Overview

Hello world! My name is Jonathan Tea, and I'm a singer-songwriter from Texas, now living here in the beautiful village of Shark River Hills, NJ.

I’ve been making music and performing my whole life: writing songs from an early age, playing in band at school, and then in rock bands with friends after school. After releasing my debut album, Coming Home, I toured from Vermont to Texas and back performing in cities including New York City, Nashville, Memphis, Dallas, Austin, Atlanta, and LA. Since that time, I’ve been pouring everything I’ve got into being a better songwriter, storyteller, and artist. Now, it’s time to bring these new songs to life.

The material is ready, and the musicians are waiting -- this Plaid Dog campaign is the final step toward creating my brand new, 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 “Chased By Drones,” and you can check it out below!

While I’ve been able to fund the recording process for "Chased By Drones" 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 is a powerful force. It’s emotion in the form of sound. It’s a connector to a greater community. The lines between us might be invisible, but through music we can feel that connection. It’s been proven that music is therapeutic. Even houseplants grow better when they are regularly exposed to music. (It’s true!)

My journey in music has been a collective process--all the artists I have seen or with whom I’ve gotten to share the stage, my bandmates in high school who I got to perform with for tens of thousands of people (how many kids get to say that?), my family for giving me the love, support, and confidence I needed from a young age when I began writing music and for always having a home filled with music, and of course my incredible wife and best friend for always being my biggest fan and supporter. 

During this pandemic, where we must stay safe, I am so excited to have found a way to make this album a reality, and to begin the hard work and hard hours (I love every minute of it!) that it takes to make a great new album. I am pushing myself in all the directions that feel most honest to create something that is both fresh and bold. Most of all, I hope these new songs and their recordings reach you and become a friend to you through good times and bad. With your support, I know we can create something new and beautiful 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.