I am a professional performing musician/singer/songwriter working for several bands in the San Francisco Bay Area of California and performing with different bands all up and down the west coast of the United States. I was the proud owner of a highly-customed Martin acoustic/electric DC16GTE cutaway 6 string performance guitar until recently when my van was broken into while eating dinner with friends after our best friend's memorial in San Leandro. We had just performed for our passed friend to celebrate his life. This awful experience of having our way of living stolen in the wink of an eye only added to the pain we've been experiencing in our lives over the last 2 months, as we lost our best friend, 2 of our beloved pets of 15 years, we got pneumonia and now I am suffering a massive kidney infection and then I lost my sister to cancer. Having our guitars stolen topped it off.
I am hoping to raise as much as I can to contribute to my replacement performance guitar. ANything helps. I am hoping to raise about 2,000, as I need a performance guitar that will withstand the road and playing hard and very often. We're talking every day here. I have chosen a Taylor on my wish list because I have been admiring them too for years. (Even if I still love Martin) :)
Reasons for this fund to help replace the guitar:
1) We make our living playing music. It is our survival.
2) My husband and I bought our matching Martin guitars (his was stolen too, but he already replaced it) when we got together as a symbol of our music bond and our lives together. We are both musicians. It is something very special we share.
3) Music is my connection to the universe. My guitar played for thousands of people. Not kidding. Thousands. It was used to please so many others, as well as my own soul benefit.
4) I had it custom made for professional use, including a heart shaped pick guard that I made and a strong internal brace system added, a new bridge and a brand new Fishman electric pickup.
The guitar is worth $3,000.00 and I don't have that right now.
I JUST WANT TO PLAY MUSIC. I HAVE GIGS WITH MY BANDS COMING UP. I ONLY WANT TO SPREAD LOVE THROUGH MUSIC AND ART. I am a kind soul who would never ever hurt or wish bad thoughts on anyone.
I ask for help to get back into playing mode as I recover from ill health and sadness in my life. Time to move onward and upward again. Thank you. ~Kimberly Smith
