektfest and I wish you all the best. P.S. I love the
artwork too!

--------------------------------------------------------------------


L. wrote:
	     Hello Sam! I just wanted to say that I recently got my issue of
Alternative Press in the mail (late, I was on holiday), and it was
so great to see an awesome review on BTFABG!!  I believe it
should have been rated 10, but 9 is something not to complain
about. Its just nice for a change to see Projekt getting some
more space in magazines!!! Keep up the awesome work, and
the great music we all love!

here's the review she mentioned:

Alternative Press Magazine wrote:
ALTERNATIVE PRESS MAGAZINE #168  July 2002
Black Tape for a Blue Girl:  The Scavenger Bride
Kafkaesque disc avoids concept-album pitfalls to emerge as a
true work of art. | 9 out of 10 | Listening to "The Scavenger Bride"
by Black Tape for a Blue Girl is like sitting in a cathedral of
mindful gloom, feeling at once melancholy and reassured.  Sam
Rosenthal continues to be inspired by the art of Marcel
Duchamp, while author Franz Kafka serves as muse for this
concept album set in 1913 Prague.  The title track is a cinematic
overture, a portent of the artful blending of goth, ambient and
chamber music to follow.  Rich, timeless vocals by Elysabeth
Grant, Bret Helm, and others breathe dark life into the
passionate lyrics, but it's the instrumental passages-with flute by
Lisa Feuer, violin by Vicki Richards, cello by Julia Kent and
electronics by Rosenthal-that burrow deep with the greatest
poignancy.  Comparisons with Dead Can Dance have become
tiresome and inaccurate, for what Rosenthal is doing here is
more original and singular in its ability to touch the listener both
emotionally and intellectually.  - Mark Burbey


--------------------------------------------------------------------

Salvador Diaz Orduña wrote:
	     Elysabeth, I saw in the site about and read a little about your
answers, one of it was you wanna be "Animal" from the
muppets, are you feel like an animal? what kind of animal? I
think a vampire... Do you like the poetry?

Elysabeth's reply:
	     As far as the animal, It depends what day you ask me!  I think
I'm a monkey, but I might be a dog. I'm very loyal to my
friends,
but I can be mischievous and downright ridiculous.  Hey, since
when is a vampire an animal? As far as poetry: Love it. My
favorite is, without a doubt, Dorothy Parker.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Justin wrote:
    	 Hey, just thought I'd tell you that I bought your new cd "The
Scavenger Bride" today and was blown away by it.  Thank god I
heard about you guys from Outburn Mag. you new fan.

--------------------------------------------------------------------


Allen wrote:
	 Elysabeth. I saw you at Projektfest in Philadelphia (sorry so long
in e-mailing). My wife and I flew from Alabama for the Fest. You
were superb! You are a perfect vocalist for such a neo-classic
band like Black Tape. Anyway, this is just to let you know that
your voice is a gift, and thank you for sharing it with us!

--------------------------------------------------------------------

http://progressionmagazine.com/features/feature30.html

Hello to all on the black tape email list. i hope you are doing well.
my apologies for not getting a list together sooner. you'll see my
"excuse" a bit further down the list.
	 : )

i plan to try to send out the black tape list more frequently. if you
have any questions you'd like me to answer, please email them over.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////\
/////////////
		 a few web page updates:

i've added some new "scavenger bride" reviews to the projekt site:
http://www.projekt.com/projekt/product.asp?sku=PRO00130

i've added links to some recent interviews on the black tape site:
http://www.blacktapeforabluegirl.com/int1.html

and i've put a special sale up at projekt. get black tape's "the
scavenger bride" along with audra's "going to the theatre" for just
$19.98! as you might know, audra's bret helm sings two songs on "the
scavenger bride." audra's new album is excellent! i highly recommend
it, and i hope you take this opportunity to get your copy....
http://www.projekt.com/projekt/product.asp?sku=PROGOT03

check out tracks from our new album, download them and burn copies
for your friends! i don't fear mp3s!!!
http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/127/black_tape_for_a_blue_girl.html

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////\
/////////////


hello. i sent the following email earlier this week to the
projektlist. i thought it would be nice to share it with you, as
well. my apologies if you already received this...


The Truth behind Art, by Sam Rosenthal



hello..... the projektlist is my way to communicate with all of you
about the going-ons at projekt; and it's also been my way to get on a
soapbox and talk about issues in the music business & the world which
i think are worth stirring up discussion on. this week, however,
there's no projektlist, there's just a personal message.

i've been in touch with many of you for years and years and we've
shared a lot of music. today, i thought i'd share some private
things. lisa had our baby boy this weekend!!! we're back at home now
and doing very well, thank you..... we had planned on a natural
childbirth without drugs and medical intervention (if possible) and
that's what we got! lisa's water broke at 7:57pm saturday nite, we
were at the hospital around 9:05 and sasha was born with three pushes
at 9:32. it couldn't have been more natural, except if sasha had been
born at home -- which almost happened! you can see sasha's first
pictures and read more about the labor here....

Sasha Nikolai Rosenthal
http://www.projekt.com/sasha/
Sam Rosenthal & Lisa Feuer


in interacting with some fans, i notice that you place musicians on a
slightly elevated plane. while that compliment is kind, believe me,
we're normal people like each of you. we work every day (and
weekends) to bring home enough money to put food on our table and
keep ourselves healthy; you're the people that make it possible! like
most projekt artists, we have a 9-5 job. for lisa and i, that job is
getting you the music you want to hear! your orders through our
website serves as our primary source of income! (store sales end up
"costing" as much or more than they earn!). the fact that i don't
have to work in a corporate job is very nice. the fact that i have to
be my own boss and make sure that EVERYDAY there are sales coming in
is pretty scary! we work at home, which will be very convenient for
raising a kid, but a bit of a daunting reality when i know that if
projekt doesn't succeed, we're moving to cardboard boxes under the
overpass!
	 : )

in preparing for sasha's arrival, i've been trying to step back a
bit.... keeping aware that his life marks an important change in
priorities. this doesn't separate me from projekt, but rather helps
me keep focused on the important stuff. yeah, i've pissed off a few
djs in the last months, when i told them "no, you can't have five
free cds, you can only have one!" and also artists, when i question
the logic of releasing their cd.... but i have to be realistic. i
have to make sure we earn enough "profit" to pay the rent each month,
as well as keep supplied with cloth diapers and soy milk (for
lisa)....

you know, you (whomever is reading this) are the reason we release
cds at projekt. people in the industry would like me to believe
otherwise. black tape for a blue girl (lisa and my band) creates
music first to satisfy my artistic need, and then to satisfy our
fans! we don't do this because we want to pay thousands of dollars to
co-op the album at a record store,   because our desire is to buy
expensive ads in national magazines, or 'cause we really want to send
600 promos to try to get publicity, only to see them turn up on ebay
for 1¢..... that's all capitalist crap that makes being a record
label owner suck!

we make music for ourselves and for you.... this is the perspective
and priority i want to remind myself about. everyone wants something,
but i need to focus on WHY i do this. Basically, i'm an artist. i
make art. like all artists of the last 100 years, i also have to be a
businessman. i have to be my own agent, i have to sell something
every day to keep eating and living in the poverty i am used to. so
that's where i'm gonna get sappy and cheesy. if you wanna do
something nice for sasha, lisa, projekt and me... please purchase a
couple of black tape for a blue girl cds from the projekt site this
week. it's not that we're desperate --- you have been very good to us
these last few years -- but a little extra never hurts when you have
a new baby in the house....

http://www.projekt.com/projekt/product.asp?sku=PRO00130

with lots of love from the three of us....
Sam Rosenthal
& Lisa Feuer
& Sasha too (though he's too sleepy to say anything)


[ feel free to circulate this message in newgroups and with your
black tape fan friends ]

Hello... I'm sorry about the real last minuteness of this.... we are
playing three shows in the next nine days, one is today in New York
City. Come on out if you can!!!




rare black tape for a blue girl live performances
black tape for a blue girl will *not* be touring in support of "the
scavenger bride." However, I have arranged two shows to "warm up" for
the Projektfest. Come on out and support the band and watch us
blunder our way through our first live shows since late 1999.
	 : )

These three shows are the only ones currently scheduled this year.
       The line-up at the first two will be:
       Elysabeth Grant, Lisa Feuer, Michael Laird & Sam Rosenthal.
       Bret Helm will join us *only* in Philadelphia


Virgin Megastore ~ Union Square ~ New York City
Thursday May 16th, 6:00pm sharp, so don't be late!!!!
14th & Broadway; 212-598-4666
Rare New York City In-Store Appearance


D'Arcangel Productions Presents:
Live in concert: black tape for a blue girl
Necrology ~ Hadley, MA
Friday, May 17, American Legion Post 271 162 Russell St. (Rte. 9)
$10 in advance $12 at the door All Ages (21+ to drink) Doors open at 8:00
Hosts: DJ D'Arcangel and DJ Azrael for more information: (413) 348-1869
djdarcangel@... djazrael@...
http://www.darcangelproductions.net


Trocadero ~ Philadelphia ~ Projektfest Night 2
Saturday May 25th, 10pm, 1003 Arch St; Philadelphia PA 19107-2307
(215)922-LIVE  directions: http://www.thetroc.com/thing003.htm
http://www.projektfest.com




--

Sam Rosenthal
http://www.blacktapeforabluegirl.com/

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

ooooops! it seems that ten days ago, when amazon.com put our new
track "kinski" up for download, they burned the wrong track. it
wasn't until a few days ago that an observant fan brought this error
to my attention. so, if you listened to the song last week and
thought it was weird that it was an instrumental - and not the song i
described with elysabeth's vocals - you were right!

i've had them fix the problem. and in fact, the song is doing quite well!!!
#1 in amazon's goth/industrial downloads
#8 in their alternative downloads
and #44 in overall downloads.

wow! please check the song out:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000658BZ/102-8938072-6136904


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
the scavenger bride is now available for preorders
http://www.projekt.com/projekt/product.asp?sku=PRO00130
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

- sam

see us at the projekt festival 2002: http://www.projektfest.com/
festival tickets purchased from projekt.com before may 1st
	 get a free fest-shirt with every order!
		 : )

--


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

an update from black tape for a blue girl's sam rosenthal.....




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
the scavenger bride now available for preorders
http://www.projekt.com/projekt/product.asp?sku=PRO00130
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

hello to everyone on the list. my apologies for not getting an email
out sooner. i've been incredibly swamped with work at projekt. lisa's
actually out of town at gothcon for the weekend, which gave me a
chance to scratch a few items off my never-ending "to do" list . . .
and thus, here we are!
	 : )

the new black tape for a blue girl cd, "the scavenger bride," will be
available in stores around the country (and the world)  on april
23rd. loyal fans don't have to wait another month for the album,
however..... the cd is available for pre-order through the
projekt.com website at the link above. i've arranged a special deal
(running through april 23rd): the album is available for $11.98! in
the united states this price also covers first class shipping . . .
and you get a projekt sampler with your order.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
black tape live at the projektfest in philadelphia
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
i'd also like to remind you that black tape for a blue girl is making
a rare appearance at the projekt festival in philadelphia on may
25th. read the full details here: http://www.projektfest.com/

we will not be touring this time around, as we did in the past, so if
you want to catch us performing songs off "the scavenger bride,"
please come out to the festival. ten great projekt bands will be
performing over the 3 days of the event and the price is only $60.
you get a free tshirt if you order tickets from projekt.com before
may 1st....


as soon as we get done with the festival i'm gonna go back into the
studio to start on a new album. i feel that having an album out every
sixteen months is a good goal, ratther than waiting three years
because of a lot of touring in between.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
exclusive download at amazon.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000658BZ/102-8938072-6136904
the track "kinski" is available for download only at amazon.com -- it
is *not* on our mp3.com page.

France's Elegy Magazine asked me about this song in an upcoming interview...

Q: "Kinski". An interesting title. Lyrics filled with passion. Please
explain the title and the conflict expressed within the lyrics of
this song.

A: I was quite interested in writing a song about Klaus Kinski for
this album. I'm really fond of this actor and I've gotten Lisa
hooked, as well; Julia is also a Kinski fan. I had written two
separate sets of lyrics for the song however I wasn't pleased with
how they were going. I asked Lisa to take a crack at it and she wrote
a poem about Klaus which I based most of the words on. As far as the
conflict? The song set's up the bride's desire for a man, sketches
out a description of his traits, but then watches it all evaporate by
the end. It is the beginning of her quest. I love the way Elysabeth
captured all of this in her vocals...




a message from elysabeth grant - black tape's vocalist...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Greetings everyone. I hope you're all excited about 'The Scavenger
Bride' release. I know I am. After playing well over 50 shows with
blacktape, I'm thrilled to have a full length album done. I feel
honored to be a part of a project where there are so many talented
musicians involved.

If you haven't checked out the mp3 songs, please take five minutes
and do it!  <http://www.mp3.com/blacktape>www.mp3.com/blacktape.
There are two new songs available. I sing with Bret Helm on 'All my
Lovers' - one of my favorite songs on the album. I guess you could
say that it's more upbeat than most blacktape songs, with live drums
by Michael Laird! The other song, "Floats in the Updrafts" is sung by
Athan Maroulis... and what a voice.

Another big event is Projektfest. If you voted to have us play, a big
THANK YOU! I've been telling Sam that I've been craving to play live
again. It's been far too long. Thanks for making that happen for us.

See you in May! xoxo Elysabeth Grant
   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

elysabeth is right about "all my lovers" being different from your
usual black tape song. it's got a nice rhythm (in 3) and a catchy
chorus.... here's a comment from DJ D'Arcangel of Necrology at the
American Legion in Hadley, MA on Friday nights:

Hi, Sam- So I played "All My Lovers" at the club last night... and it
did really really well.  People on the floor stayed, and it even drew
a few more onto it to dance.  Pretty impressive for a song they'd
never heard before!  :-)
Thought you'd like to know.


"the scavenger bride" has already gotten some great press....
http://www.musictap.net/blacktapescavengerbride.htm
http://www.starvox.net/cdr/bt.htm
http://www.mediaplusmagazine.com/
http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Aec2uakjk0m3l



an excerpt from musictap.net:
Years past, Lou Reed made a conceptual album named "Berlin" and
called it a "movie of the mind". Black Tape's eighth, and latest
masterpiece, "the scavenger bride" is reminescent of that idea except
they create "movies of the soul". Replete with the lushness of love
and the darkness of rejection, "the scavenger bride" unfolds a
remarkable set of songs. Each song, a testament to the genius of
black tape's founder, Sam Rosenthal, wends its way through the broken
down and lost pathways leading to the human spirit. What it finds
there, in that spirit, is neither peace nor transcendence but rather
a miasma of excrutiating intense and icicled discoveries.

a review from mediaplusmagazine.com
| 25 out of 25 | "Over fifteen years later, Sam Rosenthal has
finished his eighth Black Tape For A Blue Girl release. As usual, the
band, with various other musicians from other Projekt bands,
consummate an audio CD inspired, in part, by the artwork of Marcel
Duchamp and the writings of Franz Kafka. The CD, The Scavenger Bride,
marks the 130th release for the Projekt label. BTFABG is the flagship
band on the label, a label filled with bands that, like BTFABG, over
the last decade and a half have coined the term "Darkwave." the
scavenger bride, is a tranquil blend of orgasmic male and female
vocals that brush across your ear drums like whispers at midnight.
Stringed instruments never sounded so enrapturing. Not so long ago,
BTFABG released their sixth CD, remnants of a deeper purity, which,
ironically, the scavenger bride, itself, continues to be. Best taken
in the dark, submerged in



i've created a special website for the new album,
http://www.thescavengerbride.com/
read interviews, see images, hear music....



thanks so much for your interest in black tape for a blue girl.
i'll have a new message soon, promise....

- sam rosenthal


http://www.blacktapeforabluegirl.com
--


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

hello. this quick update gives you a rundown of recent activity with
regards to our new album, "the scavenger bride." the album is
completely recorded and the mastering is almost finished. i've
designed a beautiful 24 page booklet filled with images, lyrics and
stories that complete the theme of the album. it's now at the
pressing plant. i am extremely happy with the way the album turned
out. it's dense yet delicate and i got to work with a lot of
guests/friends, which gives new energy to my music . . . while still
givin' you the black tape for a blue girl you love....

................................................................................\
.............

"the scavenger bride," black tape's eighth release, is a lovingly
crafted album that tells the darkly romantic tale of a bride-to-be's
decomposition and emotional restructuring, together with accounts of
the bachelors who have wooed and lost her, all narrated by the
mysterious schavager. set in 1913 prague, the recurring characters
and themes running throughout the thirteen songs nurture black tape
for a blue girl's first true "concept album."

read a full description of the album here:
http://www.thescavengerbride.com/cdpress.html

................................................................................\
.............


i've been very busy getting pre-promotion ready for the cd, which
will be in stores on april 23. i know that seems like *forever* --
but don't worry; it is available for pre-order through the projekt
site and i will ship out copies to the loyal fans as soon as we have
them in our hands. the site says april 2 for the ship date, but if
you don't tell, i won't either!
	 : )


here's some recent scavenger activity

	 1) http://www.projekt.com/projekt/product.asp?sku=PRO00130 --
read about the album, and preorder.

	 2) http://www.mp3.com/blacktape -- this morning, i uploaded
two new tracks: "all my lovers" (vocals by elysabeth and audra's bret
helm, mandolin and percussion by unto ashes' michael laird) and
"floats in the updrafts" (vocals by spahn ranch's athan maroulis,
flute by lisa feuer). they are available for streaming or download.

	 3) http://www.thescavengerbride.com -- this is the electronic
press kit, for our journalist and media friends. you will enjoy it,
too, because it has lots of info on the new album as well as a brand
new interview and the faq section.

	 4) we've received a big box of "the scavenger bride"
postcards. if you'd like to pass some out in your hometown,  email
maven@... with "i wanna hand out scavenger bride cards" as
your subject. include your mailing address and how many cards you
would like (5 - 10 - 25 - 50?). here is what the card looks like:
	 http://www.projekt.com/projekt/assets/images/postcard-PRO130a.jpg

	 5) borders listening station -- our 1996 album "remnants of a
deeper purity" is featured nationwide in a borders listening station,
through March 12th. this is a great chance to hear the album before
you purchase. your purchases through this promotion will encourage
borders to give more attention to "the scavenger bride," when it
comes out. thanks!

	 6) http://www.blacktapeforabluegirl.com/band.html -- i just
posted a fun "slam book"-type interview with elysabeth, lisa and
myself.

	 7) http://www.projektfestival.com -- can you guess which band
will be in one of the tba slots at the projekt festival? more details
soon.



thanks so much.... i'll be back with an update very soon.
stay well



- sam
--

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

of these reminders list #2
                          october 20 2001 / blacktape@...
			   .....................from sam rosenthal


Wow! It's been two months since my last update. So much has happened
in the world; but I'm not gonna depress you by talking about that.
I'm gonna give you a few minutes of satisfying distractions......


t h e   n e w   a l b u m

Progress on the new black tape for a blue girl album continues; I am
really pleased with how it's coming along. As I mentioned previously,
I'm now recording on a PC, which gives me incredibly delicate control
over my mix and song flow, as well as allows me the luxury of
infinite tracks per song, if it's called for. Previously, I recorded
on an analog 8 track (yeah, all the black tape cds were recorded on
an 8 track!!!) which really was limiting, since one track was set
aside for the midi, which left me only seven for vocals, instruments,
etc.... wow. it's great to get into the 90s!
	 : )

Currently, I have around 50 minutes of material for the album. There
are a number of minimal pieces with cello and violin, that's sort of
like bits of "Remnants of a deeper purity," yet more refined. There's
also ethereal tracks, featuring vocalist Elysabeth (who was here at
the beginning of the month recording vocals on four songs: "Kinski,"
"The Doorkeeper," "Bastille Day, 1961" and a cover of a Sonic Youth
track). I now have a really good grasp on the flow of the album and
the themes are coming together. Wherein the last album had a
Duchampian influence, the new one has some Kafka-inspired pieces
(including a track "Like a dog / letter to Brod" which is drawn from
his journals and letters). I'm still working on defining the theme;
I'll let you know as soon as I can clearly express it (it's pretty
hard to do, when in the middle of the creation process).

Elysabeth will be back in late November - as will my new male
vocalist - to finish up recording for the album. I expect to wrap up
the mixing in early December and the CD will be available through the
Projekt website in early 2002, in advance of the general release in
April. As you have probably noticed, I haven't mentioned the name of
the album, yet. I'm pretty sure I know what it is, but I'm not ready
to speak it... (but soon!)

"Kinski (early mix)" will appear on the Neue Asthetik Multimedia CD
compilation "The Velvet Box," released in the next couple of months.
Speaking of Kinski, the Sept. issue of Germany's Orkus magazine
featured a two-page article on Klaus which I wrote (and they
translated)... and the conclusion will be in the October issue. I'm
writing an expanded version of this article (which will be in
English, naturally) for Issue #7 of New York's Sentimentalist
Magazine. That will be out in November. We will carry that - as well
as "The Velvet Box" - through the http://www.projekt.com store.


p a s t   r e l e a s e s

My solo electronic album "before the buildings fell" (which was
recorded in 1986, simultaneously with "the rope") is on sale at the
projekt site for $5.98. Many of you are catching up with this
release, now.... thanks for all the nice comments
http://www.projekt.com/projekt/product.asp?sku=PRO00024


w e b s i t e   s t u f f

The website has a couple of shots of Lisa and Elysabeth that I took
with the digital camera while shooting photos for the cd booklet.
Speaking of photos, you can help me out. If you have any shots on
your website of black tape live shows, please get in touch. I am
trying to update the Photo Gallery page with links. Thanks!

I'm going to redesign the site, shortly. Let me know if there is
anything you'd like to see.
email me at: blacktape@...

well, that's everything for now.
stay well, my friends.....

Sam

http://www.blacktapeforabluegirl.com
Black tape MP3s: http://www.mp3.com/blacktape
projekt festival 2002: http://www.projektfest.com/

--

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

of these reminders list #1
august 25 2001 / blacktape@...

		 .....................from sam rosenthal


hello..... this is my first message via my yahoo "of these reminders"
group. if there's anything buggy, please get in touch so I can try to
resolve the problem...

currently, i'm writing and recording material for the new black tape
for a blue girl cd. i'd guess that i wrote about 45 minutes worth of
sketches prior to march. then i canned all of that and started again
using my new computer-based recording system (ah, the days of open
reel 8-track are finally over!). right now, i have another 30 minutes
worth of rejected material on the hard drive (in various forms of
completion) and 37 minutes worth of strong songs, which most likely
will make it to the new cd. i'm hoping to have it mixed by november -
for release sometime in early 2002 - which means i've gotta get
writing! i'm going into the studio in a few hours...

one of the completed songs is "Bastille day, 1961" which i wrote for
elysabeth to sing. it will close the album; a real emotional one
there! i don't have a name for the album or a cover image yet....
it's still all jumbled together in my head; i've had a lot of
different ideas - since "Aflame" - about the concept for the
material. i've been asked in interviews how i will "make it better
than the last album?" and my answer is that i don't try to make it
better, i just try to make it what i want to hear. each one is
different because of where i'm at and who i bring into the band.... i
think that trying to top yourself is a disaster waiting to happen.
it's better to just go forward and see what evolves....

elysabeth is flying to nyc in the middle of september to start
recording vocals and viola. lisa is rehearsing a couple of flute
parts as well... people emailed asking about the band line-up for the
cd.... currently lisa, elysabeth & i are the core and there will be a
number of guest musicians adding their own touches. vicki has had
muscle problems in her hand which might preclude her involvement on
this release, which is really unfortunate -- but she says that her
condition is improving. i have some material we recorded in 1999
which I need to sort through to see what might be right for this
release. julianna and oscar are no longer involved with black tape
for a blue girl. julianna and i mutually (?) decided to stop working
together after we toured for "aflame" in 1998 (which is when
elysabeth was invited into the band), while oscar felt it was time to
move on. he and i are still in touch and everything is fine,
there...... i could dish blacktape dirt on other band members... but
i guess you'll have to wait for the tell-all book!
	 : )

let's see, what else? ummm.... lisa and i are happily married and
spending too many hours a week working at projekt. that's the main
thing that keeps me from my art, which is an on-going thorn in my
side! i plan to keep pushing myself into the studio to work on music,
so that it won't be another three years between albums. i owe it to
me and i owe it to you...

1) i added the "what's your favorite album" poll back to the site,
since it expired before most of you were signed up.
       http://groups.yahoo.com/group/of_these_reminders/surveys?id=10151776
       take a minute and place your vote, i'm interested in your answers....
2) at some point, i'm gonna do a yahoo chat.... not sure when, yet.
3) if you don't own it yet, "As one aflame laid bare by desire" is on
sale at the projekt site for $8.98!
       http://www.projekt.com/projekt/product.asp?sku=PRO00086
4) my solo electronic album from 1986 - "before the buildings fell" -
is on sale for $5.98
       http://www.projekt.com/projekt/product.asp?dept_id=10&sku=PRO00024
5) listen to black tape tracks in mp3 or streaming real audio format:
       http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/127/black_tape_for_a_blue_girl.html
6) there's a new projekt compilation called "within this infinite
ocean...." which features
       the 2nd recorded track from elysabeth, "overwhelmed, beneath me
(2000 version)."
       it will be on sale exclusively at borders, starting next month,
for the insanely
       low price of $3.99. get yourself (and your friends) a copy.
we're always trying to
       be value-conscious at projekt...


i guess that's it... have a nice weekend.


- Sam Rosenthal
    http://www.blacktapeforabluegirl.com

--

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Enter your vote today!  A new poll has been created for the
of_these_reminders group:

Ok. Here it is again, now that everyone is signed up.... I'm curious,
what your favorite black tape for a blue girl album is. Sorry, you can
only pick one.....


   o the rope
   o mesmerized by the sirens
   o ashes in the brittle air
   o a chaos of desire
   o this lush garden within
   o remnants of a deeper purity
   o as one aflame laid bare by desire


To vote, please visit the following web page:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/of_these_reminders/polls

Note: Please do not reply to this message. Poll votes are
not collected via email. To vote, you must go to the Yahoo! Groups
web site listed above.

Thanks!