Bruce Watson

Who am I?

Check out my profile here on Pozible (Click 'About' directly above), and take a look at my video (press PLAY in the big picture above).

And if you want to know more about me, check out my website, as well as videos on YouTube and previous albums on Bandcamp.

Why am I asking for your help?

I am about to make my 8th album.  It’ll be a beauty, with songs written in 2020 & '21 – when I had plenty of time to focus on writing.

I usually fund albums through sales of previous albums, almost my sales are at gigs.  So no gigs has meant virtually no sales since March 2020.

It costs a lot to make a quality album. You could buy a decent second hand car with what it costs. Your pledge will provide money up front. This will ensure the album happens, and that I will not have to make artistic compromises due to budget constraints. Most importantly, it will allow me to adequately recompense my fellow musicians who are playing on the album.

I had wonderful support from my community 5 years ago when I reached out  and tried crowdfunding to help make my last album, Mosaic. I felt reluctant to do that, but I discovered how much love there is out there, and how happy people are to help. I understand this, as I have supported many crowdfunding campaigns myself.

What will you get out of contributing?

It’s not all one-way. Here’s what YOU get.

1. Your money’s worth – and more, literally, through the rewards. Check them out!

2. An album that is better than it would otherwise be because I won’t have to cut corners.

3. That feel-good feeling of helping make something happen. It’s corny but it’s true.

4. My undying gratitude, AND those who contribute $50 or more will be thanked by name in the album booklet.

All contributions of $25 or more include a bonus Unsung Heroes of Australian History CD, a joint project with Bruce, Wendy Ealey and Moira Tyers.

What will be on the album?

It will be released on CD (with 16p booklet with all lyrics and chords) and digital download.  

There will be a massive 15 songs - a mix of my funny and serious. All were written during lockdown, and influenced by the world we are living in, but they are not Covid songs. I wrote most of them in my 30 Songs in 30 Days project during lockdown and have been refining and improving them ever since. Its working title is The Year of Wonders.

Here’s a quick rundown.  In no particular order:

• The Year of Wonders:  Despite the doom and gloom, this pandemic has brought so many stories of kindness and wonder. This song celebrates the positive side of our humanity.
• Blobfish: It’s the World’s Ugliest Creature! The song is cute and catchy, but packs a strong environmental message.
• Déjà Vu: It’s short, it’s an earworm, and it has 86 guest vocalists! And you’ll swear you’ve heard it before somewhere.
• Endgame: The sad tale of Bobby Fischer, chess genius, whose life spiralled into chaos and darkness.
• Land is a Map: So much knowledge and connection to Country has been obliterated where Indigenous place names have been replaced with colonial names.
• The Ballad of Normie Rowe: The story of the Aussie pop star whose career was cut short at its peak when he was drafted, in suspicious circumstances, to serve in Vietnam.
• The Glass: Half empty, half full, or just something to drink?! A song about varying perspectives.
• I'm on the Train!: Think dickheads and mobile phones. Taken from true life!
• John Snow and the Map that Changed the World: A song about the ‘Father of Epidemiology’. Very much one for our times.
• Old Songwriters Never Die:  Inspired by a Jimmy Webb quote: “.... they just repeat and fade!”
• What Do you Know about the Pangolin?: It’s a funny song, but you will be amazed how much you will learn! about the most illegally traded creature in the world.
• The Wreck of the Schomberg: The tale of how the world’s fastest clipper came a cropper on Victoria’s Shipwreck Coast. A story of ambition and hubris.
• The Three Lives of Shirley Andrews: Shirley was a mentor to me and others as a folk dancer, but also a hero of Australia’s 1967 referendum, and a groundbreaking scientist in her spare time!
• Your Letter: A story of regret, memory, and the journey towards forgiveness.
• These Old Bones: A sweet love song with a difference – about long-lasting love.

I will be working with some fabulous musicians, including Ellen Hundley, Caitlin French, Peter Vadiveloo, Hugh Belfrage, Wendy Ealey, Moira Tyers, Gavan McCarthy and others.

Click on picture to see more about Bruce's previous albums

Around half the $5,000 of my original target will go to the musicians, and the remainder will cover studio hire and the sound engineer for recording. This budget is based on my experience making previous albums.

Steve Bullock has recorded my last four albums. I really like the relaxed feel of his home studio, which is the key to getting good performances. He is gracious and a stickler for getting things right.

The wonderful Mischa Herman will be mixing the album.

I am producing the album: choosing the songs, the arrangements, the musicians, and organising all the other bits and pieces. I love letting the musicians add their own creative ideas and personality. But I pull it all together. I’ve done this on all my albums and I am very experienced at it. I will be obsessed with this project till it’s finished.

What if I get more than the target?

Pozible has a system of 'stretch targets'.

$5,000 is less than half the likely total cost of the album. 

If you pledge over the target, I will set a stretch target of $8,000, which should also cover mixing and mastering.

If by some miracle I get more than that, my second stretch target would be to cover the whole costs of the album, currently estimated at $12,400. Any more than that I will donate to a registered charity.

See the diagrams below.

Detailed budget 

Here's my estimate for total album expenses:

Here are my stretch targets, and what they will cover: