Kickstarter

This album was born slowly over the past five years. It began at the end one of the darkest periods in my life when illness, injury and depression showed up for a long vacation. Then one day love found it's way in too and one by one those terrible guests went packing. The songs on The Undertow are from those experiences and are written for you, the ones who know it and the ones who don't. They are a declaration of survival and an exclamation of joy!

The Undertow will contain twelve lovingly honed tracks created with producer Mike Davidson. We have an amazing lineup of backing musicians including Duke Levine, Steve Scully, John Sands, Jamie Edwards, Annie Hoffman and my loyal friend John "Duey" Ducharme. The album will be released digitally, on CD and on a beautifully crafted, brightly colored vinyl with an insert of artwork created by the devastatingly talented Becky Comber.

I am the offspring of a musician and an actor, I was born in cabin #4 on a beach during a thunder storm and grew up on an island off the Canadian west coast. Two years ago I moved to Boston in search of greater challenges and musical opportunities. I thought I would make softly sung folk music and ended up with a rock band. I adore singing and every time I do it's like a windshield washer across the worries of my brain. Some people have said that my voice makes them feel calm and happy and that keeps me going. I live for the fun of collaboration and feel grateful to be able to create this album with so many amazing artists.

What will your money and support do?! It will pay for the recording, engineering and mastering of the album as well as the musician and producer fees. It will manufacture the CDs and the vinyl and pay the artists and designers to create an array of promotional imagery. It will also enable publicity of the album; from radio promotion to contacting bloggers to seeking reviews. In short instead of going through a label I am coming to you and together we can launch this album professionally.

Raising money on Kickstarter is not simply about donations; it's a venue for trade, collaboration and support. Not only do I have a collection of beautiful items to share with you, but there is a list of fun ways you can add your input to the process.

Just over a year ago I raised $15,000 to fund my Big Spoon EP. I received an amazing amount of support and was able to shoot a music video with Graydon Sheppard, pay for the album artwork, create a radio promo campaign, manufacture merch and plan a national tour. Just think, that was accomplished with three songs, this time it's twelve!

Without you my music would have no home, Becky would be hanging about listlessly in her basement, Mike and Duey would sit around all day staring at each other and my mind would be a mess of cluttered unexpressed ideas. Whether you are pledging, sharing this on Facebook, tweeting your support or just taking the time to watch and listen, thank you for being here.