Hello to one and all! I am pleased to announce that on
August 15, the date marking the 46th anniversary of the opening day
of Woodstock, I will be independently releasing the Aura Blaze debut full-length
as a digital download.
Though I had originally intended to work with a label in
bringing this album to fruition, ideally on vinyl, it has since been made
apparent to me by the labels I have been in contact with that, despite the
genuine interest and market potential that many of them see for what I have to
offer with this release, they do in fact require that their acts tour regularly
before they decide to extend a record deal offer.
As most of you are aware, Aura Blaze is a solo studio
project managed entirely by myself, Rhode Rachel. Though assembling a live Aura
Blaze lineup is indeed a goal of mine on the horizon for the future, touring is
not a possibility at this point in time. Forming a live band entails the
channeling of very specific energies, all of which I am currently directing
towards recording and production, what with my main priority being not only the
release of the debut but the recording and production for the second Aura Blaze
album which is already well underway.
With this taken into account, and not least my desire to retain
the rights to the master recordings, I have decided that rather than waiting
indefinitely for a label to get this album off the ground it would make the
most sense for me to handle releasing it myself, digitally.
For the purist audiophiles out there, please note that I still
intent to release the album on vinyl but I do not have a precise timetable as
to when this will happen as there are a number of factors involved that will
require my full attention and due diligence.
Thank you all for your patience and your continued support.
I am thoroughly excited to finally share these songs with you!
On Wednesday, October 7th, I had the privilege to meet Rod Argent and Colin Blunstone of the psychedelic pop legends The Zombies while attending their exclusive "BackStory" event at AOL studios in New York. 
