Kickstarter

LAST DAY LEFT!! We met our Vinyl Release Goal of $7,000! THANK-YOU SO SO MUCH!!! Donate even a $1 today for free downloads, updates, and videos!! $40 gets you a pre-released signed copy of the vinyl record!!! <3 <3 <3

The video above shows more of the light-hearted nature of some of my music, as well as a love of comedic inclinations. I hope it drew you in enough to read about the inspiration behind the music and more songs. So here is the meat and potatoes of the project ideas! 

As a child of Polish immigrants growing up on the West Coast of the United States, I was raised in two cultures, and my music and art is an extension of that upbringing. 

This will be an album of music inspired by Eastern-European folk music, indie folk/rock scene of Portland, and love for ancestry and the environment, as well as classical sounds, being a cellist and classically trained in music. Pop and rock will also take its place in the album, with inspiration from retro 60s music. Check out Czeslaw Niemen- the Polish soul man of the '60s/'70s and you'll see what I'm talking about. Spirit Dances Evermore, which is recorded on Vagabond Opera's 'Sing for your Lives' will be recorded with its initial concept- to combine the retro-pop sounds of the 60s with Polish music folk sounds of accordion, cello, and violin. I'll be recording it in Portland, OR and Poland to draw from the well of children growing up listening to Czeslaw Niemen and Polish folk music. My band mates, Todd Bayles, Patti King in Portland, OR and Olga Kwiatow in Wroclaw, PL will be going me in the studios, as well as Jacek Krzaklewski of the Polish band, Perfect. 

Its a mouthful of sounds, but honestly, I get bored of records in which every song sounds the same. Perhaps, that stems from having different and open ways of viewing the world. I could never really understand the inclination for homogeny. 

Even though, most of the album is in Polish and English, I hope that this music isn't seen as just Polish-American, but part of the greater issues of globilization and immigration and trying to find one's own culture while moving from place to place, from country to country. Ancestry and care of the Earth, the environment are themes I see and hear while traveling this world of ours.

Also, I hope and intend for this album will be an ever growing extension of a growing return to classical music and sounds, such as the cello being used in a non-traditional/classical setting. All the songs on this album were written on the cello, and then other instruments were added, to fill out the arrangements. 

The album artwork will be done by my 'favorite middle sister' Ania Grzesik (there are three of us). 

ILLUSTRATED LYRIC BOOK

One thing I really miss in a digital world are beautifully created lyric books. 

Its been a long time coming to have a book that has lyrics in both Polish and English. I'm already drawing plans for 'Prosto do Nieba' The Polish Grandma Song as being both in Polish and with an English translation. 

If you'd like to illustrate or have an ideas for a page, please let me know. I love collaborations and would love each page to be different, as so are the songs. 

BUDGET 

So, as some of you many know, recording an album takes many bones, so I'm showing you an estimated amount of how much it costs. The budget for this album exceeds that of what I'm humbly raising, but I would be so grateful to be able to cover all the expenses with this fundraiser!

$2500 Recording Studio

$500-1000 mastering

$800 Artwork

$1400 CD Duplication

$1500- Flight to Poland

$2000 Publicity

$400- Printing of Lyric Book

$1300 Possible Record Duplication!

$9100 Total without the record duplication. 

VINYL RECORD!!! 

Releasing a record would be absolutely incredible, and i didn't suggest it initially in the fundraising, but if enough is pledged ($7,000) we can release a real deal vinyl record! 

TIMELINE

The recording will be happening through the summer and Fall, while also working on the album artwork and lyric book. Mastering and production should be completed by mid January for a release in February or March 2013. I hope that waiting 9 months does not dissuade you from supporting this project. I will be sending postcards, to those of you who have pledged towards that, as well as posting about the evolution of this project to make sure you know I'm staying on track in completing this album as well as live videos of the album songs. 

Thank-you from the bottom of my Bison Heart for supporting! 

Dziekuje bardzo!!!