The fundraiser is going really well, as you can see - we've reached almost $800 and we still have a week and a half to go. This fundraiser will go a long way to helping us out on our tour and we're thankful for all of your support. I wrote a note about this and another fundraiser on Facebook a few weeks ago and I thought I'd share it here as well.
I, as much as anyone, hate the fact that so much of our world is dictated by money. It's a crazy system that has our society in a stranglehold and the only resistance I've found in my own life is to spend as little of it as possible, regardless of how much is coming in. That doesn't really affect the problem at large, but at this point, there isn't much more I can do to change it.Tour dates are still being filled...we're still looking to fill dates between Long Island and Philadelphia (namely in NYC and NJ) on July 26-28, and dates in Maryland/Virginia between August 1-3. If you know of any place we should check out, please let us know!
That said, there are two projects happening right now that have succeeded largely on the backs of friends, fans, families, and the help of strangers. I am very proud to say that The Jolly Beggars have been able to do so much because of people who genuinely care about us and not people who care more about making money than about our success as musicians. The Nonsense Society, a project created largely by our good friend Chris Collins, has been an incredibly successful network of artists of all types and has raised all of its funds through donations and a close network of friends.
The Jolly Beggars and The Nonsense Society are both holding fundraising drives right now for individual causes, and both ask for your support. We want your donations to be out of your desire to see these two projects succeed, and hope you'll hold that in mind as you consider helping out our causes. Neither The Jolly Beggars nor The Nonsense Society were created to get rich and famous (if they were, we'd all be failing terribly right now), but we do need funding to help us reach a broader audience and spread our art and music and messages.
The Nonsense Society has big plans for this year - a project connecting up-and-coming artists with celebrities, a documentary series featuring work from around the world, a royalty-free music library for use by artists and musicians, and much more.
The Jolly Beggars are planning their summer tour and need funds for merchandise, a trailer/camper so we can reduce the amount of gas we use, printing of a live EP, and more. Donations to our Kickstarter project have rewards from the band, including thank you notes/videos, signed CDs, live gig material, and even dinner with one of (or all of) the Beggars!
Links are included below to more information about donating to each project. Thanks so much for all of your help! We love you!
Help The Jolly Beggars Fund Their Summer Tour - http://kck.st/iNOKYg
Donate to the Nonsense Society - http://www.nonsensesociety.com/donate/ (Watch the video...The Beggars act like morons at the end)
- G
Jake, David, Matt, and I all graduated on Sunday the 15th...we played a few songs back at the house for friends and family, and a room full of people of all ages were singing "Gypsy Rover." It was one of the coolest, if not THE coolest, moment we've had as a band. The power and joy of folk music is something we love sharing with others, and this band has been an incredible opportunity for us to spread that with lots of people.
Last night, I went to South Norwalk, CT, to see Allison Weiss, one of my favorite singer/songwriters. She's an independent musician originally from Athens, GA, and I basically stole every promotional idea I've used with the Beggars from her - The Sixty One, keeping a blog, Kickstarter, and even the basic confidence to know that it's possible to make a lot happen with a lot of hard work. I got absurdly nervous when I met her afterwards briefly but was incredibly glad I made the journey down to support a musician who has given more to myself and the Beggars than she knows.
We're still adding songs to our rep for summer...Jeff and I will be premiering a new song tonight, "The Patriot Game" - a beautiful patriotic ballad that will eventually feature more of the band, but David was down in Atlantic City and Long Island with his band, Nonsense Syllables and Chris had a surprise concert in Hartford, so Jeff and I began arranging stuff on our own. Also coming - a combination of "Bonnie Ship the Diamond," an old sea shanty, and "P Stands for Paddy," which are essentially the same song.
We'll be off to Duxbury tonight to play at Pilgrim Congregational Church at 7:30. Hope to see you there!
- G
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