Welcome to the crowdfunding campaign for our new album!
We are THE FAUX PAWS: Andrew VanNorstrand (vocals, guitar), Noah VanNorstrand (vocals, fiddle, mandolin, feet) and Chris Miller (vocals, saxophone, banjo).
"I can honestly say that I have never come across a harder to classify band than the Faux Paws." - LonesomeHighway.com We started tracking our new album last winter at the home
studio of our pals The
Mammals. We were joined by some of our favorite frequent
collaborators (and dear friends) Zoe
Guigueno on upright bass and Dana
Billings on drums. It has felt so great to be back in the
studio, working on new music! Right now we have most of the
instruments and vocals recorded. Over the summer we'll be
working on finishing up the mixing and
mastering. |  |
We're pretty good at playing music and making records...
What we need help with is... the rest of it!
 | Since Andrew and Noah started Great Bear Records back in the early 2000s, we've released over twenty albums(!) and toured all over North America and beyond. We are really excited about this new material and can't wait to share it with you! But there's a lot that goes into a successful album release. Talking about publicity, advertising, distribution, getting played on the radio and featured on playlists, making videos, tour press and attending music industry conferences to get us more established on the festival circuit. A new album release is the perfect time to hire some folks to help us make the most of the momentum we've been building over the past few years. |
Let's do this!
We are really excited about where we are right now and the opportunities ahead of us! 2024 is looking like our busiest year yet (check out these awesome festivals we'll be at!). We believe if you like something, the best way to see more of it in the world is to directly support the people making it. If you like our music and enjoy seeing us out here playing shows, we hope you'll consider joining us. We've got some fun merch for you to check out like t-shirts, hats, vinyl, tune books, etc, as well as some more customizable rewards like commissioning an original tune, hosting a house concert and one-on-one music lessons / coaching sessions.
Perks
- signed 12" vinyl copy of the new album (could be a signed CD or print if you prefer).
**PLUS**
- Faux Paws sticker
- digital download of the new album
- Andrew & Noah's tune book "Long Flight Home" featuring sheet music for 100 original tunes AND Andrew's brand new booklet "A Musician's Guide to Contra Choreography"
**PLUS**
- Faux Paws sticker
- digital download of the new album
"Paw" la carte: CHOOSE THREE of the following rewards...
- real physical Compact Disc of the new album
- Tshirt (straight cut or fitted)
- corduroy / mesh hat, OR...
**We'll email you to get your selection later**
**PLUS**
- Faux Paws sticker
- digital download of the new album
- custom engraved walnut 16GB USB flash drive contains the *COMPLETE* Great Bear Records discography including all official releases (2003 - 2024) as well as a selection of unreleased, live, out-of-print or otherwise rarely heard music from our archives. Over 200 tracks (WAV), plus cover art (JPG) and basic liner notes (PDF) for each album.
**PLUS***
- choose THREE paw la carte rewards!
- Faux Paws sticker
- digital download
- four CD bundle from the Great Bear Records discography. Any combination of albums (or duplicates); feel free to mix and match! Here are a few suggestions...
THE FAUX PAWS BUNDLE: The Andrew & Noah Band (2012), The Hurricane EP (2018), The Faux Paws self-titled (2021) and Backburner EP (2023)
THE GREAT BEAR BUNDLE: Driftage (2004), Dancing Again (2005), Rawr! (2011) and Magic Fantasy Dream Dance (2016)
THE SOLO ALBUMS: Chris's solo album Winter Suite (2014), The Waltz Album (2015), Andrew's solo album That We Could Find a Way to Be (2019) and Noah's solo album Share the Moon (2023)
**PLUS**
- choose THREE paw la carte rewards!
- Faux Paws sticker
- digital download
- 60 minute private lesson / coaching session with either Chris or Andrew. Instruments: fiddle, guitar, mandolin, saxophone, banjo. Could also talk about songwriting, or arranging, or playing for dances. Or really, whatever you want!
**PLUS**
- choose THREE paw la carte rewards
- Faux Paws sticker
- digital download
- 2 claimed
- 0 remaining
- 30 minute zoom call with our amazing booking agent Mollie Farr of Lost Buffalo Artists (plus Chris and Andrew) to talk about your music and music industry strategy.
**PLUS**
- choose THREE paw la carte rewards
- Faux Paws sticker
- digital download
- 10 ordered
- 0 remaining
– We will write you a personalized tune! This has been a really fun reward in our past crowdfunding campaigns. You can give us some direction if you want (title or dedication, key or mood, jig / waltz / reel, etc) and we will send you the sheet music and a demo recording when it’s finished.
**PLUS**
– choose THREE paw la carte rewards!
– Faux Paws sticker
– digital download
OPTION #1: Come to the Olympic Peninsula of Washington and Chris will take you on on the water to one of his favorite spots around Olympic National Park or the Puget Sound. Either in wooden kayaks or a 17' Nor'easter Dory.
OPTION #2: Spend a morning birding with Andrew! Birding is great because you can do it almost anywhere, almost any time of year. So we'll just need to compare our calendars and make a plan.
* You're responsible for getting yourself there and accommodations.
**PLUS**
– choose THREE paw la carte rewards!
– Faux Paws sticker
– digital download
- 3 claimed
- 7 remaining
Real, live, actual, in-the-flesh, non-virtual, physically-manifested, intersection of a space and time… house concert! Obviously, this one could be tricky to schedule and may require some patience and flexibility, so let’s talk it over before choosing this option.
**PLUS**
– choose THREE paw la carte rewards!
– Faux Paws sticker
– digital download
Highlights
See all activity311About Rewards
The way we have this set up - you pick a tier and we'll contact you in a few weeks to find out which "Paw la carte" reward options you want - otherwise it would just be really cluttered on here. So keep an eye out for an email.
Also: If you're interested in making a larger contribution. contact us and we can talk about payment options that avoid unnecessary service fees.
If a smaller monthly contribution is more your speed, check out our Patreon!
Activity
- signed 12" vinyl copy of the new album (could be a signed CD or print if you prefer).
**PLUS**
- Faux Paws sticker
- digital download of the new album
- Andrew & Noah's tune book "Long Flight Home" featuring sheet music for 100 original tunes AND Andrew's brand new booklet "A Musician's Guide to Contra Choreography"
**PLUS**
- Faux Paws sticker
- digital download of the new album
"Paw" la carte: CHOOSE THREE of the following rewards...
- real physical Compact Disc of the new album
- Tshirt (straight cut or fitted)
- corduroy / mesh hat, OR...
**We'll email you to get your selection later**
**PLUS**
- Faux Paws sticker
- digital download of the new album
- custom engraved walnut 16GB USB flash drive contains the *COMPLETE* Great Bear Records discography including all official releases (2003 - 2024) as well as a selection of unreleased, live, out-of-print or otherwise rarely heard music from our archives. Over 200 tracks (WAV), plus cover art (JPG) and basic liner notes (PDF) for each album.
**PLUS***
- choose THREE paw la carte rewards!
- Faux Paws sticker
- digital download
- four CD bundle from the Great Bear Records discography. Any combination of albums (or duplicates); feel free to mix and match! Here are a few suggestions...
THE FAUX PAWS BUNDLE: The Andrew & Noah Band (2012), The Hurricane EP (2018), The Faux Paws self-titled (2021) and Backburner EP (2023)
THE GREAT BEAR BUNDLE: Driftage (2004), Dancing Again (2005), Rawr! (2011) and Magic Fantasy Dream Dance (2016)
THE SOLO ALBUMS: Chris's solo album Winter Suite (2014), The Waltz Album (2015), Andrew's solo album That We Could Find a Way to Be (2019) and Noah's solo album Share the Moon (2023)
**PLUS**
- choose THREE paw la carte rewards!
- Faux Paws sticker
- digital download
- 60 minute private lesson / coaching session with either Chris or Andrew. Instruments: fiddle, guitar, mandolin, saxophone, banjo. Could also talk about songwriting, or arranging, or playing for dances. Or really, whatever you want!
**PLUS**
- choose THREE paw la carte rewards
- Faux Paws sticker
- digital download
- 2 claimed
- 0 remaining
- 30 minute zoom call with our amazing booking agent Mollie Farr of Lost Buffalo Artists (plus Chris and Andrew) to talk about your music and music industry strategy.
**PLUS**
- choose THREE paw la carte rewards
- Faux Paws sticker
- digital download
- 10 ordered
- 0 remaining
– We will write you a personalized tune! This has been a really fun reward in our past crowdfunding campaigns. You can give us some direction if you want (title or dedication, key or mood, jig / waltz / reel, etc) and we will send you the sheet music and a demo recording when it’s finished.
**PLUS**
– choose THREE paw la carte rewards!
– Faux Paws sticker
– digital download
OPTION #1: Come to the Olympic Peninsula of Washington and Chris will take you on on the water to one of his favorite spots around Olympic National Park or the Puget Sound. Either in wooden kayaks or a 17' Nor'easter Dory.
OPTION #2: Spend a morning birding with Andrew! Birding is great because you can do it almost anywhere, almost any time of year. So we'll just need to compare our calendars and make a plan.
* You're responsible for getting yourself there and accommodations.
**PLUS**
– choose THREE paw la carte rewards!
– Faux Paws sticker
– digital download
- 3 claimed
- 7 remaining
Real, live, actual, in-the-flesh, non-virtual, physically-manifested, intersection of a space and time… house concert! Obviously, this one could be tricky to schedule and may require some patience and flexibility, so let’s talk it over before choosing this option.
**PLUS**
– choose THREE paw la carte rewards!
– Faux Paws sticker
– digital download
