The songs are recorded. With your help, I'll release them! Lend a hand and you'll receive unique personal gifts made just for YOU!
8/18 $10,300 I have to pinch myself! We hit the goal on MY BIRTHDAY. Exceeding my goal means more freedom in the studio and on tour. I am hoping to visit all of you so lets keep the ball rolling. The sky is the limit!
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PSST...
For the last two years I have been working on a secret project with 10 collaborators (Sam Amidon, Kristin Andreassen, Neil Cleary, Matthew Douglas, Jefferson Hamer, Jennifer Kimball, Dave Mattacks, Aoife O'Donovan, Pierce Woodward, Jacob Silver and Robin MacMillan). We took our time to enjoy the process of experimentation and collaboration on 12 original songs and a few covers.
MY GOAL...
is to let you in on the secret. I want you to hear what we've got...gang vocals, triple banjo and an indie-rock folkestra with fiddle sometimes roaring and sometimes accompanying. With your help, on my 40 day Kickstarter campaign I will raise enough money to mix, master, package and promote the record. Contribute whatever amount is comfortable for you. And you will know that you personally helped an artist (that's Me!) release new music.
Any money I make over my $10,000 goal will help me to hit the road this fall with as many of the collaborators as can come along. I am hoping to tour with the band for four months so we can visit most of you (estimated cost $28,000). The more you give the further we go! Let's make it happen!!
WHAT DO YOU GET?
Advance copies of the record - Exclusive Mp3s available to Kickstarter donors - Original art by Adam Agee (http://www.poeticcreative.com) - 7" vinyl of two songs - Handwritten lyric sheets - A tune or a song written for you by me - Pasta making lesson (Nonna's recipes) and dinner for 3 plus ME! - Free tickets to a full band show - Vintage store shopping trip with me - House concert with me and one band member - Co-writing session or lesson with me.
ABOUT KICKSTARTER...
I must reach my goal - $10,000 - by my deadline - date - to receive the funding. If I don't reach my goal, you will not be charged, I won't receive any money and you won't receive the cool stuff I promised. We will all be bummed and I'll have to win the lottery to release this record.
Thank YOU for reading this far. I can't wait to share this music with you. Contribute whatever you can even if that contribution is time spreading the word to anyone you think might enjoy being part of releasing my music. I appreciate all of you and your unending support of art.
P.S. I've got an extremely geeky yet nifty excel doc of my budget if you like that sort of thing. Just message me and I'll email it to you.
FAQ
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...An excuse to focus on experimentation, collaboration and the process of making art, rather than rushing to release another product.
In 2009 I invited six collaborators, one at a time, to spend two days in the studio working on two songs each with Matt Malikowski engineering. We called them arranging sessions and we were almost dogmatic about thinking of the process as a project not a future record. We had no idea what would come of these sessions. Our focus was to get as arty and creative as possible…when asked about genre limitations we said "there are none," when asked what previous arrangement sessions sounded like we said, "They were really fun but that they have no bearing on what we will create today." There were loads of toys at the studio…banjos, drum kit, amps, guitars, basses, clavinet, clarinet, wurlitzer, lowrey organ, hammond organ, vibraphone, glock, piano, etc.
After a year we had 12 incredible arrangements of my songs and a couple covers. It was clear that the exploration had lead to the makings of a studio album. In January of 2010 we recorded the arrangements live as a band at The Club House studios in Upstate, NY. The following week we invited the original six arrangers altogether to Wooly Mammoth studios in Waltham, MA to add the finishing touches. The footage in my kickstarter video is from those sessions. -
Good question. Artists today (like me) often fund albums without the help of a record label. These artists scrimp and save and cut corners to make their records in the hopes of making their money back through cd sales at concerts and online sales in the years following. As one Kickstarter donor said to me " Kickstarter [is] microfinance, American style." Receiving funding up front helps artists focus their goals into those that are attainable. It helps them sustain long term artistic careers rather than burning out over frustration and money concerns. Kickstarter tells artists who their fans are and what they enjoy. It is the best way to encourage the artists you love to KEEP making the art you enjoy. You are the record label! You determine which artists are successful. You ARE the reason art will thrive.
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Those sexy pin-up T-shirts are pretty amazing. I guess I should make more. Just email teamcortese@lauracortese.com if you would like to swap a pin-up T-shirt for any of the physical rewards listed here!
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It is beautiful right?! That was Ballard C. Boyd (Director/Writer). He is amazing. Look him up! http://www.ballardcboyd.com
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Dimension Sound Studios in Jamaica Plain, MA. The studio originally opened in the 50's and has the vintage black and cream tile floor to prove it. Matt Malikowski, who will be mixing the record, Tom Dube and Dan Cardinal recently purchased and re-vamped the space.
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- 2 created · 9 backed
- Laura Cortese 1931 friends
- Website: facebook.com
Pledge $5 or more
3 backers
Laura will send you one track from the record BEFORE it is released to thank you for giving what you could.
Estimated delivery: Oct 2011Pledge $5 or more
4 backers
I don't need anything. I just want to support Laura. OR if you don't see what you want email teamcortese@lauracortese.com to create your dream package.
Pledge $10 or more
5 backers
SECRET RECORDINGS: Receive THREE secret Mp3s available exclusively to Kickstarter donors of the experimental arrangement sessions emailed directly to you when my successful campaign closes.
Pledge $15 or more
23 backers
DIGITAL ALBUM: Receive a digital download of the album before it is available anywhere else. [and all previous rewards]
Pledge $20 or more
14 backers
THE VALUE of $20: I will make you a PERSONAL mix CD and design the cover. Pick from one of these four varieties... a) Top Ten Trad Tracks b) Jams from the Jedi days c) New things you've never heard d) Laura's Mystery Mix
Estimated delivery: Sep 2011Pledge $25 or more
17 backers
THE EP SERIES: Receive all three of Laura's recently released EPs (The Acoustic Project, "Two Amps, One Microphone" and Simple Heart). [and all previous rewards]
Pledge $40 or more
59 backers
PHYSICAL ALBUM: Receive an autographed physical copy of the album in the mail (shipping included) before it is released, a signed copy of a thank you poster sketched by me and a SECOND copy of the CD to give to a friend. [and all previous rewards]
Pledge $50 or more
8 backers
11th Hour Upgrade: If you up your donation to $50, you will get a 5 song download consisting of: 5 cover songs, performed by me and selected democratically (BY YOU) from a list of 10 - This will be in addition to the other prizes offered at the level you pledge. The 5 song sampler goes to anyone who donates at least $50. So, if you've already pledged that amount, you'll get it too!
Estimated delivery: Oct 2011Pledge $60 or more
6 backers
7" VINYL and HANDWRITTEN LYRIC SHEET: Receive a 7" vinyl of two of the songs (plus you can vote on which two we press) courtesy of United Record Pressing along with one handwritten, signed lyric sheet of your choice of my songs. Includes doodles in the margins. [and all previous rewards]
Pledge $100 or more
21 backers
TWO GUEST LIST SPOTS: Receive a hand made invitation including two free tickets to a secret Kickstarter Donors only full band show in NYC, The Boston Area or The Bay Area (I'll make cookies)…We will add cities as we get 25 donors or more in that area. [and all previous rewards]
Pledge $150 or more
2 backers
VINTAGE SHOPPING TRIP: Experience a vintage store shopping trip with me where I help you find something cute that you will love forever. This will take approximately 1.5 hours of shopping and is subject to agreeing on a date and location that works for both of us! [and all previous rewards]
Pledge $200 or more
8 backers
LESSON or CO-WRITTING or CHAT: Experience a 1 hour lesson or co-writing session with me, in person if I happen to be in your town in the next 6 months otherwise on SKYPE. If you aren't a musician or musician to be, we can also just have cappuccinos and discuss travel, current events, fashion or food. [and all previous rewards]
Pledge $300 or more
0 backers
PERSONAL VIDEO: Pick a cover song or favorite tune and i'll record a solo version of me playing it live (with a dedication to you) and upload it to youtube...so you can brag about it! [and all previous rewards]
Pledge $400 or more
0 backers
COOKING LESSON: Learn to make Pasta the way my Nonna taught me...and dinner for 3 plus ME! Including homemade ice cream for dessert…wine included. You can come with me to the grocery store and plan the menu with me all on my tab. **If you are wheat free...I can also teach you to make some incredible wheat free dishes from Castelsilano, Reggio Calabria. [and all previous rewards]
Pledge $500 or more
1 backer Limited (1 of 2 left)
ORIGINAL ART by ADAM AGEE: Receive a framed matted original sketch by Adam Agee (http://www.poeticcreative.com) who has designed my album art since Even the Lost Creek. He is one of the most creative artists I know. [and all previous rewards]
Pledge $1,000 or more
2 backers
A SONG FOR YOU: Your life in music. Send me a story, tell me one over the phone or let me interview you about your life and I'll turn it into a song or tune (your choice), record a solo version of it and email you the exclusive MP3. Plus I'll put your name in the liner notes of the record! [and all previous rewards except sketch by Adam Agee which is a limited reward]
Pledge $2,000 or more
0 backers
PRIVATE HOUSE PARTY EXPERIENCE: The band member of my choosing and I will come to your home and play a show for you. Invite your friends (50 or less) and I'll let you make the set list (Cost includes travel within the Continental US only; Outside the US, you pay travel but we'll be happy to visit). Plus I'll put your name in the liner notes of the record! [and all previous rewards except sketch by Adam Agee which is a limited reward]
