Machine Gun Moustache: A Great Sound Deserves a Great Sticker

When multi-instrumentalists Immanual (a.k.a. "The Liberator") and Will Hatch get together, good things happen. Musical traditions are explored, updated and sometimes even exploded, as in the case of their new band, Machine Gun Moustache, which re-imagines old blues and Americana with experimental twists, such as tribal rhythms and homemade electric instruments. 

While the band is barely a year old, all told, 2010 was a good year for Machine Gun Moustache. They finished up their second self-produced/recorded album, Fish for Dinner, and embarked on their first real tour, heading up from Washington D.C. through New England all the way to Burlington, Vermont. "To be honest," Immanuel told us, "we were a bit surprised by how excited people seemed to be at our shows." He goes on to note how grateful he and Will are for the generosity of fans and friends on the road (especially to those who let the band crash on their couches).

As a new band, Machine Gun Moustache relies heavily on word-of-mouth support and fan endorsements to get the word out, and their stickers are a big part of that. The band's intriguing photo-sticker now adorns walls, poles, doors, and bathroom stalls from D.C. to Maine--which prompts the curious to perhaps visit the website, maybe download some music (by donation), and hopefully come see a show. 

Why did Machine Gun Moustache go with Custom Sticker Makers (CSM) on sticker printing? "That’s pretty simple," Immanuel told us. "Full-color and price.  Even though our sticker only has four or five colors, it would have cost us way more money to do the job at any of the other places I looked at. If I had gone with another printer, I  would have had to do the time-consuming Photoshop work of separating color vectors and such. With CSM, I just sent in a high-res JPEG and they sent the stickers back looking perfect." He goes on to note that at CSM's prices, the band can afford to give their stickers away. 

Midgemere Part One

MachineGunMustache | Myspace Music Videos

Band Promo: Mike Peralta Sticks with the Fans

When Southern California singer/songwriter Mike Peralta was in high school, his love of Nirvana inspired him to learn to play an old guitar his mother got him--but it wasn't until a tragedy rocked his school that he came home and wrote his first song. In the years that followed, Mike found he had a knack for turning life's difficulties and dysfunctions into music, and when he finally decided to take his solo act to the streets (in bars, coffee shops, fairs, private parties, farmer's markets, even out in front of movie theaters) he found that people responded.


Now, with 150 original songs to his credit--as well as an acoustic/folk album and a new Single on iTunes--Mike Peralta has made a name for himself in the SoCal music scene. Along the way, he's learned a thing or two about using the internet to connect with fans: currently, he has 800 email subscribers on his blog, 6,500 Twitter followers, 27,000 MySpace peeps, 352 Facebook fans, and a website, www.MikePeralta.com.

Off the internet, of course, Mike knew he needed a way for fans to spread the word. So everywhere he performs, you'll see custom stickers alongside CDs, shirts, and buttons on his merch table. At $2 each, Mike's able to make a small profit on his stickers while keeping costs within range for the fans. Over the years, he's sold and given away hundreds of stickers at shows, and considers them an important part of his branding.

Why Custom Sticker Makers? "They have a personal touch," said Mike. "I can send them an email or a question and expect it to be answered by an actual human, with a real answer (not just a template), in a reasonable amount of time." He adds that CSM hasn't grown so big that they "don't care about the little guy" and are willing to actually talk about orders, "instead of replying with some BS response like a copy/paste of a slightly related Question/Answer topic like some other companies do." He also enjoys being able to customize the dimensions of his stickers, both for aesthetics and cost-control, and CSM's competitive pricing.