About a decade ago, I was sitting on the hill at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival and heard Joe Jencks for the first time, performing as one-third of his trio Brother Sun. I was captivated, first by Joe’s rock-of-ages voice, then by his ability to paint a vivid portrait within a song. (Third, of course, was his amazing hair, which I have attempted, with limited success, to replicate on my own head.) 

I introduced myself on the album autograph line. We’ve crossed paths many more times and gotten to know each other at song circles. I saw Joe at a folk music conference outside of Chicago a year and a half ago, and he noted the volume of songs I’d been creating which had not yet found their way onto a recording. 

He suggested that he work with me to create an album that puts the focus on my storytelling songs. And so, I scoured my catalog for the songs that had fallen through the cracks, or never felt right for my duo project. Last summer I visited Joe at his home outside of Chicago, and we laid down the basic guitar and vocal tracks for my first full-length solo album in 21 years.

I’m excited about this collaboration. I’ve relied on Joe’s production skills to bring out the best in me. He knows how to coax out a good vocal performance, and how to find the groove within an instrumental performance. The tracks so far sound great.

But there’s a lot more work to do. And I’ll be relying on musical experts, including Joe, to fill out these tracks, and then mix and master them into a finished album.

Will you make a pledge to my Kickstarter to help make this project a reality? The campaign ends on Friday, April 3 at noon, and Kickstarter is all or nothing; I either reach my goal, or the project doesn’t get funded. (If it’s after April 3 and I’ve made my goal, you can still make late pledges, which would be welcome!)

I know these are tenuous times. It’s especially important right now to keep art alive, to help make sense of the world we’re living in, and remind us of the big picture. I have something beautiful underway, and I hope you can help me finish it.

Peace,

Aaron