VANCEFUNDER - Put your money where my mouth sings!

Most of you have already heard me all over North America over the last 20 years. I opened Shawn Colvin's Fat City Tour in the '90's. 2006 thru 2008 I was the opener for George Carlin, playing everywhere from Foxwoods to the Grand Ol Opry. I have had a successful solo touring career since 1991. But it has been with the last 3 albums that my songwriting has reached some sort of rubicon.

I just started recording my latest album tentatively titled Sweet Potato Dove. I just recently laid bunch of basic tracks down, and they sound great, if I do say so myself.... This will be my 7th independent album. All-original, mostly acoustic music affair, showcasing this somewhat mind-boggling career stage where, at 50+, I'm writing, singing, and playing better than I ever have (not complaining - it's just a wondrous thing!).

Stories, lyrics, are just spilling out. I haven't had writer's block for a few years.!  This batch of songs is testament to this crazy, great phase.

Just to show you where this writing phase is headed, here's a bit of a rough mixed tune from the new album, called God Bless Everyone.

Here's a piece of Nothing From You, which will be on the new album too.

And look who has promised to be or who already is on this album:

Darol Anger - Dave Grisman's long time fiddler and violin maven

Joe Wash - Jr, but yeah, his son...Mandolin from Gibson Brothers

Grace Kelly - vocals & alto sax - young jazz genius, Phil Woods protege

Tom Rush - The legend. He promised, we'll see…

Kevin Barry - guitar from Paula Cole, Ray LaMontagne

Richard Gates - bass for Suzanne vega, the rest of the world..

Lorne Entress  Drums for most of the world, producer of Lori McKenna, Mark Erelli...

Good stuff, don't you agree? So I figure, why should it just be the credit card companies that get the goodness that comes from investing in my art? They only care about the bottom line. On the other hand, You, the Vancefan, have proven to have a vested interested in what I do. Here's a chance to put your money where my mouth sings. I'm hoping you're as thrilled as I am in having you be a part of this process.

It's called the VanceFunder.. Just so you know, I'm not going through one of those companies that curate these fundraising efforts with their all-or-nothing goals and deadlines, huge fees, and the like. I'm doing it "in house", as I have hired a project manager. With this help, I will be taking your pledges, packaging and mailing premiums, enduring paper cuts, stuffing your envelope or box or truck palate right here in my living room with your premium, and I will be writing a personal note to every one of you thanking you, regardless of your donation amount.

You'll love the studio, behind the scene, and fundraising updates half finished songs, and the like that you'll have access to as part of your premium donation. You'll even have access to a live webcast where I will play, sing, do Q & A, and stuff. Live, I tell you (that's "live" with a long "i"…)

And the premiums? From lyric sheets torn from the pages of my notebooks, to Japanese CD reprints of a terrible vinyl album I made in 1984, to

a song written specifically for you, to Lifetime admittance to the Vance shows of your choice. Even an old 12 string of mine, dinner with me, or 2 award winning 13" span ex-flying model airplanes mounted in plexiglass art boxes.

How about I sing the whole album top to bottom on my iPhone with intros just for you? Or a studio-done, solo re-recording of a tune or two from one of my Rounder Records albums.

There's even a chance to name the album outright. ( I mean "Outright" is an ok name, what I mean is you pick something else that….you know what I mean....)

The list is (here). You pick. No donation is too big or too small. The money will go towards recording, production, and the surprisingly expensive radio and print promotion part. Then I get to do an album tour, and I promise to come to somewhere near where you are. I can thank you in person there.

You always do support me, and thanks for that.  I'll go ahead and thank you again, in advance, for helping with this fundraising effort.