Now, I have to cite the fact I pretty much knew the plans for this were brewing many years ago. I want to say on that 2015 tour when I saw them at The Cedar, I spoke to more than 1 member of the band about this.
That The War Act I, Prelude, WERE NOT ALL THEY WERE WORKING ON.
And that The War album(s) could blow Beneath the Brine away (an album many fans love incredibly).
I'm wondering a few things:
How connected/similar this album will be to Act I and Prelude. Act I mind you, was MY ALBUM OF THE YEAR for 2017-2018 (2018).
Is Act II going to be a DOUBLE ALBUM? I suspect it very well could be. Or something of that ilk.
How creative and outside-the-box will the band be with it?
Packaging, guests, concept, reprises, instrumentals, voice-overs, samples, STYLES, etc, etc.
Maybe they have a Choir on some of it? Huge vocal harmonies?..I dunno. I'm brainstorming, but I still have very high curiosity for this, as much as I love all of their albums, especially many tunes on Brine and Prelude, and of course Act I.
Spring 2020.
Today's a big day for us. First, it's Liam's birthday, so we're celebrating! But second, we're ecstatic to share that after years of hard work, The War: Act II can be yours in Spring of 2020, and we're launching a Kickstarter to make sure that happens. https://t.co/0bUiqOIPkE— The Family Crest (@TheFamilyCrest) October 9, 2019
KICKSTARTER
We are The Family Crest, an independent orchestral rock band from San Francisco.
Our band began as a recording project in 2010, with a simple mission: we wanted to make music with anybody who wanted to join us in an artistic project, regardless of their background, musical or not. We believe everyone is musical when given the opportunity, and over the years, hundreds of ‘Extended Family’ members have joined us on recordings, at live shows, and participated through other mediums, too - visual arts, dance, and many more.
Since forming the band, thanks to the support of the people who listen to our music, we have released three EPs and three full-length albums. Our music has been featured in TV shows, documentaries, and films. We had the opportunity to perform a Tiny Desk concert. We’ve played countless shows in the U.S., and toured in Canada and Europe. It’s been a lot of work, with a lot of ups and downs, but we are so grateful for everything that has come our way.
The War
In 2017, we set off on a journey: we decided to release our largest project to date, a multi-album concept series called The War, on our own. The decision wasn’t made lightly; it’s a ton of work to release an album independently. Ultimately, we knew we wanted to retain control over how we make our art, and how we deliver it to the world. With a project as large and complex as The War, the need for creative control was paramount. We released the first and second parts of this series, Prelude to War (EP) and The War: Act I ourselves. Now, we need your help to complete the next part of the story, The War: Act II.
The War: Act II is the heart and soul of the series. It’s going to be our grandest work to date. The songs on this album span the past 10 years, some having been written while we were mixing our very first album, The Village. It's the album that we in The Family Crest have been wanting to release, and more importantly, play live, almost since our conception. Here are a few fun facts about the record:
The War has been recorded in over 20 major cities across the United States. In 2015 Liam and John went on a recording tour of the U.S. to make sure everyone who wanted to play on the album could participate.
By the time we finish the record, we estimate there will be over 140 people on the album
The record features over 60 instruments, including strings, woodwinds, horns, an array of percussion instruments, synthesizers, and choirs. Several band members learned and played new instruments for the album.
