This is the fifth-year anniversary for michaelaba.com - and we’ve got some big plans.
We are only days away from bringing a new-and-improved version of this site to the online world. The changes will be noticeable immediately, from the sleek and clean design to the ease of navigating from one option to the next. But for those of you with the time and inclination to dig a little deeper, the fun surprises will hopefully be engaging.
The new book, “These Stories Are True”, will FINALLY be available for everyone to download immediately, and the audio version, complete with a website sample, is a promise kept as well. You’ll likely notice we’ve now created actual covers for all of the digital books, and posters for the screenplays, too. And for those of you who enjoyed the video of the short film we’d made years ago, don’t worry - this is not only included but can be viewed on your big-screen TV this time around!
Easily the biggest change is in how we are representing the music. I was in the middle of recording a huge batch of songs (literally in the middle; I was on the 16th of what should end up being 32 brand-new compositions) when my brothers Tom and Jeff persuaded me to get michaelaba.com back on the ground. While I had rather shyly separated everything into small sections in our previous incarnation, even creating a “basement” where people might stumble upon a few more tracks and early demos, they correctly maintained that most people don’t have the time to search through websites for hidden surprises. And besides - these songs were worthy of being heard. So now, complete with new CD covers and printed lyrics, ALL of the songs can be previewed in one section of the website - and should you want to hear more, they will be fully available on Apple Music, Amazon, and Spotify. Soon you’ll be able to listen to and download almost any song I’ve ever written and recorded - no matter where you are in the world!
I’ll probably find myself rereading that last sentence more than once. This surprising development has me both amazed and delighted.
While all my songs can be heard in 30-second previews on the site, I’ll likely make complete versions available intermittently. In fact, my most recent song - “Waiting for the Next Surprise” - will be presented in its entirety the moment we go live.
Which, like I said, is only days away.
I’m about to leave NYC for another summer season working on Martha’s Vineyard and the timing of this launch feels perfect. Looking back over the anniversary blog of one year ago, I had no idea all of this was about to happen, but soon I’ll be able to wander the beaches on my days off and randomly listen to songs from the cloud. Almost three months have passed since we made the decision to move forward (with the delay of the last three weeks attributable entirely to me - which might be an amusing blog for some other day…) and now summer is almost here.
Thanks to everyone for their support on this fifth-year anniversary. This website remains dedicated to my mother and father. I’ll make sure to imagine them both happily listening to these original songs from their own perch on the clouds in the days and weeks ahead.
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