Greetings!!

Thanks for signing on to the new & improved Berends Music / Mastermind email list! Bill Berends here. I just want to say hello and update you on a few happenings this month. I hope everyone on the U.S. east coast has recovered from the storms of recent weeks and that you, my dear reader, are doing fabulously well! This message is a test of the new email system, more or less, so if you are reading this, it works!

As you may know, in October I launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund my new solo album and it was a great success!! Perhaps you are a contributor. I sincerely thank you for supporting new music and helping me make this happen!! If for some reason you aren't aware, I apologize and invite you visit the original Kickstarter page to check it out. Although the campaign has concluded, the videos are entertaining and you can still hear samples of the music and have a laugh as I brought my plea for assistance to the world.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/billberends/1920478859/

Apparently though, some people either missed the deadline to participate or had a problem with Amazon payments. Others have been without power for several weeks and missed out, so by popular demand I have extended pre-order pledges for two more weeks via PayPal (or by personal check in the USA) thru November 25th. If you missed out previously, here's another chance to get the music early and help keep the ball rolling. Visit Kickstarter first, if you haven't already, to get familiar with the project, then make a pledge or place a pre-order on my web site if you so chose. Thanks.

http://billberends.com/shop/pre-order.html

For a more info on what it's all about, be sure to see the updated NEWS section of my web site:

http://billberends.com/#news

Upcoming LIVE SHOWS: as you may know, I have been playing in a group called 'Treasures of the Spirit' with Philly jazz drummer G.Calvin Weston for the past year or so, playing the music of The Mahavishnu Orchestra. After some time off, we have two live shows coming up in Philadelphia this weekend. I hope some of you in the area can attend.

Sat. Nov. 17, @ 8pm - The Voltage Lounge (formerly Whiskey Dix) - 421 N 7th Street, Phila. PA
Sun. Nov. 18, @ 9pm - The Fire - 412 West Girard Ave, Phila. PA

Visit my schedule page for more info, map links, etc.

http://billberends.com/schedule.html

Currently there are no Berends Brothers Band or Mastermind live shows scheduled, but we will pick up again in 2013. We are taking a little time off to revamp the repertoire and get on some new recording. As for Mastermind... although there haven't been any live shows for a while now, a new album is in the works and I hope to put a live show together sometime next year.

Speaking of Mastermind, brother Rich Berends (Mastermind drummer) will be playing with Phila. area metal band Frost Giant on Dec. 8th at Studio 98 (9859 Bustleton Ave) so all you metal heads out there might want to check that out. Should be interesting!

That's all for now. Thanks for reading and again, many THANKS to everyone for your interest and support! I hope you have a great November and a great Thanksgiving to those here in the States!

Bill Berends
http://billberends.com

Since this is a new system, I apologize in advance for any bizarre errors or formatting!