What on Earth is a “Keib”?
Keib is the main musical project of songwriter/producer/keyboardist Bobby Green (that would be me). I am an album-oriented artist, and strive to make my albums flow less like a collection of short stories and more like a novel. I call my style of music “dream prog,” a unique fusion of dream pop and progressive rock. Keib is also the title of my second album, which I’ve been hard at work on for almost three years. I want to build on what I started with my 2014 debut album Scrapbook to create a more complete and unified album which explores some of what I’ve gone through since then. I also want to push myself to explore new territory on this album, such as singing on the songs myself rather than hiring a vocalist. Music is my greatest passion and I use it to express myself, and making this album is absolutely everything to me.
The current track list for the album is as follows:
- Waking
- Sisyphus
- Metempsychosis
- Tunnel Vision
- Summer Dreams
- The First of July
- Drowning, Breathing
- Automaton Sings
- Grey
- So It Goes
Okay, so what do you need me for? What’s in it for me?
Having real musicians playing real instruments is especially important in rock music. Recording real musicians playing real instruments requires studio recording space and equipment. In addition, I plan to release this album with a lyric booklet containing original artwork, and I plan to release the album on physical CD’s as well as digitally. All of this costs money, which can be difficult for me to come by as a full time graduate student.
$2,375 are needed to pay musicians to perform on the album, specifically: a drummer, a bassist, a guitarist, and a background vocalist. I will be playing all keyboard parts and doing all of the lead vocals. As a University of Miami graduate student, I have uniquely affordable access to recording space on campus and will be able to record for $500. $605 will be used to pay for the album artwork, which will be presented in a booklet consisting of 14 paintings with the lyrics to each song. $400 will go towards the printing of physical CDs and booklets for a total budget of $3,880, with the remainder of the $4,000 goal being used to pay Indiegogo’s fees.
This budget has been significantly cut down from what I originally planned to ask for, and simply represents the bare minimum needed to produce what I would consider a true album with actual musicians. I have some audio engineering skills, enough to record and mix the album if necessary, but the album will sound much better if I work with a professional audio engineer. For this reason, I’ve set up a few stretch goals. For an extra $2,500 I can have the album professionally mixed by engineer and producer Camilo Rodriguez, and for another $5,000 he will record and co-produce the album in a private, professional studio.
So, what do you get for donating? Well, in addition to helping ensure that the album is released at the highest possible level of quality for your enjoyment, I have a number of perks available to the right. Reward fulfillment timing will depend upon how it relates to the production schedule. Some will start immediately, others will start when the album is released, and still others will start after the album is released. All rewards will be fulfilled by the end of the year.
I am absolutely determined to make this album no matter what, and while my goal represents the resources I need to make the album properly, if it does not reach the goal I will still find a way to make and release it. In that scenario funds will most likely be used to purchase better equipment and software so I can make the album on my own. I’d like to avoid this scenario, as it would result in many of the instruments on the album being software instruments rather than real instruments played by real musicians, which would put the project on a significantly smaller scale.
What’s the point?
I make music to express myself creatively and to make listeners think and feel. Over the past few years I’ve dealt with a great deal of heartbreak, frustration, loneliness, and depression, and my hope is that by processing these things through music, I’ll be able to help others going through similar things. I believe that by giving people struggling with these sorts of issues something to relate to I can help them to feel less alone.
Can you be trusted to actually follow through?
As I mentioned earlier, this is my second album as Keib. In 2014 I released an album called Scrapbook, which I wrote, produced, recorded, played keyboards on, and mixed, so this is not unfamiliar territory for me. In addition, I’ve been studying production as a graduate student and have greatly refined my skills as a producer since then.
What can go wrong and how will you prevent it?
Of course, there are many obstacles to making an album. Recording sessions can take longer than expected, resulting in higher musicians’ fees and delaying the production schedule. Important files can be damaged or lost, resulting in work having to be redone. Scheduling can be difficult as other obligations get in the way, delaying important steps of production.
I learned about these obstacles through experience when I made Scrapbook, and that experience has led to me devising numerous solutions to these problems. I’ve been making fully arranged demos for every track on the album, and am currently finishing up the last two songs while the rest have been completed. I’ve been sharing these demos with everyone working on the album via google drive so they can immediately hear them, and will be providing all musicians with chord charts, sheet music, and isolated audio stems to ensure that they can learn their parts well before coming in to record, which helps greatly in ensuring that recording sessions go smoothly and quickly. All important files for the album will be backed up on multiple drives and in cloud storage to ensure that nothing gets lost.
What if I want to help, but can’t afford to donate?
Fortunately, there’s more than one way to support this campaign. Not everyone can afford to donate, but if that’s the case that doesn’t mean you can’t help. Whether you can afford to donate or not, sharing this campaign on social media or directly with anyone that you think might be interested would be a tremendous help. If you’d like to see this album become a reality then please, help get the word out!
Thank you for checking out the campaign, I hope you’ll join me in making this album!