The Chicken Ruckus: a recording adventure in Wales
Every time The Chicken Ruckus performs, people ask us when we’re going to make an album. Great question!
These days, going into a studio is an enormous act of optimism. «We love music but we don’t want to pay for it!», say most people. But you’re not most people. Neither are we.
The Chicken Ruckus would like to share our special brand of string band music with as many of you as possible, all over the world, so . . . with your help, we’re going to make an album.
Creating a recording that reflects our spirit and energy will take us on an amazing journey. Of course, we’ll be breaking our own piggy banks and financing what we can out of our own pockets, but our dream project will require a bit more backing.
In April, the four of us will go to Martin Levan’s Red Kite Studio in South Wales. Martin, a world-renowned producer and engineer, will capture every musical moment and the result will be very special indeed.
James Mackintosh, our favorite drummer/percussionist, will come down from Scotland to add some incredible rhythmic energy.
This full-length album is going to be magical. It will include our arrangements of traditional songs and tunes along with some creative covers, and a few added surprises.
The plan? To have it ready for delivery in December 2026. But as we said, our dream album project needs your help.
The Chicken Ruckus would be thrilled to raise CHF6,000 with this crowdfunding initiative. That, combined with our own contributions and the generous support of our friends and some wonderful institutions, would make it possible to record and release exactly the album we want to make (and you want to hear).
Now, we hear you ask, «Hey, Chicken Ruckus! What are you going to do with the money?» Great question. There are lots of expenses involved in making an album and are outlined later on our WeMakeIt page.
Thank you for helping us keep roots music alive!
The Chicken Ruckus: we need you!
The members of The Chicken Ruckus were driving back to their homes in the Swiss canton of Bern the day after a concert in Chur, in the eastern part of Switzerland. We started talking about our shared dream of a very special album and discovered that we were - as usual - on the same page. The recording would have to capture the spirit and energy of our live performances but also the tones and colors and nuance of our music. A plan was hatched (the right verb for The Chicken Ruckus) and shared with producer/engineer Martin Levan, who became part of the dream. To make it even more magical, Scottish drumming legend James Mackintosh agreed to come to Wales to add to the fun. This is going to be very special and with your help, it will all happen soon!
This is why we need you.
Your support will help The Chicken Ruckus pay the talented professionals who are helping us get our album made. The costs include:
- Album production in a world-class studio (recording, mixing, mastering, etc.)
- Support from at least one brilliant studio musician
- Photography, design and artwork (we want it to look as good as it sounds!)
- Manufacture and packaging of the physical album
- Transportation between Switzerland and Wales (we’re going by train!)
We promise to use the money wisely.