Kickstarter

Hi everyone,

My name is Charles.  The picture above is one of me doing what I love more than anything.  Performing music in front of people who love to listen to music.  There's nothing more wonderful than that love, that collective feeling.

If you're reading this, chances are, you love it too.  And if you've felt this feeling, you know how important it is - to the listener, to the musician, to the writer, to the roadies, to the unnamed faces that make ends meet.

I write you this letter in hopes that you'll help me keep this feeling going.

Since I was very young, I have struggled against financial disparities, but have never let that hinder my aspirations.  Armed with only an electric guitar (and no amp) and some imagination, I learned how to play and write and sing and perform all on my own over the years.  It's what I love to do, it's possibly the only thing I feel like I'm naturally good at (though I'm most certainly not the most skilled) and it's saved my life an innumerable amount of times.

My struggle against a personal fiscal wasteland hasn't stopped over the years - I still can't afford to purchase the equipment I need to make the music I want to share with the world.

But because I can't stop feeling this wonderful feeling, the feeling of turning emotion into sound, I refuse to stop.

This summer, I am moving out of the state I've spent most of my life in, and before I go, I want to leave behind a song that means a great deal to myself, and the small gathering of fans who enjoy the strummings I produce.  

I humbly ask that if you can, please chip in some money so that I can make it happen.

I will be recording the song I've received the best feedback about: "Love is Free".  It's a pop-infused rock tune about a plea from one lover to another, asking them to hold on to a beautiful feeling they both once felt - something we all relate to.  Something much like making music itself.

This particular song means a lot, not just to myself, but to the people who enjoy it and have heard me play it live.  As of now, it has yet to be heard in it's full glory - I've only performed it acoustically at shows, in my minimum-quality-maximum-heart one-take acoustic EP "First Kiss", and on this now-ancient YouTube video (ancient not just because I was an amateur at the time, but because the song has grown considerably in structure and content). 

Thus, my goal is to raise enough money to record "Love is Free" professionally, at the level in which I imagine it, rather than the level that I can afford it.  The studio arrangement will include another guitar, bass, full drums, keys, saxophone, and several other sounds and instruments that will turn this little love melody into a song all can enjoy.

Will you help me?

I will post on here as frequently as possible, updating you on information about the project.

A music video will be filmed to accompany the song after it has been professionally recorded.  I will post the script when it's ready!

Thank you for your time, my friends.  Your appreciation of music will never go unnoticed.  Now please, help me in the same way by sharing this project with your friends and family.

Sincerely,

Charles R. Wanless

LOGISTICS:

Here's the way the pricing for the project breaks down:

$400 for the basic studio stuff
$250 for the video stuff
$250 for hired hands (musicians, crew, production, etc.)