Times of personal crisis lead to music, says Frostburg-based pop musician Jonathan Shadel. In the summer of 2010, Shadel fell into a period of depression and questioning which prompted his move to Limerick, Ireland to study Literature. In his travels across three continents, he found inspiration in different cultures that has led to the recording of his double-album Strange Currents. After depleting his recording budget, he is now reaching out to listeners through an innovative fundraising platform called Kickstarter.com. 

While this is his first album released under the band name Brave the River, Shadel has been active in Western Maryland’s music scene for over five years. Pointing out influences ranging from the Beach Boys, Cat Stevens, and modern electronic music, he indicates that Strange Currents features his most melodic songwriting. “With this record, I really wanted to emphasize the power of a good pop melody. I think after spending a lot of time listening to the artists that have influenced me, I’ve found my own grounding as a songwriter,” he says.
Shadel took violin lessons for eleven years, and taught himself guitar, bass, mandolin, and synthesizer. As a multi-instrumentalist, he has performed and produced nearly all the instrumentation on the album’s 23-tracks. In describing the record’s sound, he says, “It is a deeply spiritual record about questioning God and those I love the most. I think the music matches that mood; the melodies and rhythms are pretty direct. The complexity is in how the songs work together. The result is both natural and electronic.” 

While Shadel has funded the recording of the record so far, he is using a website called Kickstarter.com to raise funds to cover post-production costs. “It is such a simple platform,” he says. “It’s like a fun pre-order system. Someone can decide they want to pledge a few bucks, and in return they get some really fun rewards.” Some of the rewards he is offering range from a copy of the album or a custom written song. “I’m not trying to raise a lot of money, but the difficult thing is that I only have a few weeks to do it. So I really need people to be a part of the project.” More information can be found at his website,www.bravetheriver.com andhttp://www.kickstarter.com/projects/660223294/help-finish-my-double-album-and-ill-write-you-a-so