Crowdfunding Campaigns of the Week: Buddy Rich and We Banjo 3

As the year comes to a close and publications (including No Depression) begin to release their list of favorite albums of the year, many artists are already looking forward to 2018. With the summer tour season completed, the crowdfunding sites come alive with artists preparing to record the albums they hope might be on your 2018 favorites list. In this week’s edition of Crowdfunding Campaigns of the Week, I have a true mixed bag of campaigns. There are new albums from a young act blurring the already fuzzy lines between Celtic and bluegrass music and a series of re-issues celebrating the 100^th birthday of one of the greatest drummers of all time.

Buddy Rich- 100^th Birthday Retrospective

2017 was the 100^th birthday of Buddy Rich. While primarily a jazz drummer, it’s hard to find a drummer in any genre of music who doesn’t list Rich as an influence. To commemorate his 100^th birthday, Rich’s family has teamed up with PledgeMusic for a series of CD releases. These include songs recorded just two years before his death, a live DVD, and a collection of rare recordings. Other backer rewards include a set of signature Buddy Rich drumsticks, and a VIP Meet and Greet at a show from the current touring version of the Buddy Rich band, which features Buddy’s daughter Cindy.

We Banjo 3- Haven

The connection between Celtic and American roots music is a well-established one. Many of Appalachia’s most cherished folk ballads are re-workings of Irish, English, and Welsh traditionals. We Banjo 3 is a Galway-based quartet that has found significant success in exploring the commonalities between these styles with a genre they call Celtgrass. The style has won them fans in both the American roots music community and in the Celtic music community as well. On the heels of their Billboard charting 2016 album String Theory, We Banjo 3 are bringing their recording to America for the first time for Haven, due in Summer 2018. Recording in America has allowed them to tap a list of guest musicians not previously available to them, promising yet another layer to their already rich sound. Backer rewards include the album on CD and, for the first time, vinyl, a songwriting workshop, and an opportunity for a Galway fishing excursion with Enda Scahill.