Help fund the quirky original music of Kat Robichaud’s Misfit Cabaret! Misfit Cabaret is a love letter to the children we once were.
Misfit Cabaret is a love letter to the children we once were. Be a part of bringing this incredibly unique original album to life.
About a year ago, I created a whimsical variety show centered around theater, music, and pop culture. I lovingly named it Misfit Cabaret after my first solo album, Kat Robichaud and The Darling Misfits. We started at a private venue in the palpitating heart of San Francisco, and we have since grown into a much larger fishbowl, The Great Star Theater. Each fast-paced show has a central theme, with a rotating cast of eccentric miscreant artists, who dazzle and delight. We are as crazy as we are campy. We are as beautiful as we are bawdy.
For each Misfit Cabaret performance, I have written two original songs to match the theme of the evening. These songs are ephemeral as I only get to perform them once, as is the nature of the show. I want to record them so that I can share them with the world outside of the San Francisco bubble, and so that they can be played as many times as your heart desires. The songs are across the board in style and mood; from rock and cabaret to waltzes and war songs to my own weird brand of pop- each one is its own character and its own story.
In order for me to share these songs with you, I need your help! I am not signed and do not have a label backing me. I know we can create this album together, because we’ve done it before. After having completed two successful Kickstarters, I now ask you to help me with the third. I hold these songs in my heart and I want to share my heart with you. Help me to release a little more magic in the world. xo
Misfit Cabaret
1. “Misfit Cabaret (theme song)”- a song about being a misfit, finding your place in the world, and embracing your differences…and general bawdiness. Willkommen! Bienvenue! Welcome!
2. “How It Feels To Be Loved (Devine Decadence)”- a song written from the perspective of Sally Bowles (Cabaret) about longing to be loved and seen. Oh, Sally Doll, we feel you so hard.
Wilde Women
3. “Red Satin”- a song written from the perspective of Satine (Moulin Rouge) about wanting to escape an abusive submissive relationship (Harold Zidler) by flying away. Grab the tissues.
4. “My Escape”- a song about the morning after a saucy tryst. This one is a little cheeky and a comforting song to take a bath to. It’s basically the opposite of death metal.
Whimsea
5. “The Last Waltz of The Wrights”- a song written about the true-life story of James Whitaker Wright, who was convicted of fraud and committed suicide in the Royal Courts of Justice in London in the late 1800s. This “gentleman” had an enormous estate and built an underwater ballroom with a glass ceiling in one of his three lakes. It is a rock waltz.
6. “A Song for David Bowie”- I wrote this song the day after Bowie passed away. He was and is my favorite artist. He made it ok to be a misfit. Because I wanted to keep with the theme of Whimsea, the song takes place on a beach. Definite Bowie influences here with a little Elton thrown in for good measure. Here’s a video of the first ever performance below. I was trying hard not to cry through the entire thing.
Cinepheilia
7. “Artists”- a song about how we as a society will be perceived in the future, based on the photographs that are taken of us. Channeling Phantogram and St. Vincent for this one. It can’t all be death waltzes.
8. “White Snow, White Dress”- a completely self-indulgent song about Edward Scissorhands, told from the perspective of Edward Scissorhands. This is me at my geekiest, and I received a standing ovation when I performed this for the first time. It breaks my heart every time I sing it.
A Very Bloody Misfit Cabaret
9. “She Looked Like She Owed Death Money”- a song about a vampire with a double meaning.
10. To be written before recording and to be performed in October at Misfit Cabaret’s Halloween show…but expect something spooky.
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I will release these songs one at a time or in pairs. Kickstarter backers will receive them all at once the minute they are available! Hard copies of the album will come in a beautifully designed digipac with photography by Mike Lloyd, complete with lyrics and liner notes. I am offering skype voice lessons as well as intimate skype performances and chats. Dave Haas-Baroque ofShadow Circus Creature Theater (the puppeteer from my video “Uh Oh”!) is creating exclusive macabre cat masks with crazy Labyrinth claw handles.
And on December 10th, me and The Darling Misfits will perform the entire album at a super secret location, made up to look like the underwater ballroom from “The Last Waltz of The Wrights”! Tickets to this show will be sold exclusively through Kickstarter and will not be available to the public. As fast as Misfit Cabaret shows are moving along, we may never perform this exact set in its entirety ever again!
Artwork for the album and special packages will include exclusive photographs from Misfit Cabaret by Mike Lloyd Photography, my favorite photographer in the city and the official photographer for Misfit Cabaret!
*Every backer who pledges $50 or more will have access to Misfit Cabaret’s Whimsea video, performed live at The Great Star Theater on July 16th.
*Every backer who pledges $100 or more will have their name in the liner notes as a thank you. xo
**If anyone would like to combine packages or add on to packages, please message me! We are happy to combine for you. For example, if you’d like to come to the intimate performance and you want to bring a couple friends, no problem. Message me! If you’d like to get several copies of the album, no sweat.
A lot of you may be wondering what happens if we reach our initial goal before the Kickstarter is over. That’s where stretch goals come in! Stretch goals will be announced if and when we hit our initial goal of 25k. The more money we raise, the more backers get in return and the more flexibility we have to make this album extra special!
I want to keep it somewhat of a surprise, but I will tease one stretch goal- a very special collaboration with Eliza Rickman, darling songbird and Disney princess. I first met Eliza through Jason Webley’s project “Margaret” in which Eliza wrote and sang my favorite song of hers, “Lark of My Heart”. I’ve been hooked on her ever since. Check it out. Eliza performed at the very first Misfit Cabaret and knocked everyone off their feet.
Here are the estimated costs for the Kickstarter:
1. Production: $ 800 per song= $8,000
2. Studio time: drums – piano – guitar – etc at Prairie Sun Studios $500 per day @ 4 days= $2,000
3. Vocal tracking at 25th Street Recording 3 full days=$1,000
4. Final Mixing: 10 songs @ $250 per song= $2,500
5. Recording artists miscellaneous= $2000
6. Mastering: $100 per song= $1000
Total – $16,500
Additional costs:
-Cost of album duplication and KS packages
-Kickstarter and transaction fees are 7-10% of project’s total
-Marketing and promotion for the album
I am thrilled to work alongside Daniel Garcia on recording this album. Daniel is a fantastic producer who worked on Lila Rose‘s album “We Animals” and when I heard it, I knew I HAD to work with Daniel. He has an incredible ear and the perfect style to bring the songs of Misfit Cabaret to life.
Brendan Getzell will be lending his piano and vocal skills to the album as well, which is the equivalent of having a unicorn make the entire world snow cones. That’s him playing keys and singing backup on “How It Feels To Be Loved”.
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I am asking for the bare minimum of what it will cost to make this album. Any money left over will go into enhancing the album, to possible music videos, and to help with marketing. I might also buy a burger.
It’s important to know that with Kickstarter, it’s all or nothing. If I don’t reach my goal, I can’t record the album. Please contribute to my Kickstarter campaign, share this link with others, and help spread the word and the love! Misfit Cabaret is all about community and together we can make this album project a reality!
****To find out more about Misfit Cabaret, the show, and to purchase tickets to the next event, visit katrobichaud.com.
A special thank you to Paul and Jordan Nathan who gave me the chance to create a show and keep building it.
This is the third Kickstarter that I have done and the 4th crowd-funded project that I have done. I know what it takes to record an album, get it pressed, and get it into the hands of my amazing backers. Daniel (my producer) and I have allotted the month of August for recording and we want to have about a month of time after recording the album to listen to it and let it marinate and then go back in the studio to make any changes after we’ve had some time to properly listen to and digest the album. If any delays arise, I will be in constant contact with my backers to give them updates and to let them know how the album is coming along and when they should expect it. I’ve projected that the KS packages will be fulfilled by December, which gives us a couples months of padding.