The Paducah Sun - Kickstart the music

Photo contributed Local songwriter Jeremy Bachuss has been playing and writing music about 16 years, but obstacles always prevented him from getting his solo album off the ground. Bachuss recently began a Kickstarter project, which allows donors to pledge money for rewards online, in the hope of completing the album.

When it came to recording his first solo album, Jeremy Bachuss faced more challenges than your average singer-songwriter.

The same year the Paducah native began pre-production on the album, tragedy struck. Bachuss’ son, Conner, was taken to the emergency room in an unresponsive state on Dec. 5, 2010. Five days later, he passed away.

Bachuss said he shelved his project after losing Conner, and has only recently returned to the idea of recording the album. He said the desire to leave something for his other four children, who range in age from 5 to 12, helped get him moving.

“I want to prove to (my children) that dreams can come true, that even after you deal with something as horrific as what we’ve gone through, you still have to try. You can’t give up,” he said.

Bachuss said the album will feature both old and new songs — and with his 16 years of songwriting, he’ll have plenty to choose from — with six full band arrangements and four acoustic tracks. He described the album’s sound as pop-oriented folk and rock.

Before any of Bachuss’ plans can get off the ground, he has to find funding. After hearing about Kickstarter from some friends, Bachuss looked into it and found what he hopes will be the right platform to launch his project.

The web site, www.kickstarter.com, allows users to create a proposal for creative projects — such as books, video games, and films — and pitch it to potential backers. Those who pledge money to finance a project will be rewarded with merchandise based on how much they pledge.

Having written the music and decided where to produce the album, all that remains is for Bachuss to get the money together. He said that even if the Kickstarter project doesn’t pan out, he feels good about finally taking some action on a project he’s been wanting to finish for the past 10 years.

“I figured there’s never really a good time, but it’s time to get off the fence one way or another. You’re only going to fail if you don’t try,” he said.

Contact Laurel Black, a Paducah Sun staff writer, at 270-575-8641.