JOYBIRD makes a record

Hi! I'm Jess,  an independent artist, songwriter and violin teacher in Chicago, IL. My band is called Joybird and we're raising money to pay down the costs of recording our second album! Though this one is my second full-length recording of original music,  it's my first under the name, Joybird. My debut record, "LongTime Exhaling" (joybirdmusic.com/listen ) came out in 2016 under my own name, Jess McIntosh.

We made this album on a snowy weekend in February, but its songs speak of summertime.  Written between traversing the country in a folk-punk band, touring overseas, practicing single adulthood in a giant home city and deepening friendships through that experience. On boats and trains, on stages and in classrooms, in rain-licked waves of Lake Michigan and back porch-light puddles - I've been growing these words. Words about grieving family I never knew, about listening inward/laughing outward, about grasping for meaning in a world rapidly consumed by destructive violence.

I dove deeper into my folk & traditional influences and wrote fiddle tunes. I arranged a Gaelic-turned-Appalachian ballad and leaned heavily into the creative innovation of some very beloved, highly-talented musicians.

Featured in these recordings are the likes of:

Aaron Smith (harmony vocals, bass, banjo, guitar)
Bill Harris (drums, wurlitzer percussion)
Dan Andree (fiddle)
Steve Doyle (dobro, electric guitar)
Sara Leginsky (harmony vocals, banjo)
Emily Nott (harmony vocals, guitar)
Anna Jacobsen (trumpet, french horn)
Cass Pautler (clarinet)

(Engineered and mixed by Doug Malone at JAMDEK .)

Many of you are my friends, many will be my friends, and some may remain strangers. My hope is that you will  come together with people you care about and share my music - so it can live its greatest purpose. 

Here are the expenses your support will ease:
$1800 Engineering, Studio, Mixing & Mastering Fees

$1650 Paying Musicians

$1000 Production Costs

$1500 Media & Promotional Costs

***
WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU??

With your donation you can guarantee yourself a pre-order, or the first available copies of this new project however you prefer - digital, hard-pressed, hand-drawn in interpretive sketch or sung in your living room. (But, really! We can work it out.) 

You will receive pertinent-only album updates, inside-looks at my process & progress, live-show info, and future Joybird tour plans by connecting with us in this way.

If you are unable to donate, sharing the link to this page with your social media or email contacts is ENORMOUSLY helpful and so much appreciated. I am filled with gratitude. Thank you. <3