Now that she runs her own label, Ye Olde Records, Juliana Hatfield relies on the support of her fans to fund her artistic endeavours. Last year, the alt-rock songstress wrote personalized songs for her fans for $1,000 a pop. Now, she's funded a LP through the website PledgeMusic and on August 30 will release Speeches Delivered to Animals and Plants.
The album was 100 percent fan-funded, and a press release explains that it's "based loosely on the concept of failure."
In a statement, the singer said, "I don't shy away from the dark stuff -- without the darkness there would be no light."
Judging by song titles like "Stray Kids," "Vagabond" and "Failure," this record will have its share of gloomy subject matter.
The 13-track collection was captured at Q Division Studios in Somerville, MA. Joined by a bassist and a drummer, the songstress handled all six-string duties herself, and the results "feature Hatfield's distinctive but typically underrated guitar stylings -- highly emotive but not overly slick, and resonating with a range of human emotions, from joy to despondence to goofiness to resignation."
Of the PledgeMusic model, Hatfield called her fans her "patrons" and added, "I have total ownership of the music at all stages, present and future. I love working like this."
In keeping with her fans' generosity, the singer will be giving back by donating some of the proceeds to two animal shelters: Save a Sato in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and the Northeast Animal Shelter in Salem, MA.
In some related news, Hatfield will be pairing up with her old Lemonheads partner Evan Dando for a performance at this year's NXNE, which runs from June 13 to 19 in Toronto.
Speeches Delivered to Animals and Plants:
1. "Stray Kids"
2. "Taxicab"
3. "Vagabond"
4. "Sex and Drugs"
5. "Failure"
6. "Someone Else's Problem"
7. "Change the World"
8. "Batteries"
9. "Don't Wanna Dance"
10. "There's Always Another Girl"
11. "Candy Wrappers"
12. "Thousands of Guitars"
13. "Wasting Time"
The album was 100 percent fan-funded, and a press release explains that it's "based loosely on the concept of failure."
In a statement, the singer said, "I don't shy away from the dark stuff -- without the darkness there would be no light."
Judging by song titles like "Stray Kids," "Vagabond" and "Failure," this record will have its share of gloomy subject matter.
The 13-track collection was captured at Q Division Studios in Somerville, MA. Joined by a bassist and a drummer, the songstress handled all six-string duties herself, and the results "feature Hatfield's distinctive but typically underrated guitar stylings -- highly emotive but not overly slick, and resonating with a range of human emotions, from joy to despondence to goofiness to resignation."
Of the PledgeMusic model, Hatfield called her fans her "patrons" and added, "I have total ownership of the music at all stages, present and future. I love working like this."
In keeping with her fans' generosity, the singer will be giving back by donating some of the proceeds to two animal shelters: Save a Sato in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and the Northeast Animal Shelter in Salem, MA.
In some related news, Hatfield will be pairing up with her old Lemonheads partner Evan Dando for a performance at this year's NXNE, which runs from June 13 to 19 in Toronto.
Speeches Delivered to Animals and Plants:
1. "Stray Kids"
2. "Taxicab"
3. "Vagabond"
4. "Sex and Drugs"
5. "Failure"
6. "Someone Else's Problem"
7. "Change the World"
8. "Batteries"
9. "Don't Wanna Dance"
10. "There's Always Another Girl"
11. "Candy Wrappers"
12. "Thousands of Guitars"
13. "Wasting Time"