Dear Friends,
At the end of the
Summer of 2009, I received a phone call that changed the course of my life. The
sister of my dear friend Jason Larche rang to inform me that he had chosen to
end his life. One of his last wishes as expressed in writing, was that I sing
at his funeral. Jason and I went back to college theater days, and while
he continued very successfully on that path, I applied myself with equal
enthusiasm to music. Our friendship, as well as the manner of his passing, left
an indelible mark on my life. As a playwright and composer, Jason had a knack
for looking at people on the edge, people in transition, people in struggle,
people seeking transcendence from suffering and stuck in the difficult places
of decision.
In early 2010, I wrote
a song in honor of Jason called Going Home. And while the
song was written in his memory, it is really a litany of the stories and ideas
he would no longer be here to bring forth. It is a piece of music that has
inspired the creation of a brand new collection of original Joe Jencks songs
and compositions. I am recording these songs along with some thematically
complimentary pieces written by a few good friends including Kat Eggleston, Jon
Brooks, and the late Jack Hardy.
The new project is
titled: Poets, Philosophers, Workers, & Wanderers.
The songs range from
grand cinematic ballads and stories of people who dared to dream and paid a
high price, to intimate songs of personal evolution, growth, and transition.
The underlying tone of the new record is adventurous and hopeful, while never
shying away from the difficult truths of the world in which we live. From the
tragedy of 18th century Prison Ships bound for Australia, to a
ballad about the Shoah and a small town in the Ukraine called Trochenbrod; from
stories about Veterans and PTSD, to a celebration of Pete Seeger and his
courage in standing up at HUAC in 1955, the underlying theme of transformation,
both personal and societal is evident throughout. Poets,
Philosophers, Workers, & Wanderers, is the most thoughtfully
arranged and composed record of my career to date.
In addition to
carefully cultivated songs and arrangements including strings, horns, piano,
choir and other acoustic instruments, a host of guest artists have lent their
time and talents to help bring this to life. Musicians include: Ysaye Barnwell
(of Sweet Honey and The Rock), Peggy Seeger, Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer, Tret
Fure, Harpeth Rising, Edie Carey, Heather Styka, Jon Carroll, Jim Robeson, Cheryl
Prashker, Grace Jencks, Charilie Pilzer, David Glaser, Bob Beach, and Charlie
Bernhardt. Most of the recording has been done with Grammy winning engineer,
Charlie Pilzer (Airshow Inc., Takoma Park, MD) and it sounds AMAZING!
I am writing to you
now, to invite you to be a part of this important project. On the creative
side, it has been a community “barn raising.” I now need to ask for your
assistance on the financial side to help complete the project and put roof on
the proverbial barn. I have been financing this out of pocket thus far; and I am
hoping that together we can raise at least another ten thousand dollars that is
needed to finish this collection of songs and stories so sacred to my own
heart, and others.
The best way you can
help is to order copies of the CD in advance. I have set up this crowd-funding
website and as always, checks
can also be mailed directly to me. Please send me a note for a mailing address.
(joe@joejencks.com)
In addition, I have
also secured several thousand dollars in Challenge Grants from a few
enthusiastic private donors. It’s money on the table and you can help raise an equal amount via crowd-funding to access
that support. Please join me in making this a reality.
The result of your
generosity will be not only the completion of this CD, but it will also support
an outward ripple affect of good deeds. Several of the songs on the project
will go out into the world as singles – in support of other communities.
I have been doing work
with a group based in Spokane, WA called Warriors
Heart to Art. This wonderful organization helps Veterans tell their
stories, and integrate their experiences through the arts, as they endeavor to
live more fully in spite of their ongoing struggles with Post Traumatic Stress.
Your support will allow several thousand copies of a song I wrote with the
Veterans called, One Piece At A Time to be distributed
free of charge to Veterans across the country by Warriors Heart to Art. In addition,
the project’s Bass player, Jim Robeson (a Vietnam Vet) has volunteered his
services as a video producer, to create a music video using this song, to help
honor the Vets.
A ballad I wrote
called Children of Trochenbrod about the insanity of
the Shoah / Holocaust, has already been donated as part of the film score for
an independent film, called Lost Town. The film is now
available on DVD. With your support to complete
the project, the song will keep traveling through the communities of descendants,
survivors, and allies that we may continue to learn from and avert genocide and
hate-crimes (all too present in our world, even still).
Your role in this
project will create opportunities to donate other songs for suicide awareness
and prevention, mental health awareness, as well as contributing music to
several Labor organizations, and to the ACLU for it’s ongoing efforts to defend
Civil Rights. Last but not least, several hundred copies of this record will be
sent to Folk DJs for their efforts to keep acoustic music alive and well on the
airwaves. You are a necessary part of the success of this effort.
None of this can
happen without your generosity. Please order copies of Poets, Philosophers,
Workers, & Wanderers for yourself and for friends. Order a copy to give to a local radio station
or a local library. Please also consider giving a gift of 100 to 1000 dollars.
The more money we raise, the more CDs we will be able to give away. Every
dollar given beyond the ten thousand needed to complete the project will be
spent sharing this work with communities that can benefit from the music. It is
a musical portrait of humanity I would very much like to share, in the hopes
that music can help heal what is broken in our world. Your generosity is a
critical component to begin that healing. And in advance, let me say thank you
for your generosity.
This has been a labor
of love. Every one of these songs has a story. Every one of the musicians and
engineers has donated some or all of their time, in the effort to help bring
this project into the world. You are also an integral part of this community. Please
feel free to contact me for more information about how you can help bring this
record into the world.
In Deepest Gratitude,
Joe Jencks
Turtle Bear Music