My name is Max Embers, I am a singer-songwriter and I am raising $42,500 for a converted van!

Why, you may wonder?

My last few years have been a magical whirlwind - after living in Los Angeles and trying my luck in the music industry from TV shows to performances in empty bar rooms, I became a nomad in 2021. Over night I packed my bags, sold what I owned and started traveling the country. I had no plan, but a knowing deep in my chest that I needed to go on a journey (picture Julia Roberts in “Eat Pray Love”, but queer, and on a starving artist’s budget). Where this journey has taken me is honestly beyond my wildest dreams.

Before I knew it I was playing the most incredible, intimate house shows all over the country and became friends with beautiful people from all walks of life who assured me I was on the right path. As I roamed through the breathtaking national parks and spent more time outdoors, I fell in love with nature all over again and rediscovered my genuine desire to use my music and platform to make a difference in a world facing many many challenges. [Of course I had to turn all these experiences into music and maybe my album “nomad” tells the story better than I can here… go listen and see for yourself :)]

Eventually, I came across the concept of "Regenerative Farming" (if you haven’t heard of it, check out the documentaries “Biggest Little Farm” or “Kiss The Ground” for an easy - and entertaining! - intro to the topic). Turns out permaculture (sustainable farming) is not only *one of our best bets at fighting the climate crisis* but also helps mitigating drought, saving species, healing our soil and grows *actually healthy food* for us in the process.

I want to make it clear that this is not a new idea - it is rooted in the traditions, practices and spiritual wisdom of ancient indigenous cultures all around the globe, who lived in harmony and reciprocity with Earth long before industrialized agriculture came to be.

How was it that no one knew about this? HOW, I wondered, was it that in the music industry I was hard-pressed to find artists speaking up and using their voices to support this cause? If no one else was going to, then I would. The first concerts I played on regenerative farms (Kandarian Farms, Bidwell Canyon Farm, Paicines Ranch, CLBL… to name a few) were as DIY and makeshift as they were healing and gratifying. I helped out on the farm during the week, seeding, weeding, prepping for the farmers market, and then at the end of the week, I’d play a concert. Never had I felt so alive on stage, sharing my music in a way that clearly made an impact on other people and also was so healing for my soul.

It was nearly a year ago that my dear friend Michael Martinez and I had an epiphany - sitting on a beach in Half Moon Bay, it occurred to us that this should be done everywhere, all at once. With our vast and RIDICULOUSLY talented group of musician friends nationally and internationally, and our growing network of farms, the vision was clear. We started an initiative called MORF (Music on Regenerative Farms) which hosts concerts on sustainable farms and other ecological conservation and regeneration projects. Our goal is to shift the way we produce, consume and relate to food, to re-green (literally “morf-ph”!) our cities, to integrate gardening and nature studies into our education system, to build community gardens for underprivileged communities… And these are just a few of our ideas! Long story short, we really believe in this… and so do others. We’re in the process of becoming a non-profit and are so grateful for all the support we’ve already received.

Now, back to the van. Even though I’m based in the Bay Area now and loving it here, my heart is still nomadic and for my original project, as much as for Michael’s & my duo project “Lonely Parrots”, and MOST importantly for our upcoming endeavors with MORF - all of the shows that we will plan, drive to, host and play ourselves… I will need a mobile home.

And if the events of the last 2 years weren’t serendipitous enough, I can’t even *begin* to express how wild it was when literally THIS week, my van found ME. I was camping with some friends at Pinnacles National Park, and there she stood - “Wendy”, named by her previous owners Jenni and Joe. The Australian couple were the sweetest and showed us the van right then and there - and the van. OH MAN. I’m in love. She’s perfect, Joe converted the van himself and in the last year they took her on a journey through the US national parks. The timing of when they want to sell “Wendy” couldn’t be any more perfect, and the price is better than most of what I’ve seen online.

IF we raise more than $42.5k the extra money will go to costs related to installing upgrades and upkeeping the van!

To all of you out there reading this, or watching the video, thank you. Thank you for just showing up and caring enough to hear my story. It means the world to me. I think we can make this happen and get the money together, I promise I’ll keep you in the loop with where the van will take me and all these endeavors in the future <3

So much love,

Max