Kickstarter

We Watershed dudes have got a lot on the launchpad: A new album (BRICK AND MORTAR), a new book (HITLESS WONDER by bass player Joe Oestreich), and a 14 city tour in June to promote them both.  We travel on a bare bones budget: six guys in one room, most meals stolen from the hotel's free continental breakfast spread. But still, with rent, electric bills, and diaper and day care expenses (we're a fertile bunch, seven kids between the four of us), there's no way we can afford gas, hotels, and the occasional splurge for 5 pc. spicy chicken nuggets off the Wendy's Supervalue Menu without your help.

We're hoping to raise $5,000, because that's what it'll take to get the new record finished and pressed--and get us out of Columbus to Youngstown, Cleveland, and to points beyond the Ohio border. But really, in order to make it all the way through to the last tour date, we'll probably need more like $7,500.

If you're kind enough to kick in, here's how we'll use the money:

1. RECORDING EXPENSES. The record, BRICK AND MORTAR, is almost finished, but we need a couple grand to pay for mixing, mastering, and CD manufacturing.

2. TOUR EXPENSES. Gas, food, lodging. Fuel is rising toward $4.00/gallon. We just need enough cash so that our road manager, Biggie, isn't reduced to siphoning gas from cars out in the parking lot. As mentioned above, we eat and sleep on the cheap.

At this point in Watershed's career, we can do everything for ourselves that old-fashioned record companies can do--except generate a little seed money to get the van rolling. We don't need a major label, but we sure could use a few patrons. A new record, a few weeks on the road playing songs for old and new friends--this is already our version of winning a Grammy. Thanks for helping to make it happen.

Here are the tour dates:

• Thursday, 6/7/12. Dayton, OH. Canal Street Tavern.
• Friday, 6/8/12. Columbus, OH. The Bluestone.
• Saturday, 6/9/12. Youngstown, OH. Cedars.
• Sunday, 6/10/12. Cleveland, OH. The Beachland Ballroom (in the Tavern).
• Thursday, 6/21/12. Myrtle Beach, SC (tentative - more info. soon)
• Friday, 6/22/12. Atlanta, GA. Smith's Olde Bar (in the Atlanta Room)
• Saturday, 6/23/12. Raleigh, NC. Slim's.
• Monday, 6/25/12. New York, NY. The Mercury Lounge.
• Tuesday, 6/26/12. Washington, DC. DC9.
• Wednesday, 6/27/12. Pittsburgh, PA. Club Cafe.
• Thursday, 6/28/12. Detroit, MI. Small’s Bar.
• Friday, 6/29/12. Toledo, OH. Frankie's.
• Saturday, 6/30/12. Findlay, OH. Alexandria's. 
• Sunday, 7/1/12. Chicago, IL. The Beat Kitchen.

Here's where Joe will be reading from HITLESS WONDER (more dates to come):

• Tuesday, 6/5/12. Chillicothe, OH. Chillicothe Public Library.
• Wednesday, 6/6/12. Columbus, OH. Wexner Center for the Arts (book launch party).
• Thursday, 6/21/12. Myrtle Beach, SC. Barnes and Noble.
• Monday, 6/25/12. New York, NY. The Half King.