For years, I've had this vision of doing a solo recording in a peaceful, bucolic setting somewhere off the beaten path. Now it's finally happening! A painful breakup this summer led to an obsession with playing certain songs, and a burning desire to record and release them.
This project will be sparse, raw, and deeply personal, including both originals and covers that mean a lot to me, performed simply with my voice and piano.
I have a studio session set for September 24 at CedarHouse Sound & Mastering up in New Hampshire. It's just a few hours from Portland, Maine where we'll be celebrating my father's life.
Dad passed last fall, and he would have loved this for me.
I'm an independent musician and songwriter, meaning: I have no agent promoting my music, no manager keeping me on task, and no label to provide financial backing. I'm doing it all myself, but could really use the help of generous people like you to cover the expenses for this project. Studio time (recording, mixing, and mastering), licenses for cover songs, CD manufacturing, lodging, and other incidentals all add up, and my estimated budget for the project is $5000.
This is not an all-or-nothing fundraising campaign; any amount raised is helpful. If I don't raise the full amount, I'll do a lot of the engineering (mixing and/or mastering) myself, but I would rather give these songs the full professional treatment end-to-end. If I raise more than my goal, I'll have funding to promote the album to the masses.
If you're interested in supporting this venture, please scroll down to find the sponsorship levels and frequently asked questions about album crowd-funding. Every contribution, no matter how small, takes some of the financial pressure off my quest to bring this new collection of music into the world.
Thank you!!
Please note: Unless you specify otherwise, your contribution at any level automatically gets you a shout-out on social media and a listing on this web page -- with a photo of you, if available.
If you are also a songwriter, musician, writer, or visual artist, I will happily @tag your artist profile on Facebook and/or Instagram when I acknowledge your gift. Just let me know your handle(s) in the comments when you check out.
If you prefer to remain anonymous, please let me know and I will respect your privacy.
Blaze your own trail! You are not limited to the fixed amounts listed below; just give whatever feels right. Contributions of $10+ come with tier rewards (e.g. $15 = Trailhead, $75 = Clifftop). Donations under $10 are also much appreciated but come without rewards (other than my gratitude and that warm fuzzy feeling).
Q: Is this like Kickstarter, GoFundMe, or Indiegogo? Why aren't you using one of those standard platforms?
A: Yes, this is the same concept. All of those platforms are used for crowd-funding. I prefer to use my own website as the platform because it gives me full flexibility, and avoids the fees charged by the more familiar platforms. They take a significant cut of the contributions! Here, the only fees are the PayPal payment processing fees.
Q: What happens if you don't reach your funding goal? Will the project be cancelled and will I get a refund?
A: This is a flex-funding campaign, not all-or-nothing, and there are no refunds if the goal is not met. I am committed to the one-day recording session regardless. If I don't reach the full funding goal, I will do as much as I can with the funding on hand. If funding is insufficient to cover mixing and mastering, I may need to do much or all of the post-recording production myself, and the quality of the final product may not be as high as it could be if I were able to hire a professional audio engineer to do the job. The turnaround time to receive the final recording will probably also be longer.
Q: I tried to sponsor the album, but the checkout isn't working for some reason. Now what?
A: I'm sorry the checkout process isn't working for you; some operating systems and/or browsers seem to have trouble with it. You could try using a different platform (e.g., desktop computer instead of smartphone) or a different browser (e.g., Chrome).
Alternatively, you can use Venmo or PayPal directly. If you go that route, please add a comment about the sponsorship tier so I know what it's for.
Another option is to send a check, which is great because it saves me platform fees; see below.
Q: What if I prefer to sponsor the album by sending a check rather than paying online?
A: Totally awesome, that saves me the payment processing fees! If this is your preference, just email me to let me know and I can send you the mailing address.
Q: What other artists will you be covering on this album?
A: As envisioned, this album will include covers of Patty Griffin, The Decemberists, KT Tunstall, Taylor Swift, Catie Curtis, and Howard Jones, in addition to three of my originals. However, the lineup is subject to budgetary constraints; if I don't reach my funding goal I may need to cut back on the number of songs produced.
Q: Did you write new songs specifically for this album?
A: Actually no. Two were previously released many years ago with a full band, but these solo arrangements are very different. The third is also an older song, but was never released. All three have taken on new meaning for me in light of recent life events.
Q: When will I receive my rewards?
A: Digital rewards (album download, video links) will go out as soon as mixing and mastering are complete — realistically a few months after the September session, though it depends on studio turnaround and my own schedule. Physical rewards (signed CDs, canvas prints) will follow once CDs are manufactured. I'll keep sponsors updated along the way, and you're always welcome to email me for a status check.