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Dorothy-Jane concept album

I'm an Australian independent singer/songwriter/harmonica  player venturing into crowdfunding for the first time for my 7th album "The Witness".

Recording is already well under way. I need financial assistance to help with artwork, production and promotion costs.

Recognised as a Blues artist, and one of Australia's foremost female blues-harp players, this album represents a partial departure from Traditional Blues genre and a journey into Roots, Alt Country. This is not intentional, just how the songs spilled out. The lyrics are in my typical no-holds-barred style.


The Collins English dictionary defines a concept album as "an album that has a unifying theme or that tells a single story."

The theme here is pedophilia/abuse.

The songs link to form a story of actual events I experienced, written as part of the cathartic process - through shock, protection, confusion, betrayal, the fallout and overwhelming grief, to safety and rebuilding of a shattered life. I have aimed to portray the complexities of my experience with a combination of brutal honesty and sensitivity.

It is a big deal to ask musicians to be involved in a project as intimate and confronting as this one. I am thrilled with my core band: Ali Penney (keys), Ben Hoare (guitars) and Matt Nightingale (bass guitars).  Their receptiveness and combined talents provide an expansive lush musical landscape that support the lyrical intent.

Thank you so much for helping me release this deeply personal (and potentially controversial) album.

DJ
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Donations of $25 or more that include a name and contact information will receive a signed copy of "The Witness" album.

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From the Producer/Sound Engineer
"I do not think I have ever been asked to work on a project with as much social importance. It is time to bring this subject and so many other 'hidden' behaviours out into the open where we can all contribute to bringing about serious changes in attitudes and behaviours. Abuse of any kind by anyone is not something we are going to continue to sweep under the social or religious carpet.

Musically I am going to have an easy job of creating a great sounding album filled with superbly executed instruments and vocals. The musicians quickly 'gelled' in the studio sessions with the emergence of some truly beautiful sounds.

Often, in fact most of the time, that is all that matters. However with this album, something far more important becomes a vital part of the 'capture' of the moment.

There is a deeply visceral energy to the concept that threads throughout the theme. Songs of raw emotion drawn from an horrendous personal experience. The importance of the lyric to expose a subject rarely spoken openly about - the abuse of a child by a trusted family member - the impact on 'the witness' and the total devastation of reality, where everything once trusted, proves to be a fallacy and cruel joke.


No-one can know what they would do, how they would find the strength to push though and survive. That long and brutal journey is laid bare in the lyric and musical emotion of this extremely important work.

I am proud to stand with Dorothy Jane as she tells the story of "The Witness". - David Pendragon

From the musicians
"This is an important album. Abuse is rife through ignorance. This subject matter is rarely discussed in the open because of its nature. The content of DJ's songs is not so heavy as it is helpful. It can help people move forward." - Ben Hoare

“To be betrayed so deeply by your partner is the one of the horrors of life. When that betrayal extends to a child, it is in the 'most awful' horrors of life category. DJ’s songs are helping her to heal. Her stories capturing her shock, fear, grief and her hopes for the future will help others.” - Ali Penney

Donations 

  • Anonymous
    • $30 
    • 4 yrs

Organizer

Dorothy-Jane Mariah Gosper
Organizer
Molonglo ACT

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