So, It’s Been Awhile…
Hi folks!
Bernard John here. I couldn’t be more excited to announce that we are FINALLY making the record we had set out to make more than 6 years ago! You see, my close friend, drummer, and producer extraordinaire, Bruce Pierce and I started making a record about 6 years ago. Not long after we started, I fell ill and actually became bedridden with migraines for the better part of a year. This forced me away from music entirely while I searched to regain my health. You can read all about that time in my life by clicking HERE.
Long story short, I did find my health, and thanks to Bruce, a lot of close friends, and an amazing music community here in Providence, RI, I found my way back to music.
Over the past year, Bruce and I have been plugging away in his studio, American Bull Studios in Upton, MA, refining our sound, the recording process, and new songs all in an effort to produce our record entirely in-house. Yep, the whole kit and kaboodle. With the exception of mastering, we’ll be producing, engineering, and mixing the record in-house and bringing in some of our favorite local musicians to make the record really come to life.
We Can’t Do It Alone
Like most things in life, it takes a village. This record will cost upwards of $15,000 to record, master, press, and promote. That’s a big number. Even though we’ll be tackling as much as we can ourselves, we’ll need to pay for:
- Our friends time. Let us make something abundantly clear – musicians, even friends, deserve to get paid. They have put a lifetime of work into doing what they do, and while we won’t be paying for a new yacht, we do want to get them a little scratch for investing their time. It’s the right thing to do when they depend on this kind of work to pay their rent.
- Mastering.
- Album photography and artwork.
- CDs, vinyl, and merchandise.
- Music videos. I have been making music videos for nearly 10 years, and a big part of this project that I am excited about will be directing, filming, and editing a series of music videos for this record. A portion of your support will be used to rent equipment to make our vision for these videos a reality.
- Promotion and publicity. We want to make some noise here in New England and beyond. Having a modest budget to promote this album and get it to the ears that will enjoy it most will make all of the difference in the world.
The Perks
Ahhhh, the fun part. The goods! We really want you to be a part of every step. On top of CDs, vinyl, shirts, and house concerts we’ve created a few packages for those that are looking for something extra special. Here are a few of my favorites:
- For those of you that follow @iambernardjohn on Instagram, you may be familiar with my #LinePerDay challenge where each day I try to take a photo of something in the world and spend some time writing a (hopefully) thoughtful caption to it. This challenge is what helped me start writing again, and I want YOU to be a part of it. For only $50 you can send me one of your own photos that I’ll spend some time writing about, I’ll post it on my Instagram, and I’ll create a custom digital design that incorporates my caption into your photo just for you!
- Photography is a big passion of mine. Also for $50, I’ll spend an entire day with a disposable camera that I’ll send to you along with a handwritten note about where I was and what you might expect to see when you bring it to be developed.
- For other musicians out there, I’ll actually work with you for a very reasonable price of $1,500 to direct, film, and edit YOUR next music video. There may be some additional costs to this depending on what the scope of the project is, but I’ll promise that you’ll love it! Reach on out to me directly to chat this through!
Risks & Challenges
This record is about healing, confronting your demons, admitting to your wrongs, and bettering yourself. These are things that take time and happen at their own pace, so there’s no rushing it. We’re taking a lot on by doing so much ourselves. With all of the excitement that comes with working on a new record, there will also be potholes. There will be snags. There will be tears. Making an album is extremely emotional, and in the name of healing, we’re not going to rush it. We’re hoping for an October release, and with your support, I think we can conquer any bumps that may arise between now and then.
BUT it doesn’t stop there! Finishing the record is just the first stop! We’re going to need your help to hire a great publicist to really bring our record to the right ears!
Short on Cash? It’s OK!
If you can’t contribute, we get it. We’ve been (and often visit) there. We’ve been broke, late on rent, short on food, and bummed when we couldn’t buy a friends record at a show. But supporting our record financially isn’t the only way you can help. The best thing that you can do is tell a friend and stay in touch. Please. Just let someone know that you like what we’re doing and that alone means everything.
THANK YOU!
We can’t begin to express what you and your support means to us. Writing and making music is simply what we were meant to do. It brings us joy and purpose. It brings us therapy and courage. It brings us together. It’s what keeps us grounded. Your support means more than the final product… it helps us be able to heal, create, and be ourselves, and there is no price on that. From the bottom of our hearts – thank you for everything.
Much love,
BJ