Last year I celebrated my 20th year as a full time touring musician with a mixture of disbelief and elation. I can’t believe I get to do this job that I love so much. (Singing and songing, ha!) It's all I've ever dreamed of doing (well, besides winning Wimbeldon but I think that might be a long shot at this point.) And now this new album has emerged from these last few years of my life, a period of great change and growth and grief and joy. A time of movement.
I have never felt so excited about a project as I am about this one! These songs came in begging for life, and I am thrilled beyond measure to try and give them wings. The title for this CD has not emerged yet, but sometimes I close my eyes and think it’s gonna be called “The Long Road”. We’ll see! It has certainly been a long road to get here, and I can't wait to see where this new project leads me. We are planning to release the album in spring 2018.
THE PROJECT… Collaboration is the key! My partners in crime on this project are essential to capturing our sound and making it sparkle. I could not be happier to be working with my friend Tyler Fortier in the role of producer. Tyler and I have worked together before, and I trust him completely with my voice, my work and my vision. And I also trust him to go beyond my vision and bring his own. We are working at The Rye Room Studio (you know I love whiskey, y’all) here in Portland, a beautiful boutique studio built and run by Matt Greco.
Our goal on this album is to capture that magic that happens when the songs are played live. The chill up your spine, the goose bump moments, the energy exchange between musicians in real time. My dream was to expand out beyond my comfort zone of playing solo and to create a broader sound. That dream came true in November when we began recording 11 songs live with Milo Fultz on bass and Jeramy Burchett on drums. We captured all of my vocals and guitar together as one performance. No studio tricks, no bells and whistles, just the songs as they came alive on that day. And then be still my heart, Anna Tivel came in and played some fiddle, Bryan Daste laid down some pedal steel to make my heart expand and Ara Lee came in and sang it to the rafters. I can’t believe how lucky I am! Other special guests include Peter Perdichizzi on guitar, Brandon Bush on organ, Freddy & Francine on vocals, Nathan Alef on piano, and more to come!
WHAT WE CAN DO TOGETHER… On my own I could never reach for the stars like this, but with your help, I’m hoping to raise $18,000 so we can make an album and release it into the world! I am excited to have a team of folks working with me on the release, so between all of us I know we can do it! My dream is that together we will make an incredible piece of work, and these resources will be the springboard to help my music reach new places, new fans, and new stages.
BREAKING IT DOWN…Here is what the money will be used for:
- Studio costs
- Producer fee
- Mixing fee
- Mastering fee
- Musicians Fees
- Graphic Design/Artwork
- CD Manufacturing
- Promotion – Press and Radio Campaigns
CALL TO ACTION…Please know that you don’t have to have funds to contribute and to make a profound impact on this project! Sharing this with your friends -- whether it’s through Facebook or Twitter, or sending an email, or having a conversation over coffee – is a huge help and I appreciate every effort! The way Kickstarter works is that it’s all or nothing – if we don’t make our goal the project will not be funded. We only have 30 days to make this happen!
GRATITUDE…I am incredibly grateful to each and every one of you who has cheered me on through the years. Quite frankly I’m overwhelmed by it, in a good way. THANK YOU for supporting my creative dreams and my musical path. I could not do this without you. Let's do this!
--Beth
Check out our progress at the halfway point!
Tyler's dog Topper is also very excited about this.
Risks and challenges
RISKS AND CHALLENGES…
Oh they are so many.
If a tree falls in the forest, and so on.
It is a big risk to reach out and ask for help but it is also a big risk to let your dreams die on the vine.
I have never believed in anything more than this.
On past albums I have found it challenging to manage press and promo campaigns, but I believe with the help of my management team, we can find the right folks to work with and maximize our impact.
It will be a challenge to keep my shit together because I’m so excited. Somebody pinch me.
Seriously.
Questions about this project? Check out the FAQ
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Funding period
- (30 days)