About this project
YOU + Roman Rising = DEBUT ALBUM
$5,732
189
100% funded! We did it!
We did it! 100% funded, with 2+ days to go! Kickstarter keeps the project open until the deadline (Sat, Jan 7, 2012 - 11:59pm Eastern / 10:59pm Central / 9:59pm Mountain / 8:59pm Pacific) - so if you're looking for some great new music (due in April 2012), make a pledge and pick a reward. My debut album IS happening, and I'm grateful for all the support!
New goal: If the project hits the $7500 mark, I will order a limited edition vinyl pressing of the album, and make it available to those pledging $55 or more.
The Project
My project is a reflection of my journey. My story started when my mother, a Russian native, met my father, a Sri Lankan engineering student, in Moscow. He spotted her wavy hair and contagious laugh as she was walking down the street, and acting on pure instinct, asked her out to ice cream. Before they knew it, this unlikely pair from different worlds was starting a life together with a cat who pooped in the toilet, and me, a bundle of joy named Roman (pronounced like romano cheese without the “o”). We lived in Russia only a short time before embarking on a world adventure (unfortunately, the cat had to stay behind)—moving to Germany and Sri Lanka, and finally settling in the United States.
Each place, with its unique cultural and musical influences, left an impression—my dad singing and playing guitar around the house, American pop music on “The Voice of America” in Germany in the 1970s, Jamaican reggae played on Sri Lanka’s beaches, and traditional and contemporary Sinhala music.
As a teenager in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, my musical tastes included classic rock, skater punk thrash, heavy metal, progressive rock, folk and psychedelic rock. Inspired by the inter-cultural collaborations by the Grateful Dead’s drummer Mickey Hart, I became increasingly interested in world music. Inevitably, my skills as a multi-instrumentalist, and my ability to mimic sounds and language were a perfect match for the world music group One Drum. Other bands followed, including Sindoolaa (African), De La Buena (Latin jazz), and Urban Empress and The UrbanItes (reggae). Inspired by all these and other influences, I eventually started working on songs for a solo album.
I’ve channeled my life’s impressions into these songs. My hope is to take my audience on a journey as rich and meaningful as mine has been. Since I don't have major record label backing, your generous donations are the only way this will happen. Here’s your chance to be part of the process.
Please make a pledge. Kickstarter’s all-or-nothing fundraising means if the funding goal isn’t met within the allotted time, this project (sadly) doesn’t get funded.
A list of music I've done solo or in collaboration with other bands:
- Roman Rising - Single Releases (2010-2011)
http://soundcloud.com/roman-rising/sets/singles/ - Roman Rising - Modern Dance Sound Design (1998-2000)
http://soundcloud.com/roman-rising/sets/dance-compositions/ - Urban Empress and The UrbanItes, On The Wings of Jah, 2011 (performer and producer)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/on-the-wings-of-jah/id440920669 - Holly Wake, In Love We Trust, 2011 (performer, Costa Rican Blues)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/in-love-we-trust/id421897879 - De La Buena, La Tortuga, 2011 (performer, Sambaji, Imbe)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/la-tortuga/id428974406 - One Drum, 2011 (performer, producer, Waka Waka (Zamina))
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/waka-waka-zamina-single/id439736311 - Longacre, Transfixed Summer, 2010 (performer, 16, Transfixed Summer)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/transfixed-summer/id400999846 -
Oumar Sagna, Sindoolaa, 2005 (performer)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/sindoolaa/id69791399 - One Drum, One Drum, 2003 (performer, producer)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/one-drum/id49620080 - Love Live Music Collective, Stringzology MKE, 2003 (performer, No Se Na)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/stringzology-mke/id6112383
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Funding period
- (30 days)