Kickstarter

Hello and thank you for visiting my project page!

Let me introduce myself. My name is Lydia Salnikova. I’m a native of Russia and a former lead vocalist and keyboard player for the Grammy-nominated band Bering Strait. Our band released 2 albums on Universal South Records. We were featured in a "60 Minutes" episode and had a full-length documentary made about us, called "The Ballad Of Bering Strait" (you may catch it on Hulu.com). We toured throughout the U.S., sharing the stage with such artists as Trisha Yearwood, Diamond Rio, Steve Azar, Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Collin Raye, Wynonna, Phil Vassar, B-52s, Ricky Skaggs, Kenny Rogers, Kathy Mattea and Bela Fleck.

BUT ALL THAT JUST WASN’T ENOUGH FOR ME!!!

Seriously though, bands are tough. While I loved being a part of a Russian country band, with all the joys and challenges of that concept, I eventually realized that I felt I had something to say to the listener that was more personal and introspective, more solo Lydia. And the style of music that I started tapping into, when I’d sit down at my piano and write, was completely different from what the band was trying to do at the time. So I left the band in 2006 and embarked on a solo journey.

To get my bearings straight (pun intended) and to continue working on my craft, for awhile I focused primarily on doing studio work as a session musician and vocalist, as well as playing live. Then I set up my home studio and dove into the sea of sound recording. Finally, I developed the hard-earned illusion that I knew what I was doing… ☺ Although, mainly, I just grew tired of talking about making a solo album and felt ready to actually do it, even if I had to produce it myself and play every instrument (thank God for MIDI!). You can watch the video announcement about that by clicking this link.

And you can get a taste of my homegrown tracks at my official website (tab "Music").

So you can rest assured that I’ll be getting my solo music out to you, at least in the digital download form. But at this time, I can’t really afford to bite the bullet and press up the physical CDs. And every artist dreams of having their name and their work on a tangible physical product – to sell at live performances… to give to friends… to send to Mom with a note “I did it!”… to play Frisbee with… to use as coffee coasters… So this is where I really need your help. It will be our joint effort of raising the funds necessary to create the CD artwork, to press up the first 1,000 units and to release my first solo album into the world!

To reward you for your valuable help, I’ve come up with the series of perks for various levels of contributions. But whether you give $1 or $100, having you among my supporters and backers is the most valuable thing of all to me. And the real reward I hope to give back to you is the knowledge that you have helped put my music out there and propel me forward on my artist path.

Musically yours,

~Lydia

P.S. And if you should feel particularly magnanimous today or if you just plain like me, you can also share this project with your friends and encourage them to contribute as well – on your website, Facebook page or via e-mail – using the handy “Share” options at the top of the screen (located under the project video). Let’s make this pressing thing happen together!

P.P.S. And if I should be so lucky as to raise more than my goal amount – there are always other things that every independent artist needs, such as outside help with mixing, mastering, website, etc. Any and all contributions will be most heartily appreciated!