What Kind of Creature Am I?
A$13,825
of $4,000 targetyrs ago
Successful on 7th Mar 2014 at 8:29PM.
My name is Mike Mills, and I'm the man behind a band called "Toehider". I live in Melbourne, Australia.
I have a very unique relationship with Brisbane-based illustrator Andrew "Salty" Saltmarsh. Since Toehider's birth in late 2008, the creation of the music was always heavily inspired by Salty's drawings, and in turn, the music I would send to him would further inspire his work. So it has always been a very collaborative effort between musician and illustrator.
Together we embarked upon the "12 EPs in 12 months" project. Frustrated at the lack of time between our favourite artist's albums, we thought it would be a cool idea to give the fans a new album every month. The idea was that I'd write 5 songs, and Salty would draw cover art, and another 2 page comic/illustration/photograph/etc. The project was a big success creatively, but unfortunately because we were working so hard on creating (I was sleeping 4 or 5 hours a day, often working right up to the last hour of releasing the album), we didn't have the time to really promote the project in a way we felt it truly deserved. In any case, a lot of people got on board just through word-of-mouth alone, and Toehider as a live band was formed.
Enlisting some of Melbourne's finest, Lachlan Barclay (guitars), Amy Campbell (bass) and Ricky Evensand (drums), I took the band across the country playing shows in Brisbane, Melbourne, Hobart, Adelaide and Sydney playing music that I'd crafted, sometimes songs that I'd written only weeks before.
In 2011, Toehider released "To Hide Her", the first full-length release via Sydney label "Birds Robe Records". Once again the band toured Australia to promote the album, supporting acts such as sleepmakeswaves, Twelve Foot Ninja, Unitopia and The Beards. We made it all the way to the number 1 spot on the Triple J Unearthed rock charts with the lead single "The Most Popular Girl in School."
In 2012 I was hand picked by European progressive rock giant Arjen Lucassen to sing on his latest "Ayreon" rock opera project. Released in 2013, "The Theory of Everything" made it to number 3 in the Dutch charts, the top 20 in Germany, and charted very well in the rest of the world.
Back on home soil in Australia, Toehider supported USA band The Protomen on their sideshows from the PAX gaming festival. We also supported Devin Townsend on his massively successful Australian tour.
In January this year, I impulsively decided to record and film a version of the Kate Bush tune "Wuthering Heights". I was really surprised to see it take off. It's gotten to 305,000 views in under a month!
I've been working extremely hard on the next release, entitled "What Kind of Creature Am I?". For those that know the music of Toehider, I can guarantee I've taken the eclectic craziness, diversity, haunting stories and humour all to the next level. I'd even go as far to say that it's my best work to date.
But I need your help in ensuring the album is released in a quality package, and to also ensure that it reaches as many ears as possible. I get messages and comments all the time pretty much saying the same thing - "I can't believe more people haven't heard about Toehider!!"
Well, now's our opportunity to change that.
I have a very unique relationship with Brisbane-based illustrator Andrew "Salty" Saltmarsh. Since Toehider's birth in late 2008, the creation of the music was always heavily inspired by Salty's drawings, and in turn, the music I would send to him would further inspire his work. So it has always been a very collaborative effort between musician and illustrator.
Together we embarked upon the "12 EPs in 12 months" project. Frustrated at the lack of time between our favourite artist's albums, we thought it would be a cool idea to give the fans a new album every month. The idea was that I'd write 5 songs, and Salty would draw cover art, and another 2 page comic/illustration/photograph/etc. The project was a big success creatively, but unfortunately because we were working so hard on creating (I was sleeping 4 or 5 hours a day, often working right up to the last hour of releasing the album), we didn't have the time to really promote the project in a way we felt it truly deserved. In any case, a lot of people got on board just through word-of-mouth alone, and Toehider as a live band was formed.
Enlisting some of Melbourne's finest, Lachlan Barclay (guitars), Amy Campbell (bass) and Ricky Evensand (drums), I took the band across the country playing shows in Brisbane, Melbourne, Hobart, Adelaide and Sydney playing music that I'd crafted, sometimes songs that I'd written only weeks before.
In 2011, Toehider released "To Hide Her", the first full-length release via Sydney label "Birds Robe Records". Once again the band toured Australia to promote the album, supporting acts such as sleepmakeswaves, Twelve Foot Ninja, Unitopia and The Beards. We made it all the way to the number 1 spot on the Triple J Unearthed rock charts with the lead single "The Most Popular Girl in School."
In 2012 I was hand picked by European progressive rock giant Arjen Lucassen to sing on his latest "Ayreon" rock opera project. Released in 2013, "The Theory of Everything" made it to number 3 in the Dutch charts, the top 20 in Germany, and charted very well in the rest of the world.
Back on home soil in Australia, Toehider supported USA band The Protomen on their sideshows from the PAX gaming festival. We also supported Devin Townsend on his massively successful Australian tour.
In January this year, I impulsively decided to record and film a version of the Kate Bush tune "Wuthering Heights". I was really surprised to see it take off. It's gotten to 305,000 views in under a month!
I've been working extremely hard on the next release, entitled "What Kind of Creature Am I?". For those that know the music of Toehider, I can guarantee I've taken the eclectic craziness, diversity, haunting stories and humour all to the next level. I'd even go as far to say that it's my best work to date.
But I need your help in ensuring the album is released in a quality package, and to also ensure that it reaches as many ears as possible. I get messages and comments all the time pretty much saying the same thing - "I can't believe more people haven't heard about Toehider!!"
Well, now's our opportunity to change that.
How The Funds Will Be Used
To put it simply, this is your chance to pre-order the album, with benefits.....
$2000 will go towards the manufacturing of the CDs, and $2000 will go towards the promotion of the album.
The standard edition of the album will be a 12 page digipak in a beautiful matte finish, manufactured on home soil here in Melbourne. Of course illustrated by the one and only Andrew "Salty" Saltmarsh.
The Deluxe Edition will also come with a 4 song (as yet unnamed) EP, as a bonus disc, as well as a limited edition poster of the album art.
The other $2000 will be put toward promoting the album. I'll be working very closely with Mike Solo from Birds Robe Records to ensure the album gets the exposure and presence it deserves. Online, street and print advertising, promo copies sent out to radio stations, magazines, blogs...
$2000 will go towards the manufacturing of the CDs, and $2000 will go towards the promotion of the album.
The standard edition of the album will be a 12 page digipak in a beautiful matte finish, manufactured on home soil here in Melbourne. Of course illustrated by the one and only Andrew "Salty" Saltmarsh.
The Deluxe Edition will also come with a 4 song (as yet unnamed) EP, as a bonus disc, as well as a limited edition poster of the album art.
The other $2000 will be put toward promoting the album. I'll be working very closely with Mike Solo from Birds Robe Records to ensure the album gets the exposure and presence it deserves. Online, street and print advertising, promo copies sent out to radio stations, magazines, blogs...
The Challenges
In the past, finance has always been an issue which compromised the quality of our releases. For example, I could never afford to release physical copies of the 12in12 project and when the limited edition 2CD sets sold out early on, it took over 2 years before I could afford to reprint them, along with the next album.
With all the goodwill from fans over the past year, I really want to give people the kind of album and packaging that does full justice to Salty’s artwork and your incredible comments about the music.
‘What Kind Of Creature Am I?’ depends on your support to ensure a release that is truly mindblowing and amazing.
Simply put, if the target falls short, compromises are unavoidable. Nobody wants that, so we’re relying on you, the good people of the world, to help us make this release something special.
With all the goodwill from fans over the past year, I really want to give people the kind of album and packaging that does full justice to Salty’s artwork and your incredible comments about the music.
‘What Kind Of Creature Am I?’ depends on your support to ensure a release that is truly mindblowing and amazing.
Simply put, if the target falls short, compromises are unavoidable. Nobody wants that, so we’re relying on you, the good people of the world, to help us make this release something special.
A COOL MESSAGE For $5, I will let you contribute to my nickname. So far it's Michael "Metal Teen Dragon Cartoon Taco Super Milk Lameo Meme Cool Bill Cat Wolf" Mills. No swearing! I plan on introducing myself onstage using this nickname. I won't stop until it gets to this length - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxCvfKJoWxY
5 chosen / 45 available
Est. delivery is Apr 14
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD For a mere $10, you can preorder the "What Kind of Creature Am I?" digital download album. You'll be able to download in any format you like (mp3, FLAC, wav etc), completely DRM-free.
30 chosen
Est. delivery is May 14
"WHAT KIND OF CREATURE AM I?" on CD. For $25, you'll be able to get both the digital AND the digipak CD version of the album. Featuring glorious artwork by Andrew Saltmarsh, 12 page lyric/art booklet in a matte finish. Beautiful. PLUS you get the option of if you would like it signed.
42 chosen
Est. delivery is May 14
A "THANK YOU" IN THE LINER NOTES A digital download, a digipak CD with 12 page booklet (with choice of signed/not signed) PLUS you get a big THANK YOU in the album credits. Be a part of progressive rock history!!
30 chosen
Est. delivery is May 14
BONUS EDITION ALBUM For $45, you will receive the "What Kind of Creature Am I?" digital download plus the BONUS EDITION which includes an extra 4 acoustic track EP. These are fresh new original songs, and will be included as a bonus disc. AND you'll get a big "THANK YOU!" in the liner notes!
32 chosen
Est. delivery is May 14
SUPER DELUXE EDITION Ok so 60 bucks, you will receive the following - - "What Kind of Creature Am I?" digital download - "What Kind of Creature Am I?" digipak CD with your name in the liner notes - BONUS 4 track acoustic EP - LIMITED EDITION Poster with the " What Kind of Creature Am I?" album artwork - VERY STYLISH AND COOL "What are you looking at Toehider" T-shirt, which is obviously inspired by the film "Teen Wolf", and I can be seen wearing it in my Wuthering Heights video.
39 chosen
Est. delivery is May 14
AN EXCLUSIVE SKYPE GUITAR LESSON WITH TOEHIDER'S LACHLAN BARCLAY Here's your chance to sit down with Lachlan "Rocklan" Barclay for an hour-long exclusive guitar lesson! You could work on Toehider tunes, stuff Lachlan's done for the AVGN, or any areas you feel you need to work on in your playing. Awesome!
0 chosen / 10 available
Est. delivery is Jun 14
TOEHIDER AWESOME SUPER PACK For $95, you'll be able to pick up - - "The First Six" and "The Last Six" on CD (which is the "12 EPs in 12 months" project in its entirety, spread across 2 double CD sets) - "To Hide Her", the first full-length album from 2011 - "What Kind of Creature Am I?", Deluxe Edition with bonus 4 track acoustic EP. - "WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT TOEHIDER" t-shirt - LIMITED EDITION "What Kind of Creature Am I?" poster - Toehider guitar picks That's over 100 pieces of music!!
31 chosen
Est. delivery is May 14
VOCAL LESSON WITH MICHAEL MILLS For $125 I will give you two 1hr vocal instruction sessions. If you are in Melbourne, Australia we can meet and I can help you extend your range, give you tips on projection, tonal quality, warm up techniques, etc. If you are somewhere else in the world, we can meet over Skype/FaceTime/Google Hangout, and will extend the sessions to 1 and a half hours. Here is a cool showcase of my work, put together by a fan - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEM3S0CG5Ac
2 chosen / 8 available
Est. delivery is Jun 14
I WILL WRITE AND RECORD A SONG ABOUT ANYTHING YOU LIKE For $200 I will write and record a song about literally anything you want. I will make all your wildest dreams come true. It could be a rock song, a pop song, an acoustic folk song, a capella, instrumental, whatever you like. Or, if you have some song lyrics, or a riff, or an idea, I can help you flesh it out.
8 chosen / 2 available
Est. delivery is Jun 14
ULTIMATE ALBUM AND ART PACKAGE For 350 beans you can be the proud owner of - - digital download of the album - Deluxe digipak CD with bonus 4 track EP - "WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT TOEHIDER" shirt - guitar picks PLUS you'll receive all of Salty's original concept sketches, inks, and final versions of all of the artwork. There's only one of these packages on offer, truly a one-of-a-kind opportunity!!
0 chosen / 1 available
Est. delivery is May 14
I WILL COME TO YOUR HOUSE AND PLAY SONGS FOR YOU. You choose the songs. They could be Toehider songs, cover songs you'd like me to sing... I'll play an hour set. I can just sit in your lounge room, in your backyard, I can play soothing ballads while you fall asleep... Whatever you like! If you're not in Victoria, Australia, you'd also have to pay for travel + accommodation costs, but I'll go anywhere in the world! email me at [email protected] if you'd like to discuss this further!
1 chosen / 4 available
Est. delivery is Sep 14
FUND THE ENTIRE PROJECT AND I WILL WRITE A DOUBLE CONCEPT ALBUM ABOUT YOU, YOUR PET, OR ANYTHING YOU WISH. Ok so if you're keen on putting up $4000, I'll write and record a full concept album based on whatever you think would be cool. An adventure story, or songs to help you sleep, a crazy valentine's day gift involving songs about you and your loved one. The sky's the limit really!! You'll have to give me about 18 months to put it together though, but rest assured it'll be AWESOME.
0 chosen / 1 available
Est. delivery is Apr 15
EXTREMELY LIMITED VINYL EDITION WITH ONE-OF-A-KIND ARTWORK BY ANDREW SALTMARSH Here's your chance to get something REALLY unique; A 10" vinyl, 4 song "Featured Creatures" album with alternate mixes, lyrics, and a one-of-a-kind, hand drawn album sleeve by Andrew "Salty" Saltmarsh. Each album will be hand-numbered and signed. A super collectors item!!
10 chosen / 0 available
Est. delivery is May 14
OWN MIKE'S 1989 USA FENDER STRATOCASTER Own a piece of Toehider history! Classics such as "Toe Hider", "I Must Say Yes" and "But Mostly Metal" were all written and recorded with this guitar. It has a Dimarzio YJM pickup in the bridge, and an HS-3 in the neck position. I've strung it up right-handed (reverse-Hendrix style!), or if you're a lefty, I can convert it back.
1 chosen / 0 available
Est. delivery is May 14