I am so thrilled to be working on my second full length album, New York 2 LA. I’ve been diligently focused on this project with seven songs completed with another four songs to go.
Release date of New York 2 L.A. will be January 2019.
Donating to my campaign will provide the necessary means for an independent artist such as myself to bring to fruition an involved and emotional body of work. Making a CD is a complex and expensive process. This donation campaign would give me the means to complete the recording of the remaining songs, artwork, graphics, duplication, mastering and the necessary promotion it takes to not have such a labor of love fall to the wayside.
The title track, New York 2 L.A. is about the sadness of not doing what we want to do in our lives, and having those deep regrets; but then the hope of transforming pain with a perspective of enjoying your life to the fullest and living in the moment. The album contains heartfelt ballads and soulful blues sprinkled with a spiritualness mixed with a political tone. It’s a collection of some older songs that were not able to be revealed until the right moment came along and some newer songs, bridging my past and present. In a larger sense, my music comes from love, compassion, human kindness and understanding and equality for all.
The players that are bringing my album to life are some of the best people I have ever worked with, people I have had the pleasure of knowing for many years to new friends that are inspirational in their creative inputs.
My life and career can best be described as a Tale of Two Cities – Chicago and Los Angeles, however, these two cities were just starting points.
I was born and raised in the Chicago area, and surrounded by the influences of the blues and jazz music greats of the era, as well as the popularity of the singer-songwriter music genre of the 1970s. My music is equally informed by the entirety of my adult life in Los Angeles, where I moved at the tender age of 17.
Some of my recent accomplishments comes from a single off this new album, “Smoke the Hookah” (reggae version) which enjoyed a 12 week run at #1 on the Indie Music Top 10 charts. As a performer, I was included in the stellar lineup for Southern California’s Make Music Pasadena concert at Levitt Pavilion Pasadena and music festivals up and down the West Coast, including San Diego’s Adams Street Music festival on the Starbucks stage and the Blues Stage of the San Mateo Music festival. I’m so grateful, and I’m hoping these landmark occasions will only be the beginning of an amazing future in music, with your help.
If you’ve been touched by my music and you believe my art is something that deserves to be out there in the world, then I hope you’ll consider being a part of this funding campaign. Any additional funding raised will help me to get these songs further out into the world with radio promotion, touring, and all the other ways we’re able to help people enjoy our art. Thank you, a thousand times, in advance, for being a part of this labor or love. – Raspin
