Kunkel & Hermes Spread Their Wings

THANK YOU for supporting me in my first online campaign Spring 2018! Kunkel and Hermes Spread Their Wings!

Hello dear friends, patrons, supporters, allies, kith and kindred all!




I am Karen “Unkel” Kunkel—writer, singer, musician, poet, actor, vaudeville emcee, sound explorer, voice-body-awareness guide, variety show producer, aspiring clown, foolish adventurer, environmentalist and friend to strangers everywhere—am dancing on the precipice of actualizing a whole sky-scape of dreams! Poised to take flight into new Olympian realms of accomplishment! It's my biggest year yet! Golly, it's my biggest four months yet!

And I'm calling on my allies to support me in this big push!

I believe this spring's opportunites and this year's projects are critical and crucial in order to further myself as an artist. The time for me to say yes—and to try my best in all, to take chances, and learn and grow—to spread my wings—truly is now, and to wait any longer makes no sense.

Thank you for all your various supports over the years, bringing me to this current place of flux and opportunity, wherein I seek:

A Mac, a Mic, and Mobility! Oh My!

***It has been over a year in the planning to become a self-sufficient recording artist! And to turn my beloved short-bus-home-on-wheels, Hermes, into a traveling recording studio!***




With your support I'll be able to record my last 18 months of new work—and be capable of continuing to record new work I develop, for years to come.

With a Mac laptop and a mic, and all their parts in between, I'll be able to grow my solo work, build non-profit outreach, further artist practices, and document inspiring artists—of music and vaudeville, street performers, and other performing mediums, while I continue the vital work of touring—solo and with collaborators—across the continent—Connecting communities spanning at least a dozen states, from Anchorage, Alaska, and Arizona—to New Orleans, to New York City, to your home town, my own hometowns in Washington State, and beyond!



Most of the funds will be used for acquiring a computer and mic and recording software—and to pay for beginning production costs of releasing new albums to you! 
In addition, I'm asking for a fraction of my travel costs—as this season's opportunities for artistic growth, performance, education, and workshopping--shall not come again, and can further my growth for years to come!  Physical journey as an artist has never been seperate from the emotional or conceptual journey—one shapes the other. 






MY MISSIONS--the short version
---You will be sponsoring and partaking in and have access to all Kunkel missions!---
*Record and release a song a week to Patrons for a year!
*Record and release an EP album, every month, for a year!
*Record and release two Hermes Sessions a month for a year! --The Hermes Sessions are to be recording sessions of underserved and inspiring artists I meet on my travels—to be recorded free of charge, and shared with the world!
*Ensure the ability to continue my daily personal artist practice—recording and documenting creation processes daily, for well over a year!
*Record new and pre-existing bodies of music work—self-produce and release music and video to supporters and fans and the interweb masses.
*Produce and devise new theatrical works—including Kunkel & Kin Fall 2018 Tour—and document these processes and other music and variety shows across the country!
*Video and audio document variety shows and performance artists while on tour.
*Ensure I can complete all upcoming opportunities for growth as an artist and person; and further my skills and knowledge as entrepreneuring musician, teacher, producer and performer of various mediums—to cover a fraction of the travel costs for Spring 2018 tours and training as I travel to Alaska for vaudeville dreams; Arizona for community-art-performance outreach; NYC for environmental art projects, and folk music studies; and more; and get back home to Washington
—to teach my first set of vocal-exploration workshops; artistic collaborations and reunions of friends and family, Kunkel & Kin!

*See more detailed plans in the Awesome Time-Line of Incredible Journeys down below!*






FUND GOALS--March-June 2018
$6,000 TOTAL
I am excited and confident, proud and prepared to work hard; take chances; risk much in order to learn much; and produce all I can so to reach these goals and share as much as possible of my music, art, and journey with you. . .

$3,798—April 20th Goal
With your help, I can continue to produce my art, without slowing down my development in touring, training and teaching, and performing this spring!

As soon as we reach this first goal, I'll be able to gain all the recording tools necessary to launch both The Hermes Sessions; A-Song-A-Week Project—in full force May 2018. I'll be able to produce and ship the first monthly EP—from the EP-A-Month-For-A-Year—release goal for June 2018!
A mid-April grant enables me to document special collaborators, Kunkel & Kin community variety show performances Arizona mid-April; begin the year-long dream projects listed above as soon as possible; and ensure that I can produce at least one new EP just in time for summer tours with Kunkel & Kin!

$ 2,202 remaining—June 20th Goal
This will help cover production cost of EP cards, lyric books, and all other merchandise & their shipping costs; online processing fees; proud payment of the great artists and videographers who made this campaign possible; and offset some traveling costs for performing and training and work-shopping—enabling me to record my music and experiences as I travel to communities in at least seven states in less than four months, March-June 2018!
*See detailed inventory of costs listed below!*


WHAT YOU GET:
Sponsors and patrons of this campaign receive not only my eternal gratitude for making my dreams come true, but also access to all of the following art, music, and experiential performance services!
REWARDS & PRESENTS! TA DA!

Donate TODAY and you'll recieve gifts in the mail of my music, handmade art,  and online access to more Kunkel & Kin doings!!

Please see column to the side for short listings of rewards and prizes, access to all my music, documentations and projects  >>>>>
Please see below for longer listing of poetic explanations of these reward levels <3 <3 <3 





Awesome Time-Line of Incredible Journeys
PROJECTS & TOURS--In the works and on the books!

* March 2018—Alaska Tour. .
--I'M ALREADY DOING THIS & IT IS SUCH AN AMAZING LEARNING OPPORTUNITY! I'm Emceeing the Inaugural Vaudeville tour of The Dazzling Rose Marie Show!

* March 2018--NYC--Collaboration with philosophic, social-change rap phenomenon duo KillinH8 (Sir kN8 and Hila the Kila), project focus: ocean acidification education.

* April 2018--Arizona--AZ tour of Kunkel & Kin Art is Medicine Variety Show

* May 2018-May 2019--here there everywhere--   
   Documenting:
        The Hermes Sessions*
        Daily song journals 
        A song a week
        An EP a month
        And documenting as many vaudeville and street art performers as possible. . . 
*The Hermes Sessions: Recording sessions--via the wings of Hermes the bus--of all sorts of folks, collaborators, supporters, as well as strangers-soon-to-be-friends--those who inspire along the journey--A collection to stand as a portrait of humanity--an audio collage to resonate as greater than the sum its parts--meant to inspire and illuminate and unify us all in embodying and enacting growth and love, personally and so globally.  Hermes Sessions also serves to elevate those who do not have the ability to record themselves.  Official Hermes Session recordings would be a free offering to society.  

* May 2018—Washington--
--Projected start of The Hermes Sessions!
--First set of teaching vocal workshops Fear No Sound at The Bellingham Alternative Library!
--Reunion shows with other Kunkel Kindred, trad folk balladry investigations begin . . . 
--Projected recording of new works begins on the Mac & Mic!
--Projected start of EP-a-month-for-a-year begins!

* June 2018--Vermont-NH-MA-NY--First tour of the NE! And pending music camp acceptance in NH--fingers crossed, folks!  This is a valuable opportunity for me to learn from acclaimed folk musicians and meet like-minded artists in the northeast. 

* July & August--PNW--Back to tour around northwest
--Projected release of first two EP albums for the year-long project!
--Projected release of first two Hermes Sessions!
--Recording new works, music and performance art.
-- Emceeing local community-building festivals!
Check out my favorite:
Subdued Stringbnad Jamboree 2018

* August & September 2018--Washington State--
---In-depth creation & workshopping of new Kunkel & Kin devised piece variety show, with projected themes: love songs to the ocean; ocean acidification; stewardship of marine environments; water; love; Icarus; the depths of power in each of us; fluid spectrums. . . The final themes will be decided by the group. The group's goal is to produce personal emotive performance which engage audiences on intentional themes, questioning communities about how these themes are reflected in their lives on personal, social, communal, political, and environmental levels—to empower communities through their own answers to these questions—using interactive performance as a platfrom for education, empowerment, inspiration, and a tool for actualing relating neighboring communities to the other. The touring is as essential as the performance itself.

* September, October, November2018
--CROSS COUNTRY TOUR--From the west coast, heading south to the border, turning east, and then up the east coast--Kunkel and Kin tours their educational, audience involving, performance art variety show.










INVENTORY OF PROJECTED COSTS
EQUIPMENT
$2798 13” MacBook Pro, 16GB of 2133MHz LPDDR3 memory, 512GB SDD
Including Software:
macOS
Photos, iMovie, GarageBand
Pages, Numbers, Keynote
*Final Cut Pro X
*Logic Pro X
*3-year AppleCare+
$35 USB adapter cable
$79 Magic Mouse 2
$326 Estimated Tax for Apple Products
$269 Focusrite Scarlett Solo Studio (1st GENERATION) USB Audio Interface and Recording Bundle, Including: USB interface & Vocal Condenser Mic
$24 Estimated Tax for Focusrite Recording Bundle

PRODUCTION COST, FIRST 3 MONTHS:
$200 videographer cost—to pay the wonderful artists who filmed and help me produce this campaign with their time and talents
$1500 estimated cost for printing, production, shipping cost for the first three months of monthly EP release and lyric book deliveries.
$150 Studio rental space paid to Alternative Library of Bellingham, WA for community vocal workshops and creative voice coaching.
$300 Paying Kunkel & Kin collaborators as they develop new work for Kunkel productions

TRAVEL COSTS, Training and Tours!
$675 Airfare to Anchorage—emceeing inaugural The Dazzling Rosemarie Vaudeville March 2018 Tour
$425 Airfare to NYC
$599 Airfare to Arizona and Washington State—Kunkel & Kin Southwest Tour; Art Is Medicine Shows; Homecoming Tour Spring 2018
$599 Travel to New Hampshire & Vermont & NY—Folk Music Research; Kunkel NE solo tour; Miles of Music Camp
$800 Estimated cost of Miles of Music Camp

SUBTOTALS
$3799 = Total for Mac, mic, all equipment, including software
$2150 = Total estimated cost for 1st three months of EP & lyric book production and shipping; studio rentals; paying production team members and devising collaborators
$ 3098 = Total estimated cost for some of the airfare travel for March-June Tours

GRAND TOTAL
$ 9047 = estimated cost to provide Kunkel with a mac and a mac and mobility—enabling them to be a self-sufficient recording artist; documenter; producer of social-change community-minded variety shows; furthering her education, research, and crucial ability to further her work and truly MAKING HER DREAMS COME TRUE!  Setting the stages for years to come.

I'm asking for $6000 of this by June 20th, as an investment in me, my future, and my current and upcoming opportunities; and so that I can document the coming experiences of traveling vaudeville and folk music education, and to jump start The Hermes Sessions; Art Is Medicine Variety Shows; A-Song-A-Week-A-Year, and more—from Spring 2018-Spring 2019and to continue to grow, more informed and transformed, in the seasons which follow this crucial time for me.

Thank you,

Karen “Unkel” Kunkel
& Kin

xoxo






WHAT YOU GET:
Sponsors and patrons of this campaign my eternal gratitude for making my dreams come true, and access to all of the following art!
REWARDS & PRESENTS! Ta Da!
Below are the full descriptions of the reward tiers.
If you'd like to donate to my campaign, please click on the donations tab at the top right of this campaign page.  Or click on one of the reward level tabs, located on the upper right column on this page!


$5 The Cardinal Ally
You receive an official thank you email with a download code for the first song recorded via Song-A-Week-Project!

$12 Lucky Number JumpStarter
You receive an official thank you email with a download code for the first monthly EP of my Song-A-Week-Project/EP-A-Month Project! Each EP album will include at least four songs, oftimes more!


$26 The Surreal Dealer
You receive an official, 3-D, hand-signed thank you letter in the snail mail! PLUS you receive in that snailmail package the download codes for the FIRST TWO monthly EP albums of my EP-A-Month Project, via illustrated EP cards with their download codes AND signed lyric books!


$33 Dream Wheeler Offical Patron
ALL of the above rewards! PLUS an official gold-kissed certificate proclaiming you as an official *Patron of The Hermes Sessions*! This celebrates YOU as a champion of social change and connector of communities as you support this public project of free recordings sessions for under-served populations and inspiring artists across nations.


$44 Full Season Astro-Beauty-Blaster
ALL of the above albums and rewards PLUS the THIRD monthly EP album of the EP-A-Month Project and all accompanying signed lyric books, AND a post card sent from tour in the Spring 2018- Spring 2019 year, hand-written with an original poem written by me to you!


$55 Angelhood of Wanders Package
ALL of the above albums and rewards PLUS the FOURTH monthly EP album from EP-A-Month Project and all accompanying signed lyric books, AND a surprise good luck charm of positive blessings accompanied by philosophic inspirations hand-written by Kunkel/Kin.


$77 The Time Travelor's Gift:
ALL of the above albums and rewards PLUS the FIFTH monthly EP of the EP-A-Month Project, and all accompanying signed lyric books, PLUS all three of my pre-existing albums: Kunk in the Kitchen (2013/15); Karen Kunkel Live at Disco Bay Detour, With Finnegan Hopper(the Foremost Lovely) (2016); Unkel Kunkel's Skits & Pieces: A is for Astro (2016)--all in illustrated download code card form, and their signed lyric books!


$111 The Dream-Givers' Half-a-Years Blessing:
ALL of the above albums and rewards! PLUS the SIXTH monthly EP from the EP-A-Month Project and all accompanying signed lyric books, PLUS an original Unkel Kunkel bolo tie—A magical adornment for your flesh vessel!--or wearever you'd like to place it—along with its accompanied original poem—written by Unkel Kunkel-- describing the powers it highlights from within the bearer!


$155 The Love Warriors' Perseverance
ALL of the above albums and rewards! PLUS the SEVENTH & EIGHTH illustrated EP cards, download codes and lyrics. Wow wow! You've joined me OVER a year in allowing me to produce and share music and art and gifts from my journeys with you! Thank you hugely for supporting my projects for OVER half a year!


$202 The Sun Sailor's Triumph
ALL of the above albums and rewards! PLUS the NINTH & TENTH & ELEVENTH & TWELFTH illustrated EP album cards, download codes and lyrics! You get my whole year's worth of music releases! And all the special creations in between! Thank you for supporting my Song-A-Week-Project and EP-a-Month-a-Year Project! You've helped me sail around the sun and complete this very special mission of self-producing my prolific work for a very prominent year in my life as I journey farther than I ever have before!


$303 Triple Goddess Bless
ALL of the above PLUS an original three-minute song written for you on a subject of your choice.


$450 Homie of Hermes
ALL of the above PLUS your very own Hermes Session where you can record whatever you want with whomever you want for an hour—inside Hermes (the-Magic-Music-Magic-Time-Traveling-Machine, Little Bus With a Big Heart) or with him nearby.


$555 Demi-God Disco Ticket
ALL of the above PLUS your very own house concert of my original solo performance for a 60-minute set.


$750 The Torch Bearer Teachings
ALL of the above PLUS a two-hour long personalized coaching workshop tailored to your journey as an singer, actor, writer, or artist of any medium.


$1001 The Over-Flowing Chalice
ALL of the above PLUS a full-band Kunkel & Kin three-hour house concert production!


$1500 The High Prietess Card
ALL of the above PLUS two-hours counsel on your own transformative ceremony, show, or ritual—do you want to be reborn? Would you like a self-commitment ceremony? Think of this as a creative form of life-coaching, both fun, theatrical, and meaningful—meaning whatever you want it to mean.


$2200 The Royal Fool
I'll help you produce a two-hour variety show based on the theme of your choice and I'll emcee it.
And I'll give you the year's worth of music, via Kunkel's EP-a-month-a-year music, of course.


$3000 The Helm & Hammer
Who are you but the champion of my dreams? You wear the helm of Athena, and bear the forging tools of Thor, Jupiter, and Haepheastus, the kind and patient craftsman (and husband of Aphrodite)—bearing the symbols of knowledge, ignition, conduits of transformation, truth-seeking and righteous exploration.
And for that I'll give you the 2018-1019 year's worth of Kunkel music
AND I'll write you a six song cycle of any theme you want.

$6000 The Golden Psychopomp
Hermes was the first Psychopomp—a guide of spirit whether in the living world, or passing through planes.
Hermes also made the first lyre. He was elimental in bringing music and fire to humans. He is friend to all spirits—he tells the truth only—he sees through all the veils of all the worlds—and ties their stories together. The swiftness of the hare is one of his signs. The vulture is the spirit of the phoenix—transforming dark to gold and back again—“Rebirth” is the theme of Hermes healing and “swift movement” is his hallmark. You illuminate the world with your gift, burning a clear path for me and Kunkel & Kin journeys, and for such I say. . .
Let's go on tour, baby, join the vaudeville art-is-medicine-revolution, and you can wear the gold crown the whole time <3 Seriously though, you've just sponsored the Autumn Kunkel & Kin devised musical theater variety show with an environmental educational agenda of self-empowerment and marine environment stewardship—entertaining communities across the nation—whilst promoting art as medicine for individuals and communities; supporting dialogue of pertinent social issues and themes; supporting healing and progress through education on: empathy, listening, communication via the platform of live, performative art!















Thank you for helping make my dreams come true, my friends. 

Yours Always, 
Karen "Unkel" Kunkel
& Hermes (The-Magic-Music-Magic-Time-Traveling-Machine, Little Bus With the Big Heart) 
xoxo