Help Brian Calhoon Record Marimba Cabaret, Vol. 2!
Donation protected
My name is Brian Calhoon (he/him) and I am recording my second album, MARIMBA CABARET, Volume Two! More than anything, I love to sing and play marimba covers of my favorite showtunes and pop songs. In January 2025, I will be recording a new album of music by mostly queer composers and songs of love, loss, family, and identity. Some of these are songs I've performed for years and others are brand new covers I've been inspired to create. I’m thrilled to be reunited with my dear friend and the original Marimba Cabaret director and duo partner, Greg Jukes!
“Wait, what’s a marimba?”
If you don’t already know, the marimba is like a giant xylophone. It has ancient roots from around the world and I have been playing it since age 14. It quickly became my favorite instrument to play, especially as a singing percussionist. Marimba Cabaret is a show that was created back in 2016 with my friend and percussionist, Greg Jukes, and we are so excited to be recording this next album together!
After recording my debut album back in 2022 (which you can stream everywhere), I almost immediately got the itch to do it again. Also, I turned FORTY this past November 2024, so I thought I’d celebrate by recording another album. After all, it’s one of my favorite things to do, so happy birthday to me!
For my second album, I’m recording music by some of my favorite queer artists like Billie Eilish and Chappell Roan, and bringing back some of the first covers that Greg I ever did including Adam Gwon’s “I’ll Be Here”, Radiohead’s “Creep”, and Florence + The Machine's "Cosmic Love".
Plus, I’ll be joined by extra special guest beltress and friend, the fabulous Meagan Lewis-Michelson! Meagan will be featured singing Andrew Lippa’s “Old-Fashioned Love Story” and together, we will play the roles of Judy & Barbra in the classic mash-up of “Get Happy/Happy Days Are Here Again”.
It would not be a Marimba Cabaret album without the music with Stephen Sondheim and Leonard Bernstein, so we're recording both "Marry Me A Little" from Company and "Something's Coming" from West Side Story – which was the very first showtune I ever sang and played on the marimba!
I’m over the moon to be returning to Maine to record with the illustrious audio engineer (and chef!), Charlie Van Kirk, in his beautiful home studio in Round Pond, ME. He is the right person to have in the room while you record: Calm, relaxed, but detail-oriented with a great ear for exactly what we want the final product to be. You can hear his work in my first album, Marimba Cabaret, and I knew I would come back to record my next album.
But! Before we get to the studio, I need to raise the funds to make it happen! A professional recording means paying professionals what they deserve. Your donation can help fund things like:
- professional recording studio
- recording engineer (Charlie)
- mixing/mastering (Charlie & friends)
- mechanical licensing fees (give props to the original creators)
- musician fees (Greg & Meagan)
- travel costs (Round Pond is over 3 hours from Boston, and over 5 hours from Provincetown!)
- meals (Charlie is also an incredible chef and will help keep us nourished during the recording process!)
- digital distribution (get it streaming!)
- design and marketing (create an album cover and tell people about it!)
My goal is to raise $5,500 by the end of January 2025. Truly ANY amount can help. I cannot wait to make this next album and share it with you. After all, it takes a village! Thank you for reading and thank you for your support. <3
Brian Calhoon
@bcmarimba
@marimbacabaret
Organizer
Brian Calhoon
Organizer
Provincetown, MA