For the first time since 2018, I'm going into the studio to record a full album of original music! "Stray" is the culmination of relentless labor, life experiences sublime and dire, as well as the contributions of all the beautiful people that carried me to this point of departure. The title track, composed for three orphaned puppies I briefly cared for in Sri Lanka, reflects my own, however sheltered, experiences with homelessness, both physically and spiritually, on the literal and metaphorical borders of my three-year journey in India. Other tracks were actually composed before my previous album, Retrospect, was finished, but have never been released. Here is a demo recorded at a recent performance:
I'm very excited to be working with an all-new band of dedicated and accomplished musicians who have put their hearts and souls into this music just as much as I have:
Chris Worden, upright bass
Sharik Hasan, piano
Roger Lin, guitar
These performers have breathed new life into my compositions and deserve as much credit as I do for making this music happen.
We are traveling to Boston to record at the community-run studio The Record Co, and our budget breaks down as such:
Studio time: $480
Engineering fees: $975
Personnel fees: $*,***
Travel & lodging: $300
Distribution and promotion: $500
Total: over $4,000
Any professional musician will tell you this is a shoestring budget for a professional endeavor, but we've worked out creative solutions to deliver the maximum level of quality for the cost. Recording an album in the year 2026 is not a simple financial prospect. Even for the big stars, the cost of recording is usually derived from touring revenue, meaning big stars like Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny actually lose money from recording albums. For independent artists like myself, even though it's completely necessary from both an artistic and career perspective, a project like this is usually a total loss financially. Please consider making a donation to help us make this project happen. Any extra funds that we raise above the projected budget will go towards more promotion/distribution and a well-deserved bonus for my hard-working crew.
Thank you all for your faithful and dedicated support!
–Joey van Leeuwen