Sponsor Synthetic Division’s Mocha Habit
August 8, 2011
A lot of bands have far worse habits than mine, such as drugs, booze, loose women/men and spandex. But for Synthetic Division, the thing that fuels us are iced mochas. (Well, Josh prefers a hot drink, but he is forgiven.)
With the tour coming up soon, I’m trying to figure out the finances. The biggest hurdle is gas money. I thought that a fun way to defray that cost would be to beg my loyal readership for mocha money. I’m looking for a sponsor for each city. Basically, wherever Josh and I land, we’ll take a photo of us enjoying our beverage with a thank you card with our generous sponsor’s name on it. It’s the closest thing to being on the road that can be offered, and never before has a band broken down the fifth wall of rock n’ roll the way I am now.
So, here’s how it works. There are 6 cities: Providence, Manchester, Boston, NYC, DC and Raleigh. I’m looking for one sponsor per city. For $20 (tip money for baristas included, as well a couple of muffins for sustenance), you get the commemorative “cheers” via photo, blog shout out from the road, and a Shawn & Josh having espresso drinks button mailed to you when I get back from the jaunt. All you have to do to help is name the city you want to sponsor and paypal $20 to “shawn at mypetvirus dot com”, but type that as an email address of course.
My feet are firmly placed on Earth. I know the country is in a recession. This is aimed squarely at folks who enjoy my writing and music, have a soft spot in their heart and a $20 bill in their wallet to burn. It’s that simple. If I can get gas expenses covered, I may break even on the road since the kindness of friends and family means we don’t have to spend one dime on a hotel room.
Pretty nifty. In the big picture, I am beyond thrilled to play some shows. Music has helped to provide me with comfort of the soul my whole life. Making music is a great thrill, and having the health to hit the road for a week is not something I take for granted. As always, thanks for following my journey by reading this lil’ ol’ blog.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
iCondom Free App (courtesy of MTV Staying Alive)
August 5, 2011
My good buddies at MTV Staying Alive have released a new, free app for the iPhone called iCondom. It helps users locate their local condom distributors, and invites users to list ones in their neighborhood to help users of the app.
iCondom from mtv staying alive on Vimeo.
Here is the full press release for the iCondom. May the launch of this product be the beginning of a hassle-free condom shopping experience for the masses!
Positively Yours,
Shawn
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Join MTV Staying Alive and iCondom in their mission to help stamp out HIV and AIDS around the globe
MTV Staying Alive, MTV’s global youth HIV awareness and prevention campaign and charity, and iCondom are today urging people around the globe to join them in their fight to help prevent the transmission of HIV by downloading the free iCondom app and providing details of their local condom dispenser / retailer.
The information gathered will be used to create a global condom distribution map, making it easier for more people to avoid putting themselves and others at risk of contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
iCondom is a free iPhone app that allows users to instantly locate their nearest condom outlet at any time, wherever they are, via location-based technology. The app provides information that has been uploaded by other users, such as whether the store has 24 hour opening, or a dispensing machine is out of order.
Georgia Arnold, Senior Vice President, MTV Networks International and Executive Director of the Staying Alive Foundation commented: “An estimated 5 million 15 to 24 year olds are living with HIV and 2,500 young people are infected with HIV each day UNICEF 2011. We have partnered with iCondom with the ambition to make it easier for more people around the world to source condoms and reduce the transmission of HIV and STIs.
A percentage of money made from the app will go towards Staying Alive Foundation grants which are awarded to young people working to prevent HIV in their local communities.”
Morgane Danielou, founder of iCondom added: “MTV can help us reach out to young people using iPhones around the globe to create a comprehensive condom distribution map. We have a large task ahead of us, but being able to provide this information will ensure that fewer and fewer people will be put at risk.”
The free app is currently only available on the iPhone and is available to download via the Apple App Store: iCondom App
A 30 second advertisement will broadcast on MTV International’s channels to encourage as many people as possible around the world to get involved.
The ad can be viewed online here http://www.staying-alive.org/en/2011/08/icondom/
Find out more about iCondom: www.myicondom.com
For more information on MTV Staying Alive: www.stayingalivefoundation.org and http://www.staying-alive.org/en/
The partnership and campaign was created by The Scarlett Mark www.thescarlettmark.com.
Animation and illustration of the advert by Alan Warburton www.alanwarburton.com
Locals: Blood Drive Tomorrow Morning
August 4, 2011
Virginia Blood Services is having a blood drive from 8 am until noon tomorrow. Thanks to my buddy, Tristan, for giving up three pints of his precious plasma in my honor. I really appreciate it, as does the thinblooded (bleeding disorders) community and everyone else who finds themselves in a pinch.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
My Heart Will Go On
August 2, 2011
Who can forget Celine Dion’s Titanic theme, “My Heart Will Go On”? Well, if you did achieve the miracle of forgetting this song, then sadly I am here to remind you. Bella Morte played their cover of this song about a decade ago… this year they finally recorded it. A fan made a YouTube video featuring Leo and Kate from the movie.
Enjoy! Will they play this song on the tour? You’ll have to show up to find out!
Synthetic Division Tour Dates for August!
August 1, 2011
One of the highlights of last year was putting out A Symptom of Life and hitting the road with my friends to play some music. Synthetic Division opened for Bella Morte, and we laid down some synthpop, drank some iced mochas and gave out some Synthetic Division ONE condoms. Well, this summer we are doing it again!
Once again, we are sticking to the East Coast. Here’s the tour route as it stands now, with additional shows soon-to-be-announced for Washington DC (August 30) and Raleigh, NC (August 31)….
Hope to see some of you on the road! I’ll be posting more about the music in tour in the coming days, and probably begging you guys to buy some CDs and t-shirts to help cover the gas costs. Maybe I’ll put together a supersaver package or something that’s completely irresistible. ;O)
Positively Yours,
Shawn
LIFE IN PHOTOS
Face Time fun with my Goddaughter. She was digging our phone chat- even though we were about three feet away from one another.
Making the enemy quit out with @squirrel_munky and @vaineos :)
Closing out the Joe with @gwennbarringer this afternoon.
Caught in full Mocha Mode...
Speaking About Sexual Health
Since 2000, Shawn and Gwenn have been speaking about sexual health together, sharing their personal story and empowering others to be safe. If you are interested in having them speak at your event, fill out the Contact Us form.
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