Overview

Hello world! My name is Nick Kitchen, and I'm a singer-songwriter here in the beautiful city of St. Louis, MO.

All my life I’ve been surrounded and involved in music. It’s been a comfort, a passion, and something that has brought hope into the darkest of moments. That spark ignited a passion for singing and writing; to share my own stories. But a friend once told me that you can only speak of what you know. I feel like that translates to music as well. I can only write authentically about what I’ve been through. And as it turns out, the more specific and vulnerable I am, the more universal the song can be for someone who hears it. 

Over the past handful of years, I’ve become well acquainted with grief, loss, betrayal (in many forms), heartbreak, doubt, wrestling with faith, and learning to trust again. I’ve released a couple songs along the way that hint at this, but I’ve not completely poured my soul into it. Be it fear or unwillingness to go to certain places, these songs have been waiting and developing in the wings for a moment such as this. As I have learned in the hardest of ways, life is so very short. Opportunities you think you’ll have time and again, likely only come around once. We have the moment and no guarantee of the next. So the time for waiting is over. In that spirit, I’m privileged to announce my new album, Old Stars - a collection of my most personal songs ever. 

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 “Hurricane,” and you can check it out below!

While I’ve been able to fund the recording process for "Hurricane" 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.

Your support will help me tell these stories - my story - in the best way possible. Historically, I find myself best as a collaborator - and will likely focus on new and existing band projects in the future. But the opportunity to chronicle these life experiences at this level is exceedingly rare, and not one that can be passed up. This is your invitation to enter that story, one that I’ve been notorious at keeping mostly to myself, and be part of it.

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.