Who Am I?
My name is Josh Warshawsky, and I am a musician, songleader, and rabbinical student living in Los Angeles. Though I spend my weekdays learning in school, every weekend I travel around the U.S. and Canada to share my music, and to inspire individuals and communities to deepen their connection to themselves, to each other, and to the world around them. It has been incredible getting to know so many different communities, and to see the music come alive in so many places. I currently have two albums of music out, but this new music is different.
What is this project?
For the past two years, I have been exploring a diverse range of beautiful Jewish texts written throughout the centuries in order to try to bring more of this beauty to light. The texts that I have chosen to put to music for this album come from our liturgy, from the psalms, proverbs, traditional Shabbat zemirot (songs), Likutei Moharan (the teachings of Rebbe Nachman), and more. Each melody and each text has a story associated with it, and I feel deeply connected to each melody and each piece of text in its own unique way.
I would really like to share this music with you. My goal is to make a live album, with high quality audio and video, to capture the energy that you feel in the room as harmonies are building and voices and instruments come together simultaneously.
Where Does the Money Go?
To record a live album, I’ll need to secure a venue, hire audio and video staff, pay musicians for recording and rehearsals, and pay for mixing, mastering, other production aspects, and final details.
Here is a breakdown of how the money will be used:
Equipment cost: $1200
Production cost: $2500
Musician fees: $2500
Video costs: $3500
Mixing and Mastering the whole album: $3000
Venue Rental: $1000
Charts: $300
Album creation and distribution costs: $1000
Jewcer costs and other miscellaneous costs: $1000
Total: $16,000
This is to create an 10 song live album. If we are able to raise more money, I will use additional funds to record 3-4 more album-ready songs, both live and in studio, to release throughout the year.
Timeline:
February – Campaign begins
February and March – Practices with the band, pre-planning for video shoots
Early March – Live rehearsal with band in LA
First week in May – Live recording in LA
May and June – Editing, mixing, and mastering
July and August – Printing, packaging, promotion and distribution!
I would love for you to be a part of this project. This music means so much to me and I cannot wait to share it with you. I hope that it will inspire you as it has inspired me. It is deep, and true, and honest, and more raw and emotion-driven than my previous albums. Your support will make this album come alive.
Please spread the word and share with anyone you think may be interested. Thank you so much for your love and support.
– Josh Warshawsky
