Stockholm Syndrome Trailer from Derek Webb on Vimeo.

Here’s the details on how to get your hands on a copy of Derek’s new CD, Stockhom Syndrome.

You have 6 options:

Option 1 - $7.99 – instant digital download of all 14 tracks

Option 2 – $9.99 – instant digital download of all 14 tracks + 2 copies of physical CD (clean and explicit) delivered by 9/1/09

Option 3 – $15.99 – instant digital download of all 14 tracks + instant download of Paradise is a Parking Lot, the 60-min making of documentary (small resolution)

Option 4 – $22.99 – instant digital download of all 14 tracks + instant download of Paradise is a Parking Lot, the 60-min making of documentary (medium resolution) + subscription to download and help choose songs for Derek’s cover songs project, Democracy Vol. 1

Option 5 – $29.99 – instant digital download of all 14 tracks + 2 copies of physical CD (clean and explicit) delivered by 9/1/09 + digital extras including booklet, ringtones, and images + subscription to download and help choose songs for Derek’s cover songs project, Democracy Vol. 1 + exclusive Stockholm Syndrome T-Shirt. (limit 2,000 for this package)

Option 6 – $59.99 – instant digital download of all 14 tracks + 2 copies of physical CD (clean and explicit) delivered by 9/1/09 + Special packaging, including Paradise Is A Parking Lot, 60 minute documentary film about Stockholm Syndrome DVD, Multi-track stems for remixing, and AUTOGRAPHED lyric booklet + instant download of Paradise is a Parking Lot, the 60-min making of documentary (large resolution) + digital extras including booklet, ringtones, and images + subscription to download and help choose songs for Derek’s cover songs project, Democracy Vol. 1 + exclusive Stockholm Syndrome T-Shirt. (limit 1,000 for this package)

There’s only one place to buy Stockholm Syndrome and it’s at the DerekWebb.com Store.

As for Tour Dates for the Black Eye Tour, here’s what they have up so far:

• 09/17/09 Louisville, KY
• 09/18/09 Tuscaloosa, AL
• 09/20/09 Birmingham, AL
• 09/22/09 Atlanta, GA
• 09/23/09 Greenville, SC
• 09/24/09 Charlotte, NC
• 09/25/09 Raleigh, NC
• 09/26/09 Vienna, VA
• 09/27/09 Vienna, VA
• 09/30/09 Winston Salem, NC
• 10/01/09 Asheville, NC
• 10/03/09 Nashville, TN
• 10/04/09 Lexington, KY
• 10/15/09 St Petersburg, FL
• 10/16/09 Orlando, FL
• 10/17/09 Jacksonville, FL
• 10/22/09 Houston, TX
• 10/25/09 Dallas, TX

You can buy tix for the Tour here.

What do you think? Plan on buying any of those packages? Plan on catching one of these tour dates?

Thanks to the generosity of the black-eyed D, I’ve had Stockholm Syndrome for almost a week now. (The album, not the actual syndrome.)

Here’s 7 things I can tell you after 5 listens.

1. You’ve never heard Derek like this before.
2. There are moments on this record that are closer on the musical scale to the Backstreet Boys than Caedmon’s Call…and I mean that in a good way.
3. They absolutely crushed it on the cover art (as you can see above)
4. I already knew Josh Moore was the man, but his work on this project should leave even the doubters convinced. I hope this is the first of many collaborations they work on. Bravo, Mr. Moore. Bravo.
5. The song that has caused the stir, “What Matters More”, is absolutely worth the hype. I heard an acoustic version of it last month, and liked it. But hearing the finished product takes it to a whole new level. If this song doesn’t make it onto the INO release – and I fully understand why it probably won’t – it would be a bummer. (though I’m sure you’ll be able to get your hands on it one way or another)
6. When it’s all said and done, I think there’s at least 3 songs on this record that will end up in my “All-Time Top 10 DW Songs” list. Maybe 4.
7. It’s a strange thing to listen to a DW album and find yourself focusing on the music over the message. It’s not that the music hasn’t been good, it’s just that most of his past work has been so strong from a lyrical standpoint. But some of these songs are so fantastic sonically, I find myself thinking of the lyrics as an afterthought. For this reason it truly feels like new ground.

I’ve heard some rumblings about when this thing is going to be officially released, but I’m not sure if I’m supposed to talk about that stuff so I’ll hold off for now. Stay tuned for updates, and keep this project on your radar, I think you’re going to love it.

I’m not allowed to share the music, but if I could share it with only one of you, what would you do to be the one? Offer me power and fame? Treat me to a sleeve of Pro-V1 golf balls or a gift card to Dunkin Donuts? Promise me not to beat me up the next time you see me?

And hey, while we’re here…any new music y’all have been listening to lately that you want to give a shout out about? Share the love with us…

So you know how Derek Webb has been hiding pieces of his new music all over the country for fans to find? (just say ‘yes’ so we can move on)

Well, a few minutes ago on his Twitter, author Donald Miller made a similar announcement regarding his new book that releases in October, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years.

We are working on a plan to hide several “kinko’s” print outs of a million miles in a thousand years, autographed, all over the country.

twitter followers will be notified as to where they are. more later.

Think Derek’s latest adventure has influenced Don to have some fun as well? Well this picture, taken of the two of them celebrating Derek’s 35th birthday this week, is all the proof I need.

What do you think? Not necessarily ‘controversial’ like Derek’s deal…but pretty cool nonetheless. I’d love to get my hands on a kinko’s copy of Million Miles. Especially if it was well before the release date.

Oh, and this seems like as good a time as any to remind you that I am still the world record holder for the “Person who is Photographed with Don and Derek Looking More Unamused than They’ve Ever Been”

Like Dimaggio’s 56, it’s a record that might never be broken.

I only have time for a quick 3-point update today as I’ll be spending 4 hours this afternoon volunteering at an Animal Rescue Mission. If you know anything about me, you are laughing right now because you know I am not a big fan of dogs. And by “not a big fan” I mean, “don’t tell me he never bites. That’s what dogs do. They Bite!”

But alas, when you are in charge of the team building committee at work, and when you organize a community service project at a local dog shelter, you are expected to go. Woof Woof.

1. Looks like Derek Webb has broken down one of the songs from his new album into pieces, and he’s placed the pieces of the song on flash drives that he’s hiding around Nashville (and maybe the whole country???). Here’s the guy (Robert Gay) who found the first one…

I won’t provide daily updates on the progress of it all. For that you can keep tabs on derekwebb.net, where Michael, Geof, and I will keep things updated.

2. My lovely wife Erica just now sent me a picture from her phone of her relaxing poolside at her mom’s. This is just great. I am going to spend the next few hours spreading mulch and trying to avoid being bitten to death by an angry dog while she swims and tans. I’d call this unfair if it wasn’t for the fact that she works 10 times harder than I do every day holding our house and family together. Still, this makes me want to bite a dog.

3. My new friend Tyler Stanton makes his reality TV debut tonight on HGTV’s Renovation Realities.

It’s on at 10:30pm. (not sure why it says it first aired last month…maybe this isn’t his debut). Feel free to watch along with me. And feel free to cast judgment on Tyler every time he appears on the screen along with me.

Oh, and this weekend I think I’m going to be guest-posting on Tyler’s blog, so keep an eye out for that.

Have a great day not being chased by dogs!

So if you haven’t been following along, here’s what’s been going on with Derek Webb’s upcoming album.

First, this was Update #1…

Since then Christianity Today’s Todd Hertz wrote about the possibility of a cuss word being on Derek’s new record. A snippet…

More so, with Webb characterizing the song at issue as “important,” I sure hope this fight is about more than just using the s-word. I’m not so sure that sticking up for scatology for its own sake is noble. And is there ever a case where using a certain word to make your point is, as Webb contends, “important?” I’ll be honest, I have a pet peeve with artists who self-declare their own art as important. Is it important to you? OK. Is it your most personal song? OK. Is it the song you’re most passionate about as you make your record? Great. But this is one of the most important songs on your most important record? Is that for you to say?

Derek responded via Twitter:

just for the record, i never said my record was “important”. i said it was important to ME. why else would i be doing it, risking so much?

i know i’ll never sell many records, i’m a niche artist. but i hope everyone considers what they spend their time doing of some ‘importance’

and that’s all i meant. i don’t mind being disliked, but i’m not crazy about being flagrantly misunderstood. pay attention folks.

For the record, I’m quite confident that the reason Derek feels this record is important has very little to do with any cussing he might do on it.

Then this morning he dropped this email to his mailing list:

friends-
this is turning into a bigger deal than we expected.  as a result, we’re having to temporarily _pull everything online down (can’t explain now).  and to be on the s_afe side, i’m going to pe_rsonally go offline while we sort this out.  i re_ally shouldn’t use my twitter account for now either so _don’t expect any updates there.

make no m_istake, our trouble with the label over content i_s very real, and not as simple as one word; we’re back_ed into a corner.  but we have applied all of our creative resources to th_is, working furiou_sly to create something that we believe not only subverts any leg_al issues but should also be a _pretty wild ride.

so this will be the l_ast email for a while.  we’ll t_ry to lea_k information via a new tw_itter account, @ssyndrome.  you’re o_n your own so start payin_g attention.  i’l_l see you _on the o_ther side-
derek

From what I’ve seen already this morning, it looks like the underscores are a code that lead to a website that gives further instructions. You can try to figure it out yourself, or you can fish around the internet (or the comments on this site) and find out where to go and what’s next.

I have a feeling a lot of you are going to hate what Derek is doing with this for a lot of reasons. Some of you will not like the fact that he is working around his responsibilities to his label. Some of you will be annoyed by the coded emails, hidden websites, and the rest of it. I’m sure he anticipated that. Personally, I think it’s fun and I’ll wait until I have all the information about what’s going on before I pass judgment on him for the label stuff.

But just remember one thing. Derek has, for the most part, always done things the way he wants to do them and that’s what has endeared many of his fans to him. He was journaling online before you had ever heard the word ‘blog’. He left a great band and people wondered why. He played shows in people’s living rooms when he could have booked bigger venues. He gave away an album for free before Radiohead did. He wrote the lyric “I want to read the bible and I want to make out” in a song about falling in love with his wife. He rejoined the band he left for an album and a tour and people wondered why. And now this. But through it all, the reason you still care about Derek is because of the music and the message.

Derek doesn’t need me to defend him, and that’s not what I’m doing. I just want to remind you that through all the stuff he’s tried and done in the past, it still came back to the fact that his music was enjoyable and challenging in a way that few artists have been able to do. And if I was a betting man, I’d bet that label issues aside, that’s still the case.

We. Shall. See.