Short Summary
Hey everyone! I'm recording my third record as a leader and my first for a label (Inner Circle Music).
Many of the songs you've heard me play in the past year will finally get a chance to be recorded via this project and at the hands of four gentlemen who make my job easy! They are Fabian Almazan (piano), Matthew Stevens (guitar), Matt Penman (bass) and Jimmy Macbride (drums). I'm excited to get to record an entirely new set of music that will feature grooves inspired by Rock and Roll, my recent trip to Africa, my wife, and much more.
In addition to having these musicians at my disposal, I'm very excited to be working with Grammy Award-Winning engineer Ted Tuthill at Sear Sound. I've never had the pleasure of recording at this famed studio, and I'm very much looking forward to the occasion!
What We Need & What You Get
The last fundraising project I did for one of my own projects that I can remember was selling these things called "butterbraids" to attend a class choir trip to Toronto when I was a freshman in high school.
For this project I'm setting the bar high and I'm going to raise $10,000.00.
Here's exactly why:
1. The musicians I've enlisted to do this project are incredible in their own right. The fact that they have decided to dedicate their time and efforts to my music is flattering and I have to be able to compensate them for their efforts accordingly.
2. What do Clapton, Bjork, D'Angelo, Joe Henderson and countless others have in common? They all recorded at Sear Sound in NYC. Sear Sound is one of THE best studios in the world and costs a pretty penny! I'm ecstatic to have engineer (and close friend) Ted Tuthill, engineering the session. Ted recently won his first Grammy, so you know he's excellent!
3. Does anyone listen to CD's anymore? The answer, surprisingly, is YES! With my past two records, I've done very well to sell physical copies of CD's and my plan for this record is to produce and duplicate at least 1,000 copies of the physical CD. If you are someone who might purchase this new record after it's been recorded, I would ask you to consider throwing the same money into this fundraising campaign; that way YOU are actually a part of the CD's success from the ground floor!
4. Hearing with you ears and EYES... Along with the physical CD's, I will be piecing together a series of videos that will feature different band member interviews as well as my EPK; both of which will serve as vital tools for booking the band and increasing professional web presence.
5. The buzzz... Getting people from all around the world (critics, press, journalists, etc) is no easy feat. For my previous outings as a leader I've done all the leg work myself and with success. However, my goals for this project have been set higher and by employing a publicist and/or radio campaign, I will be able to share my music with a much larger audience.
The Impact
Being a freelance/independent artist in today's world is no easy task. I have been very fortunate to call my music my employer for my entire life. My ability to do so has been largely due to my work ethic, drive and focus. Equally important has been the unwavering support of everyone in my life who has known me at some point in my career. From my local repair man to the woman who got me my first gig at the age of 12 with a karaoke play-a-long track at the Elks Lodge in Bloomington, IL, there have been people who have thrown their support, without question, behind my music and my vision.
The number of life experiences that I have been able to have through music has been amazing up to this point. Recording my OWN music, however, has been one of the single-most rewarding experiences. I try to remain a constant student of the music and composing my own music has been a crucial aspect of who I have become and continue to develop into as a musician and human being. The opportunity to record my own music with the personnel that I will do so with for this record is truly an honor and one that I will have because of the continued support of people like you. You are the difference.
Risks & Challenges
It takes a lot of courage to open up and ask for people's help or support. I have to admit, with the onslaught of fundraising campaigns in years past, I felt a little bit of reservation about doing one myself. However, I feel confident that based on my previous successes with recording as a leader, I know with absolute certainty how to manage the funds that I'm hoping to raise; maximizing their impact every step of the way.
As I mentioned before, I would challenge those who know they are going to be interested in buying a copy of the record once it comes out, to pledge that amount to this project- you'll be a real part of this project!
Other Ways You Can Help
For some of you it may be a challenge to support this project and believe me, I understand! If you find yourself unable to support monetarily, the world we live in is one flooded with social interaction, through various media platforms. I would LOVE if you wouldn't mind sharing this project on Facebook, Twitter, etc. Every little bit helps and I'm so grateful!