Hello! If you're reading this, then you are on my mailing list. I'm using this list to update people on my latest creative work, which is always posted on my website. I send one of these emails every month. If you'd prefer not to be on this mailing list, please reply and let me know.

To watch a video version of this message (and to see me sing in a cowboy hat), go here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SC3A0BCVtx4

Personal Life

I recently moved to Texas. I came to the Austin area around June 5 with a buddy of mine who helped me move in. I got a day job. I'm also teaching some piano lessons in Round Rock and writing music for media. All is well. I'm happy to be making music with people in person again, which feels really good. If you're in the area, feel free to hit me up over at Premier Music Academy, where I'm teaching lessons. It looks like I'll be teaching lessons at a school in Austin as well.

Mosh Lab

I just released a new album of music I wrote for a very creative animation called "Smosh Mosh", which I've mentioned before. Smosh Mosh by Janina Putzker is an animated miniseries for adults. This is not a show for kids; it contains nudity, sexual content, and adult language. Janina and her team are working on the pilot right now, which I wrote music for. I think it's coming out great.

Because I wrote more music than necessary for Smosh Mosh, I decided to release all the tracks as an album called "Mosh Lab". Some of them didn't make it into the episode, and they would have just sat on my hard drive but it seemed worthwhile to release them. Go here to download the album: https://bentibbetts.net/smoshmosh.html

Audio Store

I uploaded a new item to the audio store this month: "Cloud City" (https://bentibbetts.net/cloud_city.html), a gentle, looping piece of music for solo harp.

The audio store (https://bentibbetts.net/audio.html) is designed for people who produce Internet content like videos and podcasts. Royalty free libraries provide audio for content producers, generally selling items individually. By contrast, my audio store offers an unlimited license to anyone who subscribes to my site. For $4 a month you get unlimited, no-restrictions access to everything in the store. It's still a small library, but I'm adding to it regularly. My goal is to create and maintain a valuable, affordable resource for creators online.

Christmas Album

For those of you currently going through a heat wave, Christmas is probably the last thing on your mind, but...this month I re-released an old Christmas album, offering it to subscribers. You can view it here: https://bentibbetts.net/christmas_2018.html

This album offers solo piano versions of some Christmas hymns, sometimes with elements of improvisation. It explores familiar old chestnuts (e.g. O Come, All Ye Faithful), but also more obscure gems (e.g. How A Rose E'er Blooming). It was a pleasure to revisit this beautiful, lesser-known music.

How to Subscribe

To subscribe, go to this page: https://bentibbetts.net/subscribe.html

Scroll down and click "subscribe". It's $4 a month. You'll need an email address and a credit card. Once you're signed up I'll send you a password, which you can use to log in and get the exclusive content mentioned in this update.

Conclusion

As always, I'm grateful to everyone who supports and enjoys my work, and especially to those who have reached out expressing kind words. It's a privilege to make music and I don't take it for granted.

Take care. Stay cool out there.