Yesterday I picked up the first 10 Leonard Overdrive pedals.  Today I plugged it up, gasped, played for a couple of hours and then filmed a bit of it to show you.  It's probably a little too much jamming around, but you'll hear the pedal, a few different settings and with a Les Paul and a Strat.  Only 20 of these will ever be sold, and the first 10 have already gone.  If you want one, email me and let me know.  $200 including shipping.  Just click the little envelope icon on the top right of my website and I'll get your pedal on the way to you!!

(Sales of these are helping me finish up the costs for printing the record, so thank you!!)

However, when you make a record you feel has a ton of potential beyond your group of supporters, well, that's when it gets tricky.

Artists in my orbit, making a living but not selling out huge tours or getting on the radio, have a hard time getting anything heard outside of their normal sphere.

You see, what record labels did wrong (took more than their fair share, tried to water down great artists, held records under lock and key) were the unfortunate side effects of the good that they did, mainly fronting the money for the records to be made and then doing the work of getting the music out there.

Well, I believe in this record.  More than anything I've ever done before.  And I want people to hear it, and I want to be able to get enough people to shows to do some really fun stuff with production and band.  So I'm trying to figure out ways to get there.

And I've realized something.  You guys funded this record and so many of you are linking, retweeting, blogging on my behalf...

YOU ARE MY RECORD LABEL!!

You are doing what they used to take a chestful of money to do.  And arguably doing a better job!!

All this to say, because I care about this record and want it to do well, I'm not going to release it yet.  

Not completely.  

Those of you who have kickstarted it will get mp3s in the next week or so, Rabbit Room preorders shortly thereafter, and then it'll go dark.  Like the label people all had copies of our records months in advance, you guys will have it, can listen and get to know it, and then if you like it and want to support it further you can help out.

Doing a full release (indie record stores, iTunes) in September gives us a few months to get reviews in magazines and on websites, gives us time to have stories about the building and the concept told in newspapers and local publications, gives us time to build some excitement for the project.

So thank you for your patience and support (some of you paid for this record A YEAR AGO!!), I hope you just love it.  I do.  I've never been more excited about a project.  I can't wait for you guys to hear it in the weeks ahead.

If you haven't preordered yet, you have about a week and a half left!  CLICK HERE!!

I asked him if he'd help me create a custom pedal as one of the incentives for my kickstarter campaign, basing the tone off the sound of the record.

We talked over tones and style and he built a prototype that blew my mind.  We decided we couldn't just have four of these built.  So we're building 20.  They'll be available to purchase soon, I'll keep you posted.  

Also, I'll be rebuilding my live board soon and will post reviews and details on a whole slew of fun, new pedals.  But I mainly can't wait until you hear this bad boy!  

This is really one of the most fun things ever.

"Leonard the Lonely Astronaut" is now available for preorder!  Click the picture or HERE to go to the Rabbit Room store.  

There are standard and bonus editions available, in download and physical options.

Order now and get three live acoustic songs right now.

The album will be available in the Spring of 2012.  Preorder funds will go towards the mixing and printing of the record.  

Thanks for making this possible!  I've never been so proud or excited about a record. I can't wait for you to hear it!!

Wow, this December's Andrew Peterson "Behold the Lamb" tour was the best one ever.  

The shows were amazing, sold out and musically wonderful. 

But even better than the shows was the hang.  

I'm really blessed with some amazing friends and to get to spend the end of the year with them.

One night I walked on the bus to everybody dancing to the Star Trek theme song.  

They then informed me it was a Leonard listening party.  

I have the rough mixes of my new record in their tentative order on my phone.  

My friends sat in the dark and listened for 45 uninterrupted minutes to what I had worked on so hard this Fall.  

It was a huge honor and one of the kindest gifts I've ever received.

We also watched the Best Worst Movie ever, "Troll 2", six or seven times.  

In Alabama we got the chance to meet and hang out with its star, George Hardy.  

So fun.

So yeah, pretty awesome tour.  Thanks to everybody who came to these shows and supported us this year!