The first and most important part is to have the material.  In this case, the book was written while on the road and the songs for the CD are a collection of songs written before, during and after the tour.  Once all of the material is in one place it is time to move forward.  For me the first step is funding.  Without the funds to take on a project like this the project is at a stand still.  It is also important to have alternative means of funding should your funding run out.  I had two options.  My first option was to fund it myself, which would mean putting myself into debt and praying that I don’t break an arm and lose work.  My second option was to fan fund the album and book before the production.  This would take the financial strain off of the product and allow a sure fire way to know that I had the means.  I was fortunate enough to raise close to $3,000 from fans, friends and family before the creation of the project.  With the material and funding in place it was time to line up the troops.  Each person below takes on specific tasks that all come together as a finished product in the end.  After many edits, lots of meetings, phone calls emails and coffee, everything gets ready to send out for pressing.  The process from start to finish usually takes around 9 months.  With all the experience we have gained together it is possible to take a project from start to finish in as little as three.  Most of the time is consumed with the recording of fresh ideas.

MEET THE TEAM!

 TONY CIMINO:  SOUND ENGINEER, DRUMS and PERCUSSION

Tony is the backbone of the audio aspect.  I take the collection of songs to Tony in New Hampshire and we sit down over a beer and play through the tunes.  He drums while I sing and play.  We toy with different beats, melodies and play with song structure.  Once we have a general idea of what direction the songs should go in we start recording.  I usually do three to four day runs at the studio over the course of a few months.  Once the songs are tracked we move on to mixing and mastering.  This is a process of mixing and listening over and over again on different speakers.  Once we settle on a mix we are happy with, we master the disc and get it ready for duplication.

    DEREK LUCIANI:  GRAPHIC DESIGNER, DIRECTOR OF ART AND MEDIA  

              Derek is the reason that all the CD’s enter the “real world” as a physical, tangible item.  Derek and I have known each other for quite some time which is essential to creating a personal and cohesive theme.  When the recording is near completion, I send Derek the songs, lyrics and an overview.  What is the album about?  What period of time does it represent?  What does it represent in general?  Not only does Derek create the themes for album design, he brands the product with small details that stay consistent throughout all of the projects.  His role is central to communicating with the CD duplication company and making sure the final product looks and feels like it was designed to.

   AL BERG: DIRECTOR OF  PHOTOGRAPHY

It is important to supply Derek with many forms of media to work with.  The music is just one contributing factor to the vibe of a CD.  Al Berg supplies Derek with up-to-date photos that are incorporated into the albums.  Al is a longtime friend of mine and truly understands my vision.  Throughout any given year Al and I arrange not only specific photo shoots to serve specific needs but he supplies Derek with lots of candid photos of my life taken through everyday activities and adventures with each other and our group of friends

GABRIEL DESIGN GROUP:  BOOK LAYOUT AND GRAPHIC DESIGN

Gabriel Design Group is a team of dedicated design professionals with experience in graphic design and company branding.  I’m pleased to have them on board as they help with the layout of the book and oversee the functionality, design, and graphic aspects of “What the Folk Are We Doing.”  Once the content of the book is complete, it is sent to Gabriel Design Group to be put into a format that is at the industry standard and ready for publishing

Today’s Kickstarter Fan Appreciation goes out to Lucky Palmer of New York!  I met Lucky while on tour this summer in Alaska.  Lucky drove all the way from Upstate New York, through Canada and to Alaska by himself.  We spent lots of time with Lucky in the Last Frontier and hope to spend lots of time with Lucky in the future.  A fun musical fact about Lucky is that his middle name is “Ringo.”  Who would have thunk?  So Lucky, this is your day.  Cheers!

-Jay

The shows seemed to grow as well.  Of course there were the usual pub gigs, small crowds and bad nights, but there were far less of them.  Show highlights for the year include a sold out Jacklin Center for the Arts in Post Falls Idaho, a radio show at the Rockin’ B. Ranch in Spokane, WA, A rockin’ night at the Fairview Inn in Talkeetna Alaska and for me the best show was the sold out homecoming show at the House of Blues Foundation Room in Boston!   Other highlights include a successful radio campaign  which landed my music on close to 300 stations nation wide as well as charting on some CMJ stations.   I’m amazed and blessed by the outpouring of support both at home and on the road.  I’m honored to be surrounded by such a wonderful community that supports not only my music, but the music of my fellow musicians.  I’m looking forward to a successful and eventful year in 2012.  I am smack dab in the middle of my first Kickstarter Campaign raising funds for my third CD and a book, which is doing very well.  I expect my book and E.P. to be released in late March of 2012 and have many other surprises in store.  Thanks to everyone for tuning in and helping to make 2011 and “On Up the Road” something that we can all be proud of!  The people haven taken notice….”On Up the Road” has made a couple lists for “TOP TEN ALBUMS OF 2011!”  Here’s what they said!

THE PATRIOT LEDGER:

“On Up the Road”  Top 3 local releases of 2011

Local troubadour Psaros, now living in Rockland, takes a huge leap forward with his sophomore effort. The difference is in the songs, as Psaros has become a storyteller of precision, with arrangements that reflect his hundreds of gigs here and all over the country. He’s also achieved a really unique sound of his own, and catching one of his local shows is highly recommended.

Read more: http://www.patriotledger.com/topstories/x1819704056/MUSIC-SCENE-Top-10-albums-offer-abundance-of-variety#ixzz1i99GEewu

FAKE PLASTIC TUNES:

“Top Ten Releases of 2011″

01. The Twilight Singers – Dynamite Steps
02. Puscifer – Conditions of My Parole
03. Ryan Adams – Ashes & Fire
04. The Dreaming – Puppet
05. Jane’s Addiction – The Great Escape Artist
06. Tom Morello: The Nighwatchman – World Wide Rebel Songs
07. Tom Waits – Bad As Me
08. Sebastian Bach – Kicking & Screaming
09. Jolie Holland – Pint of Blood
10. Jay Psaros – On Up The Road

FPT wrote about “On Up the Road”

On Up the Road is what good summer music is all about. Without any of the pretentious cookie cutter sound of a lot of groups today vying for the top spot on summer living radio, Jay Psaros starts the first track with a sweet groove that continues throughout the twelve tracks to conclude with the stunning Tipping and Turning that begs a listener to restart and listen to the album again.

I’ve been excited about Psaros’s music since hearing his first albumTripping and Running and immediately falling for the fresh air in music that it provided. I’m a big fan of jam bands so I have naturally gravitated to the sweet jams that both of these albums exhibit. Psaros fits right next to bands like Phish, Widespread Panic, Jackie Greene, and Rusted Root.

This is the kind of music that makes a person want to take off their shoes and dance barefoot on the grass – preferably at an outdoor concert listening to one of Psaros’s sweet tunes.