Well folks, it's time. It's time for a brand new studio album from 'Kere Buchanan'. And it's super exciting because it's to be shared between my beloved home of 30 odd years, Sydney, Australia & my homeland, New Zealand. Wow! 

As far back as I can remember, all I've ever really wanted to do is make my own records hoping to document my own little unique take on music & for years as a sideman with wonderful artists like Tina Arena/ Marcia Hines/ Wendy Matthews/ James Reyne/ Kasey Chambers/ Rick Price/ Margaret Urlich/ Grace Knight/ Doug Parkinson (amongst many others), it's taught me one great thing; It's not impossible if you commit to it. Make it official! So it's time. Time to brush off the cobwebs on my trusty old Fender Rhodes. Time to put ones head down & butt up. It's time to write & record some brand new music for you guys & gals & to hurl out into this wonderful yet crazy Universe of ours.

The Making Of The New Record.

Full blown well crafted & recorded studio albums are to no surprise, damn expensive to create & since my last '2' studio records, (& 1/2 of Kerosene's 'Art Of Survival') were pretty much paid for by myself, this time I'd dearly love a helping hand to get a brand spanking new 'prestine show room condition' record across the line. And for those who are unfamiliar with me & my work, I come from a somewhat 'older school' style of recording, especially for the initial tracking (& mixing) dates. By 'older school' I mean guys & gals cutting 'live' in the same room at a professional recording facility with a first-class recording engineer to document the finest sounds & best possible results to then begin layering Lead Vocals/ Soloists/ Horns/ Synths & Background Vocals etc. And this can take some time too folks. To give you an idea the 'Starting Over' album took '9' months to complete & 'Goodbye Yesterday' '16' months so therefore I've decided along with the wonderful crew @ Pozible to create this new project over '3' targets within the '1' campaign. This is in order to achieve that #1 goal; The best '12' track deep record for you all. 

Stage #1.

The 1st step is to gather the song stack needed (which is in progress as we speak). Again, I'm from the old school of writing & so it's manuscript paper, my trusty pencil & eraser which to date hasn't failed me. Once I get '14/ 15' songs on-the-go I'll then head over to Sydney & co-write the rest of the music with my great friend & colleague, Glenn Bidmead. Glenn & I co-wrote most of 'Starting Over' & all of 'Goodbye Yesterday' so we work really well together & in my opinion breaking the current formula makes no sense at all so it's a responsibility to do this one with the same crew. Once I have all arrangements &/ or most lyric I'll then head on over with the Rhythm Section (& some of the Vocalists) to begin the tracking dates all over '5' days.

For these recording tracking dates I've decided to head back to one of my favourite recording studios 'Rancom Street Studios' in Sydney (where I tracked 'Starting Over' & some of 'Goodbye Yesterday') which throughout the years has been home to a plethora of wonderful recorded music in Australia. The studio's received some hefty upgrades of late & has at last bought itself a brand spanking new Yamaha 'C7' Grand Piano hand-picked by none other than the incomparable Bill Risby. So this means we can track 'live' & overdub Acoustic Piano in the same facility. Luxury! And with plentiful isolation booths for the band & vocalists, we'll be able to capture wonderful performances from all. A magnificent facility it is. I will then do what we call mop ups, some editing & then head home. Here endeth Stage #1!

Stage #2.

Upon my return to NZ I'll begin work on the rest of the record here inviting guest Vocalists & Musicians both locally & from overseas to weave their wonderful magic on the new music & so similar to my last records, they will be announced as the album progresses. In essence this 3rd album will promise to be an extension of the first '2' with brand new songs, an 'A' class house band, mighty cool arrangements, statutory 'real' horns + of course an extended array of world class local & international Vocal & Musician talent. The Mixdown will be with Brent Clark back in Sydney & Mastering will once again be with Ryan Smith @ Sterling Sound in NY. The album artwork is to come from a lovely school buddy, Gabrielle Dennis. Can't wait for that!

Work In Progress 'Song Stack' titles.

* (Old songs possibly worth revisiting).

- All The Way. *

- Over & Over.

- No Say In It.

- Smile Blue.

- Don't Ask Why.

- Imogen.

- She Shines On Me.

- I Need You More Tonight. (Duet).

- Forever Man.

- Bless The Day. 

- After You've Gone. *

- Residence. *

- Stay. *

- Words. * 

Band Tracking Personnel, Sydney Australia.

Bill Risby: Acoustic Piano/ Fender Rhodes; (Leo Sayer/ Andrae Crouch/ Marcia Hines).

Brendan St Ledger: Hammond Organ/ Keyboards; (Wendy Matthews/ Marcia Hines/ Rick Price).

Chris Kamzelas: Electric Guitars; (Tina Arena/ Richard Clapton/ The Voice).

Leon Gaer: Electric Bass; (Gino Vanelli/ Barry Manilow/ Maria Muldaer).

Tony Azzopardi: Percussion; (Liza Manelli/ Lionel Richie/ Marcia Hines).

Yours Truly: Drums/ Keyboards/ Background Vocals/ Composer/ Arranger/ Producer; (Tina Arena/ Marcia Hines/ Rick Price).

All Lead Vocals: T.B.A. ('12' Lead Vocalists).

Soloists/ Additional Musicians: T.B.A. (All this will all be updated as the project blossoms).

Brent Clark: Chief Engineer, Sydney Australia. (Midnight Oil/ Alex Lloyd/ Ian Moss).

Ryan Smith: Mastering Engineer, New York, USA. (Bob Dylan/ ACDC/ John Lennon/ Cyndi Lauper).

Glenn Bidmead: Graphic Design, Sydney Australia. 

Gabrielle Dennis: Artwork, Christchurch New Zealand.

'Kere Buchanan' Bandcamp Album Links: 

https://kerebuchanan.bandcamp.com/album/starting-over-3

https://kerebuchanan.bandcamp.com/album/goodbye-yesterday

https://keroseneband.bandcamp.com/track/art-of-survival

Kere Buchanan Albums.

Budget. (Stretch Targets).

Tier 1. (Starting Goal).

The starting goal (or first target) is @ $15,000. This will cover travel, writing sessions/ editing/ 5' full days recording studio time/ recording engineer & the wonderful studio musicians, (the basics as they call it in the biz) along with filming the tracking dates & interviews with the band.

                                                                                      Tier 2. (Mid Goal).

This tier is set @ $15,000 & it is yours truly returning home to record all overdubs for the record, (Lead Vocals/ extra Solo Musicians/ Horns etc), editing & general mop ups.

                                                                                      Tier 3. (Final Goal).

This stage is as vital as the first. The Mixing & Mastering of the entire record, (+ manufacturing). This area is set @ $15,000 & luckily I have the best in the biz for this. Brent Clark Mixing in Australia & Mastering by Ryan Smith in New York.

This new album will surely prove to be somewhat of a 3rd instalment to a trilogy; ('Starting Over'/ 'Goodbye Yesterday' & 'Smile Blue'). A completion of work that will feature upwards of 25/ 30 people from chief engineer to all the incredile musicians/ vocalists, artwork/ graphic designers, right down to Mixing/ Mastering & the manufacturing of the record so everyone involved in this deserves to be rewarded for their wonderful unique talents. 

Below is an outline of what needs to be done for Stage '1' in NZD's;

The Music/ Recording Studio;

• All Pre-Production/ Writing/ Co-Writing/ Arranging/ Manuscript. (All my end).
• Rancom St Recording Studios-Tracking Session Dates/ Chief Engineer, (5 full days). ($7200.00).
• Piano Tuner/ Recording Assistant. ($440.00).

Recording Session Musicians; (Tracking Dates/ 4 full days).

• Fender Rhodes/ Acoustic Piano/ Electric Bass/ Electric Guitars/ Percussion/ Drums/ Some Vocals. ($6500.00).
• Day '5' will be more band tracking if needed &/ or additional Overdubs/ Vocals.

• All '12' Lead Vocals/ Soloists/ Horn Overdubs/ Editing/ Editing facility. (Stage '2').
• Album Mixdown. (Stage '2'). 
• Album Mastering. (Stage '2').

Album Artwork/ Video Footage;

• Travel/ Filming/ Editing/ Footage; The making of 'Smile Blue' for Dvd Release. (Paho Films, Aotearoa NZ). ($4400.00).
• Art Design. (Stage '2').
• Photography. (Stage '2').
• Graphic Design/ Album/ Calendars. ($1000.00).
• CD/ Vinyl Manufacturing/ 'Smile Blue' & another run of new 'Goodbye Yesterday' inclusive of the Bonus Track. (Stage '1' & '2'). ($4200.00).
• Pozible Fees, (5% of all '3' totals); (Stage '1' & '2').

Postage Fees;

Postage from down this way to most parts of the world is fairly outrageous & so I'll do my best to keep it within reach of the purchase(s). I feel it a responsibilty to include this information here. (Stage '2').

Final note;

Rest assured this is going to involve the best of the best. I should also mention that most if not all have been impacted heavily due to the pandemic these last few years & so this should be a real nice project for everyone musically & their pockets, K.

I liken making records to building a home;

1. The Plans/ Foundations; (Pre-production/ gathering &/ or writing/ arranging of songs).

2. The Framing Internally; (Tracking of the band/ some vocalists).

3. The Roof Goes On; (Editing all tracks to continue on with overdubs).

4. The Electrics; (Overdubs; horns/ strings / synths/ lead & background vocals).

5. The Finishing Of All Building; (All recording & mopping up completed).

6. The Detailing; (Mixdown/ Mastering/ Artwork/ Manufacturing). 

7. For Sale! (All you Guys & Gals buy it)!

From experience there are a number of obstacles which can occur whilst making a record of this magnitude & typically like building a house. Music can (& usually does) take on a life of its own so it's important to listen & let things evolve naturally within certain elegant boundaries. This is where the budget can blow out a little but my motto is this. 'If the music needs it, then the music deserves it'. So, a challenge is to keep it within the entire budget so as not to break the bank but at the same time not to sacrifice any of the music. 

Finally, a wonderful quote by the great Electric Bassist/ Veteran LA Session Musician Abraham Laboriel Sr; 'The music should always win'. I couldn't agree more, K.