THANK YOOZ AND INSPIRATIONS
THANKS TO.....
It's been a labor of love personally contacting artists, managers, labels and other industry folk to make this project happen. You can see their names on the individual song pages. Thanks to EVERYONE who helped. Special thanks to all of our friends and family, especially Mike, Kevin, Carl & Mark at Oglio, Eric, Chari & Jane Possell, Cari Avila, Eden & Elda Unger, Kastle Lund and everyone at Free Arts, Pat Fish, Chris Clough, Patrick Goodwin, Anna Waronker, those Halifax guys, Cibo Matto, enormous, Philip Selway, Tony Zajkowski, Howie Klein, Bonnie & George (our inspiration), and everyone who listened. Apologies to everyone I wanted to have on and couldn't fit, but that girl liked a LOT of music and a boxed set was out of the question.
A huge throng of amazing people have been nice enough to help spread the word about this record. Some wrote articles for major music magazines and some mentioned it in small fanzines. Some e-mailed everyone they knew to tell them about it and some bought a copy for a friend. Whatever it was, it spread some goodness and helped a good cause. I thank you very much. If you like the record or this website, please tell someone else about it.
Finally, a HUGE thanks goes to Mike Byer and Oglio Records for allowing me to put this record together. I wish everyone that wanted to make a record like this could do it but, unfortunately, most can't. I was very lucky to have a good friend who loved Summer very much be in a position to make this happen. The idea for this record would've remained a mixtape made for a few friends if it weren't for these very kind people who let me do this. Now, thousands of people can hear for themselves what great taste in music Summer had and see what a groover she was. It still doesn't seem real.
INSPIRATION
There are a few records that have come as the result of tragedy that were inspirational to me while putting together Songs For Summer.
The first is called Four Dots. While Summer was in the hospital, I got an e-mail from a stranger in Bellingham, Washington named Terry Picknell. His mother had passed away from cancer and he was putting together a compilation with proceeds benefiting a cancer related charity. When he heard about Summer (through an online mailing list for the Posies), he told me he would rather give the money directly to us for hospital bills. Sadly, she died a few weeks later but Terry still wanted to include Summer in the project. He dedicated it to her and even let me write the liner notes for it. I was honored. I met Terry in Seattle later that year. He was incredibly nice and in true Summer fashion, insisted on giving me an album by his friend's band, Death Cab For Cutie. I'm glad he did. They're amazing. Summer would've loved them along with the rest of the bands on Four Dots.
"Mykel and Carli" by Weezer was one of Summer's favorite songs ever. Neither of us knew that Mykel and Carli Allan were real people until I read about their tragic passing. The two girls ran the fanclubs for Weezer, that dog, and Kara's Flowers, three of our favorite groups. They died in a car crash on a late night road trip in between concerts, something Summer and I knew plenty about. I don't think I've ever been so moved reading about people I didn't know as I read about how loved they were by friends and fellow fans. An album of some of their favorite groups called "Hear You Me" was put together in their honor. I bought the album and also told the people who put it together about Songs For Summer. They wrote back and gave me some helpful hints on making a record like this. It's impossible to put together a project without a lot of hard work and love. It shows on their record.
I heard Cindy Bullens on a radio show late one night a few weeks before Songs For Summer came out. I was thinking about how hard it was going to be to make our album “public” when this woman came on and started singing songs about how she'd lost her 11 year old daughter, Jessie, to cancer. She found that the songs that she'd written for herself might be able to help others and made them into an album. That takes such guts. The responses she gets from others who have lost people close to them shows how right she was. Most of the tough feelings that she sings about are things that I've still kept very private. It's one of the most heartfelt things I've ever heard.
When I first heard about the Eels record Electro-Shock Blues, I avoided it like the, well, you know. People recommended it to me after Summer passed away and it reminded me of how people were telling us how we just HAD to see Titanic after she was first diagnosed. Strangely enough, we watched Celine Dion share the stage with Elliott Smith at the Oscars while Summer was sick. By the way, how come no one warned me about Robin Williams' character in Good Will Hunting? Alright, I'm getting WAY off track.....I finally got the Eels record and it is sad and beautiful and uplifting. Lyrically and musically Cindy Bullens is from a more parental point of view but E’s musical account of what it's like to watch someone suffer from cancer is very much like how I might do it if I were ten times the songwriter I am currently. “And I was thinkin’ ‘bout how everyone is dying/And maybe it’s time to live”. Yep.
The people that were thanked on the album made wonderful, tangible contributions to the making of the record. Katie Skibinski helped in inexpressible ways in which I can never thank her enough for. Elliott Smith and Jeff Mangum provided my soundtrack. I learned a lot by watching Paul McCartney memorialize Linda, who passed away just two days before Summer left. The one somewhat tangible thing that I can't say enough about is this website. Cari Avila created it and it never ceases to make me feel incredibly happy. Many people who loved Summer visit the site when they feel like getting a good remembrance. The messages left in the guestbook have kept me going like you wouldn't believe. For many websites, hits and ratings mean money but I love looking at the counter and thinking about how many people have seen the drawings. Summer and her art were amazing and I hope my words help you realize this but Cari made this happen. She tells me I don't need to thank her but I do it all the time anyways.
THANKS TO.....
It's been a labor of love personally contacting artists, managers, labels and other industry folk to make this project happen. You can see their names on the individual song pages. Thanks to EVERYONE who helped. Special thanks to all of our friends and family, especially Mike, Kevin, Carl & Mark at Oglio, Eric, Chari & Jane Possell, Cari Avila, Eden & Elda Unger, Kastle Lund and everyone at Free Arts, Pat Fish, Chris Clough, Patrick Goodwin, Anna Waronker, those Halifax guys, Cibo Matto, enormous, Philip Selway, Tony Zajkowski, Howie Klein, Bonnie & George (our inspiration), and everyone who listened. Apologies to everyone I wanted to have on and couldn't fit, but that girl liked a LOT of music and a boxed set was out of the question.
A huge throng of amazing people have been nice enough to help spread the word about this record. Some wrote articles for major music magazines and some mentioned it in small fanzines. Some e-mailed everyone they knew to tell them about it and some bought a copy for a friend. Whatever it was, it spread some goodness and helped a good cause. I thank you very much. If you like the record or this website, please tell someone else about it.
Finally, a HUGE thanks goes to Mike Byer and Oglio Records for allowing me to put this record together. I wish everyone that wanted to make a record like this could do it but, unfortunately, most can't. I was very lucky to have a good friend who loved Summer very much be in a position to make this happen. The idea for this record would've remained a mixtape made for a few friends if it weren't for these very kind people who let me do this. Now, thousands of people can hear for themselves what great taste in music Summer had and see what a groover she was. It still doesn't seem real.
INSPIRATION
There are a few records that have come as the result of tragedy that were inspirational to me while putting together Songs For Summer.
The first is called Four Dots. While Summer was in the hospital, I got an e-mail from a stranger in Bellingham, Washington named Terry Picknell. His mother had passed away from cancer and he was putting together a compilation with proceeds benefiting a cancer related charity. When he heard about Summer (through an online mailing list for the Posies), he told me he would rather give the money directly to us for hospital bills. Sadly, she died a few weeks later but Terry still wanted to include Summer in the project. He dedicated it to her and even let me write the liner notes for it. I was honored. I met Terry in Seattle later that year. He was incredibly nice and in true Summer fashion, insisted on giving me an album by his friend's band, Death Cab For Cutie. I'm glad he did. They're amazing. Summer would've loved them along with the rest of the bands on Four Dots.
"Mykel and Carli" by Weezer was one of Summer's favorite songs ever. Neither of us knew that Mykel and Carli Allan were real people until I read about their tragic passing. The two girls ran the fanclubs for Weezer, that dog, and Kara's Flowers, three of our favorite groups. They died in a car crash on a late night road trip in between concerts, something Summer and I knew plenty about. I don't think I've ever been so moved reading about people I didn't know as I read about how loved they were by friends and fellow fans. An album of some of their favorite groups called "Hear You Me" was put together in their honor. I bought the album and also told the people who put it together about Songs For Summer. They wrote back and gave me some helpful hints on making a record like this. It's impossible to put together a project without a lot of hard work and love. It shows on their record.
I heard Cindy Bullens on a radio show late one night a few weeks before Songs For Summer came out. I was thinking about how hard it was going to be to make our album “public” when this woman came on and started singing songs about how she'd lost her 11 year old daughter, Jessie, to cancer. She found that the songs that she'd written for herself might be able to help others and made them into an album. That takes such guts. The responses she gets from others who have lost people close to them shows how right she was. Most of the tough feelings that she sings about are things that I've still kept very private. It's one of the most heartfelt things I've ever heard.
When I first heard about the Eels record Electro-Shock Blues, I avoided it like the, well, you know. People recommended it to me after Summer passed away and it reminded me of how people were telling us how we just HAD to see Titanic after she was first diagnosed. Strangely enough, we watched Celine Dion share the stage with Elliott Smith at the Oscars while Summer was sick. By the way, how come no one warned me about Robin Williams' character in Good Will Hunting? Alright, I'm getting WAY off track.....I finally got the Eels record and it is sad and beautiful and uplifting. Lyrically and musically Cindy Bullens is from a more parental point of view but E’s musical account of what it's like to watch someone suffer from cancer is very much like how I might do it if I were ten times the songwriter I am currently. “And I was thinkin’ ‘bout how everyone is dying/And maybe it’s time to live”. Yep.
The people that were thanked on the album made wonderful, tangible contributions to the making of the record. Katie Skibinski helped in inexpressible ways in which I can never thank her enough for. Elliott Smith and Jeff Mangum provided my soundtrack. I learned a lot by watching Paul McCartney memorialize Linda, who passed away just two days before Summer left. The one somewhat tangible thing that I can't say enough about is this website. Cari Avila created it and it never ceases to make me feel incredibly happy. Many people who loved Summer visit the site when they feel like getting a good remembrance. The messages left in the guestbook have kept me going like you wouldn't believe. For many websites, hits and ratings mean money but I love looking at the counter and thinking about how many people have seen the drawings. Summer and her art were amazing and I hope my words help you realize this but Cari made this happen. She tells me I don't need to thank her but I do it all the time anyways.
