So Long, Ol' Yellow

Today I have to retire a piece of carry-on that has stayed close to my heart (and my back) for more than five years.

Those of you who have have put me up at your house at any point dating back to the Storrow Band days have probably seen my trusty yellow backpack. I bought it for $5 at a drugstore in 2005 because I spilled something in my old one (I can't even remember what - lemonade?)- so I bought this cheap backpack, expecting it to fall apart the next day, but to my surprise and pleasure it stood the test of time, transporting my closest personal belongings- toiletries, laptop, guitar strings, and cell phone charger - across the country and even the world. It wandered through Times Square with me, went to the top of the space needle in Seattle, sat by the banks of the sea of Galilee in Israel, and hung out backstage with the groupies at the Fillmore in San Francisco. This backpack had a good life. I came to love and rely on it so much that even when I was off the road, I'd keep it in my car, just in case I should need a granola bar, nasal spray, or an emergency guitar string while hanging out with friends.

Yesterday, in Toronto, I took the backpack out of the car and found that the bottom has torn to the point where my laptop was barely hanging on for dear life. So, I guess it's time to lay this little guy to rest. I'm honestly getting a little choked up right now. If any of you have any memories of this backpack that you'd like to share, please feel free to do so below. Thanks, ol' yellow, for always having my back.

If you contributed....

...check your email. I have an exclusive update for you about the album. If the email address linked to your paypal isn't the one you want me to use, drop a line and let me know - me@jakobmartin.com - From here forward, I'll be sending you occasional personal updates and sneak previews - one more way of saying thank you for helping me bring my dream to life.

If you didn't get to contribute but wanted to, you can still do so by clicking the 'donate' link to the right. We'll be adding your donations to the final tally over the next few days, and every dollar still makes a giant difference.

To all of you who contributed and are waiting for download links or other 'thank you' gifts, we're setting up a system for getting those to you soon and I'll have that for you as soon as it's ready.

Thanks again everyone. I am still completely blown away, aghast, taken aback, blasted, and awed by your generosity, and I'm so excited to make this record a reality.

JM

Thursday, August 19, 2:21am

No matter how you slice it, this is a gigantic victory. I'll have a full update tomorrow (and I promise I'll get around to emailing each of you who contributed, but there were a flood of contributions today). For now, I'm going to bed feeling like the luckiest man in the world. Thank you for giving me the ability to do what I love and for helping me to reach this point. We WILL be able to release this record, and it's going to be incredible.

If you had been meaning to contribute at the last minute, you still can (and it'll make the final tally tomorrow) by clicking the donate link on the right, and you can still help us get a little closer to that ultimate goal.

Thank you SO MUCH. Much love. I am SO incredibly grateful.

JM

We've come a long way!

(yours truly, age three, licking a tambourine)

2 days left!

First, to those of you who are concerned, I want you to know that regardless of the total we raise, we WILL find a way to make this work and release this record. Even if we don't hit the full $18k (there's still time!) we'll still have come a LONG way and I'm so proud.

We've been doing some last minute accounting, and looking into a number of ways we can reach our goal. Some of the people I'm working with have already offered to work for way less than they're worth because they believe so deeply in this project. We know that if we can get to $7,000 before this campaign ends tomorrow, we'll still be able to implement a lot of the most important parts of our plan to get this record out, and we'll move forward from there.

All of you have been so incredibly generous over the last few weeks, and it's hard to believe that we started with nothing and now have almost $5,000. That is a huge victory, (especially in these times) and this isn't over yet. Don't stop getting the word out; these last couple of days are crucial!

I want you to know that your support means more to me than you can imagine, and you've left me completely excited and invigorated about this project and the future. I promise you that I will continue striving to live up to the honor you've given me by supporting my dream.

Let's go get em!

J

Hey Now!

3 Days Left.

I've got a lot of great news coming your way this week, including the name of the new album, which is almost-almost official. We are three days away from the end of the campaign, and although we have a long way to go, I have never been more moved or grateful by how many of you have contributed so generously and shown me your support in such a variety of ways. To those of you who haven't contributed yet: We can't get there without you, so please consider getting involved - it's not too late!

Every night, I spend some time emailing with those of you who gave to the campaign, and it has been incredible catching up with so many of you and hearing what my music has meant to you. I promise that as things move forward, I will never forget how generous you have been, and I won't stop working to live up to the honor you've given me by believing in me so deeply.

Guest Blog # 2

4 Days left. Thanks SO MUCH for your support thus far. I'm honored to post this second guest blog, written by my good friend Dain Bornstein (pictured above right), who has been a very important part of my life and musical career:

I met and became friends with Jakob in 1998. Over the past 12 years Jakob has written hundreds of songs, recorded hundreds of songs, sold thousands of albums, been through several band members, and, many incarnations of his name. I have personally witnessed Jakob bring audiences to both tears and laughter. I am constantly in awe of the lives he has touched with his spirit and music.

Jakob's commitment to his craft has never wavered over the time that I have known him. Since we were kids I have been inspired by his drive & dedication to his music. I have never met anyone who is so committed to seeing his dreams and goals come to fruition. What makes Jakob even more special is that while he is completely committed to his own success, he also encourages his friends and peers to do the same. Jakob believes that we are each uniquely capable of defining our own futures, that we have the power to create the world we want to live in.

Another thing that has always amazed me about Jakob is that he always takes the time to talk with his fans and give back to the community. He loves to make connections with the people whose lives he has touched. I'll never forget a year or two ago when he had the opportunity to play some music and hang out with some high school kids that were in town from the same youth group we had been in when we were in high school. It was about 1 in the morning by the time we were able to get there because he had a show earlier in the night, but the kids were only in town for that one night, so we headed over to where they were staying and hung out for several hours. Jakob played some songs for them, took requests, and answered their questions. One girl in particular had been really moved by his music and is herself a musician. She asked Jakob for some insight into the music industry, and then also played him a song that she had written. It was a great moment and it's moments like those that have shown me what an impact Jakob has already made, and will continue to make on his fans and friends.

While many people mark the years of their lives by dates - perhaps holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, I can mark my years by songs - by concerts - by tours. Jakob's songs can bring many of us back to a particular point in our lives - whether hearing "Providence" helped you through the grieving process of losing a loved one, or if "Whole Again" comforted you in the wake of a break-up. Jakob's first EP with his high school band (End of August) was my personal soundtrack of the summer between high school and college - the summer I moved across the country and fell in love for the first time.

Join me in helping to support Jakob's music - so that others can be touched by his words & message. He believes that anything is possible, and I believe that we have the ability to make THIS possible. This is our chance to be part of something spectacular, something that is so much bigger than an individual person. I know it's been said many times before over the past 3 weeks, but every donation, even $5 or $10 is a huge step towards reaching the ultimate goal of $18,000. Let's do this!

The Final Five...

Only 5 days remain until the end of our Listener Supported campaign. We still have about $13,000 to raise in order to reach our goal, which might appear challenging at first glance. Actually, I won't sugar-coat this: It is challenging. But the last few days of a campaign like this are the most critical and usually the most successful, and I KNOW we can do this. If we can pull this off, we'll be able to take huge steps forward and hopefully be able to get this new music into the hands of tens of thousands of people or more. Either way, we have made huge strides thanks to your generosity.

If you look on my facebook profile, you won't find "Fundraising" listed as one of my favorite activities. But I have had such an incredible experience with this, and have continually been moved and amazed at how many of you connect with my music and have extended such incredible generosity my way so we can take things forward.

If you believe in this project and you've got as little as $5 or $10 you can contribute, you'll be AMAZED at how quickly it all adds up. Now is the time - This is a one time campaign and we need your help now more than ever. You'll get the new music for free, and you'll have my gratitude, as well as eternal bragging rights as one of the few people who were here at the beginning and made it possible for us to do incredible things.

Thanks so much for your support, and let's do this. Ready, break!!

Guest Blog # 1

Today, I wanted to do something a little different. This guest entry was written by the wonderful Alee Schwarz:

At the beginning of 2008, I was halfway through my senior year of high school and an editor (and writer and photographer—we were a little understaffed) of the school newspaper. One day as the eight of us on staff sat discussing story ideas for our March issue, someone mentioned Rock the Difference: a small concert and documentary screening to be held on campus, the proceeds of which were to go to the Invisible Children fund.

I called dibs on that story right away—it would be a great chance to inform the student body about a great cause. It would also be a great excuse to skip out on an evening study-group for Academic Decathlon scheduled for the same night, but that wasn’t my main motive. Really. I promise.

The night of the concert, I paid for my ticket and stepped into the school gym, camera in hand and notebook and pens ready to go. I didn’t know exactly what to expect, but I was going to get an awesome article and photos out of it.

The first act—a garage band made up of students from our school and the next one over—took the stage, and I started snapping pictures, moving from one place to the next in search of a better shot. I did the same during the second act, falling into that bad photographer zone where capturing the moment correctly overrides experiencing it.

Then came act number three.

I heard a name announced, and through the camera lens I saw a guy bringing a guitar onstage. I got a couple pictures of him as he sat down at the keyboard that had been set up. Then he started playing and opened his mouth to sing, and that was it. I put my camera down, and I watched him, and I listened.

This was Jakob Martin, and he did something completely different than the other two performances, which had both boiled down to “get onstage, play a few songs, get offstage”. He took the time to make a connection: talked with the audience, told stories between songs—I remember him offering a preemptive apology before going into “Ten Thousand People in White”, laughing that a guy from southern California had no business singing about snow. I had no idea who he was, and I couldn’t help but laugh with him.

Oh, and I should probably mention that he could sing. (Go listen to some of the music on his site if you don’t believe me.)

Jakob ended the concert on—and I apologize for the pun—a high note; the Invisible Children documentary played, and when that was over I got started on the other half of my assignment. I approached the members of the garage band, asking if they had a few minutes for an interview with the school paper. It was getting late, they said, and they had to get home, but I could talk to the guitarist at school next week; I barely got their names written down before they and their equipment were out the doors. My luck with the second performer wasn’t any better: when I asked him for an interview, all the response I got was a scowl before he turned on his heel and walked away. When I approached Jakob, I had given up and resigned myself to doing a photo essay. Asking him for a few minutes of his time was just a formality.

I was more than a little surprised when he smiled, sat down on the bleachers, and asked me what I’d like to know.

I ended up with an entire page of notes, and at some point the interview turned into a friendly chat, mostly about music. He was just that easy to talk to—I’d known him all of fifteen minutes, but I honestly felt like I was talking to a good friend. When I had to leave, he got up and handed me a copy of Matches, his CD, because I had mentioned I liked his music but didn’t have the money on me to buy it. He signed it and everything, with a short message encouraging me to follow my dreams.

There has been a lot of talk about money on this blog—no surprise, with just over a week to go and thousands of dollars left to be raised. But the heart of this campaign is Jakob, a good guy following a dream and inspiring others to follow theirs. And that’s as great a cause as any.

Contact Alee
cas0319@yahoo.com

10 Days Left!

We're finally at the point where we can start mixing the new record, and as we speak I'm awaiting the first mix of a new song called "Leave the Light On".

With just 10 days to go and a little under $14 thousand to raise, it's going to be a race to the finish. I'm doing everything short of knocking on doors (if that's what it takes, I'll do that, too) because I believe completely in this project and my team and I are determined to make it happen. I've always been very proud to be independent, but it takes an entire community to bring a dream to life, and I won't be able to do this without you.

If my music has touched you or become part of your life in some way, I'd love for you to consider joining the 103 people who have already made contributions. Every dollar helps, and all of you who give $10 or more will get the new music for free, my endless gratitude, and the satisfaction of knowing that you are making it possible for us to do the following:

1. Have the record professionally mixed, and mastered by a Grammy-winning team.
2. Hire a publicist to get the word about this record out to over 250 newspapers and magazines across the country.
3. Produce a music video
4. Produce a fall tour of the West Coast.
5. Reach out to radio, tv, and other media to get this music out to a wider audience.

Again, this campaign is something I'm only doing once, not every time I make a record. A lot has been building to this unique moment, and with your help, we'll be able to take this music that I believe so deeply in and bring that to tens of thousands more people across the country.

Thank you for believing in what I'm doing, and thanks so much for your support. I can't wait for you to hear the new album!

It's you I like.

I had a dream last night that I was on the phone with the late Mr. Rogers. I had gone back in time to warn him that he was about to die, but also to let him know that his message would live on long after he had gone. The whole thing was very Inception meets Back to the Future meets, well, Mr Rogers.

Mr. Rogers used look at us through the television set and tell us that we were each unique and special- that there was no one in the world like each of us. You can imagine how important (and easy) it was for me to hear this message at a time when my main daily priorities were:

A. Deciding which household item to turn into a musical instrument.
B. Making sure I made it to the bathroom in time.
C. Creating interesting plots to assign to the lives of my imaginary friends.

It still seems so sudden to have gone from that point to now - waking up in my own bed, in my own home, and realizing that I am completely responsible for the direction and substance of my life. That a bill comes in the mail for everything I used to take for granted - the garbage, the faucets, the light switch. I have commitments, dramas, important decisions.

But I don't feel that I've lost anything. We don't lose imagination, curiosity, or energy simply by growing up. Studies actually show the opposite: that both our minds and bodies actually get stronger as we get up into our adult years - more resilient -more capable.

So why do grown-ups often act as though we've lost everything that was magical in our lives, when in fact, the only thing that's changed is that we now know more about how the magic works? As adults, we've gone from being the kids in the audience at the magic show, to being the one thing that we always wanted to be: the magicians. We each get to choose our own medium for creating the magic, and we each get to create it on our own terms. It's good to be a grown up.

The challenge now is to remember. Through all the setbacks, and the roadblocks, and the temptations to conform and give up our magic. Our ideas, our struggles, and the process of overcoming them; these the very things that prove how unique and incredible we actually are. And what a blessing to realize that.

Mr. Rogers himself was unique because he allowed all of us - old and young - to see the world as a place of wonder. He was an adult, with burdens, responsibilities, and challenges of his own. But for an hour a day, he was able to distill a lot of the things that make life wonderful - love, imagination, our own individuality -and remind us of them. I'd like to believe that, in our own way, that's what each of us is striving to do. It's now up to us to remind each other.

Video # 7

What an incredible week. We raised over $1,700 since Monday, thanks to a very generous donor who matched several of your contributions, and thanks of course to YOU - Over 100 of you who have believed in my music and in this project enough to give your own money to this campaign. We have 12 days left, and amazing things can happen in short amounts of time. So hang onto your hats. Seriously, there's been a wave of hat crime this summer. Hold onto 'em.


As you'll see in the video, we finished tracking for the album this week, which is a very big deal. Now it's on to mixing, and then mastering, etc etc...It's a long process, but it always happens more quickly than we expect. We're starting to set release dates, tour dates, etc, and also getting closer to an album title. More news about that coming soon. As usual, I'm up way past my bedtime. I'll write again soon, but until then, THANK YOU. I couldn't be where I am without you.

This Campaign Isn't About Money

Everything human-made started in someone's imagination. Your car, the street and the lamps that light it, the song on the radio - all started as thought, dream, idea. It seems like magic that the world runs so smoothly, given how intricate each of these things are. But behind every creation is an imagination. And behind every imagination is a person - or community of people - willing to believe in it.

Lately it seems that all I've talked about is money; how much we've raised, how much we need. The money is crucially important because it will open doors that will make incredible things possible. And I'm so grateful that 86 of you so far have given your own personal money to help see this through.

But this campaign is not about money. I met with Dan in February with a few songs and the vision of making a record that we could be proud of. As things progressed, we realized that we were onto something really special; that this was ready for a bigger audience. We set the goal of bringing the most brilliant team together to help us promote the album. Because I don't yet have a record label, a sugar mama, or a treasure map, I turned to you, my fans and supporters, to help me get there. And we've already raised almost $3,000 in just 3 weeks.

We're about 1/5 of the way to our goal, and some have suggested that it's too lofty, that this is a tough time to be asking for money because of the economy, etc. And I'll agree with them on one thing: If this campaign were just about raising money, it would be the wrong time. But no matter what is going on in the world, our imaginations and our dreams are the most powerful gifts we have. And I know that if we can make music that will raise peoples' spirits, this money will raise itself.

That said, I hope you'll watch the video above - this was the encore from my "Masking the Mirror" album release concert in 2008, and I was on stage with several good friends. The room was small, hot, and packed, and you can tell that we were living in the moment just as much as the audience that night. This video does more than any amount of words to explain why I love what I do.

The future is open and brimming with possibility, for all of us. Thank you for believing in mine.

J. Martin

Summary

First, I am excited to announce that we have a generous donor who will be matching your contributions this week, up to $500. So if you haven't given yet and were waiting for the perfect time, the time has come. And THANK YOU to those of you who have helped us reach this point.

We're just over the halfway point in the campaign, and I think now would be a great opportunity to reiterate what this is all about.

Here's the short version:

-Many of you have told me that my music has affected you or become a part of your lives in some way, and I'm so grateful for that. This is our chance to bring that connection to thousands more people without a record label.

-We're raising $18,000 so we can produce a new album, hire a publicist to get it to publications across the US, hire a Grammy-winning mastering team, and produce a music video and a fall tour.

-This is a one-time campaign, designed to be a spark. I'm not going to do this every time I release a new album. This is a chance to take part in one unique moment in my career and creative life.

-Everyone who contributes will get the new music for free, and those who give more will get other great thank-you gifts. (See the right side of this page)

-Although we need to raise it, this campaign is not about the money. It's about the freedom to do something creative on our own terms. Money opens the door, but this campaign is about the music and the connection it creates, and our ability to take that a step further.

-If every one of you who hasn't contributed yet gave just $7, we'd reach our goal instantly.

Here's a video using some footage from the my time in LA



Thank you for believing in me, and believing in the power of my music. I feel so blessed and fortunate to have such amazing friends and fans in my life.

JM

Monday.

Monday. Our last week in the studio. Then comes mixing, mastering, cover art, and after that, the album goes off to be made into thousands of little copies - at that point it's no longer mine - it becomes yours.

I can't help but be touched by the fact that there are 65 of you so far who not only believe in my music, but have given your own money in very generous amounts to help make this dream come true. And I know many more of you are planning on helping before this is over. We've raised almost $2,500 because of you. We have three weeks to raise the rest, and I can tell you right now that it's probably going to be a race to the finish. But I'm completely confident that we can do it.

I've been talking a lot about money, and it's frustrating sometimes that money has to be a focus of this campaign. This album and this blog and this campaign really aren't about money. They're about having the means and the freedom to do something creative, and hopefully beautiful - something that will have meaning for people - and will also have the legs to be able to reach them. Money opens the doors, but the music- and the connection it offers - these are the destinations. It can be easy to forget that, but that's the most important part to remember.

I believe that my life and my work have a purpose. My view of what that purpose might be is always changing, but I know that no matter what happens, if I follow my heart and stay determined, the world will provide ways of moving forward. The last few weeks have been proof positive of that. And I know I'll look back on this as one of the most important periods of my life, and on you as the force helping to make it possible. Thank you.

I think I have a name for the record. Give me a few more days to be sure before I spill the beans.






PS. this has my name written all over it.

Today was our sixth straight day in the studio and we're getting close to wrapping up the vocals for the record. You know that feeling when you say a word over and over and over again and all of the sudden it sounds all slow-motioney and twisted? That's kind of how a song sounds after you've been working on it for six days in a row, no matter how much you love it. So we'll be taking tomorrow off.

We've still got 18 days left of our campaign, and I am so grateful for those of you who have helped us get to where we are now, but the numbers don't lie and it's obvious that we've got a ways to go before this is over. It would mean the world to me to have your help getting the word out to people who you know appreciate my music or like to support the arts. Just remember, if every facebook fan gave only $10, we'd be there instantly.

This is a chance for you to be a part of the crucial moment when we brought this dream from imagination to reality, and I will persist until we reach our goal, no matter what it takes. I know by now that you expect nothing less from me.

Hope you're having a great weekend.

JM