Overview

Hello world! My name is Mary, and I'm a singer-songwriter here in the beautiful city of Washington D.C.

I’ve been in love with music since my parents signed me up for piano lessons at a young age, but immediately my relationship with it felt much deeper than any other childhood hobby I had. It felt so sacred and personal, that even if I was playing a song written by someone else this expression was a direct representation of me in my most authentic self, which eventually drew me to start writing my own music and swearing to never show it to anyone. I’m so lucky to have people in my life who slowly coaxed the confidence and music out of me and encouraged me to seriously pursue this love of mine. 

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 Carter Sanders in Boston, MA. Carter is a Boston-based producer and engineer with experience working with both established and up-and-coming musicians. Together, Carter 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 “Takes Time,” and you can check it out below!

While I’ve been able to fund the recording process for "{Name of Song}" 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. Carter 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 this incredible ability to heal people and unite people, to express feelings that help us feel connected in fundamentally human ways. Music is, for me, fundamentally a collective process--incredible musician friends that have pushed me to be better, my friends in high school that were there for all my earliest performances, my family for giving me such a wide perspective on different types of music when I was young, my brilliant and wonderful housemates for listening to all the weird mistakes I make when I'm working out a new vocal part. 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 helps me find new collaborators in my networks to make more music together. With your support, I will channel that consistent work and experience into something new and beautiful that we 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.