Before the Collapse of the Hive
Stephen here, thanks for taking the time to check out our campaign. The headline above is the name of our new record that we hope to have in your hands by summer 2023. Many of you helped us release our first album, "Jimmy & the Moon", and it's our hope that you will join in to help us finish and launch our new album into the world.
Join the Hive
You may know me from my 23 years in Toronto band Lowest of the Low. I left in 2013 to pursue exactly what we are talking about here.
The Stephen Stanley Band is an indie recording project and this new album will be released on Wolfe Island Records. As an artists' collective, Wolfe Island Records has a wonderful team of musicians to work with along with one of Canada's best producers - Chris Brown. Because WI Records is an artists' collective, all the musician's albums are fully and completely self-funded.
As a young musician I remember thinking that recording an album was all there is to it, but in today's current climate, putting focus only on the recording is a direct line to an album that nobody will ever hear. Our album campaign is aiming to raise funds to:
- Finish the recording of the album
- Master the finished track sequence
- Manufacture CDs and vinyl
- Promote the album to media and radio across Canada, the US and Europe.
To be frank, we can't do all of this without you and each of these steps are essential to releasing a record.
The Give & The Get
All told, we are looking to raise $16,000 to complete the steps listed above. For those of you who would like to know more about how the money is allocated, please reach out - I would be glad to expand on this.
For those of you who would like to be in on the ground floor of this project, the perks include all the usual things like:
- First digital downloads
- First to get the CDs and vinyl
- Bundles that will include components of the above along with t-shirts with the stunning album art designed by my daughter, Alisa Stanley.
Also, people joining in on the campaign will be the first to see the album art... but not yet...!
There will be house shows and full band shows available along with the opportunity to attend the advance listening party that will have some special guest performers along for the ride. This is going to be fun and I can't wait for you to see everything that will be available and to hear our new album!
With A Little Help From Our Friends...
The best part of our first album campaign was the sense of community that sprung up around the music. With listening parties and release shows, and so many messages and emails, it really became clear to me that it was no longer just my record, it was our record.
"Before the Collapse of the Hive" has taken us longer to make than we originally thought it would, mainly due to the pandemic, but our intention to make music with Chris Brown in his incredibly unique location remained intact and we persevered. Now we are almost at the finish line.
The silver lining of the delay of the recording allowed for some lovely new songs to materialize and join in on the fun. So, there will be two songs on the record that have never been played live before. During the campaign, we'll release a couple of exclusive videos for YOU - our campaign team. The videos were shot and directed by Simon Head on Wolfe Island and contain, what I think, are some really nice alternate takes of songs that will be on BTCOTH.
Stay tuned everyone. This is going to be fun! And I really thank you for helping us complete this.
Vinyl Realities
One thing to keep in mind is that the world of music manufacturing has undergone a major shift in the last three years. Indie bands like us are experiencing extra-long wait times in the manufacturing of vinyl but we've decided to proceed with the release of the record and, when the vinyl is ready, people who opted into the campaign will be the first to know and receive.
Other Ways You Can Help
- Share this campaign on social media.
- Email campaign link to your friends
- Spread the word!
Thank you for reading and for watching the video!
