Damascus, Syria

Ice Cream Dreams

Booza (بوظة) means “ice cream” in Arabic. I used that word at least once a day when living in the Arab world. Why? Because the booza is amazing there and I was constantly asking people where to find it.

We lived in the old city of Damascus for a year and about two minutes from our house in the old Hamidiyeh Market was the world-famous Bakdash ice cream parlor.

Half the fun of the experience is the parlor itself. The entrance and the employees' outfits give it an old colonial soda shop feel. The house specialty is a sap, milk-flavored mix named 'haleeb' (Arabic for milk).

They give you a massive scoop either in a bowl or on a cone, then they shower it in pistachios. Quite a tasty dairy delight.

I drew this picture while waiting to be served, clearly with one thing on my mind. The stuff is so good, I dream about it sometimes.

The video below shows how my favorite ice cream is holding up in hard times. Love to Syria.

Language of Ghosts Trailer

Language of Ghosts Trailer

THANK YOU FOR A SUCCESSFUL KICKSTARTER!

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2013

Because of you, 2013 was one of the most memorable years of my life. I can't thank you all enough. I'm proud to announce that my album is now completely mixed and will soon be shipped off for mastering.

I had initially planned on releasing the album earlier this month (December), but soon learned that the recording process would take a lot longer than planned. Also, based on the advice of many friends in the music industry, I realized that releasing a solo album in December is perhaps the worst time of year to do so because of all the major label competition.

Here's an article that sums up this idea.

So instead of rushing to get the album out quickly, I decided it would be better to take my time and make sure things are done properly. January and February will be dedicated to mastering the album and making a music video or two to use during the launch of my album. Early March is when my marketing blitz will begin (radio, web, print, etc). I will release a single to promote the upcoming release of the album and the new release date will take place somewhere towards the end of March or beginning of April. Soon after I will begin a small summer tour, hopefully coming to a town near you, to promote the album!

I apologize for having to push things back so much, but this has been a learning process for me, and one of the things that I have learned is that recording an album is A LOT of work. So, I want to make this count.

Let me also thank everyone who has shown their support by attending one of my Fall concerts. It was great to see all of you and I had a blast each time! 2014 promises to be a big year for my music and I'm so glad you are all a part of it. If you have any questions please feel free to email me or FB message me anytime. In the mean time, I've attached a little album teaser. Enjoy!

Austin, Texas

I'll be recording my album at Good Danny's the second and third weeks of November. Good Danny's was named Austin's best recording studio by the Austin Music Industry Awards. Soooo Cool!

Also, I'm thrilled to announce that Maurice Chammah and Matt Puckett of Mother Falcon have joined my production team! If you haven't heard of Mother Falcon, here's a (not so) tiny desk concert they did for NPR. Maurice is the guy rocking the violin at the beginning.

We met with the Fat Cat Music guys Christopher Cox and Grant Johnson on Monday and began plotting out the arrangements for the album. I've had a grin from ear to ear since. It's gonna be good.

ALSO!

I'm pleased to announce my first two concerts in Austin! On Nov 22nd & 23rd, Emilie and I will perform an intimate house concert, free for all of those who donated to my Kickstarter (limit 1 ticket per donation).

If you would like to come, please RSVP here, via Facebook message or by sending me an email. Please, let me know which show you plan on attending, and if you plan on buying tickets for any friends so that I can hold them for you. All other tickets are $8 and they will go on sale publicly later today.

There is extremely limited seating (only 25 seats per show) so please RSVP ASAP!!!

A limited edition EP will be available at the concert as well as pre-orders of my upcoming album and a live recording of my birthday concert.

Hope to see you there!

Scott