Hi, it's me, Ben!

Whether you know me as brother, friend, local barista, that bald guy, or sad popstar wannabee, I need your help!

Let me catch you up...

About 4 years ago, I began working on a new collection of music that would become known as 'Ecotone.' In 2023 I was able to give y'all Pt. I. This record completely changed my life - or I was changing as I was making it. I'm not exaggerating. It was a very mystical and path-shaping experience. It felt like who I was as a person and artist were all undergoing significant shifts, and I think 'Ecotone Pt. I' was a remnant of that.

Last year (2024) was a difficult year. My hopes were to have 'Ecotone Pt. II' done and released for you, but that didn't happen. Thankfully, I was lucky enough to still be able to produce something, and "All My Love" and "Attachment Theory" were yours (as well as an "AT" Music Video! :) )

So Now What?

Well...I am 3 songs away (4 to include a bonus track!) from finishing Pt. II which means that the WHOLE collection - aka 'Ecotone: The Album' is almost complete! This is super exciting, but I need your help. I have been lucky enough to fund the previous 2 songs myself...but, for the remainder of the album I need to lean into my community, supporters, fans, family, the whole ecosystem to help pass the finish line. This really has felt like a marathon, and we are so close! We are recording in April, so we have 1 month to get this funded.

What's this gonna cost?

To be frank, making music is not cheap. I'm lucky I get to do this. My journey has been a combination of my own financial investment and the support of others. When I started seriously putting out music 5 years ago, I knew it would be a long game. Many experts say it takes about a decade to get to a more independently financial place as an artist. So, we seem to be right on track, ha!

Here's the breakdown:

**UPDATED 5/11/2025***

**Donations of $50+ will receive an exclusive signed vinyl of 'Ecotone: The Album' upon completion :)

For those of you doing the math, the GoFundMe goal is set lower than the total. This is because the music comes first, and I want to ensure that we are able to reach a minimum in order to get started on recording.

In conclusion...

Thank you. If you've read all the way up to this point, I am grateful that you care. Your donation goes directly to the music, and the opportunity to do keep doing what I feel created to do. In return, I hope to give you some of my best work yet, and an album that you can cherish. No donation is too small or too large. I am so lucky to do this, and to build a career out of my passions. Thank you for joining The Ecotone with me!

With much love,

Ben

ADDITIONAL FUN FACTS

What is Ecotone anyway, what does that mean?

'Ecotone' is an ecological term. Here's the literal definition:

ec·o·tone

/ˈekəˌtōn,ˈēkəˌtōn/

noun

a region of transition between two biological communities.

It's often found that these 2 communities are very different and distinct; however, the place where they come together in the 'ecotone' is usually full of species richness, abundance of life, and new growth. Ecotones are rich in biodiversity and very adaptable to change.

My experience as a gay/queer Christian usually lands me in a similar 'ecotone' of my own: in between a Christian community and the LGBTQ community that historically has struggled to integrate. I think what's beautiful about the middle space is that these 2 communities have more in common than they think, and that there is beautiful life that comes from integration and the overlapping of such communities.

For me, Ecotone: The Album represents honest stories and ponderings of this space and what it looks like to integrate over time and explore new horizons.

Why GoFundMe?

Crowdfunding for artists is actually no new thing. Historians have traced crowdfunding-like practices to as early as the 13th century. In the past, it was common for nobles and rich individuals to pay for the expenses of artists, thus establishing the practice more familiarly known as patronage. This practice extended to all kinds of artists, even some of the greats.

For example Mozart:

The Vienna tours that Mozart had planned in the early 1780s struggled at the beginning. So, he reached out to his fans and community and managed to raise enough money to perform his three piano concertos, totaling to around 170 backers. That's a community effort!

I think crowdfunding (understandably so) can get a skeptical eye in our culture today. We're Americans. We "should" all be self sufficient, self-starters, work our a** off, individuals right? While I think modern American culture provides us with many freedoms and opportunities, I think we are all aware that it falls drastically short of ideal, and we all know that we need EACH OTHER to do life and accomplish our dreams. At the end of the day, it is a privilege to be an artist. I'm not guaranteed to be able to do this, but it's people like YOU who allow me to keep going and grow in this career.