Overview

Hello world! My name is Nicky Fenger and I'm a singer-songwriter currently living in Brooklyn, NY.

I’ve been absorbed by music since before I can remember. Dancing as a 4 year old with my brothers to red hot chili peppers songs, singing Last Kiss obnoxiously loud on the middle school bus during school trips, embracing the musical cult known as Phish in high school, banging djembes outdoors after the bars closed down in college; I’ve always appreciated the visceral reactions only music can produce. Like many people stuck at home during covid, I needed to find outlets to maintain sanity. Living alone in Boston where I had just moved 8 months before lockdowns, I suddenly had tons of time (maybe too much) for self reflection. I bought a new hacky sack, tried some bird watching, but eventually I turned towards writing, mostly as a form of therapy and introspection. Several years prior I decided to start recording my guitar noodling just in case anything interesting appeared through the ether. Sifting through the mental and musical ramblings I had produced, I worked to identify bits that could be stitched together into songs. A serendipitous encounter at a dog park with my covid puppy Millie inspired me to dream big, and thus diip was born with an initial lofty goal of creating the next great improvisational rock (Jam) band. I’m incredibly grateful for meeting the original diip members (Jacob, Sam, and Jimmy) who embraced the music and taught me so much about playing in a band. dIIP has had several formations bringing a third guitar in with Narain, working with more recent drummers, Jean Paul and Ryan, and myself varying between guitar and keyboard. While playing with the band has been incredibly fun, it has also been a goal during this journey to record the songs so that they can be heard more widely. 

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 seasoned 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 “Hearty Dip,” and you can check it out below!

While I’ve been able to fund the recording process for "Hearty Dipshit” 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 a special power to heal and animate people, to spark movements and speak truth to power. It is a universal language that resonates with all living things. For me, music has taught me so much and provided so much edification to who I am. This is ultimately the reason I became determined during covid to make music. I’ve always wanted my work to make a positive impact on society, and nothing has more potential to provide value than music. 

Although music is one of the ultimate forms of self-expression, it is also fundamentally a collective process based upon connection and communication. Since I started writing, it has been a dream of mine to have the opportunity to work with other musicians to help me produce them greater than I could imagine. This opportunity to record and produce with Plaid Dog will provide an amazing chance to work with a team of skilled musicians from whom I will get to learn. While the process of involving my community admittedly feels awkward, I’m incredibly excited to share this experience with all of 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.