Scott Lake saw the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and wanted to help. He wanted to do more than just donate money, but like many people he lacked the resources to individually provide the help he felt necessary.
With the recent release of a CD called ‘Chrysalid: Musicians for Katrina Relief,? whose proceeds go to help Katrina victims, Lake found a way to incorporate his unique musical talents with others around the world, while sitting at his computer in Independence Township.
‘I don’t know how to build houses. I know how to make music and that’s a neat way to help Katrina victims,? said Lake, who plays the guitar and piano and tinkers with electronic music recorded in his basement.
The CD is an on-line collaboration between 44 independent recording artists from 14 countries donating their music to help hurricane victims.
‘A few of the people are professional musicians, but most of the people do it as a hobby,? said Lake who works as an engineer for General Motors.
The project started on-line as a collaboration between international musicians who communicate through www.kvraudio.com, a community forum, said Lake who participated in the project.
‘I use the forum because it’s where I get technical support for the software I use. It’s people from around the world,? said Lake.
?(The CD) doesn’t happen without the participation of all the people with different bits of expertise. Even the graphic design was from people on the thread. The only thing we didn’t do was pour the plastic for the molds and the actual physical printing,? said Lake.
‘Chrysalid: Musicians for Katrina Relief? is a double compact disc compilation with song styles including rock, electronic, pop, blues, jazz, ambient, hip hop and folk. All the tracks were submitted over the internet allowing Lake to work with people who in most cases have never met. The group interacted almost exclusively through discussion threads on-line, e-mails and private computer messages.
‘To think 10 years ago this was virtually impossible for the average guy. The computer and internet have allowed this,? said Lake. ‘With the internet we have a responsibility to help out. We can’t be ignorant anymore.?
Lake estimated the project took only about four months starting last September, with sales ready around the end of December. He credited the quick release to the fact that contributors lived in many different countries and time zones, allowing some people to go to bed for the night while others were awake working on the CD in their part of the world.
In addition to producing the CD quickly, the project was funded mostly through pre-orders.
‘We took pre-orders for it. We contacted music software developers who donated raffle-type software. During orders, some buyers would win free software. No one really anted up their own cash.’said Lake, who explained the software freebies helped generate interest.
Approximately 176 of the 500 CDs produced were sold through pre-orders on-line. Lake hopes all 500 sell, which he estimated would raise between $9,000 and $10,000. He did not rule out an additional printing if all goes well.
The CD costs $25, of which $21 will be split evenly between the American Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity. The deducted amounts go to the distributor, said Lake. The pre-ordered CD’s turned a slightly lower profit due to shipping costs, but customers now pay for shipping.
Lake’s track ‘Home Again,? is an original song he performs while playing the piano. ‘Home Again? is from the point of view of a displaced musician struggling with the stresses caused by the hurricane. The musically gifted evacuee finally finds a piano while searching for a home and sits to play a song. The man is eventually approached by a stranger who invites him to come play music with his band.
‘Home Again? is one of the demo tracks and is number five on disc 1. Lake is listed at ‘Rockstar_not?
Those interested in purchasing the double CD or listening to sample tracks can visit http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/chrysalid. A preview of the artists can be found at www.katrinareliefcd.com.