 That's a California poppy (or as close as I could get). I don't know who that guy is. We’re eleven days into the I Like Flowers crowdfunding campaign, and I’m please to report that so far we’ve raised $3,682 from 30 backers! If you’ve donated already, thank you so much. If you haven’t yet, please check out our fun campaign page and consider giving what you can to help us reach our (pretty ambitious) goal of $10,700. You’ll be supporting our Berkeley High student interns who will be filming the video, plus our four local non-profit partners working hard to support native plants and wildlife. You'll also be supporting our delightful artistic endeavors, of course. We've begun interviewing our intern candidates, and they are amazing! I’d like to highlight one of the perks we’re offering our donors: the official ‘I Like Flowers’ T-shirt! Totally original and available exclusively to donors of $200 or more, it’s my first T-shirt design, so if you don’t like it, please pretend that you do. See all available colors here. (By the way, you can donate $200—or any amount—without opting for one of our fine perks.) It would mean a lot if you would share the campaign with any flower-loving friends and family. Thank you! https://www.igg.me/at/i-like-flowers P.S. PRO TIP: Our campaign platform, IndieGoGo, will auto-populate your donation with a "tip" for them. Before you give anything, you should know they already take a not-insignificant cut of every donation. I've heard from donors who gave without realizing IGG had slipped a tip into their cart, so make sure you set the tip where you really want it to be.  FLOWERS. They're pretty great.  It's here! The I Like Flowers music video crowdfunding campaign is now live on IndieGoGo! Please head to our campaign page to watch our pitch video, learn all about the project, and donate to what you will learn is a most worthy cause. In addition to the video—which we actually put some real time into, so it'll be worth your while—you'll find:
Our campaign will be live until June 18. I would be so honored if you, my loyal newsletter readers, would be among our early benefactors. We've got a great project ready to roll—now we need you to put the fuel in our tank. We're counting on you to help us make this happen--thank you so much for checking out the campaign and considering a donation! Questions or suggestions? E-mail me: [email protected]
 I Like Flowers: not just a statement of fact. It’s also a song—and with your help, soon to be a music video. Eco Soul Entertainment—i.e. my collaborator Will Hammond, Jr and I—will shortly be launching our very first crowdfunding campaign, and we would love for you to join us! Here’s what to do: 1) Listen to the song. The audio's not quite finished, but pretty close. 2) Stay tuned for the crowdfunding campaign, launching (hopefully) next week! So what’s the deal with “I Like Flowers”? Since I first shared a sketch of this tune a couple years ago, it’s taken on a new life and a new mission: to do for native plants and pollinators what (I’m Your) Heat Pump did for heat pumps, and (Our Love Is) Geothermal did for geothermal energy: namely, make them fun. Make them catchy. Make people say, “Hey! I’d like to know more about that.” And just like Heat Pump and Geothermal, I Like Flowers will provide a nifty new messaging tool for organizations who support native plants and wildlife, starting locally with the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour here in the East Bay. Their executive director, Kathy Kramer, was an enthusiastic early supporter of Heat Pump, even before it was a video. (And hey Bay Area people, this year's tour is this weekend!) Why is this message needed? Most people know that flower-loving pollinators like birds, bees, and butterflies are super important for ecosystems and agriculture. Lesser known, perhaps, is how crucial native plants are for supporting those pollinators and other wildlife. Studies have shown that native plants do way, waaaay more for wildlife than their non-native cousins. Supporting them in our gardens and in the wild is a great way to help heal Mother Earth. We need new ways to get the word out and engage the public on this issue. I think a funk anthem is just the thing, don’t you? For more on the importance of native plants, check out this great slideshow by ecologist Jennifer Dirking, or the Homegrown National Park website. And just a little reminder that everything is more fun with a music video... Bay Area friends! Please join me and Will Hammond, Jr of Eco Soul Entertainment—that's the snazzy new name for our eco-music collaboration—for a free afternoon of live music and climate action in Berkeley! We'll perform our eco-tunes (I’m Your) Heat Pump and (Our Love Is) Geothermal with The Radioactives—first time ever with a full, live band—along with a bevy of funky soul favorites. My boy DJ Hank Roberts will be spinning as well! While you're there, learn how you can take action for the planet with representatives from Rising Sun Center for Opportunity, The Switch Is On, Citizens’ Climate Lobby, and an induction cooking demonstration with Copper. We’ll have snacks, drinks, and nature-themed activities. Drop by and have some fun with us! Saturday, March 22, 12:00-4:00pm2727 California St, Berkeley, CA https://www.2727.today FREE 
I checked out their website but I'll admit I couldn't stay long, as I was too intimidated by their amazing talents and accomplishments. I realized quickly why they are the sole headliner on the episode! I'll have you know, however, that the podcast producers told us our songs gave them the idea for the episode. So we've got that going for us (even if Yo-Yo Ma didn't play on our songs).  Mike and Will: also on the episode 
Kirkwood Meadow, CA: View from a snow-hike nearly one year ago
Happy Season, everyone!
Quick story: back in the 90's my Heat Pump / Geothermal partner Will Hammond, Jr. wrote a song for singer Tara Kemp ("Hold You Tight") that went to #3 on the Billboard charts. This year Will and Tara teamed up to record some Christmas tunes, and their cover of the Donny Hathaway classic "This Christmas" features yours truly on guitar (starting about a minute in). It's a great version of a great (and underappreciated) Christmas song. I hope it will help make your Christmas a very special Christmas! This Christmas on YouTube This Christmas on Spotify This Christmas on Apple Music P.S. If your tastes run a little more traditional, there's always this little blast from the not-too-distant past. Twelve years old and still makes merry! Joyous Yuletide, my friends. So this came together pretty quickly. In my last post I mentioned that KQED’s story on (I’m Your) Heat Pump had recently aired on NPR. Turns out that story was heard by one Jamie Beard, Founder and Executive Director of Project InnerSpace, a non-profit dedicated to advancing geothermal energy (a 24/7 renewable that often flies under the radar but deserves to be in the power conversation alongside solar and wind). In July she sent me an e-mail with the generous subject header, “The heat pump song is amazing,” and an admirably concise body text: Can I get you to do a geothermal gig as a follow on. Would love to discuss. Debut at NY climate week. Jamie
 September 24, Geothermal House: Hall des Lumieres in New York City. Courtesy Project InnerSpace
What’s Next
As the Weather.com article noted (breaking news alert!), I have been playing with ideas for a song about induction cooktops. And it’s true, the ideas have not exactly sprung forth the way the Heat Pump tune seemed to, but that is to be expected and all part of the creative fun. Sequels are hard. I have one idea that’s good but maybe sounds a little too much like an ad, and one pretty weird idea that could either be great or terrible—not sure which just yet. A singing heat pump was pretty weird too, so I might be on the right track. Meanwhile, and not too unrelatedly, I have been working on setting ritual texts to music for The Ancient Order of Druids in America. Also collecting text ideas and starting to write music for a Wheel of the Year songbook—like a set of Christmas carols but for the Solstices, Equinoxes, and cross-quarter days. Recently I set the Sara Teasdale poem, Dusk in June (for the Summer Solstice, of course). I'll share that music down the road! Keep on pumpin', everyone.  Happy Earth Day, friends! I'm very excited to announce the official debut of the (I'm Your) Heat Pump music video! You can watch directly on YouTube, but I recommend checking it out via this entertaining blog post on the history of the song from Friday Apaliski, communications director for The Switch Is On. As Friday relates, it was a conversation she and I had about a year ago that spawned the unlikely idea of writing music about home electrification. She has been the song's biggest advocate every step of the way, and the video would not have happened without her and the entire Switch Is On team. They hired a great marketing firm here in Berkeley, Polytechnic, who in turn hired the crack video team at Be Media to direct and produce the video, and they secured a corporate sponsor (Mitsubishi - you may notice their equipment prominently featured, and that's cool because I am a happy Mitsubishi heat pump owner myself), AND they did it all in what I understand is record time.
I don’t think I’ve talked about it much in these blog posts, but climate advocacy has been a big part of my life for the last several years, and promoting home electrification (i.e. replacing gas appliances with efficient, climate-friendly electric ones) has been a big part of that. As you’ll hear in the song, I had a lot of fun bringing that world and my musical world together. I got to channel my love of old school R&B, along with my 13-year-old sense of humor (still highly active). Susan mentions Marvin Gaye and Barry White as influences; true, though the biggest was probably D’Angelo (think Brown Sugar era, circa 1995). The ultimate goal: an awesome music video. Plans are in the works. Stay tuned.
The article mentions the non-profit The Switch Is On; I’ve been one of their electrification ambassadors ever since we replaced all our gas appliances with electric ones a few years ago. They’re a great resource for learning about home electrification, especially if you’re in California. (Another great resource, this one nationwide, is Rewiring America.) Please enjoy some heat pump love! |
AuthorComposer Michael T Roberts shares his thoughts on writing, playing, and teaching music. Comments? Please e-mail Mike. Archives
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