Song of the Day

Today we feature Kelcy Mae's newest "Pennies in Hand" from her just released album of the same name.

Checking In

Ok, let's check in on our two artists that are trying to raise money for their respective albums.  First up we see Shannon is closing in on her number.



And the good news is that Kelcy made it!  But you can add more to it and help her out even more.

Kelcy Mae: Checking In

The Finances of Album Making

We mentioned this a few posts ago.  A local artist Kelcy Mae is trying to get enough money raised to record her new album.  She isn't signed to a label, so she needs to fund the album itself.  In today's music world more and more artists are out there putting the money up to record their music.  But it can be expensive and most artists aren't making a fortune as it is.  We're going to continue to mention this and help get the word out and hopefully she'll get the money she needs and can make her new album.  We'll try to keep everyone updated on her progress.

This is Kelcy Mae, an artist recording in my home city of New Orleans.  Here is what she has to say:

Because I'm not signed to any record label and am an independent artist, I fund my own recordings. In 2007 on The Times Compiled, I was able to raise some money from fans like you, and I paid the rest of the cost of the recording out of my own pocket. Total, that album cost about $5,500. Now that it's 2010, I really need a recording that reflects my newer work, and I'm making plans to be in the studio by the end of summer and into the fall. I'm totally stoked about recording again, and really looking forward to making a fantastic follow-up to the last. This is where you come in.  I need you to "sign" me.

By pledging as little as $10 on my newly launched Kickstarter site, you can help me reach my funding goal within the next 44 days. Pledging does not mean you just give me money. It essentially means you pre-order the album for less money than it will cost when it's done. By pledging larger amounts, you can pre-order the album plus tons of other merch and goodies. By pre-ordering, you're making it possible for me to record the album at all. Please check out the site, my little video, and all the goodies you can receive for pledging. Kickstarter walks you through the process of pledging (which takes only 2 minutes if you have an Amazon account), and just so you know, there is no risk to you if I don't reach my goal. If I don't raise the $5,500 needed by the 44th day, your credit card never gets charged. It's all or nothing, and when it's all or nothing, I really need you! If we succeed together, we can all take some ownership of the quality of the album.

Please visit this link (http://kck.st/dbsMF0) as soon as you can, and please help by sharing it with all your friends via Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc. Please forward to your family as well. I really want to make a fine album this fall.

Helping Getting the Music Made

Kelcy Mae is a singer/songwriter from New Orleans and is trying to raise money for her album. If you're local go out and support her and if you're not there's a web site you can go to and provide some help. In today's marketplace it's hard to get your music out there and it's great to see all the different ways artists manage to get it done.

1. The most obvious way we will be fundraising is by doing a huge raffe. We have so many things to give away! I'm so honored by the support given to us by local restaurants & businesses. Tickets for the raffle are only $1 a piece, and if you buy $10 worth, we'll give you 15! Drawings will be held all night long, and ticket sales will also go on all night long. Here is the schedule of drawings: 11:00pm - New Orleans: The Underground Guide by Michael Patrick Welch & Allison Fensterstock (UNO Press) 11:15pm - $15 to C&M Music Store 11:30pm - $15 bar tab to Kerry Irish Pub 11:45pm - $30 to Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro 12:00am - $50 to Theo's Pizza 12:15am - $75 to Café Atchafalaya 12:30am - Personal Keg & Courtyard Party at Carrollton Station Not only will we be giving these items away, we'll also be handing out free stuff (no raffle tickets necessary) thoughout the night, courtesy of Carrollton Station & Kerry Irish Pub. Look for t-shirts, koozies, etc. 2. I'm also going to raise funds via the website Kickstarter.com. I will have a page on Kickstarter that will go live tomorrow before the show. Kickstarter is an all-or-nothing funding site that allows people who care about a project to pledge money and help fund the project, but it also rewards donors' generosity by giving them all sorts of goodies. I'll be providing the goodies, which vary at different pledge amounts. (e.g. $10 gets you the completed new album, $15 gets you the album & a kMae bandana, $25 gets those plus a kMae t-shirt, etc.) The rewards increase with the pledge amount, and some of them include a producer credit on the album or your own personal concert. My goal of $5,500 has to be reached within a certain number of days (45 or so), or I get nothin. If we don't reach the goal, you never get charged for your pledge. So there's no risk of you paying and me not being able to provide my end of the bargain. It's a great system that has worked for tons of people. At the show tomorrow night, I'll have my computer there, and people who go ahead and make their pledge online at the show will receive a special gift from me plus an additional free raffle ticket. As a musician, I totally rely on the support of my friends & fans, so all of your help is appreciated. Thanks! 3. There is a $5 cover charge at the door, which goes to pay the musicians of both my band & the Acadias. While the focus and excitement is on funding the album, we musicians gotta pay rent, too. Can't wait to see you tomorrow night! Don't forget: 10pm, Carrollton Station, Friday July 23, 2010. Big hug, kMae

MUSIC

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UPCOMING SHOWS

Carrollton Station New Orleans, LA Fri Jul 23 10 10:00 PM   Kerry Irish Pub New Orleans, LA Thu Aug 12 10 09:00

SONG OF THE DAY

We present recent Simply Six interviewee Kelcy Mae with "Swingin' Low Without A Chariot" from her album The Times Complied.

SIMPLY SIX: Kelcy Mae

Kelcy Mae is a singer/songwriter from New Orleans.
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1. For many artists, they cite a defining moment for themselves when they knew they wanted to be a singer. For many it was the appearance of Elvis on the Ed Sullivan show, to another generation it was the Beatles’ appearance on Sullivan half a decade later. Is there such a defining moment for you?

My mom had me singing in the preschool choir when I was four years old, and though it was probably due to her motherly bias, I sang my first solo in church at five years old. I think that’s probably when I decided to be a singer, though I forgot about it during high school and the early part of college. Fortunately (I think), it came back to me a few years ago, and the bug hasn’t left. Nothing else is fulfilling in the way that songwriting and performing are for me.

2. When you’re not creating music what are you listening to? Who are some of your favorites?

The music I listen to always changes, but some of my standard go-to artists are: Chris Pureka, Bon Iver, Gregory Alan Isakov, Jason Anderson, and Sufjan Stevens. Some recent artists I’ve found that I love are The Tallest Man on Earth, Great Lake Swimmers, Chris Bathgate, Okkervil River, Little Gold, and Damien Jurado. For some international flavor, I’d check out Tinariwen or Manu Chao. On days when I’m down, I’ll set my Pandora radio to Kermit Ruffins for some good New Orleans music. WWOZ is good for that as well.

3. What would you say is your greatest moment so far as an artist, either on record or live?

It’s hard to think of one great moment because great moments are constantly reinventing themselves. Usually for me the greatest moments are when I feel some connection mid-song with either the audience, the rest of the band, or both. A specific, and different, moment I recall is once when I was performing “Mr. Leopold” live in New Orleans, and it only occurred to me in the process of singing it what the song actually meant both to and for me. So, I guess sometimes it’s when I feel a strong connection to my own songs. That kind of connection is not always immediate.

4. Do you believe music can change the world or is just something to listen to? How much can music influence current events?

For me, it’s just something to listen to… it’s an escape from the world. For others, music drives them to make big changes. There are political songs that affect me, sure. Ani DiFranco’s “Self Evident” comes to mind, but I’m not one of those large-scale movers and shakers. I want to change the world by telling people to read more poetry. And you can imagine how well that goes over.

5. How has technology affected the music industry? How has technology affected your career as a musician?

That’s a pretty loaded question, and one you could spend hours upon hours discussing. It created the music industry, it destroyed the music industry, it re-created the music industry, and so on. It’s certainly easy to get your music out there, and I’ve taken advantage of that. While it’s great to have a million platforms with which to share my music, it’s also a huge pain to constantly be updating show schedules on several different websites. That’s the price we independent musicians pay, though. Technology is one of those things…like a day job…that I wish I could quit. I try to make my music as accessible as possible, but sometimes I have to remove myself from the computer and pick up the guitar instead. It’s easy to forget your priorities when you get caught up trying to anticipate the next big thing, making sure you’re covered from every angle. I’m all over the web but recently had a guy tell me he couldn’t find me anywhere. Turns out he was spelling my name wrong. I just had to laugh. Sometimes you can’t win no matter what you do, and then sometimes you find out you’re being played on the radio somewhere over in Germany. It’s hard to know how far-reaching your efforts can be.

6. Now for my Barbara Walters question: If you were a pair of shoes what type of shoes would you be?

A pair of cowboy boots, scuffed up, worn in, a little dirt caked to the sides. Ready to go anywhere.

Video Wednesday:

Local artist Kelcy Mae at the Louisiana Music Factory.