Stepladders - Bill Chesney makes an album

A project in Grand Rapids, MI by Bill Chesney
000days 
:
00hours 
:
00minutes 

Funding Successful

Bill Chesney, the man behind the scenes at Earthwork Music, steps in front of the curtain to reveal his debut album, stepladders.
Backers: 86
Average Pledge Per Backer: $62

Funded: $5,340 of $5,000
Dates: May 27th -> Jun 26th (30 days)
Project By: Bill Chesney
Tags:
Aw shucks, no tags yet. +Suggest

Suggest Tags

Begin typing to search or pick from a list. You can add multiple tags at the same time!
SubmitCancel
Saving your suggestions...
Suggestion Saved Successfully
Thank you for your help! The Kicktraq gnomes will get to work on your suggestions very soon.

Please keep in mind not all suggestions may be used, and repeated re-submissions may result in being rejected automatically (and we don't want that to happen).

If you have any questions, have a good idea for a tag, or a more in-depth suggestion - please feel free to let us know!

Ok
Hrm... something went wrong.
Hey, bad things happen to the best of us. Don't worry, the gnomes have been dispatched. Maybe try again in a little while.

Ok

$5,340

current pledge level
Last Updated: June 26 @ 12:45 -0400 GMT

106%

of goal
funding period ended

$0

trending toward
Trends are not projections. Read More >>

0%

of goal

(loading your very own snazzy kicktraq chart)

(loading your very own snazzy kicktraq chart)

(loading your very own snazzy kicktraq chart)

(loading your very own snazzy kicktraq chart)

(loading your very own snazzy kicktraq chart)

Now you can share!

Help your backers reach your daily goals and help others see how you're doing. It's easy, with Kicktraq Mini.

Here are a few quick snippits of code you can use to embed your personalized widget on your website, in your blog, and even on your favorite forum.

HTML for websites & blogs
Copy HTML

BBCode for forums
Copy BBCode

Reddit code for... well, Reddit
Copy Reddit Code

Special Note: Kickstarter recently disabled remote embedding for images on project pages, so embedding code doesn't work on project pages (yet) - just everywhere else.

You can read more about it here.
Latest News

weekend update: 4

June 25th - via: kickstarter.com
WE DID IT!! We crossed that $5k finish line, and I'm super excited. Thank you SO MUCH for everyone who jumped in - it really does mean a lot. We have until tomorrow at noon... If you still would like to chip in, the window is closing, but there is... (Read More)

reward: Everything

June 24th - via: kickstarter.com
We've covered all of the songs, described/thanked all of the players, and talked about the specifics of all of the rewards... except this one - EVERYTHING! If you jump in at the $100 level or above, you will get it all - the download postcard, a CD,... (Read More)

reward: Posters

June 23rd - via: kickstarter.com
I love making posters. I'm hosting a GigPosters workshop at the Earthwork Music/Crosshatch Center for Art & Ecology Skill Swap on July 7 at the Earthwork Farm in Lake City, Mich. Come see me; I'll be talking about my process, and giving some... (Read More)

reward: Playing Cards

June 22nd - via: kickstarter.com
I had an idea of what these playing cards would look like, but the sweetness of this deck is going to be so far beyond my expectations! Each of the face cards has a member of the stepladders' crew on it. If you're a fan of me, or any of these guys -... (Read More)

featuring Emilee Petersmark

June 21st - via: kickstarter.com
I make album art for other people's records (almost weekly), but when I thought about what MY OWN stuff would look like, I was kind of lost. I had some ideas, but most of them were far beyond what I was capable of... [ Emilee walks in ].  The Crane... (Read More)

reward: CD

June 20th - via: kickstarter.com
I'm only going to do a very small run of physical CDs - maybe that will make them more collectable!? I think it's better to "leave them wanting" and run out of stock than it is to sit on a bunch of unsold merch.  The album packaging will all be... (Read More)

song: Phone Tag

June 19th - via: kickstarter.com
Sorry if you thought I was just going to leave you hanging today. Sunday still has about an hour left, so here we are, right on time! I'm sure you've been busy too - between not being able to walk away from watching Jon Snow do his thing [no... (Read More)

weekend update: 3

June 18th - via: kickstarter.com
 One week to go, and we're feeling great! We're currently $1200 from the finish line - This is right where we need to be, but I could really use some help on this last lap. I just got the second round of mixes back from Ben, everything is sounding... (Read More)

song: Easy Way

June 17th - via: kickstarter.com
When you're learning to play guitar there is a huge learning curve between when you figure out the basic chords and when you're able to play guitar solos and cool stuff like that, at least for me. I have been playing for a LONG time, and am still... (Read More)

featuring Ben Zito

June 16th - via: kickstarter.com
Ben is tall, loves bad jokes, plays a really unique fretless gibson bass called 'the Ripper', and he's always sporting a pair of cowboy boots... AND in case you're unaware, Ben is the bassist for GR-favorites, the Crane Wives. In addition to all of... (Read More)

featuring Max Lockwood

June 15th - via: kickstarter.com
I think my songs have a real 90's vibe - it's what I was listening to when I was learning to play the bass guitar as a teenager. Although I wouldn't meet Max for like 15 years, as a young bassist, I was trying to be just like him.  I was really... (Read More)

song: Open Hand

June 14th - via: kickstarter.com
This song was written in 2004. I was just figuring things out, but I recorded it. I had a very junky sound-recorder on my even junkier computer... it was 2004, a much simpler time! Here's the original version and a clip of the NEW version - it's... (Read More)

song: Dive Team Sitters

June 13th - via: kickstarter.com
I had just left the Joshua Davis songwriters' workshop and I was processing a lot of new information. Josh had talked in depth about 'trope', and how to tie everything together in a way that would make sense thematically, even if it was disguised as... (Read More)

featuring May Erlewine, Micah Ling and Sam Cooper

June 12th - via: kickstarter.com
I had asked May if she would come up with some string arrangements for a couple of my songs. I sent her some video demos of me playing solo and was hoping that she could use them to make something happen. Well, all of my recorded versions were in a... (Read More)

weekend update: 2

June 11th - via: kickstarter.com
Officially passed the 60% mark, I'm feeling really good about reaching that finish line! $2k to go - we've got this. Today also marks the halfway point of the campaign, so it's all downhill from here. Help me build a little speed - go tell a stranger... (Read More)

reward: Tee

June 10th - via: kickstarter.com
In February 2015 I re-read an interview with Steve Jobs where he talked about why he always wore the same jeans and signature black turtleneck. It made so much sense to me. It's a lot about simplicity and efficiency, but for me it's also a lot about... (Read More)

song: Broken Friends

June 9th - via: kickstarter.com
This is me trying to write a song in the style of Pat Carroll. I started with his signature 6/8 meter, and tried to get oddly specific with some details that couldn't possibly mean anything to anyone else: "Called again, talked about being friends;... (Read More)

featuring Seth Bernard

June 8th - via: kickstarter.com
Every year Seth asks me if I want to play a set at the Earthwork Harvest Gathering, and every year I tell him that I'm too busy helping with the event-planning to play. Last year when he asked, I changed my mind... and I'm so glad that I did! I'm... (Read More)

song: In Love

June 7th - via: kickstarter.com
I may have mentioned it before - love is difficult. This song crushes me every time I hear it. Even though I like you, I hope you're crushed too... misery loves company.  Special order of 'feels' provided by the string trio - May Erlewine, Micah... (Read More)

song: ACE

June 6th - via: kickstarter.com
My demo version of this song was kind of 'bouncy' and a little more 'fun'. After we recorded it, Seth wanted to go back and try it again with a more serious vibe, something that would better match the song's content. Bernard suggested something with... (Read More)

featuring Dan Rickabus

June 5th - via: kickstarter.com
I'm so glad that I got Dan involved with stepladders! I needed some help with arrangements and drum parts for the album, so Dan invited me over to run through the tunes. Dan has a drum kit in his living room, which I think is pretty rad. At any... (Read More)

weekend update: 1

June 4th - via: kickstarter.com
Thank you guys - I still can still hardly believe all of this is happening; only a week in, we're almost 50% of the way to the goal - and we've got plenty of time to go. Don't make me wait until the last minute though! If you've already pledged some... (Read More)

song: Over Me (Us)

June 3rd - via: kickstarter.com
The most tragic thing about love is not being in it anymore. When it's over, you remember the good stuff, and spend your days trying to get back there. You remember the bad stuff, and try not to make those mistakes again. You carry all of this with... (Read More)

song: Remember Me

June 2nd - via: kickstarter.com
This song turned out much more rocking than my original demo - it sounds so great. Lots of distortion, guitars swimming all over, and Dan Rickabus helping me fade us into the horizon. "Remember Me" is my take on the dating scene. Making an... (Read More)

featuring Kate Anderson

June 1st - via: kickstarter.com
I met Kate in 2004; she listened to a lot of music that I'd never heard of. She introduced me to Matt Nathanson and Damien Rice - music that I still can't get enough of. We tried to write songs together, played tunes from the Postal Service at open... (Read More)

reward: Postcards

May 31st - via: kickstarter.com
At the end of April I assembled my dream-team-style band and we met for a long week of recording here in Grand Rapids at Ben Zito's Centennial Sound. I asked my friend and ultra-pro photographer, John Hanson, if he would document the occasion by... (Read More)

song: This isn't What it Looks Like

May 30th - via: kickstarter.com
Stepladders' mascot, Walter the Whale Growing up I was a big fan of magic. I didn't own a top hat or a magic wand, but I was really into card tricks, and I can still remember when David Copperfield made the Statue of Liberty disappear. Now that I'm... (Read More)

featuring Steve Leaf

May 29th - via: kickstarter.com
Leaf is hilarious.  I mean, he's a super-talented musician, but the dude is just so frickin' funny! Sure he's got that Steve Leaf & The Ex Pats' thing, and Public Access, and sure, he's always sitting in with The Crane Wives, and who knows what... (Read More)

featuring Chris Bathgate

May 29th - via: kickstarter.com
Chris Bathgate and Michael Beauchamp shared a set in the barn at the Earthwork Harvest Gathering in 2006... songs like 'Buffalo Girl', and 'Strawflowers' and 'We Die'. I don't think I had any idea who Chris was at the time, but his songs were stuck... (Read More)

If you have additional news that doesn't appear here, shoot us a link!