WINTER (no discontent . . . . at least not much)

Hello, folks! I hope all is well with you and yours during this potentially blustery season (it depends on where you live -- here in Reno it's pretty nice at the moment).

So this first part of next year will be a pretty exciting time for Mister Vague. I'm planning on releasing two different EPs within a few months of each other -- one as an online only deal, the other an actual for-sale release. I'm not planning any recordings beyond publishing demos in 2009, so this will be it for the year.

First, the freebie (sort of): it will be called "See What I Mean" and my hope is to have it out by the start of 2009. It may be earlier actually, but I'll let you know on that one! It features the former Reno live trio (me on guitar and vocals, Marcus Mayhall on bass and vocals, Jason Thomas on drums) and will have some of the songs we were doing regularly at shows this year, recorded excellently by good ol' Chris Finley at his Toxic Studios in Reno. At least half of it is quite loud, I can tell you that much!

"See What I Mean" will be available on the Mister Vague Music site for free, complete with some artwork (not CD size, but nice and big so you can print it out and actually read it!). You can download individual tracks or a ZIP file that has a surprise or two placed in its little folder. I'll also have a PayPal donate button if you are so inclined, but no pressure! I see this as a thanks for the five-plus years that many of you have stuck with Mister Vague and his humble little tunes.

Next, the non-freebie: I just got back from recording five songs in Madison at Smart Studios, co-owned by Butch Vig. It's known as the recording or mixing site for a bunch of records I like: Nirvana's "Nevermind," the first two Smashing Pumpkins records, Overwhelming Colorfast (look them up!) and Death Cab's "Plans," among tons of others.

While I was talking with Dorraine on the phone from Smart one night, I looked up and there was the MTV award for Garbage sitting on a shelf! Reminded me of the Helmet gold record that was tacked up on the toilet wall at Am Rep in Minneapolis back in the '90s.

Anyway, this second EP features excellent players from Madison, set up by my label prez Eric Hester, who is also the producer this time. I'll have more details on this one later as we get closer to release.

I'm also planning a bunch of shows as the year turns. They will be on this site as I get confirmations, but you can always see the latest at the My Space site: www.myspace.com/mistervague

Thanks very much for keeping the support going. During my recent hibernation in the fall, I got a lot of supportive emails and such for Mister Vague, so I appreciate it. I'll keep it going as long as we all can possibly stand it . . . .

MARK E