On the Radar: Will Kimbrough, The Guess Who, and Mindy Gledhill
Chris Griffy
Posted On August 20, 2018
As fall approaches, the crowdfunding site traffic is beginning to pick up, with new album projects from a multitude of artists starting to edge out the summertime slew of reissues for space. For this edition of Crowdfunding Radar, I’ve got a selection of three new album releases from all over the map, including an Americana favorite’s newest work, a classic rock act releasing their first original material in 30 years, and a young artist with a new album and a charitable side.
Will Kimbrough – I Like It Down Here
Being a Southerner brings a host of cultural, musical, culinary, and literary traditions that are worthy of celebrating … and some other cultural and historical traditions that aren’t so rosy. While working on writing songs for his new album, Will Kimbrough, a native Gulf Coaster who has lived in Nashville since the ’80s, found a theme emerging, an album’s worth of songs filled with characters who were uniquely Southern. The result is I Like It Down Here. The title track was inspired by the “individuality and eccentricity” of the people he saw at the frog pond at Blue Moon Farm in the Gulf Shores, and other songs delve into the wanderlust, love, redemption, and darker tinges of racism and hate that make up the complicated region. In addition to signed copies of the album on CD and vinyl, Kimbrough is also offering as backer rewards shirts, trucker hats, handwritten lyric sheets, and a chance to co-write a song with him.
The Guess Who – The Future Is What It Used to Be
Canadian rockers The Guess Who could have made a comfortable living for the rest of their careers playing “American Woman” and “No Sugar Tonight” as part of the classic rock package tours that seem to populate every amphitheater during the summer months. Instead, the current Guess Who lineup, led by founding member Garry Peterson, has headed back into the studio for their first original album in over 30 years, The Future Is What It Used to Be. Guests on the album include Tommy Shaw (Styx, Damn Yankees), Michael Devin (Whitesnake), and founding member Jim Kale. Backer rewards include signed copies of the album on CD and red vinyl, tie-dye T-shirts, a signed drum head, and one of Derek Sharp’s custom Prestige Heritage Elite guitars.
Mindy Gledhill is an artist who can’t easily be put into a genre category, and she likes it that way. Her gentle folksy pop sound has garnered her a number of high-profile television placements, a wide following on YouTube, and a chance to continue to expand her musical horizons by collaborating with EDM producer Kaskade on his Grammy-nominated albums. Gledhill is preparing to release her new album, Rabbit Hole, via a PledgeMusic pre-order campaign that comes with a charitable bonus. Gledhill is donating 10% of the proceeds raised by her campaign to Encircle, a charity that helps LGBTQ+ youth in need. The only backer rewards for this pre-order campaign are signed copies of the album on CD and orange vinyl.
