Hiiiiiii :) My name is Iris and I'm an artist in Boone, NC!

Music is such a connective form of expression, and everyone needs a lil time to boogie! I am so grateful for the opportunities I have had to share my music, and I am excited to expand accessibility to the art I create. In my lifetime, I have written 92337583ish tunes (give or take a few?) (hehe) and I have let both my art and myself evolve into something that I am proud and honored to share. With this project, I am ready to continue pushing my music into a progressive direction, collaborate with brilliant producers and musicians, have access to needed (and expen$ive) equipment, and allow creativity more room to grow. So let’s boogie!

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 seasoned Boston-based producer and engineer with 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 “Gut Feeling,” and you can check it out below!

While I’ve been able to fund the recording process for "Gut Feeling” 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.

I’ve been writing music and lyrics for as long as I can remember. From performing at coffee shops, breweries, weddings, and open mics, to progressing into larger venues and shows, being an artist has always been my “why.” For me, music has always been the one place where the stains come out.

Every time I write a tune, I always hear an orchestra in my noggin, even though I am limited to just me, my guitar, my piano, and a really loud laugh to fill up extra space (hehe). Occasionally, I am able to collaborate and jam with other incredible musicians to create a moment filled with sound that reflects how I imagine the song in my head– however, these moments are brief and fleeting. Oh the grief! The love!!! With this campaign, I am so honored and excited for the opportunity to build my music into the progressive direction I have always envisioned in my head. This project will allow the space to build my music into a multi-dimensional piece of art, creating more dynamic depictions of mortality, rage, grief, romance, politics, and other reminders of sentience. My music is a space where I can work to understand myself and the world around me, no matter how comforting or discomforting that process is. One of my hopes is that this project helps me find new collaborators in my networks to make more music and to share the lovely exchange of inspiration and creativity.

While I've never made a music project of this caliber before, I have managed and executed creative projects of all types: publishing a book of poetry, continuously writing music, [attempting] to create visual art through multiple mediums including doodling, photo and video production, painting, and more. Needless to say, art is where my heart. I am burning with passion, and I hope you are melting. I cannot wait to share more of my art with you. From my heart to yours. Thank you thank you 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.