Summary
Hi, my name is Joel Kerr. I’m a bassist and composer living in Montreal,
Quebec, Canada.
This Indiegogo campaign is to
raise money in order to release my new album, a throwback to the electric
sounds of 70s Miles Davis, combined with Indie Rock and Classical Minimalism,
and a splash of World Music. The band is
Kenny Bibace on guitar, Andrew Boudreau on Fender Rhodes, Mark Nelson on drums,
and myself on bass. The incredible
Mireille Boily joins us as a guest vocalist on a few tracks. Multiple award-winning recording engineer and
producer Paul Johnston will be mixing the album, and Avia Moore will be the designer.
My influences play an important part in this album and in this
campaign. My love of
modern literature, my fascination with Minimalist Classical music, and my
Japanese-Canadian heritage are the main sources of inspiration for this album.
But the musical concept as a whole is the use of lush textures and space to
create an atmosphere that is meditative and minimalist, yet expressive.
Budget
To make this project happen we need to
raise $5000.
Here is the projected budget for this
album:
-
Studio Fees: $1800
-
Engineering fees: $850
-
Editing & Mixing: $1150
-
Mastering: $1000
-
Artwork and Design: $1000
-
Disc Manufacturing: $1000
-
Musician Fees: $3500
-
Photos & Video: $1000
Total: $10,800
The first step in the process has
been already taken, thanks to a FACTOR demo recording grand of $1500. We recently spent three days at Mixart Studios recording all the tracks onto 2” tape, and I’m incredibly happy with
the results.
However, as you can see, even if
this campaign is successful, there will still be over $4000 of expenses to be
accounted for. I will cover as much as
possible out of pocket, but the first place I will need to cut expenses is in
the musician fees. In the event of the
goal being exceeded, and the entire budget being covered, the remaining money
will be used to publicize and promote the album.
The Perks
As mentioned, my influences play an
important part in this album and in this campaign, which is reflected in some
of the perks. I’m grateful for the musicians with whom I’ve played – not only
because they’ve influenced my compositions, but also because many have donated
their work as the perks in this campaign.
$10 = A digital download of the album
before it’s released
$30 = A hard copy of the album
+ digital download of the album
before it’s released
$50 = A CD of one of my friends!
You will receive a CD, generously donated by
some of my friends! You have a choice
between:
+ hard copy of the album
+ digital download of the album
before it’s released
$50 = A book of my compositions from the
album!
- spiral-bound, 8.5" x 11" paper
+ hard copy of the album
+ digital download of the album
before it’s released
$75 = You can borrow any item from my
personal library!
-
Books, CDs, Records, or DVDs
+ hard copy of the album
+ digital download of the album
before it’s released
$100 = The Joel Kerr Discography!!
You get all of the following CDs:
+ book of compositions
+ hard copy of the album
+ digital download of the album
before it’s released
$150 = The Joel Kerr Complete Works on
USB key!!
-
All the albums I’ve ever played on, in digital format – 20 albums!!
- See the list here
+ hard copy of the album
+ digital download of the album
before it’s released
$200 = Private lesson!!
-
double bass,
electric bass or composition
+ book of compositions
+ hard copy of the album
+ digital download of the album
before it’s released
$500 = I will organize your personal
library!!!
+ book of compositions
+ hard copy of the album
+ digital download of the album
before it’s released
$1000 = Private Concert by the Joel Kerr
Quartet!!!!
+ book of compositions
+ hard copy of the album
+ digital download of the album
before it’s released
Other Ways You Can Help
If you want to support this project, but
aren’t able to contribute financially, don’t worry: there are other ways to
help that are just as important. You can
post my pitch video or this Indiegogo page to your Facebook or Twitter (or any
other social media you use), and you can tell your friends and family about the
campaign. You can also just like my Facebook page, follow me on Twitter or join my mailing list. And if
you have unique skills and abilities and you can volunteer to help out on the
campaign in other ways, that’s appreciated too!
Also, since the theme of this
campaign is my influences, you can make a short video of yourself supporting my
campaign, and I’ll post it on my blog and write about how you’ve influenced
me! If I don’t know you personally, you
can still send in a video, and I’ll just thank you nicely.
Thank you very much for taking the
time to read this. None of this would be
possible without you!
A Little Bit More About Joel
I hold a Master of Music in Jazz
Performance degree from McGill University, and a Bachelor of Music in Double
Bass Performance (orchestral) from the University of Regina. I also attended the Glenn Gould School of Music
in Toronto, where I studied with the Canadian double bass legend Joel Quarrington. I am currently working towards a Master of Library and Information
Studies degree, also at McGill University.
The release of my first album, Joel Kerr Quintet, led directly to
a performance at the 2011 Montreal International Jazz Festival, which in turn
resulted in a position of finalist for the Montreal Jazz Festival TD Grand Jazz
Award, and a nomination for the Galaxie Rising Star Award.
My other projects are the Key-Lites,
Bean, and Siach Hasadeh. I’m also a
member of Shtreiml, and the Craig Pedersen Quartet, and I perform with
several other artists, including Sarah Slean (Toronto), Irem Bekter, Moe Clark, Marie Trezanini, Renée Yoxon (Montreal/Ottawa), Marie-Claire Durand, and Ismail Fencioglu. With
these groups as well as various other ensembles ranging from symphony
orchestras to rock bands, I have toured extensively across Canada, as well as
in the US and Europe.
