WE DID IT!!! AHHH!! Read my thank you letter

UPDATE (April 9th): OMG!! Only a few hours left!! If we can get this to $35,000 I'm going to make these awesome koozies and send one to everyone that contributed over the dollar level! And if we get fully funded, I'm making these official PHL pint glasses to go along with the koozies!! So all the perks second tier and above will include these awesome bonuses!!

Holy crap. LET'S DO THIS!! Share the campaign! Spread the excitement!! YAYYYYY!!

The ridiculous legal battle

I have an album and live concert that double as a drinking game. At my concerts, I perform my 60 original one-minute songs and every time I change the music, the audience cheers and takes a shot of beer together. It's based on the game called a "Power Hour". And it's seriously friggin' awesome. Like, really. For reals. (I have an unbiased opinion.) See it in action --->

3 years ago, a guy named Steve Roose trademarked the term "Power Hour" and went on a rampage to stop people from playing the game. He bullied a ton of people and got Power Hours taken off of YouTube, websites and software taken down and had my album removed from Amazon. This was absolute BS. (Troof.)

There are a lot of a**hat trademark bullies out there and this guy was exceptionally a**hat-y. I couldn't sit back and let him push people around. He was just trying to harm others so he could make more money with his own lame DVD. (Again, I have an unbiased opinion of said lameness.) So I took Steve to court.

Then suck happened. I ended up having to spend 3 years fighting him and $30,000 in legal fees! Steve freaking spent NONE! Once I was so far in the battle, I wasn't about to give up (aka wuss out, aka become a namby-pamby pushover loserface) but I had no way of forecasting when it would end. For the whole trial period, Steve succeeded in presenting a terrible case (which was great... and expected of a**hats) but he also succeeded in repeatedly and purposefully prolonging everything in order to drain my money. GAH!! @&%$*#&% (That was me being incredibly frustrated.)

Well after all that obnoxiousness... the court has just announced the verdict [Drumroll... Also, grab a beer]

I WON! WE WON! THE NATION WINS! Power hour is free! I'm absolutely thrilled it's all over and Steve can no longer claim to own the game. Yayyyyyyyy!!! [Crack open beer]

Now that I've worked so hard to free Power Hours for everyone, I want to celebrate! Specifically, I want to celebrate with YOU by taking my show on tour!

Let's make a global party! Support my campaign so I can bring my Power Hour to you!... a Victory Tour to send a big "up yours" to trademark bully a**hats! :)

(If you want more hilarious details on how the whole 3 years unfolded, go check out my story: How I stuck it to The Man while simultaneously chugging a beer)

You can bring me to your town

When you make a pledge, you also get to vote on what city you want my tour to hit. My tour will go where there's the most excitement to bring me there! It's going to cost me about $2k per city for travel, stay and expenses. (I need some help after I spent all my stupid money on that stupid lawsuit.) I have a goal to hit 20 cities. If I raise less, I'll have to take cities out of the tour :( If I exceed my goal, I'll add more cities! POSSIBLY EVEN GLOBAL!

(Note: When you contribute, I'll add you to the map below based on your shipping address!)

Please encourage your friends to also support me so you'll have a better chance that I'll come to you! This tour could be more stops, it could be less. Help me make it more!

If I'm fortunate enough to raise a ridiculous amount over my goal, I have plans to bring a full band with me, go to cities outside the US, get a tour bus, lighting, maybe some pyrotechnics and turn the show into an even bigger extravaganza! I'll certainly flesh out this awesomeness if it starts looking like a reality. So support me, tell your friends and then stay tuned!

Help me bring my show to you! Prove your city wants to party the most!

Cool stuff you'll get

(Note: After you contribute, I'll send you an email with a link to your digital downloads. Please be a little patient with me. I will get to you soon!)

Digital download - Why is this only one dollar?! Welllll... I put two years into crafting catchy, compelling songs that are great even if you aren't smashed (stream them here). This super-huge $1 deal is so you'll fall in love with my sweet jams and be convinced you need to experience my party live. It's $11 cheaper than iTunes! Plus I wanted a way to allow ANYONE to vote for their city no matter what their budget.

Download of all of my albums - Yep. I write music that isn't necessarily about drinking. But it IS necessarily awesome.

Signed Freedom Victory Tour Poster - I made this new 18x24" awesomeness especially for this campaign. Show off you love Power Hours. Show off you support fighting a**hat trademark bullies. Show off WE WON! Plus I'll totally write on it for you. (And then maybe rub it on my butt to make it extra special.) See it on my wall here.

The Shot Glass USB - This creation is my baby. It's my album/game contained on a reusable USB that's also a shot glass. Plus, it comes on a lanyard for hands free partying! You can literally drink out of my album while you play the game. (Quick video of me describing the awesomeness.) You need one. You need several.

Original Painting - I have a nutty project I've been doing for 5 years where I take requests, paint any subject the requester wants, post a picture online and then mail the artwork to them. I'm coming up on 2,000 paintings total! Check them all out here. Then go get the "Original Painting" incentive so I can paint one just for you of whatever you want!

(To give me your description of what you'd like me to paint, just wait for my email. I'll hit you up after you contribute.)

Other, bigger awesomeness - Don't miss the higher incentives where I'll do a shot with you, Skype you a live party, write you a song or even come perform a Power Hour at your party in person!

UPDATE:

I was just at SXSW and I had the opportunity to pitch my campaign live at the Indiegogo PitchFest to HANNAH HART!! Super sweet video of that here.

I ended up winning 2nd place! My prize was a sweet pair of Skullcandy headphones to offer as a perk. They retail for $300 but I’ll hook you up for $250. Yay! Plus you get the added bonus of contributing to this kickass cause and helping me get closer to our goal! Global Power Hour Party!

So if you want these headphones, just contribute $250 and select "no perk". I'll be on the lookout for the next person that does this and I'll email you right away to confirm it was for the headphones, then ship you the sweetness.

Picture Menu of Perks (Easy to use when drinking!)

(Important note for international contributions: I'd appreciate an extra $15 to guarantee quality shipping to your region. Please just add this on top of your chosen perk level. Thank you!

Also, I will for sure tally your votes but I can't guarantee I'll get my show to cities outside of the US unless this campaign really takes off and I have lots of funds to do it! So tell your friends and stay tuned!)

The momentum is growing

My music is gaining momentum and my following, aka the Power Hour League, is growing and getting more excited about experiencing my show live. I've gotten tons of crazy coverage from websites, magazines, radio and TV.

Just a small sample of the coverage: Gizmodo - Huffington Post - trueTV - New York Post - Wired - Venture Beat - 98 Rock - MTV

My time is now. This is my shot. Help me take this to the next level!

I totally just left my safe career

I've taken the plunge to be fully committed to this now. I JUST left my safe 9-5 career to pursue my music full time. With a lot of faith and a little fear (and a little more booze), I've gotten rid of my safety net so I'm all in. That means I need your support even more! I have a dream of making music and parties for a living. You backing me and sharing what I do with your friends can make my dream come true!

Help make my dream of a career in music and partying a reality!

I'm not just a crazy partier

Despite the fact that I seem all about Power Hours, I'm not just some drunk that will waste your money.

I have a legit background in music and video games - The career I just left was lead artist at a video game company. So yeah, I'm a professional at making games. In addition, I composed all our video game music. I also do sound design. You may even have some of my songs as default ringtones on your Android phone. Just trying to show you my jams are legit :)

I created a product from scratch - I invented, developed, patented and manufactured the Shot Glass USB. This product is a new, innovative way to distribute my music. It took a ton of time and hard work to see it through. Totally not something an irresponsible drunk could do. Probably.

I've built a business around this - Aaaand I named it Binge Responsibly, LLC. (Hee hee)

I do even more stuff outside of Power Hours - I graduated with a degree in art and I have a project where I've sent almost 2,000 paintings to people all over the world. There's a gallery of all of them here! Check out the "Original Painting" incentive where I'll create one just for you!

Let's be friends

You can even email me directly here!

Get more awesomeness

Please tell the whole friggin' world

Once you back my project, please tell your friends! This campaign isn't only about raising funds. It's about raising excitement for what I do. It's about getting people psyched to play my Power Hour and coming to my shows.

Please help me by sharing this on all your social networks!

FAQ

Can you sue to get your money back from Steve?
No. (Sad face.) Steve was given the trademark but he never should have gotten it. I had to get it taken away so I was the aggressor in the suit. Because of that, I can't sue him for damages.

Why did you have to pay so much? Couldn't you just get some free help? Why didn't Steve have to pay?
I did have a laywer friend helping me for free at first but the case was too complex and I had to hire someone that specializes in trademark law. Steve didn't have to pay because he did it himself and presented a terrible case. It doesn't cost anything to guarantee a loss.

I'm in [Insert non US city here]. Will you come party with me?
I WOULD LOVE TO! But it's going to take more than the budget I have here. If this campaign really takes off and I raise way more than I hope, I absolutely plan to make this party global. I just don't want to be presumptive so I won't hash that out unless I get fortunate enough to reach that point. So tell your friends and check back often. And don't let this stop you from contributing! Shot Glass USBs are super cool no matter what country you're in.

When will you be announcing the tour?
This campaign is over at the end of Feb. I'll spend the next two months or so booking dates and venues and then announce the tour. I aim to make this a spring/summer party! If you contribute, I'll definitely keep you updated on all the progress. How about I drunk dial you? I'm good at those.

What are the venues?
Well, I'm not sure yet because we first have to determine which cities get the most votes. I will be enlisting the help of the contributors to pick the venues once the cities are decided. Stay tuned because I'll have special gifts for the people that want to help me find great places to play. [Note: "My bedroom" may not be honored as a good suggestion.]

What's your plan after this now that music is your full time deal?
I plan on building excitement for what I do with this tour. Hopefully that will open some doors for me to start building a team. If you know any good agents, managers or labels that would be interested in what I do, please hit me up! Once I've built a team, the goal is to keep creating more music and parties that make people happy :)

Why aren't you getting sponsors for this?
Um. That's a good question. I'd love to hook up with sponsors if they're interested. Wait... are you PBR? OMG please call me because I love you.

I would like lots more hilarious information about your three-year battle.
Ok, well that's not a question. But you're in luck! Check out my story, How I stuck it to The Man while simultaneously chugging a beer.

Are you wearing pants?
Never! (Mostly never.)