Overview

Hello world! My name is Brian Baird , and I'm a singer-songwriter here in the beautiful city of Sparta, New Jersey.

I taught myself how to play guitar when I was 10-years-old. My friends and I would play songs for hours learning and creating more and more music. Later in life I decided to pursue music as a career. I got an Associate's degree in Music technology where I first began recording my music in a more professional sense. After that, I pursued my passion of teaching and got my Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Montclair State. I’ve been a music teacher for 3 years now and teach students grades K-8 at Valley Road School in Stanhope, New Jersey. Since a young age I’ve been writing my own music. I struggled to find my voice in the beginning but over time started to fall into my style of singing and playing. Bands such as Say Anything, Bayside, and Bright Eyes were big influences on me. They seemed to be able to capture a specific, relatable mood in their songs. Now it’s my turn to show what I’ve been working on all this time.

The material is ready, and the musicians are waiting -- this Plaid Dog campaign is the final step toward creating my first ever, professionally produced studio album.

This campaign is raising funds for my professionally recorded album with Mike Davidson in Boston, MA. Mike is a Boston-based producer and engineer with 15+ years of experience working with both established and up-and-coming musicians. Together, Mike and I are digging into my original material, writing arrangements, and reaching out to local musicians to bring the songs to life. 

We’ve been able to cover the costs of recording and producing one song, which is ready for you to check out right here on this page. This first song is called “Wolves,” and you can check it out below!

While I’ve been able to fund the recording process for "Wolves" on my own, to create an album of songs of this quality, studio costs add up quickly. With that said, this campaign can give us a unique opportunity to collaborate and make great art together. Your donation will cover the following costs of my project:

1. Pre-Production: This is where everything starts. Mike and I will start crafting the arrangements for each song slated for the album. We’ll hold rehearsals to fine-tune the songs and arrangements and talk through new and exciting ideas for how to approach the recording process.

2. Recording: This is when we enter the studio and start capturing the music and where the songs become what you'll hear on this album. This campaign will play a huge role in making sure we have enough time to capture great performances for every member of the band.

3. Mixing & Mastering: Each track will get mixed to create the right balance between instruments, texture and color that make up a track. As a final step, the album will be mastered from beginning to end so that the listening experience is cohesive and carefully choreographed from start to finish.

And what will you get for your generosity and support? So many awesome things!

I am so appreciative and grateful for any support you can lend to this campaign. In exchange for your generosity, I've put together a really exciting group of gifts that are available exclusively through your participation in this campaign.

Check out some examples below and a full list to the right!

It's hard to express how much this project would change my life.

Music has always been a huge part of my life. I spend each and every day teaching students the power it has. Music has the power to heal and connect people together. The music that resonated with me was always songs that told a story or captured a feeling. Whenever I was having a difficult time, certain songs would be able to lift my spirits. While the “emo” genre may not suit everyone, it always made me feel at peace to know someone else understands how I’m feeling. As I grew into adulthood I began to struggle with my mental health. Feelings of anxiety and depression would weigh me down and I didn’t always know how to cope. I find it difficult to speak clearly how I’m feeling but I’ve always been able to capture my emotions in a song.

The single “Wolves” is a song about toxic relationships and realizing that your counterpart is not who you thought they were. Countless people are impacted by an unbalanced or unhealthy relationship either personally or indirectly. “Wolves” captures the hopelessness of someone who feels trapped in a situation that they feel too far gone. And even though you know this person may be nothing but trouble, you still judge them as the person you thought they were.  This song has a darker feel than my other music, to capture the uncomfortability of a bad situation. It follows a waltz pattern, to create tension and  a dark-romantic atmosphere. 

The title of this project is “All or Nothing”. This phrase is important to me because I’ve lived much of my life falling into all-or-nothing thinking. Each song from the project encapsulates a specific moment in my life where my mind was troubled with all-or-nothing thinking. Whether it be through the lens of anxiety, depression, or a specific moment in time. All or Nothing serves as a reminder to anyone struggling with their mental health, that they are not alone. It also is really important to me because it reminds me of trying times I’ve overcome and that I’m still moving forward no matter how tough life becomes. 

If you know me personally, you’ll know that I’m the type of person who likes to take care of everything himself. However, I need help. Please consider donating to this project. A lot of time and effort has gone into it and it’s time for this music to be taken off the shelf and shown to the world. It would mean everything to me and give me the love and support to keep on creating music. As well as inspire me to continue this project even after my time with Plaid Dog Studios is over. Thank you!

If you're ready to contribute, just click the "Back This Project" button on the top right of this page! Every little bit counts, and I’m so grateful for all your support.

If you have folks in your network that would be interested in supporting me, please feel free to share this page with them.

Thank you so much for checking out my campaign page. I can't wait to share this music with you.