AJ Harbison Music

I’ve added an excerpt from a string quartet I’ve been working on to the Comp 2012 page. It’s fast and rockin’–check it out!

Curious about what I’ve been up to in my private composition lessons this year? I’ve added a new page where I’ll periodically post pieces that I’ve been writing–and the first one is now up! It’s brilliantly titled “Piano 1″ and you can find it over on the new Comp 2012 page. Check it out!

I’ve uploaded a recording of the liturgical Agnus Dei that I wrote for my church, Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach. Check it out!

The Live page has just been updated with information on two house shows I’m going to be playing this summer, one in Irvine in July and one in Costa Mesa in August. These will be “Pay what you want” shows–you can choose to see the concert for free, or you can toss in five bucks or so if you want to give a little extra support for the music. I’ll have my CD Songs From My Shelf available for sale. And there may or may not be a few new songs coming out into the light for the first time…. Spread the word and I’ll see you there!

The Songs From My Shelf presale has begun! You can choose from a digital download only package, a digital download plus a physical CD, or the “deluxe package” which includes the download, a signed CD, exclusive videos and chord charts. And if you order the CD or the deluxe package between now and December 4th, you can save $2.00 off the full purchase price! Head on over to the Store page and check it out!

The Songs From My Shelf Sampler is now available on the Store page! You can download three of the songs from the upcoming album just by providing your email address and zip code. And best of all, you can take the widget and put it on your own blog or Facebook page and spread the word! So head on over to the Store page, download “Who I Am,” “Secret Garden” and “Flame” for free, and let me know what you think!

Hi friends,
I am very, very excited to announce that my new album, Songs From My Shelf, will be releasing on December 4th, 2010! The physical CDs will be shipping on that date, and we’ll have the CD release party in Costa Mesa where I’ll be performing and you can buy the CD for a discounted price. But, if you just can’t wait for that, you’ll be able to hear parts of the album beforehand! Here’s the plan:

• On Saturday, November 6th, I’ll be releasing a three-song sampler from the CD through NoiseTrade, a music-sharing website started by Derek Webb and some of his friends. The three songs will be available to download on a widget that I’ll have up on this website, on Facebook, etc., and you can download them for free just by providing your email address and zip code. And, if you’d like, you can leave a “tip,” anywhere from $1 to $100, to support the production of the CD. But, even better than that, you’ll be able to take the widget yourself and put it on your Facebook page, your blog, or anywhere else to promote the music to your friends!
• On Saturday, November 20th, the CD will be available on this website through a presale. You’ll be able to buy any of the three packages–digital download only, digital download plus physical CD, or “deluxe package” with digital extras like exclusive videos and chord charts–from the website for a discounted price and get an immediate digital download. The physical CDs will ship on December 4th, but you’ll get the downloads right away.
• And, on Saturday, December 4th, the full release will happen–physical CDs will ship from the presales and any new orders, and most important of all, we’ll have the CD release party in Costa Mesa, which will be a rockin’ good time where you can hear songs from the CD performed live and buy the physical CDs at a discount.

So, in the meantime, what can you do? Obviously you can put these three dates on your calendar, so you’ll be sure not to miss any chances to hear the music as it comes out. But you can also spread the word–tell your friends, get the NoiseTrade widget on November 6th, and let everybody know that a great new CD is coming soon. In this brave new world of direct-to-fan marketing, word of mouth is the most invaluable tool there is. So tell your family, friends, colleagues, acquaintances, strangers and mortal enemies–and I’ll see you on December 4th!

The recent recording of my newest concert music piece, Casa de los Peregrinos, commissioned by Howard and Roberta Ahmanson, has been posted on that piece’s page. Go take a listen!

I’ve also scheduled another Paradise Perks show the last Saturday in August; details can be found on the Live page.

And finally, progress on the CD is coming along, slowly but surely. Watch this site, Facebook, Twitter and your email for announcements coming soon!

I am sad to announce that I was laid off from my day job yesterday, effective immediately. Unfortunately, my day job was what supported my music, and therefore since I’m going to have to devote my time to looking for a new job, the release of Songs From My Shelf and the party that comes with it will now be delayed. I don’t want to say “delayed indefinitely,” because that sounds like a long time and I hope to still be able to finish the CD by summer’s end; but I can’t make any promises. I hope you’ll still continue to support my music and follow my updates–I will be sure to keep you posted as to when and where the CD will eventually be coming out–and in the meantime my wife and I would appreciate your thoughts and prayers that I would find a new job soon. Thanks so much!

I’m stoked to announce that the official Songs From My Shelf release party will be June 12th, 2010! It’ll be a house concert in Costa Mesa starting at 7 pm and it’s going to be a blast. More details will be forthcoming as it gets closer. Save the date and start inviting friends now!