Hello world! My name is Ethan Taylor Stephenson and I'm a singer-songwriter here in the beautiful city of Carbondale, Illinois.

For the better part of my life,I have travelled the country writing songs and telling stories about the people and places near and dear to me. I have performed solo, shared the stage with many talented musicians, and met countless friends along the way. At every step, I have received so much love and support. Now it’s time I return the love by recording my first professional studio album to share my music with the world.

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 Ryan Gallagher in Boston, MA. Ryan is a seasoned Boston-based producer and engineer with experience working with both established and up-and-coming musicians. Together, Ryan 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 “Rollin On Home,” and you can check it out above!

While I’ve been able to fund the recording process for "Rollin’ On Home” 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. Ryan 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.
For me, music is a fundamentally collective process. Music has the power to build connections, to inspire creativity, and to express ideas and feelings that are universally shared.

Over the years, so many incredible musicians have pushed me to be better, my family early introduced me to diverse artists shaping my later musical influences, countless friends have been there from my earliest performances onwards, and my wonderful wife has listened to all the weird mistakes I’ve made when working out new music in late night sessions. 

In short, music is about community and connection, and I've shared musical experiences with so many people in my life.  One of my hopes is that this project will make them proud. I also hope that it helps me find new collaborators and make new music together.

While I've never made a music project of this caliber before, I have managed and executed creative projects of all types in my academic and professional career. All the while, I've been deepening my musical focus and practicing, writing, and expanding my network. With your support, I will channel that consistent work and experience into something new and beautiful that we will have made together.

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.