A Muslim, a Jew, and a Christian walk into a recording studio…

It’s no joke.

Actually, it’s the musical project that is capturing most of my energy and imagination these days.  My long-time friend Billy Jonas, who is Jewish, and my dear friend Dawud Wharnsby, who is Muslim, and me, a Quakerterian Christian, have a band together.  Both of those guys have long and beautiful careers as singer/songwriters, and I think what we are doing together is synergistic — the sum is greater than the parts.

The music itself is a joy, but the message also matters.  In a time of so much divisiveness, here is a clear and beautiful example of creative collaboration and deep friendship across lines that sometimes separate folks. People who have come to the half-dozen shows we have done in the last year have been moved to tears, and have laughed and have told us over and over how inspired they are. This project moves people.

Now we want to put out some recorded music, and we made the ambitious decision to launch a Kickstarter campaign to see if other folks would be as excited about this as we are, and whether we could fund two CDs at the same time. We want to mix and produce a live album from a show we recorded professionally in Asheville, and we also want to make a studio CD.

As of this writing, we are half-way through the Kickstarter campaign, and we are 25% funded.  That’s both affirming and daunting.  If you would like to join us in this work, you can help us make these records by doing something as simple as pre-ordering the CDs, or by pledging to have us sing ‘Happy Birthday’ in three-part harmony on a friend’s voicemail, or going out to dinner with us, or VIP concert tickets, or play on the record (really) or even bring us in for a show (yep, anywhere in the world).

If you want to learn more about what we’re up to, hear some of the music, or join in on helping to make these two albums come to be, click here:

Abraham Jam

Thanks so much, friends!

David