Link to Joel's blog - Journal And Journey

Journal and Journey
Tangled Blue News - November 2010
Tangled Blue News - October 2010
Tangled Blue News - August 2010
Tangled Blue Spring Newsletter
Aimee and I left our neighborhood in Minneapolis last week before the crab apple trees blossomed to enjoy the dogwoods of southern Illinois and St. Louis. We returned home late Monday night. My trip to the post office yesterday revealed that the trees on the parkway were in full bloom! Next to the front steps of our house there's a bleeding heart flower we planted and a number of native plants along the walkway. Most were the gracious gifts of our neighbors. They survived the winter and bloomed while we were away so that the walkway is adorned by red prairie smoke and the steps by pink and white bleeding hearts. In time, the orange and yellow day lilies and the blue spiderwort will show their colors. We may miss those blossoms as our summer fills up with performances, so I committed a few moments to stillness and enjoyed the blooming, bleeding heart this afternoon.
We spent this past week driving 1,200 miles, leading four worship services, performing three concerts, participating in a songwriters’ conference, reuniting with family and old friends, and meeting new friends. We’ve been reading Madeleine L'Engle's "The Irrational Season". A line we read on the drive has stuck to me throughout this week: "We've been promised freedom. We've not been promised independence." The more I travel, the more I know this statement is true. I might even go one further and say that true freedom only comes to those in community. Freedom and community are, at least, connected in a way that cannot be separated without greatly diminishing them both. What are your thoughts on this? I would really like to hear your thoughts. We've experienced a lot of freedom because of the communities who host us and our music. Thanks for being part of our community.
We started this little pledge drive on kickstarter.com 28 days ago and $3,560 has been pledged so far! As usual, we are honored by the great generosity of people. That's 51 percent of our $7,000 goal! There are 12 days left, and I want to take a moment to spell out exactly how this whole pledging process works... Folks use their credit card to make their pledge on our kickstarter page; http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1103349008/new-music-for-worship-by-tangled-blue is the address for our page. The credit card used is not charged on the day the pledge is made. The pledge amount is charged on May 10th (the day our pledge drive ends) via Amazon.com’s secure network only if we reach our goal of $7,000. One of the reasons we chose kickstarter is because the pledges are only turned into dollars if we meet or exceed our goal. If we haven't reached $7,000 in pledges by May 10th there won't be a project to fund. I think this is a good thing. Our goal of releasing at least two new recordings in the next 20 months isn't realistically achievable without financial support. Though $3,560 is no small amount of support, we'll need the full amount to bring this music into full bloom.
There is a season for everything, and we've had a lot of music springing up in us lately. If we don't meet our goal on May 10th we won't stop working on these new songs. You will get to hear them eventually, but we would like to share them with you in this season. If every credit-card-carrying reader of this newsletter pledges $10 between now and May 10th we will exceed our goal of $7,000! For folks who pledge we've set up a few rewards. These rewards are set at the same price points as they would be if you were making a purchase of our music. A $10 pledge has a reward of all of the songs in our next recording in MP3 format. A $25 pledge has all of the songs as MP3 files and a signed CD. Go to http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1103349008/new-music-for-worship-by-tangled-blue for a complete list of all twelve rewards. I've also posted two video journals of songs that may go on the new recordings to our kickstarter page. Simply click on the updates tab on our kickstarter page to view the videos, and let me know what you think of the new tunes. I plan on posting a couple new songs to our kickstarter page in the coming week, so check back to hear more of what we're working on. One last note on this pledging thing... we've heard from a few folks that they want to pledge but they don't use their credit cards online. If you would like to pledge with a personal check please print our pledge form and send in your pledge in the coming week. The address for the pledge form is http://tangledblue.com/pledgeform.pdf
We've added a couple new performances in the coming weeks. Aimee and I will be performing as part of a larger group at the Minnesota state capitol next week, and we have some great shows planned in South Dakota. I'll end this newsletter with a full list of our upcoming performances and worship services we will be leading. Thanks for listening. I hope to see you soon.
Under the Mercy,
Joel
Upcoming Performances and OPEN dates
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Thursday, May 6th, 2010
MN Capitol National Day of Prayer - 11:30am
Minnesota State Capitol
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Friday, May 7th, 2010
Private concert in Sioux Falls
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Saturday, May 8th, 2010
Thank You Concert - 7:00pm
Univ. of Sioux Falls McDonald Center - Java City (lower level)
After eight years and 400,000 miles traveled we want to say "thanks". Admission is free. Your support is always welcomed. If you would like to help make this concert a success please invite your friends and consider pledging toward our next recording project at kickstarter.com by May 10th.
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Sunday, May 9th, 2010
Worship in Sioux Falls - 10:45am
Memorial Lutheran Church
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Saturday, May 15th, 2010
Concert in Robbinsdale, MN
Details will be posted soon!
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Friday, May 21st, 2010
Community Grill Out and Concert - 6:30pm
Peace Lutheran Church
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Sunday, May 30th, 2010
Worship in Inver Grove Heights - 9:30am
Emanuel Lutheran Church
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Sunday, June 6th, 2010
Worship in Edina - 10:45am
Cross View Lutheran Church
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Wednesday, June 9th, 2010
OPEN in North Dakota
mailto: info@tangledblue.com
We are looking to schedule a performance in North Dakota. Contact us if you would like to schedule a concert in your home town!
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Thursday, June 10th, 2010
Concert Dickinson, ND - 6:30pm
Redeemer Lutheran Church
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Friday, June 11th, 2010
Thank You Concert - 7:00pm
Boneshaker Coffee Company
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Saturday, June 12th, 2010
OPEN in North Dakota
mailto: info@tangledblue.com
We are looking to schedule performances in North Dakota from June 12th through June 17th. Contact us for more information!
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Saturday, June 19th, 2010
North Dakota District Lutheran Woman's Missionary League Convention
http://www.nd-lwml.org
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Thursday, June 24th, 2010
North Dakota District Youth Gathering
Jamestown College
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Sunday, June 27th, 2010
Disciple Project 2010
Texas Lutheran University
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Sunday, July 4th, 2010
Worship in Plano, TX - 9:45am
Resurrection Lutheran Church
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Sunday, July 11th, 2010
OPEN in the southern states
mailto: info@tangledblue.com
We are looking to schedule concerts and lead music in worship services in OK, TX, and LA from July 5th through July 16th. Contact us if you would like to host Tangled Blue in your community!
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Sunday, July 18th, 2010
Youth Gathering in New Orleans, LA
We will be performing at the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod National Youth Gathering on July 18, 19, and 20. We will post more details soon!
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Sunday, July 25th, 2010
Guest Artists @ Outlaw Ranch
Outlaw Ranch
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Saturday, July 31st, 2010
Concert in Rapid City, SD - 7:00pm
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Wednesday, August 11th, 2010
Concert in Littleton, CO - 7:00pm
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Sunday, August 15th, 2010
OPEN in August
mailto: info@tangledblue.com
We are looking to schedule concerts and lead music in worship services in August. Contact us for more information.
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Sunday, September 12th, 2010
Concert in South St. Paul!
Concordia Lutheran Church
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Saturday, September 18th, 2010
Jr. High Youth Retreat
Lutheran Lakeside Camp
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Thursday, October 21st, 2010
North Dakota District Youth Gathering
http://ndyouthonfire.org
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