The Skinny
With the participation of some really talented players, I've produced ten of the best songs I've ever written. The final result is my new album, "Island off the Coast of America" - a picture of alienation, loss, reconciliation and resumption, with sing-along choruses. And now, I want to share it in the format that I still love the most - the vinyl LP record. That is:
- A 300 run limited edition 180 gram black vinyl LP with digital downloads, full color cover and inner sleeve
- Recorded, mixed and mastered and ready to go
- But wait, there's more!
Buy a Shawl, Fund a Record
The LP is almost just the gravy - I'm making this Indiegogo campaign with the goal of giving all you lovely people unprecedented bang for your donation bucks. That ain't hype:
- Fantastic hand-knitted and crocheted creations by my lovely wife, Yesenia
- Watercolor portraits, pen and ink drawings by my lovely self, me
- Every price point gets you something great - from $125 for a hat or scarf to $700 for a poncho that would make Clint Eastwood lose his shit
- You can even have a custom-branded website built
The cost to manufacture the vinyl is around $2800. If the math isn't obvious, I'm looking to raise half of that via this campaign. So get yourself some amazing handmade goodness at great prices and support one old boy's dream.
Check out the perks section for more details.
The Money Train
Anything that comes in above the cost of manufacturing and distributing the vinyl will go towards related costs:
- Paying the participating musicians for a series of live shows to promote the release, scheduled for mid-June
- Previous expenses accrued during the recording (mastering, etc.)
- The filming of an animated video for the album single
My Obscurity is Your Opportunity
Indiegogo tells me that people value transparency, to "be open and stand out by providing insight into the risks and obstacles [I] may face on the way to achieving [my] goal." So here we go:
-
I'm a comparatively unknown artist without a large pre-existing fanbase awaiting the release of this album
-
The current music economy stinks
-
But the final results of this record are so good I'm surprised I had anything to do with it and the quality of the music will attract interest from people who are not yet aware of my existence
-
So I'm structuring the pledge premiums in a value-forward way to give it every possible chance to have a life beyond what Stephen King calls 'the wearisome cage of its author's questionable reputation'
Music is not my primary source of income, but the economic difficulties of the last decade have made sure that the type of money I would need to pursue this dream isn't on hand. Your generous participation will be appreciated in ways that I can't even express (although I will try).
Don't Need Stuff but Want to Help Anyway?
Don't have use for a record, and your wardrobe is so full that you're thinking of moving just so you can buy more crap? No sweat. You can also make a donation to the fund via Resonant Motion, the not-for-profit label (among other things) that's releasing my record. RMI promotes progressive social causes through the arts, and vice-versa and their work is a great good in this world.
All your donations to RMI are tax-deductible and will go towards the record. Here's how:
- Visit the Resonant Motion site Donate page
- Select your donation amount
- In the pull-down menu under the "Program" heading, select "Island off the Coast of America"
And if you want to learn more about Resonant Motion and the work they do, check them out at
resonantmotion.org
Anything Else?
I firmly believe this album and the wonderful things you can get by helping me it are worth supporting, so please share it with all your friends, loved ones, enemies, pets, lower vertebrae. Indiegogo has some great tools to broadcast it via seemingly every electronic communications method known to man short of faxing, so feel free take advantage of them and get the word out.
Thanks!
