About this project

Update:

We've reached $3000! Y'all are so wonderful! If you haven't gotten on board for this Kickstarter Campaign and would still like to, please don't hesitate! This $3000 goal is only 25% of the total cost of this record. Plus, when you pledge, you'll get to access the Backers Only updates, including the most recent which includes a full pre-production track from the new record! (And a pretty special thank you video!)

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The Semi-Inspirational Message from Bethel:

You make decisions everyday, some of them are really important and all of them affect other people.  Today, I hope that you’ll make the decision to join me as I head into the studio to work on my second full-length record.  This may not be the most important decision that you make today, but it will be one that has direct effects on the success of this record.  Most of all, I do not want to go on this trip alone, ‘cause what good is an adventure without your friends?!

The Project Details:

I'm in the studio and I'm working on a new record!  I've got a bunch of new songs, some of which you folks may have heard over the last couple of years.  (You can catch some sneak peaks of the new tunes in the background of the video.)  A lot of you folks have been asking for another album, and I'm excited to announce that in the relatively near future, you'll be able to take these new tunes home with you! 

But, I need your help: this whole process costs a fair bit of money (this project is currently weighing in at about $12,000). Before I've got a new album in my hands - before you can take a little bit of Bethel home with you - we've got to put together all of the pieces.

The pieces (or, what that $12,000 consists of):

• The producers.  I'm not going to be producing this record alone.  I've got two more pairs of ears, Neale Eckstein of Fox Run Studios and Jagoda, percussionist extraordinaire out of Brooklyn who are both working with me to make this record sound AMAZING.
• The musicians.  We'll be bringing in some of the finest musicians in the New England area. I'd love to tell you who we're bringing in, but we don't know yet, because our decisions will be influenced by the success of this campaign!  But let me assure you, the folks we bring in to work with us are going to help make this record one you can't stop listening to.
• The studio time.  Getting everyone into the studio takes time, and time costs money! Most of the tracking for this record will be done at Fox Run.
• Mix it down.  Ear candy, here we come!  We're going to bring all of the pieces together and mix it just right so you'll hear everyone who is featured on the record!
• Photos for the album and promotional materials.  We've got to have some pretty pictures of my face to go on the album and on the promo materials, plus someone has to design the album artwork, otherwise, all you'll be getting at the end of this is a silver CD-R!  And that's no fun.
• CD duplication and creation of the promotional materials.  This is where all of the pieces come together, wrapped up in a little cardboard box. It also includes all the promotional materials: the posters, postcards, stickers and that sort of thing that I'll need to support the shows that we'll be scheduling to celebrate the release of this record!
  
• Promotion of the record. This is a really important step in getting the final project out to more people! I left this part out for my last record, well, because I ran out of money, but this project is going to be different.  I'm going to be working with Tracey Delfino of Trespass Music to get this music promoted on the radio and in print.  That's right, you'll be able to hear me on the radio from Boston to San Francisco!!

The Project Timeline:

So, here's the current time line:

By late January or early February, we hope to have all of the tracking for this record finished. That means that all aspects of the record have been recorded - everything from me and my guitar to the percussion and bass lines to the banjo and slide guitar and "atmosphere-setting" instruments.

By late March, we hope to have the mixing completed, also, to have all of the artwork ready.

As soon as mixing is done and we've listened to the album a couple dozen times to make sure it's just as we like it, then we'll get the record mastered. (Likely by mid-April.)

Then we send everything off to be pressed!! As soon as that gets back, it will be mailed out to you folks who made it all possible!! You could see this album on your doorstep as early as mid-May!

I have to warn you, though: this time line is very rough.  I've got a full time job, as does Neale, and Jagoda is a full-time touring percussionist.  Since we'll be working with a number of professional studio musicians (many of whom are touring musicians), we'll be working around their schedules to get them into the studio.  We are also working on this project through the holiday season, so there are bound to be snags along the way.  This time line will be affected by the success of this Kickstarter campaign.  The more money that is raised during these 40 days, the quicker this project will move along. 

"Backer Rewards" and the "BtS Updates":

So, over here

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are the rewards you'll receive for your pledge.  They are all pretty self-explanatory, but if you've got any questions at all, don't hesitate to ask them.  Also, if you don't see a reward that you want, let me know! If it's possible for me to give to you, I'll create a special reward just for you!

I'm also offering a really special reward for those of you who pledge at the $75 level or higher: you get access to Behind-the-Scenes Updates (BtS Updates)! A note about the BtS Updates: starting the first week of December, you'll begin to receive bi-weekly emails on the status of the record!  You are an important reason that this record is going to be successful, and for your support, I'm taking you with me through every step in the creation of this project.  You'll get pictures and videos from the studio, as well as access to exclusive tracks!  You're going to hear how this project becomes a record.

If you're pledging a larger amount, like one where I'll be stopping by your house to deliver your prize, you might have to be a little patient.  You have my word that I'll come to your house before the end of 2012.  Once this record is finished I'll be touring primarily in New England, the mid-Atlantic region and the tri-state area (NY, PA, NJ), but I am also anticipating a couple of tours throughout other parts of the US and would love to make your house a pit stop while I'm on the road!  I want this record to take me states I've never performed in before, so Arkansas, Minnesota, California, Washington, Texas, come on and jump on this adventure train!

For those of you who are not familiar with how a Kickstarter campaigns works, here's a little bit more about the process: until November 21st, you'll be able to pledge towards this project.  If we meet the $3000 goal by then, a charge will be posted to your account for your pledge on that final day and you'll receive your backer reward around the expected date listed below your donation level.  If we don't meet the goal, by that date, your cards aren't charged and we don't offset the cost of this record. (But that's not going to happen, right?!) If we meet $3000 before November 21st, we just keep going!  Everyone gets their rewards and we continue to cut down on the direct expenses of this album to my bank account.  Remember, this project is going to cost about $12,000,  and the more money we raise, the faster this record gets finished and arrives at your doorstep!

I hope you'll decide to join me on this great adventure.  I'm so glad that you're here and that you want to be a part of the future of my music.  I would not be making music today if it weren't for all of y'alls support.