The campaign's at its halfway point and we're 40% funded which doesn't take a professor in mathematics to work out that we're slightly behind schedule. Statistics do indicate, however, that most projects accelerate towards the end, receiving the majority of their funding in the last week! So we're all still hopeful. So much so that the guitar player's decided this is a good time for a holiday in The Gambia! The bass player, still swanning around in Thailand, checks in occasionally, most notably to update us on random Thai shopkeepers who have pledged money towards the album! The drummer, so diligent at the start has been consumed by work commitments and vanished from social media. Thank god the piano player has rallied around and jumped on the blag-wagon, swapping paintball sales for album sales! Without him I'd have lost hope, withdrawn the pledges and jumped on a Tall Ship to the Dominican Republic to meet our most recent blog reader!
That got me thinking, this medium could be our largest tool. The statistics on here are frightening. If I could somehow appeal to all of you, all 3657 of you, we'd be home and dry and cooking chestnuts by the fire! We only need you to pledge 54p and we'd be complete! That's loose change gathering dust in the Piggy Bank! Cheaper than a chocolate bar! Even if only half of you did, it would work out as £1.09, thats cheaper than a loaf of bread! Of course, you only qualify for rewards by donating more than a tenner so we'd have to think of some nice recompense!
It is wonderful to dig into the data on this blog. As I mentioned above, we welcomed out first reader from the Dominican Republic the other week, and a scroll down the list sees entries from Morocco, Lithuania, India and The Philippines. It's heartening to see how far our adventures have been traveling. The other day I checked the leader board and saw a big serge by Turkey and thought how on earth are there 43 computers viewing any one blog entry? I only know 1 Turk!
Back to the Blag! Back to busy days and nights spent wondering how best to get inside your pockets! It almost sounds wrong when put like that. We really do understand the current pinch and have been so overwhelmed by the support thus far. It's amazing to think we've garnered as much as we have. On blind faith. Being in this position makes you realise how far we've come in many ways. Formed a band, wrote a few songs, stomped our feet and told silly stories, crammed into tiny pubs, old barns, village halls, and any alcove that would have us. Self-funded our first album, increased the lineup, upgraded to stages and festivals, started touring and making films and writing about our adventures and here we are, convincing you all to give over your pocket money so we can continue... and the amazing thing is that you are!
And we need more! So keep digging. This is a call to arms! Tell your friends. We need those chocolate bars and loaves of bread! And we promise if we are successful we will put our heart, soul, boots and all in the new album.
And we'll remember your kind names. They will be immortalised forever in The Odd Folklore!
Click here and help us!
Well we're well and truly on the blag now. Locked into a Kickstarter Campaign to raise money for our next album. If all goes according to plan we can raise the required thousands, pile into the old renault 4, drive into the mountains of mid-wales to the old shooting lodge at Belan Hall and with the help of Andy Bell capture the songs that will make a brand new record. So far, we're slightly behind schedule but still blissfully optimistic. Though I did realise today that starting such a crucial campaign when the bass player's in Thailand on holiday, the guitar player doesn't use social media and the piano player's forgetfulness takes pride of place, leaves me and the drummer as the sole pushers of this project. Plus the fact that Christmas is approaching and pockets are understandably tight at this time of year. I am also incredibly busy myself with work commitments. So perhaps, upon reflection, we're not so blissfully optimistic. We're secretly petrified. The campaign is after all, an 'all or nothing'. If you fail to raise the required sum, you must return everything you've garnered.
Although this isn't a perfect time to launch this project, it is the best of a bad bunch. December is too near to Christmas and pockets are closed. January, not only are pockets closed but doors are closed too! February, well, they say February is a suitable month for dying, as all around is dead. So I imagine running a kickstarter campaign then is just as futile. And I am off again in March with work commitments. So here we are; one week in with nearly a thousand raised. 3 weeks left and a further 4 to raise. It is, as Alex Ferguson says, Squeaky bum time!
On paper it looks easy. We need 500 people to pledge £10, which will effectively buy them their album in advance. Now we have some 700 official fans on facebook, and many more who, like the guitar player, shy away from social media. We also have a large readership on this blog; 802 of which are in Holland alone. So we do have the numbers. Large numbers donating small sums and everybody is happy! We get funded and you don't loose money. We record a new album and you receive it in the post. We get to continue making music and you get to keep seeing us and reading about us. Surely this is a match made in heaven!
I'm feeling more optimistic now. On paper at least. I'll phone the piano player and remind him what month it is and teach the guitar player how to use facebook. And together we'll all push.
We're ready for a new baby; we've a wealth of new material and you all must be getting sick of The Sweet Release by now ;)
Please help us...
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1156213809/the-odd-folk-new-album
Faithfully
The Odd Folk
