Sacred Activist album

By Redwood Reider

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Music,



NZ $3,347 pledged


78 people pledged


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NZ $2,500 minimum target


100 100% Complete

This campaign was successful and closed on 14/06/2014 at 10:27 AM.

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About

Sacred Activist Album

Project 2014-04-20 17:24:28 +1200

I've just started recording what I believe will be my deepest, most resonant poetry collection yet. The Sacred Activist album will fuse the political and the sacred. It will feature the newest work that I've performed at festivals, conferences and poetry events over the last few years. Each poem will have music to help the medicine go down. 

(UPDATE: We've just reached the funding goal I set – hooray & thank you & please do keep the contributions flowing in! The more $$ we get toward this project, the more hours I can hire awesome people to take this thing to the next level!)

What's a Sacred Activist?

As you may have noticed, there's some kinda destructive stuff happening on this magnificent Earth. You could spend your life heartbroken. Or you could spend your life distracting yourself pretending not to be heartbroken. I've briefly tried both of these options and found neither too satisfying!

The path of the Sacred Activist is one who (to quote the title track) figures out how to "breathe in world's pain, breathe out light / keep heart fires burning through the longest night." I write these poems to keep myself going as an ecological activist and generally as a human living at this time. It's been such a gift to me to perform them on stages around New Zealand and to find out that the words help other folks keep going too!

About the Album

The poems on this album will be the ones that, after hearing them at gigs the last few years, folks have repeatedly come up to me and asked, "is that ___ poem on your CD?" Now it's time to record them so I can answer "yes" to that question! I'm so excited for my deepest work to go home with people for them to weave into their own lives.

Okay, and the album’s not all serious. There are notes of the funny, the cosmic, the neurotic, the erotic, anecdotes about my hobby of writing pornographic stories when I was eight years old… you know, the important stuff...

Each track on Sacred Activist will be a collaboration with a different musician (except for two tracks that will be just me). I feel so blessed to have a fine crew of talented musicians lined up to accompany me on this album. Together we're brewing a gentle but enlivening, intimate stew of mostly acoustic sounds, from guitar to cello.

Why I'm Asking for Support

I see this pledge drive not as a donation request, but as a co-investment by a community of listeners. I want and need to pay the people who help me out with their artistic skills – particularly my local sound tech wizard, and the musicians. But it can take awhile for the income from a CD to come in, and artists need to be buying and eating their organic food in the present! All funds from this campaign will go to feeding and sustaining those musical folks making this album, so they can help me create some food for your soul.  

Thanks so much for joining me in making this happen,

Redwood

 

www.redwoodreider.org

 

Comments

Updates 3

WOW. (I know I'm a wordsmith but that's the only title I can think of after all this!)

14/06/2014 at 2:09 PM

Oh wow! Basically.

The trend of the day is folks pledging MORE than required for their particular desired reward. Ah humans really make me smile sometimes.

The last days have been exciting. With the last burst of enthusiastic contributions flowing in, I've been starting to reconnect with my musical collaborators, and some crafty plotting is happening. Every extra bit of funding coming in now is enabling me to grow the dream team of musicians on board, and to spend more time in the studio getting it all sparkly and gleaming. 

Y'all are amazing. Being something of a populist I'm excited as much by the number of folks pledging as I am by the grand total. That so many of you are keen for this one, grows my heart's hope for this earth as I head out to tend my garden on this beautiful winter's day.

Arohanui,

Redwood

Photographic depiction of how I feel about all this!

 

So close!

03/06/2014 at 6:37 PM

Dear wonderful folks! I'm so excited and grateful about all of you who have been joining in.

I don't find out til after the end about who pledged for what, but I want you to know that each contribution touches me, no matter the size. I love that several people have pledged for me to write poems; what a massive vote of support – and I also love that someone pledged 5 bucks as if to say "I'm broke but I just want to support you!" 

I also love that you're resonating with this concept of the Sacred Activist, whatever it may mean to you (and I believe it can breathe through all of us in our own ways). You're adding fuel to the fire in my heart, and I hope to do the same for you with the poems – good trade?!

Speaking of the dollars though – we're getting so close to the goal now. And I bet many of you know other lovely folks who would enjoy my work. This one is all about word of mouth (pun intended!). So I'd so appreciate it if you'd take a minute to send this to friends who might dig it, with your own recommendation. With their support and yours, I look forward to getting into the studio to record these poems for you very soon.

Arohanui,

Redwood

 

 

Gratitude o'clock

19/05/2014 at 7:16 PM

Wow! I'm so humbled and awed by all the support for this project so far. It's definitely gratitude o'clock here at Redwood headquarters (a.k.a. my front porch).

Thank you all so much!

I put this campaign out for financial reasons – but hadn't even thought about the other benefits of doing so.

As a writer, I've spent so much time in my life working away in focused solitude, riding the waves of the creative process on my own, creating for others but not knowing how my work would be received.

It feels really different to put this project out into the world when it's just hatching and get back so many people's support, enthusiasm and trust in me at this stage. It feels amazing! I've been contemplating and carrying this album quietly a long time in my heart, and now it feels like it's being held in a stronger and stronger, gently weaving web of warm hands.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Please keep helping me weave that web and share this with folks who might resonate with my work. This project, like the poetry itself, is all about person to person.

Redwood

    Pledgers 78

    Steve
    14/06/2014 at 10:27am
    Jo Campbell
    14/06/2014 at 9:11am
    john black
    13/06/2014 at 8:52pm
    Inna Alex
    13/06/2014 at 7:29pm
    Mike Roesch
    13/06/2014 at 5:22pm
    Richard Tronson
    13/06/2014 at 4:36pm
    Joshua Tree
    13/06/2014 at 10:41am
    Angela L. Quiros
    13/06/2014 at 9:09am
    Edith Bishop
    13/06/2014 at 4:53am
    Linda Leigh
    13/06/2014 at 1:23am
    Scott Dunlap Mieras
    12/06/2014 at 11:27pm
    Tara Forde
    12/06/2014 at 7:17pm
    Sam Teixeira
    12/06/2014 at 4:34pm
    marsha
    12/06/2014 at 1:22pm
    Justin Krebs
    12/06/2014 at 1:19pm
    Anonymous pledger
    12/06/2014 at 9:53am
    Deborah Cohan
    12/06/2014 at 8:05am
    Janson Wu
    12/06/2014 at 1:07am
    Paul
    11/06/2014 at 11:05pm
    Robin Clayfield
    11/06/2014 at 9:05pm
    JG
    11/06/2014 at 4:57am
    Seth Shames
    10/06/2014 at 2:43pm
    Vasumi
    10/06/2014 at 2:28pm
    Alina Siegfried
    10/06/2014 at 2:05pm
    Ruby Jane
    09/06/2014 at 7:51pm
    Dana Darwin
    08/06/2014 at 10:11am
    Lauren Baker
    07/06/2014 at 5:10am
    Ieuan
    06/06/2014 at 9:32pm
    Ieuan
    06/06/2014 at 9:31pm
    Ange
    06/06/2014 at 2:44pm

    Sacred Activist Album

    Project 2014-04-20 17:24:28 +1200

    I've just started recording what I believe will be my deepest, most resonant poetry collection yet. The Sacred Activist album will fuse the political and the sacred. It will feature the newest work that I've performed at festivals, conferences and poetry events over the last few years. Each poem will have music to help the medicine go down. 

    (UPDATE: We've just reached the funding goal I set – hooray & thank you & please do keep the contributions flowing in! The more $$ we get toward this project, the more hours I can hire awesome people to take this thing to the next level!)

    What's a Sacred Activist?

    As you may have noticed, there's some kinda destructive stuff happening on this magnificent Earth. You could spend your life heartbroken. Or you could spend your life distracting yourself pretending not to be heartbroken. I've briefly tried both of these options and found neither too satisfying!

    The path of the Sacred Activist is one who (to quote the title track) figures out how to "breathe in world's pain, breathe out light / keep heart fires burning through the longest night." I write these poems to keep myself going as an ecological activist and generally as a human living at this time. It's been such a gift to me to perform them on stages around New Zealand and to find out that the words help other folks keep going too!

    About the Album

    The poems on this album will be the ones that, after hearing them at gigs the last few years, folks have repeatedly come up to me and asked, "is that ___ poem on your CD?" Now it's time to record them so I can answer "yes" to that question! I'm so excited for my deepest work to go home with people for them to weave into their own lives.

    Okay, and the album’s not all serious. There are notes of the funny, the cosmic, the neurotic, the erotic, anecdotes about my hobby of writing pornographic stories when I was eight years old… you know, the important stuff...

    Each track on Sacred Activist will be a collaboration with a different musician (except for two tracks that will be just me). I feel so blessed to have a fine crew of talented musicians lined up to accompany me on this album. Together we're brewing a gentle but enlivening, intimate stew of mostly acoustic sounds, from guitar to cello.

    Why I'm Asking for Support

    I see this pledge drive not as a donation request, but as a co-investment by a community of listeners. I want and need to pay the people who help me out with their artistic skills – particularly my local sound tech wizard, and the musicians. But it can take awhile for the income from a CD to come in, and artists need to be buying and eating their organic food in the present! All funds from this campaign will go to feeding and sustaining those musical folks making this album, so they can help me create some food for your soul.  

    Thanks so much for joining me in making this happen,

    Redwood

     

    www.redwoodreider.org

     

    Comments

    WOW. (I know I'm a wordsmith but that's the only title I can think of after all this!)

    14/06/2014 at 2:09 PM

    Oh wow! Basically.

    The trend of the day is folks pledging MORE than required for their particular desired reward. Ah humans really make me smile sometimes.

    The last days have been exciting. With the last burst of enthusiastic contributions flowing in, I've been starting to reconnect with my musical collaborators, and some crafty plotting is happening. Every extra bit of funding coming in now is enabling me to grow the dream team of musicians on board, and to spend more time in the studio getting it all sparkly and gleaming. 

    Y'all are amazing. Being something of a populist I'm excited as much by the number of folks pledging as I am by the grand total. That so many of you are keen for this one, grows my heart's hope for this earth as I head out to tend my garden on this beautiful winter's day.

    Arohanui,

    Redwood

    Photographic depiction of how I feel about all this!

     

    So close!

    03/06/2014 at 6:37 PM

    Dear wonderful folks! I'm so excited and grateful about all of you who have been joining in.

    I don't find out til after the end about who pledged for what, but I want you to know that each contribution touches me, no matter the size. I love that several people have pledged for me to write poems; what a massive vote of support – and I also love that someone pledged 5 bucks as if to say "I'm broke but I just want to support you!" 

    I also love that you're resonating with this concept of the Sacred Activist, whatever it may mean to you (and I believe it can breathe through all of us in our own ways). You're adding fuel to the fire in my heart, and I hope to do the same for you with the poems – good trade?!

    Speaking of the dollars though – we're getting so close to the goal now. And I bet many of you know other lovely folks who would enjoy my work. This one is all about word of mouth (pun intended!). So I'd so appreciate it if you'd take a minute to send this to friends who might dig it, with your own recommendation. With their support and yours, I look forward to getting into the studio to record these poems for you very soon.

    Arohanui,

    Redwood

     

     

    Gratitude o'clock

    19/05/2014 at 7:16 PM

    Wow! I'm so humbled and awed by all the support for this project so far. It's definitely gratitude o'clock here at Redwood headquarters (a.k.a. my front porch).

    Thank you all so much!

    I put this campaign out for financial reasons – but hadn't even thought about the other benefits of doing so.

    As a writer, I've spent so much time in my life working away in focused solitude, riding the waves of the creative process on my own, creating for others but not knowing how my work would be received.

    It feels really different to put this project out into the world when it's just hatching and get back so many people's support, enthusiasm and trust in me at this stage. It feels amazing! I've been contemplating and carrying this album quietly a long time in my heart, and now it feels like it's being held in a stronger and stronger, gently weaving web of warm hands.

    Thank you, thank you, thank you.

    Please keep helping me weave that web and share this with folks who might resonate with my work. This project, like the poetry itself, is all about person to person.

    Redwood

      Steve
      14/06/2014 at 10:27am
      Jo Campbell
      14/06/2014 at 9:11am
      john black
      13/06/2014 at 8:52pm
      Inna Alex
      13/06/2014 at 7:29pm
      Mike Roesch
      13/06/2014 at 5:22pm
      Richard Tronson
      13/06/2014 at 4:36pm
      Joshua Tree
      13/06/2014 at 10:41am
      Angela L. Quiros
      13/06/2014 at 9:09am
      Edith Bishop
      13/06/2014 at 4:53am
      Linda Leigh
      13/06/2014 at 1:23am
      Scott Dunlap Mieras
      12/06/2014 at 11:27pm
      Tara Forde
      12/06/2014 at 7:17pm
      Sam Teixeira
      12/06/2014 at 4:34pm
      marsha
      12/06/2014 at 1:22pm
      Justin Krebs
      12/06/2014 at 1:19pm
      Anonymous pledger
      12/06/2014 at 9:53am
      Deborah Cohan
      12/06/2014 at 8:05am
      Janson Wu
      12/06/2014 at 1:07am
      Paul
      11/06/2014 at 11:05pm
      Robin Clayfield
      11/06/2014 at 9:05pm
      JG
      11/06/2014 at 4:57am
      Seth Shames
      10/06/2014 at 2:43pm
      Vasumi
      10/06/2014 at 2:28pm
      Alina Siegfried
      10/06/2014 at 2:05pm
      Ruby Jane
      09/06/2014 at 7:51pm
      Dana Darwin
      08/06/2014 at 10:11am
      Lauren Baker
      07/06/2014 at 5:10am
      Ieuan
      06/06/2014 at 9:32pm
      Ieuan
      06/06/2014 at 9:31pm
      Ange
      06/06/2014 at 2:44pm
      This campaign was successful and got its funding on 14/06/2014 at 10:27 AM.