There are only two things we can control, what we do and how we respond.
You Shall Pursue (songs of Justice and Peace) will be my third album in three years thanks to the many who have supported me in the congregations I serve and supporters here on Jewcer. As I think back on my Bar Mitzvah portion, Shofetim, I’ve always resonated with the words Tzedek Tzedek Tirdof” Justice, Justice, you shall pursue”. Although I am not a politically-minded person, living in DC the last three and a half years has pushed me to pursue causes I care about. This is what I can do.
Psalm 34:14 says Bakeish Shalom V’radfeihu “Seek peace and pursue it.” As you may already know, my music often teeters on the balance between rock and folk. My natural tendency is to write and to think about peace and how I can bring it about in the world, but what I’ve come to know is that peace doesn’t come from pushing harder, it comes from how we respond.
This album intends to hold both these ideas of Justice and Peace next to one another with the goal of inviting us to reflect on how each plays a role in our lives. These songs are a call to action as we pursue a more whole and just world together.
For the first time, I’m going to be making this music without producing Hard Copy CDs. I’ve received word from many supporters in the past saying the CDs are beautiful but they don’t have a way to play them, so for this go around, I’m sending supporters gift boxes with listening materials (i.e. booklet with songs and stories) and some fun surprises. I’m also curating PDFs and Sheet music for musicians who are interested in sharing these tunes with their communities.
You can hear scratch track recordings of the whole album right now on my soundcloud to see what you think and if you’d like to support a particular song.
Here’s what it’s going to cost me:
Musicians: $1400
Burn Art: $500
Music Production: $1000
Mastering: $1500
Vinyl: $550
Curated Boxes: $650
Shipping: $500
Photography: $400
