Lost Sounds Montana, Vol. 1

[Monster Mike]

I've always seen the Kickstarter type fundraising as an anti-establishment movement. Major science and technological projects are now being funded this way. Of course there are scam artists and people who are trying to take advantage of this new system. But that's no different than the "normal" world of business and investments.
It should be seen as taking away some of the stranglehold that big banks have over us. What's wrong with more power to the people?

There are brilliant, creative people with great ideas to offer the world. It's a shame that some wouldn't see the light of day due to a less than stellar credit score.

 

[bosshoss]

In the end it comes down to giving investors and customers good value for money. If investors and customers do not receive good value this time, there won't be a next time. If that happens, this new method of funding will get a bad name quickly and die out due to lack of support. Personally I think that is what will happen, maybe not with this particular project, but eventually.
There's plenty of collectors around who are willing to donate their work and their archives for free, or even pay from their own pockets to get stuff out there.

 

[Monster Mike]

I was gonna touch on that subject too, but my message became far too long.
What you say is key to this entire thing, there must be something special in return to the investor. It has to make them feel a part of the process and connect them to the project in some form.

 

[Frantic]

I appreciate all the responses and I can assure you that I am taking all suggestions and advice to heart as I would like to see this project do well. It would take far too long for me to respond to every post but I am taking this thread and all the responses to the Lost Sounds Montana group as I believe the advice given here, although oftentimes negative in tone, is valuable and comes from experience and expertise.

So....Just how many cover songs are there and how many songs between 65-68?

 

[Frantic]

So....Just how many cover songs are there and how many songs between 65-68?

Second request

 

[Dave Martens]

Hello everyone at G45,

My name is Dave Martens and I am involved in the Lost Sounds Montana project. Thanks to everyone for all of the feedback positive and negative! I wish we had contacted you all prior to launching for some suggestions as we moved the project forward. I am in graduate school and have had very little time to devote to this project which has been in the making for about 3 years. Everyone involved in Lost Sounds Montana has a full time job (much like you all) and a different responsibility within the organization. We meet about once every couple of months in an attempt to create a non-profit dedicated to preserving stories, recordings, photos, videos from Montana musicians across the decades. Our initial focus has been Montana garage/psychedelic music of the 1960s. We ultimately have come across many recordings, some good, some not so good, and thought we had enough to release a compilation of the good. We decided a few months back to host an art show dedicated to 1960s Montana and regional poster art. We also thought this a good opportunity to try and launch a fundraiser for our project.

I have been responsible for tracking down musicians, collecting recordings, and then sending the recordings to a recording studio to be digitally preserved. This has cost me a considerable amount of money not including the gas money to travel to these places to acquire the recordings. That much is fine, but we are only scratching at the surface and it would not be feasible for me to continue to spend $50-150 every time I come across a set of reels. No one involved is interested in any personal profit, nor is the organization whose purpose is to create an online archive of audio/visual recordings along with official releases (compilations, reissues) to showcase Montana recorded history. We thought the Indiegogo campaign was a great way to invite people who care about music preservation to get involved in what we are doing. These things are not spelled out by me in the video.

It sounds like we come off like jerks to some of you, but I want you to know that we are all trying very hard to deliver a product and create an archive that the people of Montana will appreciate. Please keep in mind, we are all people who love music (just like you) and are trying our best to share and preserve Montana's.

I will respond to your questions, and have provided my phone and email if you have further suggestions. Thanks everyone.

Sincerely,

Dave Martens
406-390-1238
[email protected]

 

[Dave Martens]

By the by...how many tracks will be on the cd / lp? And how many of them will be covers? Also, what years will be covered?

Still a matter of debate as to how many tracks on volume 1: We are planning between 12 & 15 tracks depending on space. Some of the reels are still at the Recording Center being digitized.

The album will span 1959-1969. I will get back to you on the rest of the information.

 

[Dave Martens]

Second request

I recall much of it being recorded in 66. The bulk will be 65-68.

 

[howlin' hoosier]

Dave - thanks for checking in. Hopefully some folks here who've had experience in pulling together comps can help you out. Who knows - there may be some individuals here who have Montana material that could be made available for your project - ask, and you might receive.

 

[buckeyebeat]

Dave,

There are two projects here.....one is a comp, the other is this whole concept of collecting and preservation. Everyone here would probably buy a comp for a reasonable price. There have been 100s of comps produced by people who have never requested up front funding - other than a pre-order for the final price and which is usually asked for at the time of production (or post production) rather than months ahead.

The preservation is a different matter. I don't think any of us live within 500 miles of a major Montana city (I'm probably the closest in Seattle although I think there are a couple people in the Denver area) and are not interested in meetings, poster displays, etc. The issue that most of us have is that we will pay for a comp, but not for the preservation, etc. That is usually done by people in the area who have a vested interest. I'm somewhat surprised that in your efforts you have not encountered someone (musician, producer, promoter, etc) who has made a decent amount of money (through music, or otherwise) and could front the money to keep something like this afloat. I would suggest that you pursue that route (including asking for a grant from a state organization) and from that effort you could produce the comp, ask a reasonable price, and put the money into the organization - after you have sold the produced comps.

 

[howlin' hoosier]

Dave,

There are two projects here.....one is a comp, the other is this whole concept of collecting and preservation. Everyone here would probably buy a comp for a reasonable price. There have been 100s of comps produced by people who have never requested up front funding - other than a pre-order for the final price and which is usually asked for at the time of production (or post production) rather than months ahead.

The preservation is a different matter. I don't think any of us live within 500 miles of a major Montana city (I'm probably the closest in Seattle although I think there are a couple people in the Denver area) and are not interested in meetings, poster displays, etc. The issue that most of us have is that we will pay for a comp, but not for the preservation, etc. That is usually done by people in the area who have a vested interest. I'm somewhat surprised that in your efforts you have not encountered someone (musician, producer, promoter, etc) who has made a decent amount of money (through music, or otherwise) and could front the money to keep something like this afloat. I would suggest that you pursue that route (including asking for a grant from a state organization) and from that effort you could produce the comp, ask a reasonable price, and put the money into the organization - after you have sold the produced comps.

That's the ol' G45 team spirit in action!

 

[Frantic]

Hello everyone at G45,

My name is Dave Martens and I am involved in the Lost Sounds Montana project. Thanks to everyone for all of the feedback positive and negative! I wish we had contacted you all prior to launching for some suggestions as we moved the project forward. I am in graduate school and have had very little time to devote to this project which has been in the making for about 3 years. Everyone involved in Lost Sounds Montana has a full time job (much like you all) and a different responsibility within the organization. We meet about once every couple of months in an attempt to create a non-profit dedicated to preserving stories, recordings, photos, videos from Montana musicians across the decades. Our initial focus has been Montana garage/psychedelic music of the 1960s. We ultimately have come across many recordings, some good, some not so good, and thought we had enough to release a compilation of the good. We decided a few months back to host an art show dedicated to 1960s Montana and regional poster art. We also thought this a good opportunity to try and launch a fundraiser for our project.

I have been responsible for tracking down musicians, collecting recordings, and then sending the recordings to a recording studio to be digitally preserved. This has cost me a considerable amount of money not including the gas money to travel to these places to acquire the recordings. That much is fine, but we are only scratching at the surface and it would not be feasible for me to continue to spend $50-150 every time I come across a set of reels. No one involved is interested in any personal profit, nor is the organization whose purpose is to create an online archive of audio/visual recordings along with official releases (compilations, reissues) to showcase Montana recorded history. We thought the Indiegogo campaign was a great way to invite people who care about music preservation to get involved in what we are doing. These things are not spelled out by me in the video.

It sounds like we come off like jerks to some of you, but I want you to know that we are all trying very hard to deliver a product and create an archive that the people of Montana will appreciate. Please keep in mind, we are all people who love music (just like you) and are trying our best to share and preserve Montana's.

I will respond to your questions, and have provided my phone and email if you have further suggestions. Thanks everyone.

Sincerely,

Dave Martens
406-390-1238
[email protected]

Now that I know there are even more of you involved I'm even more miffed. Pool your money together and get it together or farm it out to someone who will take the chance of maybe breaking even. This ain't a money deal baby. Dude, I've spent 25 years criss-crossing the state of Cali. looking for cool stuff, when I realized others were interested in the same thing I just knew I had to share this stuff with the other tens of people who cared. The more you guys try to explain yourself the more rediculous you sound. Also, how many times do I have to ask you guys how many covers are on the cd.Are you trying to hide something. I'll tell you one thing, if the cd is loaded with covers you won't sell many. You gotta know that Montana ain't exactly overflowing with rekkids that anyone has ever heard. Please answer the above question...

 

[Frantic]

Will this be on cd? If so the cd needs to have more than 12/15 songs on it. I suggest 2 lps and 1 cd.

 

[beccabear67]

There's a video here of Dave Martens and what's supposed to be an original Filmore West tape of Initial Shock being put on (without preservation, although it doesn't seem to be shedding). I think I might know who made the tapes although she has been MIA for quite awhile and people are worried.

http://youtu.be/C_-e8ykbk3k

Anyway, vintage tape can be very fragile and easily gone for good! I had hoped there could be an Initial Shock collection on Big Beat once, too bad someone else didn't get ahold of some of these things is all I can say, if I had such things they'd be going straight to certain people I know more qualified than me for such a responsibility. I have also just outright given original vinyl a couple of times to people saying they had a hand in the creation of a vintage recording but didn't have one for themselves.

There was a link here to a blog by someone else who does a podcast and had some decent label scans, a person who seems to struggle with their typing (sometimes I do because of physical pain). I was wrong in assuming they were Mr. Martens. I guess more work has been done before asking for money/support... a lack of specifics breeds some suspicion and hinders genuine help probably too.

I have some Initial Shock at the Avalon Ballroom in 1968 stuff, but not aware of the Fillmore set. Still, it might have been on KPFA or KSAN and thus taped off air on someone's home reel to reel unit.

 

[Frantic]

I will respond to your questions, and have provided my phone and email if you have further suggestions.

For the third time....how many songs are cover songs. On one of your sites you have posted lame boring versions of YOU KEEP ME HANGING ON and TICKET TO RIDE. Is this what we have to look forward to or are there some killer 1965-1967 garage tracks? Give us some good news...

 

[MopTopMike]

The best Montana based 45s by far that I've heard and own are the 2 Initial Shock 45s, and the cool folk rock 2 side by the Missing Lynx on the Drop Out label. The Chosen Few "Baby Don't Do It" is mediocre at best, the flip is lousy. I hope the unreleased stuff is as good as the Missing Lynx and Initial Shock tracks.
The problem is when you take a single state that is not heavily populated, you run the risk of diluted quality.
Again, I'll cite Harold of Psych of the South...Arkansas is a small state, but more people were living there than in Montana during the 1960s. And it has taken Harold probably 10 years to have been able to dig up the sources for his CD comps (4 volumes).

 

[bosshoss]

For the third time....how many songs are cover songs. On one of your sites you have posted lame boring versions of YOU KEEP ME HANGING ON and TICKET TO RIDE. Is this what we have to look forward to or are there some killer 1965-1967 garage tracks? Give us some good news...

i agree it's about time potential "investors" heard the answer to Joey's question.

 

[Perkeo]

The best Montana based 45s by far that I've heard and own are the 2 Initial Shock 45s, and the cool folk rock 2 side by the Missing Lynx on the Drop Out label. The Chosen Few "Baby Don't Do It" is mediocre at best, the flip is lousy. I hope the unreleased stuff is as good as the Missing Lynx and Initial Shock tracks.
The problem is when you take a single state that is not heavily populated, you run the risk of diluted quality.
Again, I'll cite Harold of Psych of the South...Arkansas is a small state, but more people were living there than in Montana during the 1960s. And it has taken Harold probably 10 years to have been able to dig up the sources for his CD comps (4 volumes).

Have you heard the Cherry Tower (post Missing Lynx) or Opus 1111 (4?) 45s Mike? Those both seem pretty unknown...

 

[buckeyebeat]

I have the Opus IIII 45. I don't remember what it sounds like. Not a strong endorsement! I have a couple other Valtron things. One had a Norse name (Thor something?) - decent garage, OK for a comp. The record Joey mentioned is the Sound System which I also have. The other Montana 45 I recall is probably the most common MT 45 (other than the Initial Shock) by Yellowstone, a band that has connections to Initial Shock. It's heavy rock, more bluesy than aggressive.

 

[Monster Mike]

If you guys check out most pressing facilities websites, a majority of them have links to these crowd funding websites on the front page now. Seems like they're hoping for extra business from groups who don't have the capital to get started. Looks like lots of newer bands are funding entire tours and albums this way now, as well...