"LOSE YOUR ILLUSION" EPIC DOUBLE-ALBUM FUNDRAISER

Hi, we're Sam Russell & the Harborrats, a rock n' roll trio from Seattle WA. We’ve been around 15 years, released 7 full albums and 2 EPs with a TON of different musicians from our community taking part in our live shows and recordings.

In 2020, we began podding together and rehearsing for the first time as a 3-piece after both our keyboardist & fiddle player moved away prior to lockdown. These rehearsals became a lifeline to sanity and balance in seemingly apocalyptic times. We began shaping new songs and a new sound to both reflect & process the chaos and beauty simultaneously perceived around us at that time.

Chuck Berry

Sam began bringing songs to the band that musically reflected his love of 1950s/60s garage rock, formed as a kid while listening to oldies radio stations in the 80s where Motown, The Beatles, Chuck Berry, The Ronettes, Otis Redding, Bob Dylan, Dusty Springfield, Buddy Holly and hundreds of one-hit wonders all co-mingled. Says Sam:

“Because I was raised in an Evangelical household, I was only allowed to listen to Christian Rock and oldies radio until I was 13. This situation shaped my musical tastes going forward and the first real rock albums I really fell in love with were Guns n’ Roses' Use Your Illusion Vol. 1 & 2 when I was thirteen years old. These albums jumped from style-to-style just like an oldies radio station and were just as dramatic as the Christian Rock I was used to listening to. They presented an alternate religious text for me to devour and buy fully into as a guide to what I perceived to be the "POWER OF ROCK N' ROLL.”

Use Your Illusion I & II

“I wanted to recreate the experience I had listening to these albums as a teenager questioning his faith for the first time by writing a wide variety of songs that skipped from genre to genre but made for one cohesive listening experience. I chose to do this by writing an "answer album" where each song on our album is part of a direct conversation with each song on Use Your Illusion."

(Note: Liz Phair created the "answer album" with her release Exile in Guyville in 1993 as a belated response to The Rolling Stones' Exile on Main Street...the ORIGINAL double-album about rock n' roll decadence. Our doing the same thing is also a kind of 90s nostalgia.)

Liz Phair-Exile In Guyville

Says Sam:

"I also wanted to address the rock n’ roll mythology and attitudes presented on Use Your Illusion, which shaped who I was at thirteen years old and going forward...for better AND worse! Lyrically, I wanted to puncture a lot of the more controversial ideas and attitudes in the Guns n' Roses songs that I carried with me through adulthood while still celebrating the discoveries and sense of freedom they led me to.”

Sam and band have spent the last 3 years writing and refining their 30-song opus and the first 6 months of 2023 demoing and going deep into pre-production. Over the course of the band’s month-long GoFundMe campaign, they’ll share snippets and stories of one song per day to highlight the scope and ambition of the project. Through the campaign, they want to get across their extreme desire to record with high-production values fitting the epic nature of the songs as well as their desire to have the budget to promote and share the album on a wide-scale.

Says Sam:

“Our campaign’s goal is not only to fund recording but also to help share our approach and philosophies to those who might connect with my own experience of questioning my faith and Christianity as a teenager through adulthood. We want to lyrically depict my experience against a musical backdrop incorporating rock n' roll's whole history while reflecting upon the world we’ve been living in.”

By contributing to our campaign, you will not only help fund our album but help us get closer to our long-term goal of making money solely from music when and where we can. The three of us primarily make our income off being musicians, taking whatever gigs we can to fund our artistic ambitions. We want to use this campaign & project as a base point for having music be our full-time commitment in regards to touring, interacting with our community online and developing future projects to build off this one

We will be starting a Patreon page at the end of the campaign in order to keep the interaction with followers and community going, sharing more music & videos along the way. We'll also be adding incentives (warning: some not entirely serious) as the campaign goes on. In the meantime, follow us on Instagram, Tik Tok or Facebook to view daily posts and support us as much as you can. We're thankful to take this journey with you and show you what we got.

THE BUDGET

We'll be starting our campaign goal at $15,000 and moving up to higher ones if we reach that one! Below is what each goal tier would do for us:

$15,000

20 days of studio time. 10 days for recording, 10 for mixing. For 30 songs, this is not an extraordinary amount of time to record....BUT would still be feasible as a mostly live-in-studio raw presentation and we'd be extremely grateful to reach this donation level!

$25,000

30 days of studio time. 15 days for recording, 15 days for mixing. This would be our ideal starting point for creating the rock n' roll epic we're hearing in our heads.

$35,000

40 days of studio time. 20 days for recording, 20 days for mixing. PLUS mastering costs and initial CD/cassette pressing costs! Plus we would have the budget and breathing room to invite guest musicians on the album when appropriate (such as strings, a horn section or backing vocals from friends & folks from our musical community

$50,000

40 days of studio time. 20 days for recording, 20 days for mixing. PLUS mastering costs and initial CD/cassette pressing costs! Plus we would have the budget and breathing room to invite guest musicians on the album when appropriate (such as strings, a horn section or backing vocals from friends & folks from our musical community

We would also have a beginning promotional budget to fund ads AND an initial promotional tour!

$75,000

We'd be able to do all of the above.....AND release the album on vinyl! This would be a 4-LP vinyl which WOULD be extremely expensive but we would LOVE to do!

$100,000

With any extra donations, we would invest further into touring (getting a sturdy vehicle!) and VERY extensive promotion to expand our viral and public reach! Upon the album's release, we'll be releasing an accompanying podcast + web series delving into the relationships between our songs and the Use Your Illusion album, using extra donations as seed money for this side hustle.

PLEDGE REWARDS

Now the fun part!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

$1

there’s no shame or limit to how low you can donate. When you stream a song, the song’s creator makes on average .003. By those standards, we'll be rolling in profits with just $1 donation.

$10

Crowdsource campaigns often have lower-tier incentives such as “we’ll give you a high-five!"....which is another way of saying "YOU GET NOTHING!" Well, we're NOT doing that and will promise YOU a spot on "the list" to (most) any Harborrats show of your choosing.

$25

-CD or cassette copies of the finished album.....yeah baby, now we’re cooking! you donate $25 then you get CD OR cassette copies of the album when it’s done! Oh, and a high-five....

$50

-CD or cassette copy of the finished album

-recorded greeting/song by the band for your significant other/family member/yourself bday or holiday

OR

-a personal terribly drawn doodle of YOU by the band

OR

-a high five

$75

-CD or cassette copy of the finished album

-cover request (make the band play any song you want! ideologically-opposing tunes are the exception. Band reserves right to say HELL NO)

OR

-receive a half-hour phone call or Zoom of life advice from band member of your choice (you should really choose Aimee)

OR

-band will appear in YOUR social media reel on the subject of your choosing

$100

NOW WE’RE COOKING

-CD or Cassette of the finished album

-GARDENING ALERT! Aimee assists YOU in starting or revitalizing YOUR garden and gives advice on how to maintain year-round. She'll hook you up with a starter or revitalization pack to get you going!

OR

-HAVE A DRINK WITH THE BAND-we

-it's Barter Time! Any TWO incentives from previous tiers can be chosen.

$150

-CD or Cassette of the finished album

-the band member of YOUR choice makes a special streaming playlist helping you expand YOUR musical taste and pallet. After a half-hour phone call discussing preferences and curiosities, all three band members will curate a playlist on streaming app of your choice to help lead YOU to brighter and wider musical horizons.

OR

-bass lesson from Ken! ever wanted to master the low end? or tackle such topics has “How to Write Songs on JUST Bass” or “How to Play the Seinfeld Theme” No request is too small, no desire too big. Ken will advise you on the ways of the 4-string.

OR

-it's Barter Time AGAIN! Any TWO incentives from previous tiers can be chosen.

$200

-CD or Cassette of the finished album

_T-SHIRT TIME!!!! yes of yes, get a Harborrats t-shirt (in YOUR size) to wear around town and point to when people ask “did you say the Harborettes?”

-PATREON LEVEL-get free 6 months of yop donation tier the band’s new Patreon experience where the band will share behind-the-scenes footage, outtakes and bonus tracks

-throw in one of the earlier tier incentives and baby, you got a stew going….

$300

-CD or Cassette of this finished album

-VINYL!!!!!!!-caveat is you only receive vinyl IF we raise enough $ to press vinyl. Sorry kids...

-T-SHIRT!

-PATREON LEVEL-see previous

-Sam Writes YOU a Song! Not a big emotional cathartic ballad but hopefully something amusing and meaningful in equal measures. After a half-hour consultation Zoom/call, Sam will come back with a ditty reflecting YOUR passions and/or concerns

$400

-CD or Cassette of the finished album

-VINYL!!!!

-T-SHIRT!

-PATREON LEVEL-see previous

-Aimee makes you a crossword! In addition to bashing the beats, the Amazing Aimz is famous for her custom-made crossword puzzles, perfect for ANY special occasion! Supply her with relevant facts places and people from YOUR life and she’ll shovel it into crossword form for your birthday/wedding/pizza party

AND

-grab TWO incentives from previous tiers!!!

$500

-CD or Cassette of the finished album

-VINYL!!!!

-T-SHIRT!

-PATREON LEVEL-see previous

-Band performs a stripped-down acoustic set at YOUR backyard barbeque or home gathering (PNW residents only again)! They’ll come armed with jokes and singalongs and big appetites to eat ALL your food! Available to PNW residents only or on Zoom!

$750

-CD or Cassette of the finished album

-VINYL!!!!

-T-SHIRT!

-PATREON LEVEL-see previous

-MUSIC NERD STARTER KIT #1-each band member will buy YOU one of their favorite albums on vinyl and curate a playlist for YOU to expand your musical and cultural horizons

-grab any two incentives from previous tiers!

$1000

-CD or Cassette of the finished album

-VINYL!!!!

-T-SHIRT!

-PATREON LEVEL-see previous

-DINNER PARTY! KEN COOKS YOU A MEAL! He'll consult about your dietary preferences and whip up a mighty spread, assisted by his helpers Aimee & Sam! Sam will also bring his event planning expertise to help you throw the ideal dinner party for you and your guests!

$1200

-CD or Cassette of the finished album

-VINYL!!!!

-T-SHIRT!

-PATREON LEVEL-see previous

-MOVIE NIGHT WITH THE BAND! Choose from the list one of the band’s favorite movies (Dazed & Confused! Best in Show! Body of Evidence!) and hang with them as they constantly pause or talk over the movie with their own commentary! They’ll magically stretch a two-hour movie into five! Available only in PNW....band will record audio commentary for movie of YOUR choice as an alternative!

$1500

-CD or Cassette of the finished album

-VINYL!!!!

-T-SHIRT!

-PATREON LEVEL-see previous

-SAM BARTENDS YOUR PARTY! For your next swanky affair, Sam will put on the apron and design cocktails specifically for you and your guests and serve them up (along with life advice) through the course of the evening….and who knows, might even bust out a song or two. (This incentive is sadly only available to PNW residents. For rest, extensive consultation on drink recipes and Zoom appearance will have to do!)

-or choose any two previous incentives

$2000

-CD or Cassette of the finished album

-VINYL!!!!

-T-SHIRT!

-PATREON LEVEL-see previous

-MUSIC NERD STARTER KIT!

-Band performs an hour set at YOUR barbeque or home gathering (PNW residents only again)! They’ll come armed with jokes and singalongs and big appetites to eat ALL your food! Available to PNW residents only or on Zoom!

$3000

-CD or Cassette of the finished album

-VINYL!!!!

-T-SHIRT!

-PATREON LEVEL-see previous

-Band writes and RECORDS a song WITH YOU! Never written a song before? IT'S EASY, we got your back! We'll help you climb into the deepest crevices of your brain to produce the masterpiece you always suspected was inside you! We'll get to say we knew ya when....

$4000

-CD or Cassette of the finished album

-VINYL!!!!

-T-SHIRT!

-PATREON LEVEL-see previous

$5000

-CD or Cassette of the finished album

-VINYL!!!!

-T-SHIRT!

-PATREON LEVEL-see previous

-the band will perform an hour set at YOUR party, wedding or special event! And YOU get special setlist consultation + song & cover requests!! Available w.o additional travel costs in PNW only!

$10,000

-CD or Cassette of the finished album

-VINYL!!!!

-T-SHIRT!

-PATREON LEVEL-see previous

-HARBORRAT ROCK N' ROLL CAMP! We'll spend a whole weekend writing and recording at the location of your choice (boarding/travel/food costs NOT included!), hanging out and talking shop, eating big meals and having a blast. We'll give advise on what it takes to write concept albums about your favorite album in 8th-grade. We'll incorporate some of the previous tiers such as watching one of our favorite movies with commentary and writing a song with YOU

$25,000

-CD or Cassette of the finished album

-VINYL!!!!

-T-SHIRT!

-PATREON LEVEL-see previous

-VACATION WITH THE HARBORRATS! We'll accompany YOU to the city of your choosing and all the related music sites of historical importance! We'll educate you on the history of music in Memphis, New Orleans, Chicago or even Scranton PA! We'll curate a schedule of shows to attend, restaurants to eat at and relatives to avoid.

$1,000,000-Wu-Tang Tier

-CD or Cassette of the finished album

-VINYL!!!!

-T-SHIRT!

-PATREON LEVEL-see previous

-the band will write and record a WHOLE ALBUM for your ears only with songs written ONLY for the album. You will have the choice to do with the album as you see fit. You won’t be able to release or distribute….but neither will we. You’ll have one-of-a-kind album you can play for friends or donate to a museum (or let the FBI confiscate when you get sent to jail for securities fraud).