About
$3,457
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Welcome to the Commodore EP Kickstarter page! Thanks for taking the time to look into the project.
The Project
I'm running this Kickstarter campaign in hopes of producing a high-quality 5-6 track EP album. These are songs that I labored extensively over for the last 6 years and I'm really proud of them. It's time to take these songs and their story and do something great with them. But I'll need your help to do it.
The Story - Commodore
All of the songs on the EP are intertwined. I reworked all the lyrics to tell a story about a man (the Commodore) and his adventures. Each song is a different element of his travels - from leaving his home to captaining a pirate ship, from his trials of love to making peace on the fields of war. The goal is for the album to paint a complete picture of who the Commodore is and to tell his story in a way similar to that of a short novel. I have put a lot of thought into this concept and I sincerely hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Note that the lyrics are in no way autobiographical (except for the bit about pirates - that song fully reveals my deepest desire to be a pirate).
Collaboration
This project is highly collaborative. By supporting the album, you will also support many other artists who have or will put hard work into making the vision a reality. The awesome video above (really so cool) was filmed and edited by Ali Prentice. The album artwork you see below was created by Betsy King at Midwinter Design. Betsy was able to take my input and add her own flair to create something really really great.
Should the project be fully funded, recording, mixing and production will be done by Tom Halpin at Tom Makes Records. Percussion needs will be met by area percussionist Nick Rifken. And my own sister, Sarah Paquet, will likely add cello and background vocals to numerous tracks. It's a group effort people.
The Cost - where's the money going?
The reason I need your help is because recording a high-quality album is expensive. I plan on covering as much cost with my own funds as possible, but let's be real, I just graduated from college.
Recording, mixing, and mastering will cost around $3,000. So that's the project goal!
The Rewards
If you take a look to the right of your screen you should see some great rewards. Please notice the t-shirt and crew neck options in particular. Who doesn't love a great crew neck? The design for the t-shirts and sweatshirts will be an adapted form of Betsy's album artwork and I promise it will be sweet. I'm currently working on this and will provide an update in the near future with an image of both products. The tees will likely be Canvas tees (super soft) with a screen-printed design, and the brand for crew necks is up in the air, but it will be high quality and super fashionable. As soon as I select the brands and colors I'll provide an update.
Risks and challenges
As with any creative process, it's tough to know how much time is necessary to "get it right." The plan is to spend the next month preparing all of the tracks so that they are studio ready. But once the recording starts we will inevitably have to mess around with various sounds to find the one that fits. This could take very little time or an extra week or two of time. All this means for backers is that rewards deliveries may be backed up accordingly.
Logistics can be troublesome. It is possible for anything that requires shipping to be delayed or damaged. That includes CDs, shirts, sweatshirts, etc. If this happens I will do my absolute best to redeem the merchandise and hold accountable the parties at fault. I mean, I would like you to hear my music and rep the gear.
*LIVE PERFORMANCE CONDITIONS* - If you are one of the lovely backers that selected Reward 9, 10, or 12, thank you, I'll be playing for you soon! Note, however, that I will not be in one place forever and I can only travel so far to fulfill your reward. Location is limited to the lower peninsula of Michigan until the end of June (preferably within an hour of Ann Arbor or Traverse City). July and on I will likely be in Chicago, so a performance in the Chicago area would be preferred (but we could discuss Michigan).
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Funding period
- (30 days)