After the crazy-fun social media foreplay that was 2005-2007, last year was the disappointing realization that this is not porn and we really DO need long-term commitment if we want satisfaction at the end. I survived, barely, but a lot of my friends both digital and corporeal suffered heavy losses and are currently regrouping.

I’m still self-employed, but I’m not able to tour like I did in 2007. In fact, I’ll be lucky if I can get on the road again without a record deal.

All that being said, we have great cause for hope. American ingenuity reacts inversely to the stock market; we find our best ups when we’re really down. Currently, I’m drawing a blank other than “work my ass off”, but a wartime strategy is in the works. When the pickings are this slim the noise of less-worthy competitors dies away, leaving the battle-hardened lifers on the front line alone. The halfhearted indie bands go back to their day jobs while the shining stars like Geoff Smith and JoCo find better opportunities.

Perhaps I’ll be so lucky.

It’ll only be a good 2009 with a lot of effort and help from you. Yeah, you, the person reading this right now. I am nothing without your support. No one finds out about Matthew Ebel dot net or Goodbye Planet Earth unless you tell them. I can wave my arms, light myself on fire, and dance naked in the streets, but nobody pays attention to the self-promoter. You are my lifeline in these dire economic times, and you are what kept me alive in 2008.

Let’s see what we can do together this year.

Photo by Daisy’s Little Cottage